C. Aaron Russell's Blog, page 6

‘Blood moon’ lunar eclipses not a sign, Baptist professors say

 

(Christian Telegraph)

image via Baptist Press

Televangelist John Hagee’s prediction that a series of “blood moon” lunar eclipses signals a “world shaking event” is a misinterpretation of the Bible, two Southern Baptist professors said, reports Baptist Press.

Hagee’s prediction “ignores” a common style of writing in the Bible known as “apocalyptic literature” that “frequently contains cosmic imagery” to describe significant spiritual events. In apocalyptic literature such figures of speech are not meant to be interpreted “in a literalistic manner,” Ben Merkle, associate professor of New Testament and Greek at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, N.C., told Baptist Press.

A rare sequence of four consecutive complete lunar eclipses – known as a tetrad – began April 15 and will conclude in September 2015. There were no tetrads between 1600 and 1900, though several will occur in the 21st century. A complete lunar eclipse is called a “blood moon” because the earth blocks direct sunlight from striking the moon, leaving the moon illuminated by refracted light which gives it a red hue.

Hagee, founder of Cornerstone Church in San Antonio, Texas, drew on biblical references about the moon turning to blood and said the tetrad signals an approaching event of major cosmic significance. This tetrad is especially significant, he said, because each eclipse will occur on a Jewish holy day: April 15, 2014 (Passover), Oct. 8, 2014 (Feast of Tabernacles), April 4, 2015 (Passover) and Sept. 28, 2015 (Feast of Tabernacles). Previous tetrads coincided with expulsion of the Jews from Spain in 1492, Israel’s statehood in 1948 and the Six Day War in 1967, Hagee said.

National media outlets reported Hagee’s prediction, including USA Today, CNN, the Houston Chronicle, the New York Daily News and Christianity Today.

Hagee has a history of making controversial statements, as when he suggested Hurricane Katrina was an expression of God’s wrath toward New Orleans. He also holds to “dual covenant theology,” the belief that Jews can be saved by keeping the Old Testament “Law of Moses” unlike Gentiles, who must trust Jesus as Lord and Savior.

Hagee, 73, said he has been preparing for the tetrad for years and published a book titled “Blood Moons: Something Is About to Change.” An accompanying online television special aired April 15.

In a sermon posted on YouTube, Hagee quoted Joel 2, Acts 2 and Mark 13 – passages that speak of the moon being “darkened” or turned “to blood” – and claimed Christians would be foolish not to view the tetrad as a sign from God.

“The heavens are God’s billboard, and when something big is about to happen, He gives planet earth a sign in heaven,” Hagee said. “It’s a signal that something significant is about to happen. Pay attention. NASA has said this is coming. God has said through Joel and Saint Peter, ‘Listen! When this happens, it’s unusual.’”

But Merkle said such cosmic imagery commonly occurs as a figurative way of describing God’s action in human history.

Isaiah 13:10, for example, says the stars “will not give their light,” the sun “will be dark when it rises” and the moon “will not shine.” But context makes clear that the prophecy was fulfilled in the sixth century B.C., when the Babylonians took Judah into exile, Merkle said. It did not reference a literal darkening of the sun, moon or stars.

Merkle said a similar interpretation applies to Acts 2:20, a key passage in Hagee’s interpretation of the tetrad. In that verse, Peter quotes the Old Testament prophet Joel on the day of Pentecost – including Joel’s talk of God turning “the moon to blood” – to describe God’s giving of the Holy Spirit to the church.

“Peter (and Luke) had no difficulty in affirming that the prophecy given by Joel was fulfilled in the coming of the Spirit” at Pentecost, Merkle said. “Peter specifically states that the Spirit’s coming at Pentecost ‘is what was spoken by the prophet Joel’ (Acts 2:16 NASB).

