NowTHINK!AboutIt

Avoiding Hackneyed...Making Sense

9 Reasons You Won’t Find God At The Center Of Government

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What's the difference between atheistic totalitarianism and theistic totalitarianism.

Any Kind of Totalitarianism Is Abusive
And Democracy Is The Correction

There’s really no difference between Atheistic and Theistic totalitarianism but before we discuss the two, a clarification.

The question here is not does God have a place in government but exactly how does He fit in.

  • Is He completely uninvolved as if He didn’t exist?
  • Is He in complete control imposing His rule and will on every aspect of human life?
  • Or does He provide the necessary information to enable us to figure things out as we go.

Those are the only three options, two of which are totalitarian. [Read more…] about 9 Reasons You Won’t Find God At The Center Of Government

What Does It Mean To Be Godly

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It's godly to admit your not near as much like God as you desire to be.

Godly Is Defined By Neither
Tradition Nor Preference

It had been fifty years, give or take, since our Bible college days. Following college, our lives went in separate directions and only reconnected recently. The reunion had become somewhat strained.

At this meeting, we were sitting in a Starbucks sharing memories over coffee (and chocolate-coated coffee beans) and it was apparent that things were different. He was the same entertaining jovial guy and I was still me but the ground had definitely shifted.

We met in Bible college as young, gung-ho, charge-hell-with-a-water-pistol warriors intent on glorifying God which in real terms means rectifying all the wrongs in the world. We were fully committed to doing only right things and were focused on making sure everyone else did the same.

But after 50 years, the inevitable happened. We both shifted. The visions we’d entertained for a successful ministry hadn’t materialized exactly according to plan (they rarely ever do) and our life paths had taken turns we hadn’t anticipated; his for more practical endeavors: jobs, contracts, and paychecks. His devotion to church life had cooled but his conservative views had only hardened.

I had moved from a place of arrogant superiority. I no longer believed that my closest colleagues and I were absolutely right and everyone else was therefore wrong, and realized that maybe we are all a little wrong. I had also shed some of my early “thou shalt nots” so common to fundamentalist thinking, especially 50 years ago.

Jesus died for people who are wrong, not for people who are right and that includes everyone. No one holds the high ground absolutely.

Our thinking had diverged in several areas.

For my friend, Trump was the savior of US politics. I was the bad guy who didn’t vote for Trump and my disagreement was the talk of the brotherhood and a good reason to have less than enjoyable fellowship. Far less!

But there’s more. [Read more…] about What Does It Mean To Be Godly

Who Will Save Us From Religion

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A vow of poverty is a commitment to lethargy and a vow of chastity denies God's creative design.

Jesus Is All Important
Religion Is Peripheral

First of all, an explanation.

This article is about religion but you can’t talk about religion without naming specific denominations. I do that a lot here and people are bound to be offended. But the ones who won’t like this (those most closely aligned with religions) are the ones who need it most.

I wish it could be different but talking about problems with religion without naming specific ones would be like discussing a treatment for a “Disease” without naming the specific disease.

The religion I mention most is Catholicism. It’s one of the biggest and most widespread. It’s also the one with the most egregious scandals, as you will see.

Everyone is aware of the Catholic Church and, like it or not, whether you realize it or not, everyone is affected by the teachings and influence of this church. Seven of the nine Supreme Court Judges were raised Catholic and six of those are still practicing Catholics. You’ll be hard pressed to prove religion hasn’t influenced their rulings but more to the point, Catholicism has unwittingly cultivated some of the greatest scandals in modern history and there’s evidence to indicate the scandals aren’t a recent development.

Before I get into the meat of the discussion, it’s also important to note that nothing said here is aimed at Catholic individuals. I’ve known many Catholics who are wonderful people and tremendous Christians.

Catholicism is one thing, Catholic individuals are a different kettle altogether. This article is about religion, not the adherents.

Now that that’s established, the discussion. [Read more…] about Who Will Save Us From Religion

Chris Christie Is The Man To Beat

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Democracy and religion like oil and water don't mix.

Christie Understands
The Importance Of Consensus

After watching Chris Christie’s CNN hosted town hall Monday night, I’m convinced he’s the man to beat. He’s the newest Republican Presidential candidate to enter the race, and there are many, but he’s distinguished himself quite clearly from all the rest.

Other candidates may agree with him on substance but the difference is not so much in the philosophies but in the approach. Christie doesn’t mince words. He said exactly what many people think about Trump, something no other Presidential hopeful has been willing to do. In that regard, Christie is a breath of fresh air.

And really, isn’t that what we want from our leaders? Don’t we want to know what they are thinking? And hasn’t clarity been lacking for a long time, until Christie. Even Reagan doesn’t matchup. He was pleasant, smooth and poetic but rarely pointed.

You can’t listen to Christie and wonder what he’s thinking. No reading between the lines required.

I don’t think hard core members of either party will vote for him but all those in the middle (the majority), including Independents will take notice.

What became clear from the interaction was his ability to articulate answers to difficult questions that were both truthful and palatable. He didn’t back down from labeling Trump but his statements about Trump weren’t just media tricks to get attention. He also didn’t dodge any other questions. He openly admitted what he thought on the issues. He take a position and then explained how he would approach the issues.

Take abortion for example. [Read more…] about Chris Christie Is The Man To Beat

Book Release: Calvinism’s Fallacies by Ennis Pepper

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Calvinism's Fallacies: Why The Gospel Applies To Anyone, Anywhere, At Any Time, Under Any Circumstance

Calvinism’s Fallacies: Why The Gospel Applies To Anyone, Anywhere, At Any Time, Under Any Circumstance

Calvinim’s Fallacies is available for free through Amazon’s Kindle Unlimited program but the ebook version can also be purchased at Amazon inexpensively for just $2.99.

This book is not so much about Calvinism as it is a response to Calvinism. Since Calvinism grates against fairness and logic to begin with and has proven very difficult to clearly and rationally explain, it wouldn’t make sense to write another book on that topic.

To be sure, there are plenty of books attempting to explain or teach Calvinism and if you read them all, you would still be in the dark. Apart from the terminology (called, chosen, elect, predestined, grace, etc.), which everyone accepts, calvinists and non-calvinists alike, there is no thread of agreement. The acronym, TULIP, is a good example.

The acronym represents the five points of Calvinistic teaching, which on the surface seems to focus the thinking and coalesce disparate ideas, but when you read through explanations for each point, you find a range of variations as broad as the Gulf of Mexico and the reasoning for the differences, if you could call it that, as long as the Mississippi.

The intention here is not to explain Calvinism but rather to point out an entirely different perspective on terms like elect and predestined. There are, of course, other books that have attempted this also but those voices are drowned out by all the celebrating over being specially chosen while everyone else goes to hell. Hence, one more book to add a different perspective to a well worn discussion. Hopefully you find it clear and concise enough to be helpful.

This book only shares a few anecdotes on the historical effect of Calvinism but an extensive study on that topic could settle the question for most people. The interesting truth is Calvinism wasn’t institutionalized till John Calvin gave it academic weight in His Institutions. It didn’t take strong hold till it settled into the American northeast with the Pilgrims. Maybe that will be the next book.