Sweden guilty of crimes against a family

In this day and age - in Europe no less - it is apparently okay to kidnap children and deny them access to the parents; where you may ask? - Sweden would be my answer. Follow the title link and read for yourself.

Their crime - homeschooling their child - leagally I must add - and opting out of vaccinations, which was also legal at the time in question.

If you took 'Sweden' out of the report you could make it fit with horror stories from Nazi Germany or Stalinist Russia, but no, modern day Sweden which has joined Germany in outlawing Home Schooling.

It would seem that yet again society refuses to learn from the mistakes of the past. Where will it end? More repression of freedoms so hard fought for and the imposition of brain washing on a scale not seen since the second world war and later Stalinist Russia etc

Logos giveaway

Logos Bible Software is giving away thousands of dollars of prizes to celebrate the launch of Logos Bible Software 4 Mac on October 1. Prizes include an iMac, a MacBook Pro, an iPad, an iPod Touch, and more than 100 other prizes!

They’re also having a special limited-time sale on their Mac and PC base packages and upgrades. Check it out!

Luke Chapter 7

Here we find a Roman Centurion, a Gentile, putting to shame all the Jews (which must by definition have included the Apostles at that point in time) by the unquestioning faith displayed regarding Jesus ability to heal. Considered himself unworthy to have Jesus even enter his house.
How many of us could learn so much from just this one incredible display (that includes me at the top of the list)

Luke Chapter 6

It was v37a that 'leapt' out at me here, what I consider to be one of the more abused verses in the Bible.
How many times have you heard people try and avoid legitimate challenges by misapplying this verse. So many Christians think it is a 'Get out of jail free' card to avoid any challenges.
When that particular 'log' has been removed it is obvious that it is hypocrisy that is being spoken against here.
To put it plainly; if you were guilty of adultery and you took someone else to task for committing adultery then this verse would apply to you.
When you allow scripture to inform assessment of scripture it becomes even more obvious because we are told in Mat 18: v15-18 ( for instance) what to do when we "judge" someone to be in sin.
If we were to truly 'judge not' in the way that too many would prefer then we would be unable to follow the very clear instructions laid out in Matthew reference above.

Luke Chapter 5

Christians should fast (from food primarily) regularly; not just when they want something or find themselves in extremis regarding some issue.
This is a much neglected aspect of Christian life, especially here in the soporific West where, in general, persecution is something that happens 'elsewhere' and rarely disturbs the Spirit sapping surroundings of the West.

Luke Chapter 4

Here in verse 1 we find that the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness was Gods idea from the start; we are told that Jesus is led into the wilderness by the Spirit.
Oh I love the Trinity; think about it, in effect He (God the Father) degreed that Himself (God the Spirit) should lead Himself (God the Son) into the wilderness - I don't understand how that works, but I think it is great

Sad news

Hi, Several projects/posts for this blog are on hold for the next week or so as my father passed away today at the age of 78.
He had been unwell for some time and bedridden for the past year.

So called 'pregnant man'!!

There has been much said about the so called 'pregnant man' in the USA and it is utterly ridiculous.

Lets get one thing clear right from the start; she is not a man, she is a woman trying to pretend to be a man. She was born a woman and no amount of surgery can change that simple fact.

She is not even a good imitation of a man because although she had some surgery, she left her reproductive organs intact. (because she wanted a child at a later date)

Now lets make something else clear; no true man can be pregnant, only women can be pregnant and carry a child to full term. I realise that that is a shocking statement for some deluded souls on this planet, but it is an unalterable fact.

These same people seem to think that by calling a woman a man and artificially inducing facial hair and a deepening of the voice through the introduction of testosterone (again, artificially) that it somehow makes there irrational statements true. NO IT DOESN'T and it never will.

It is called propaganda and that is all it will ever be.

Do I hate these people, NO I do not. I think they are in need of help. I think they are deluded spiritually and need to be set free from the delusions that beset there troubled souls.

This twisting of the true nature of men and women is another assault on the beautiful created order of God.

Luke Chapter 3

This '1 thing' provided much food for thought which is ongoing .

What struck me here is the command that if we have even one item over and above the absolute basics we are to share with those who have not.

In this example provided in Chap 3 we are told that if you have two tunics (note only two) we are to give away the extra one to someone who has not.

Many people in the West would consider this to be madness. Only having two shirts for instance would be considered more than below the poverty line and yet we are commanded by God to be ready to give one away.

When one looks at the Church in the West (and elsewhere), and by Church I am of course referring to the people, not the buildings, we need to realise that we are soaked in almost unimaginable wealth.

What many Christians would consider to give away would be from what they see as 'excess to requirements' which falls a long way short of the Biblical injunction and standard.

I note also in passing that the soldiers in v4 are not told by John the Baptist to give up soldiering or to become pacifists, he tells them to be honest and content with what they have. How very different from what many Christians spout these days.

Luke Chapter 2

What stood out for me here was the Shepherds involvement.

Shepherds were considered a despicable class, commonly regarded as little better than thieves.

Yet to such as these was granted not only the news of the birth of the Christ, but also a huge display of the heavenly hosts singing praises, now that must have been some concert - can you imagine the tonal perfection..... sorry, of course not, how could we.

Only Elisha and his servant are recorded as having also seen an angelic host (2Ki 6:17)

I note in passing that the Magi do not rate a mention in Luke's account of the virgin birth, but the start of the greatest event in all of history was given to those considered despised and lowly. Praise the Lord.

Luke Chapter 1

What struck me in Chap:1 was the circumstances of Elizabeth.

Elizabeth was barren for nearly her whole married life. In Jewish society of the time this was seen as a curse, but as it transpired Elizabeth was not in fact cursed.

Her circumstances were according to the purposes of God. She was to be the mother of the Herald of the Christ, John the Baptist.

Not only was the birth of the Christ miraculous (virgin birth), but the birth of His herald was also miraculous through the unlocking of Elizabeths barren womb.

I also note in passing the similarity between Abraham & Sarah and Zechariah & Elizabeth, as in one son, late in life according to Gods purposes.

Luke: 1 Chapter; 1 thing

My next run of posts is going to be built around the concept of working through Luke and picking out one thing that strikes me from each Chapter.

Safe place for discussion?,,,not likely!!

There is a blog called "Complegalitarian" which pretends to be a place for egalitarians and Complementarians to 'safely' discuss issues.
If it wasn't for the egalitarian pundits who frequent the place it might just achieve it.....on second thoughts it was doomed from the start. Why? Because of the rampart hypocrisy of the blog owner who allows the egal. commenter's to slander and impugn the motives and character of anyone who dares to express a Comp. outlook.
Now, sometimes it is dressed up in 'nice' language, but the intent remains the same.

For instance, if you support a Comp. view you are likened to a despotic Dictator, you are a supporter of slavery, you encourage spousal abuse, oh yes and you are an idiot who is incapable of even the barest understanding of Scripture.

On the other hand if you support Comp. and you express even the slightest criticism of an egal. commenter or poster and your comment will be deleted. I am not talking about a direct assault on the character of the person, but just the view they have expressed or (heaven forbid) the way they have expressed it.

There was at the beginning a couple of brave souls who tried to be posters on this blog to present the Comp. viewpoint on issues raised. They have given up due to the hostile atmosphere and the blatant attacks and misrepresentation of whatever was brought.
Like many things there are of course the odd exceptions, but they stand out for that reason.

Now, it will come as no surprise to find that the view most common amongst the posters is that the Comps are the ones who are vicious, spiteful and hateful whilst supposedly misrepresenting the egal position.

Avoid this place like the plague, it serves no purpose except maybe to show how not to do it.