“Peter could have omitted the references to the sun and moon by ending his quotation from Joel earlier. But he specifically includes them as what has been fulfilled. Peter knew that such cosmic language should not be interpreted literalistically. Rather, he knew that such language meant that God would sovereignly intervene in history and do something miraculous. He knew that this marked a key event in the history of redemption. It was a sign that they were living in the end times.”

Saying that Acts 2 encourages believers to be on alert anytime the moon literally takes on a red hue represents a misunderstanding of Scripture, Merkle said.

“Hagee has a history of putting forth teaching that is later retracted and his interpretation of the four blood moons may fall into that category,” he said.

Bruce Gordon, associate professor of the history and philosophy of science at Houston Baptist University, agreed. Apart from the star God placed over Jesus’ birthplace in Bethlehem, “the whole business of discerning ‘signs in the heavens’ related to human affairs smacks either of astrology or pointless speculation about eschatological prophecies in Scripture,” he said in written comments to BP.

“If you want a prediction about the future, I predict that Hagee’s claims will either meet the embarrassing fate of Harold Camping’s eschatological pronouncements or he’ll attempt to salvage them by claiming their association with some coincidental historical event that he can present as significant enough to save face. I think my prediction has a much greater chance of being correct than John Hagee’s,” said Gordon, who also is a senior fellow with the Discovery Institute, a Seattle-based think tank that focuses on science and public policy.

Christians “should not assign any theological significance to lunar eclipses (or other similarly predictable astronomical phenomena) beyond the general hand of divine providence that is evident in the natural regularities of our universe,” Gordon said.

Christians should remember though that Jesus will truly break into history at His second coming, an event with far greater cosmic significance than a lunar eclipse, Gordon said.

“Of course, Christ will return someday and creation will be made new,” he said. “The wise course of action is not to speculate about various ‘signs of the times,’ however, but rather to keep your spiritual house in order and give stronger emphasis to Jesus’ pronouncement that ‘about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father’ (Matthew 24:36).”

Hear John Hagee in his own words claim that Jesus was not The Messiah…

Is This Statue of a Homeless Jesus Offensive?

 

The bronze figure is drawing criticism but also has fans in high places.

By  (takepart.com)

A vagrant sleeping on a park bench may not merit a second glance for many hardened city dwellers, but a statue of a homeless Jesus sleeping on a bench in Davidson, North Carolina is getting a lot of scrutiny.

The bronze figure is huddled under a blanket, his face and hands obscured; what gives away the identity are the crucifixion wounds on his uncovered feet, according a National Public Radio story this weekend.

One neighbor in the upscale town called police when she first drove by, thinking it was an actual homeless person. Another complained that the figure creeped him out.

But Rev. David Buck, 65, of St. Alban’s Episcopal Church says the statue is a good lesson for those used to seeing Jesus depicted in religious art as a figure cloaked in finery.

“We believe that that’s the kind of life Jesus had,” Buck told NPR. “He was, in essence, a homeless person.”

Sculptor Timothy Schmalz, a devout Catholic, says the sculpture is meant to challenge people.

The sculpture has friends in high places, Schmalz said, adding he showed Pope Francis a miniature of it. It’s being considered for installation on a park bench near St. Peter’s Basilica.

“[The pope] walked over to the sculpture, and it was just chilling,” Schmalz said. “He touched the knee of the Jesus the Homeless sculpture and closed his eyes and prayed.”

Battling through the dark days in ministry

 

When You Feel Like Quitting the Ministry

KIMBERLY WALDIE

“Why am I doing this anyway?” I muttered under my breath while moving about my day. I was irritated. Not just a little, but a lot. Some days in ministry, serving other people is not really appealing. I have days like that less often now, but every now and then, I find myself asking this question again.

On the surface, it’s a sarcastic question. But as I pondered it, I realized the power of this flippant question. In this case, other ministry people had disappointed me. Their action scraped an old wound of mistrust that I have struggled to keep cleansed and submitted to the Lord.

People hurt us in ministry, even other ministry people. I am at the place where it no longer surprises me. Yet something about people close to us being hurtful is still an irritant.

