USA “The Decline And Fall Of The Western Empire” By Chuck Baldwin

[Donner9x]

He lost me with point number 5, his anti-Israel rant. Yahweh loves Israel, always has, always will.

Agreed. I was with him until that point also. I would remind Mr. Baldwin that Jesus Christ, the Master whom all true Christians serve, was himself a jew. And that Israel and the Jewish people are front and center in the bible. While you don't have to agree with everything Israel or the Jewish people do - as they are fallible humans like we all are - it is one thing to legitimately criticize Israel when it deserves criticism, it is another to walk too close to the line of antisemitism.

 

[MinnesotaSmith]

Well, that's a possibility. But is it the best move?

That I don't know. A volunteer-only pastor doesn't sound terrible. But you'd lose a lot of the other services. Visiting the old folks in the hospital, people in jail and whatnot, taking communion out to the shut-ins...can't do that when you're punching a time clock down at Spacely Sprockets.

Exactly. Evenings, weekends, holidays -- all those hours outside work shift are when to do those, not while actually clocked in at Spacely. Or, he works 3rd shift (as I do), and does those during the day. Duh.

 

[MinnesotaSmith]

I'm going to disagree, actually. If you give a homeless person charity and they use it to buy a bottle of cheap plonk that sends their liver to the graveyard, and them with it, you're not guilty of murder.

You ARE a dumb@ss if you give them money to be diverted to booze/pot/tobacco, though. If someone says they need work, and you want to help, you offer them a raking job in your front yard*. If they claim to be needy homeless, you give them a ride (in your camperless pickup truck bed) to the shelter. If they're hungry, you hand them a sandwich (and stay to watch them eat it) or give them a ride A/A (or just written directions) to the food bank.

Try this sometime: when you see a panhandler, ask them if they smoke. I have done this over a dozen times; 100% of them answered "Yes!" You have just met someone with plenty of money for food, who needs none from you. (I tell them, "There's your money for food", and drive off with a song in my heart, knowing I've figured out and solved their problem for them.)

Likewise, any panhandler with an animal has extra cash (for petfood, vet care, leash, bedding, animal baths, etc.), so needs none from you. Same if he has tattooes; those would have bought WEEKS of food in most cases, so if he had money for those, he needs nothing from you.

A shower, 50s-style man's haircut, and a complete (zero facial hair left, preferably repeated every other day til death) shave would open up a world of possibilities for these guys, such as employment.

*Word is most of them will get p****d off at that; they just wanted a handout so they could immediately buy recreational chemicals, NOT an opportunity for actual work.

Typical homeless guy (23 sec RT, one word profanity):

View: https://youtu.be/P1TQMJJpswc

 

[Samuel Adams]

Critical thinking sucks.

 

[bracketquant]

Christianity is about realizing you are a sinner and need salvation through Christ to become one with the creator again...........and then to pick up one's cross to follow Christ on his great commission in spreading the Gospel.

Civilization...........and Western consumer civilization specifically has become the "society of self" defined by material success and social media fame which is the complete anthesis to the Christian life.

As a result, organized denominations within the Christian faith are in turmoil over the survival of their fiscal requirements since they must now preach on serving two Gods.....

.....aka the God of Abraham through a life dedicated in Christ................and the false God of success..........or as Joel Olsten likes to say, "Living your best life now".

Good luck with that pastors..................the devil sits in the first row of the pew laughing at you.

Me?.......I'm not a person of faith these days but as a former believer I see very clearly the dilemma at hand.

Do you see our own dilemma at hand? In the parable about the sower, where does our seed fall?

 

[bracketquant]

Chuck has always been an anti-Israel preacher, and while a lot of what he says is true, his first points, it just seems he never seems to fail to go on an anti-Israel rant. Point being does his point 5 discount the others? Or will you buy into the 5th point because the other 4 are right?

Spiritual Israel is His people, not a place. Fleshy Israel is that place where many reject His spirit.

 

[1-12020]

He lost me with point number 5, his anti-Israel rant. Yahweh loves Israel, always has, always will.

Ya I don't understand what that is all about?

Does it come from the view that America is Babylon or something?