So, why am I doing this anyway? The Lord seemed to burn that question deep into my heart today. “Are you doing it for yourself? For them?” I fought back a bit. Of course I’m doing it for Him—or so I think—until my heart gets this ugly.

Paul struggled with hurt from those close to him in what was one of the darkest times in his ministry…(Continue reading at Charisma News)

More evangelicals seeing difference between supporting ‘God’s people’ and the secular government of Israel

Is support for Israel waning among evangelicals?
Sarah Pulliam Bailey

Graffiti mural on Palestine wall

(RNS) American evangelicals have played a significant role in U.S. support for Israel; by some measures they are even more supportive than American Jews.

But in the spring issue of Middle East Quarterly, David Brog, executive director of Christians United for Israel, wrote a piece titled “The End of Evangelical Support for Israel?” Evangelicals have shifted within the last decade, Brog wrote, and are no longer considered automatic supporters of Israel.

“The days of taking evangelical support for Israel for granted are over,” he wrote, suggesting an urgency for those who take the issue seriously. “They cannot let the evangelical community go the way of the mainstream Protestant leadership.”

Several mainline churches and international church bodies have passed resolutions on divesting money or boycotting products made in Israel because of its occupation of the Palestinian territories…(continue reading at Religion News Service)

Politician stands up to atheists: ‘We’re a Christian nation, get over it’

 

Militant atheists should ‘get over it’ and accept UK is Christian

Eric Pickles attacks opponents of religion who try and “impose” their “politically correct intolerance”

by Peter Dominiczak (The Telegraph UK)

Militant atheists should “get over it” and accept that Britain is a Christian nation, a minister has said.

Eric Pickles, the Communities Secretary, hit out at opponents of religion who try and “impose” their “politically correct intolerance”.

Mr Pickles in 2012 changed the law to ensure that councils could not face legal challenges for including prayers in public meetings.

He stepped in after the High Court backed a controversial campaign to abolish acts of worship during town hall meetings.

Mr Pickles said: “I’ve stopped an attempt by militant atheists to ban councils having prayers at the start of meetings if they wish. Heaven forbid. We’re a Christian nation. We have an established church. Get over it. And don’t impose your politically correct intolerance on others…” (continue reading at The Telegraph UK)

Going undercover to rescue a child sex slave

 

What it takes to free a sex slave

Rescuing someone from human trafficking is harder than it seems. Here’s what it really takes.

BY MATT AND LAURA PARKER (Relevant Magazine)

Sarah sat nervously fiddling with the napkin in her hands. Lights flashed and music blared all around us.

Next to Sarah, the brothel owner bartered her price. He offered my partner, an undercover national investigator, sex with Sarah at a premium because she was still considered “fresh.”

We were in a Southeast Asian brothel commonly known as a “fishbowl”—a bar where women are lined up on stools or couches behind a large wall of glass windows.

Sarah, a native of a neighboring country, was 15 years old. Her mother had recently sold her to pay off a family debt. Sarah’s virginity had brought her trafficker $600 just three days earlier.

As you might imagine, I felt rage. The only hope I had in that moment was knowing our interaction with Sarah’s pimp was being captured by the covert cameras my partner and I were carrying. I knew when we recorded the sale of Sarah, when we gathered enough evidence to prove money changed hands with the intent of sex with a minor, we could spark a raid with the local police on her behalf.

And while I knew this was the right course of action to work within the local legal system, it was a brutal thing to walk away from the brothel later that night, leaving Sarah still inside.

Rescue from the sex trade sounds glamorous. On the outside looking in, rescue looks a lot like Jason Bourne in a fist fight or Liam Neeson breaking down doors to find his daughter in Taken. It sounds like the stuff of Hollywood.

But real rescue can’t be depicted in a two-hour movie on the big screen…The rescue of a sex slave actually requires a huge investment of time, resources, strategy and grit…(continue reading at Relevant Magazine)

Matt Parker is the founder and president of The Exodus Road.

Presidential hopeful Ted Cruz inspires defenders of religious freedom

 

Ted Cruz to Liberty U Students: Defend Your Religious Freedom

BY NAPP NAZWORTH , CHRISTIAN POST REPORTER

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) speaking at the Liberty University (PHOTO: LIBERTY UNIVERSITY/TY HESTER)

Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas) encouraged Christian college students at Liberty University’s Convocation Wednesday to stand up for what they believe and defend their religious freedom against current assaults.

“I’m here today, more than anything, to encourage you,” he told the approximately 10,000 students in attendance. “To encourage you in your faith, to encourage you in your freedom, to encourage you in standing up for the principles that define you.”

According to Liberty University, located in Lynchburg, Va., the school’s convocation is the largest weekly gathering of young Christians. Cruz’s father, Raphael Cruz, spoke at one of the convocations in November.

“Faith and freedom are intertwined,” Cruz said, and religious liberty “has never been more imperiled than it is right now…” (continue reading at the Christian Post)

“Jesus Is Muslim” Campaign Underway

 

By Gary Randall

Faith and Freedom via (Christian Telegraph)

‘We believe that clearing up the many misconceptions about Islam will make this world a better place—a place with less violence and hatred about Islam,” explains the organization behind the newly launched billboard campaign carrying messages such as “Jesus Is Muslim” and “Muslims Love Jesus Too.”

The sponsor of the campaign argues that Muslims are actually Christians, if “Christian” is taken to mean “someone following the teachings of Christ.”

Is anyone actually going to believe their message?

Actually, there are those within the “Christian” community who are working to “reconcile” Christianity and Islam by advocating that Christians and Muslims worship the same God—just by a different name.

And they are advocating a new religious expression which combines Christianity and Islam.

It’s called Chrislam.

The billboards have begun to show up in the Columbus, Ohio area but plans include a national campaign.

The sponsor, “Ask A Muslim” plans to put up billboards and other messaging devises across the country carrying the same message.

“Ask A Muslim” explains their mission is to educate people about Islam.

Their web site says, “Muslims are following the teachings of Jesus, while most Christians have begun to follow the Church.”

They explain, “This is why the Qur’an (Holy Qur’an 9:31) needed to be revealed. Their teaching includes showing the connection between Jesus and Muhammad in the Bible.

They say, “Please remember Islam = following Jesus. Muhammad confirmed Jesus.”

“Muslims love Jesus too.” They say.

Columbus football coach Dan Daubenmire who also heads up “Pass The Salt Ministries” is upset. He along with a few pastors organized a prayer vigil this past Saturday to bring attention to the campaign and to proclaim that “Jesus is Lord,” He is not Muslim.

In his press release coach Daubenmire said, “Although we support the Islamic community’s right to free speech, as well as their right to post messages on billboards, we do not support the hi-jacking of the name of Jesus Christ in their attempt to lure uninformed Christians into their religion.”

The Muslim web site features “One Message—One God” and teaches how Adam–Moses–Abraham–Jesus and Muhammad are all connected.

We should not be surprised to find such a message resonating with people in our pluralistic society.

Ironically—and tragically, there is a parallel message within the “Christian” community.

Let me give you a very brief background on the concept of “Chrislam.” And report on recent incidents where well known pastors have been called out by the evangelical Christian leaders for their comments that suggest they are giving some credence to the false doctrine of “Chrislam.”

The notion of Chrislam has been around for a long time, however following 9-11, there was a resurgence of discussion about how Christians and Muslims could be reconciled.

For example, in a 2002 issue of Newsweek Magazine, religion editor Kenneth Woodward asserted that “mere tolerance of other religions is not enough” and that “even the acceptance of other religions as a valid path way to God is not adequate.”

Woodward said, “The most important theological agenda of the new millennium is for committed Christians, Jews and Muslims to find within their own traditions sound theological reasons for valuing other faiths without compromising their own.”

In the February 4, 2002 issue of Christianity Today, Wheaton College professor James Lewis wrote an article titled, “Does God Hear Muslim Prayers?”

In the article he encouraged Christians to “seek Muslim prayer partners and together beseech the true, one and only God to have mercy on us.”

Given his influence within the Christian community, many leaders and pastors expressed concern that he was suggesting compromise of the Christian faith, saying that for evangelicals to capitulate the teaching of the Bible, and soften the gospel, would blur the lines between the god of Islam and the God of the Bible.

However, many religious left “Christian” churches have in more recent years adopted a Chrislam format in their churches.

A list of Chrislam Christian churches in America who combine the Bible and the Koran in their teaching was published in 2011. I’m certain there are more today, but could not find a current list.

Shamsuddin Saka pastors a “Chrislam” church in Lagos Nigeria. He preaches from both a Bible and a Koran. He would not be worth mentioning, except that he is drawing a great deal of attention from leaders in Europe and some from the US.

This matter has resurfaced again. I am writing this today, not to judge, but to inform my readers.

My heart aches, but does not judge. Our culture is seductive. And people are quick to judge, particularly those who lead.

These are perilous times and it is necessary that biblical believers be informed.

These are 2 more recent events related to this matter of Chrislam.

In 2012, Pastor Rick Warren announced that he had “embarked on an effort to heal divisions between evangelical Christians and Muslims by partnering with Southern California mosques and proposing a set of theological principles that includes acknowledging that Christians and Muslims worship the same God.”

Pastor John Piper, who has previously defended Rick Warren on a couple of theological issues, did not defend him on this issue.

Please read the link carefully and be informed.

In December, 4 months ago, Pastor Brian Houston, founding pastor of the 30,000-member Hillsong Church made a statement in his December 4 sermon that has caught the attention of Christians around the world.

He said, “Do you know – take it all the way back into the Old Testament and the Muslim and you, we actually serve the same God. Allah to a Muslim, to us Abba Father God. And of course through history, those views have changed greatly. But let’s make sure that we view God through the eyes of Jesus, the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, the beauty of a Savior, the loving open inclusive arms of a loving God. And that way we’ll lead out of that and you’ll be purposeful about your leadership and you’ll draw people just like the Lord Jesus always does through the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Houston’s critics are becoming more and more vocal as video copies of this sermon surfaced around the world this past week. Houston is denying that he believes in any form of “Chrislam” and only teaches and preaches the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The story is linked above. Please read it and be informed.

A final thought.

Islam rejects the Trinity and the God of the Bible, insisting instead that Allah alone is the one true deity. It denies that Jesus is God, that He died on the cross, and that He was raised from the dead. Instead, say Muslims, Jesus was but one of thousands of prophets sent by Allah, the greatest of them being Muhammad. In other words, Jesus was merely a man.

Clearly, Islam and Christianity are mutually exclusive. Both claim to be the only true way to God, but both cannot be right. There is no atonement in Islam, no forgiveness, no savior, and no assurance of eternal life outside jihad. The gospel of Jesus Christ is a message of hope; Islam is a religion of hopelessness.

Christian persecution in Egypt continues despite overthrow of Muslim Brotherhood

Violence Against Christian Copts in Egypt Continues Despite Fall of Muslim Brotherhood

By Stoyan Zaimov, Christian Post Reporter

Coptic Christians protest in front of the White House

Violence in Egypt against Coptic Christians has continued despite the fall of former president Mohammed Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood, with believers still facing abductions and the government seizing their property, the Board of Inquiry in Cairo reported.

The report, according to  Fides News Agency, shows that Copts, who make up close to 10 percent of the population, are continuing to face “endemic forms of violence and abuse” in many parts of Egypt, particularly in the governorates of Luxor, Sohag and Aswan…

Christians have been heavily targeted in Egypt following the fall of Morsi last July, with Islamic extremists blaming them for supporting the protests that led to the change in government…(continue reading at the Christian Post)

Noah movie: courage, faith, hope

By Rusty Wright

Noah’s wife Naameh (Jennifer Connelly) and Noah (Russell Crowe)
(Photo: Paramount Pictures)

OK, how would you feel if you thought you heard God telling you he was going to destroy every living thing on earth with a great flood?

Except he wanted you to build a boat to survive the tumult with a few relatives and a slew of creatures.

Would you jump at the challenge?  Run and hide?  Ask – as Bill Cosby did in his classic comedy routine portraying Noah – “Right!  Who is this really?”

Perhaps you’ll sense how the biblical Noah felt.  Paramount Pictures and director/co-writer Darren Aronofsky bring Noah to the big screen in North America and worldwide throughout late March and April.  The cast includes Russell Crowe in the title role, Jennifer Connelly, Emma Watson and Anthony Hopkins.

With breathtaking cinematography, this film imagines some intense struggles for Noah and his family.  We see sorrow for lost masses, interpersonal conflicts, and practical realities of living on a creature-packed craft.

Taking Liberties

Paramount says Noah’s story “inspired” the film, but that “artistic license has been taken.”  Too much license, feel some.  I’m reminded of TV’s iconic psychiatrist Frasier Crane, concerned that an employee was “taking far too much liberty with the liberty-taking!”  Readers of the biblical Noah story won’t find there, for instance, the film’s multi-armed fallen angels, its pronounced environmentalist message, or hordes of people fighting to board the ark.

The biblical account is short – mostly Genesis 6-9 – with little detail about ark life.  So, yes, the filmmakers took liberties – many.  Aronofsky recently told The Atlantic he views the story “as poetry and myth and legend” that helps us understand the world and ourselves.

But the essential framework of the biblical flood story – human evil, divine judgment, hope and salvation – remains in Noah.  Consider these facets of that story and their modern implications.

Human Evil; Divine Judgment

Genesis says humanity was a mess:  “The Lord observed the extent of human wickedness on the earth, and he saw that everything they thought or imagined was consistently and totally evil. … It broke his heart.”

Human corruption prompted him to “destroy every living thing.”  But “Noah was a righteous man … [who] walked in close fellowship with God.”  God told him to build a large boat, specifying precise dimensions and design.

Filmmakers took pains to follow biblical specs for their ark.  The production designer had many ideas for the ark’s appearance, but Aronofsky, who is Jewish, insisted, “No, the measurements are right there.”

Salvation, Hope, Promise

Noah built his ark and took aboard his wife, their three sons with their wives, plus pairs of animals, birds and crawling creatures.  Elaborate computer-generated imagery portrays the animals for film.

Rain poured, underground water erupted, and floodwaters covered the earth.  Every human, bird and land animal not in the ark perished.  The waters receded, the earth dried, and the ark inhabitants disembarked.  God promised never again to destroy the earth by flood, offering the rainbow as a pledge reminder.

Faith; Future

If you attend the film, I suggest reading the biblical account first, then again after the screening.  Noah’s story has much for a 21st–Century audience, including two nuggets about faith and the future.

The New Testament lauds Noah for his faith.  He was not perfect.  “Wickedness is…in all of us,” he tells his wife in the film.  His own drunkenness – depicted in the film – led to embarrassment and family conflict.  But his faith in God mattered.  I came to faith as a skeptical university student.  It has made all the difference in my life.

Concerning the future, Jesus indicated his second coming would be “like it was in Noah’s day” with people carrying on their routines and unaware of impending peril.  “You also must be ready all the time,” he continued, “for the Son of Man will come when least expected.”

I want to be ready.

Rated PG-13 (USA) for “violence, disturbing images and brief suggestive content”

www.NoahMovie.com  Global websites and release dates

Rusty Wright is an author and lecturer who has spoken on six continents.  He holds Bachelor of Science (psychology) and Master of Theology degrees from Duke and Oxford universities, respectively. www.RustyWright.com