In case you were still working on what you are giving up or for Lent, the 2015 results of the top 100 Lenten sacrifices are in (according to Twitter).
With about 646,000 tweets analyzed, the hot topic “school” is currently out in front, with chocolate, swearing and alcohol in the top 5. Christianity Today gave an in-depth analysis, here.
Stephen Smith of OpenBible.info’s running list of the top 100 most-mentioned Lenten sacrifices (both serious and cynical) in 2015: Continue Reading…
It was the funeral selfie heard seen around the world.
British Prime Minister David Cameron, Denmark’s Prime Minister Helle Thorning Schmidt and President Obama took a selfie during Nelson Mandela’s (funeral) memorial service. To the right, Mrs. Obama does not look impressed. Social media quickly reacted in disgust, support, shock, and confusion:
As millions watched President Obama take a public oath of office, popular mega church pastors sought to cast some social media stones on our president’s faith.
Mark Driscoll, pastor of Mars Hill Church in Seattle, set off a social media firestorm with this tweet:
Praying for our president, who today will place his hand on a Bible he does not believe to take an oath to a God he likely does not know.
— Mark Driscoll (@PastorMark) January 21, 2013
That message was retweeted over 3,000 times and favored over 1,000 times on Twitter.
Now, I think it is just great that Driscoll prayer for our president. Thank you, Mark. However, what is extremely troubling and ugly is that Driscoll has no understanding of Obama’s faith. Our president has publicly and privately shared his faith. Not only was he a long time member of a church in Chicago but has shared about his personal relationship with Jesus Christ over the course of his adult life.
In the beginning of 2012, Obama gave the keynote speech at the National Prayer Breakfast. Obama said,
“For me, as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’s teaching that ‘for unto whom much is given, much shall be required… I know that far too many neighbors in our country have been hurt and treated unfairly over the last few years, and I believe in God’s command to ‘love thy neighbor as thyself.
The facts are overwhelming despite Mark Driscoll’s ignorance. The president is on record proclaiming his faith and belief in Jesus Christ. Obama has spoken at length about praying and reading a personal Christian devotional everyday. In addition, our president regularly praying and meets with Christian pastors for spiritual advice.
In 2011, Obama responded to the questioning of his faith at the National Prayer Breakfast:
My Christian faith, then, has been a sustaining force for me over these last few years, all the more so when Michelle and I hear our faith questioned from time to time. We are reminded that ultimately what matters is not what other people say about us, but whether we’re being true to our conscience and true to our God. Seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you, as well… As I travel across the country, folks often ask me, what is it that I pray for? And like most of you, my prayers sometimes are general: Lord, give me the strength to meet the challenges of my office.
Still, other mega church pastors have commended Obama’s faith on inauguration day. John Piper, a popular mega church pastor and author, tweeted:
President Obama “spiritually blind” or “evil hypocrite” in claiming MLK and disregarding the weakest. dsr.gd/13UCjLz
— John Piper (@JohnPiper) January 21, 2013
I don’t agree with 100% of President Obama’s stances on political issues but that doesn’t mean I need to publicly bash his belief in Christ. This type of Christian stoning is ugly. It in no way furthers the Kingdom of God. It is easy to lob stones across social media and never face the person who you defame. On social media it is just too easy to be snarky, rude, or just plain uncouth. Anyone who is in Christ needs to resist the temptation to hurl a stone at another on social media.
Driscoll and Piper have very successful ministries that have brought thousands to Christ. I commend them for that. They reach the unchurched.
However, is it possible to live a life of ministry without bringing down others who’s Christian beliefs don’t match up with ours? Yes! I may not be particularly pleased with an organization’s or church’s stance on an issue or two but I can still support the fruit of their work.
We Christians must strive to end the questioning of another’s faith in Christ. God is the ultimate arbitrator of who is and is not a follower of Christ. Let’s put down the stones. As Jesus said, “Let he who is without sin cast the first stone.”
After the 2012 elections, Franklin Graham stated on CNN that our nation is on a “path of destruction” due to the 2012 election results. In addition Graham said, “If we are allowed to go down this road in the path that this president wants us to go down, I think it will be to our peril end to the destruction of this nation.”
This is troubling talk from one of the most powerful Evangelicals. Millions of Christians regularly take Graham’s lead on matters of politics and moral issues.
This is not the way to lead Christians to reach out and bring about the Kingdom of God. Let me explain.
Graham’s comments on CNN were noble, but there is a better way to change the future of America. His ministry organizations actively block movements in states that try to legalize same sex marriage, fight for prayer to return to schools, and encourage legislation that forbids abortions. Graham’s ministry and organizations regularly court politicians to enact his biblical interpretation on certain issues as civil law. By doing this, Graham only alienates the very people we Christians are trying to reach.
Franklin Graham and I are fellow ministers, evangelicals, and preachers of the Gospel. I thank Graham for his service to our nation and to other nations around the world. His relief organizations continuing give aid to developing nations. I support a number of these organizations. Graham’s heart is for God’s and I commend him for that. He wants to see the world and our nation to come to know Jesus Christ. I agree. Graham wants for Christians to carry out the message of the Bible. I agree. He wants the world to know God. I agree.
However, Graham and I disagree about how to go about making these common Kingdom goals realities. The only way to turn others to Christ is not through our political process, but through a Kingdom Process.
Jesus did not come to lobby Rome, Paul didn’t appeal to political leaders in Athens, and Peter didn’t hold political fundraisers for kings. Christian leaders in the New Testament did not use a political system as a means to achieve moral and societal change. Instead, they ate, sat, discussed, lived, and created space for their detractors. They didn’t alienate those who they were preaching to with hateful speech or disdain. People loved Jesus because he was the only rabbi that would give them to time of day and listen to them.
Tom McCrossan, another fellow minister, and life long Republican to add, provided a helpful perspective of what is occurring with Christians who want change through politics:
With a record number of “nones” or religiously unaffiliated Americans (20%) possibly voting in the 2012 election, I wonder: will we hear about faith tonight at the Presidential debate? Mitt Romney, a Mormon and Barack Obama, a Protestant are vying for millions of religious voters.
The town hall-style debate voters will ask questions of the candidates and each candidate will be able to respond.
You might remember that at the end of the Vice-Presidential debate, we heard from the candidates about how they saw their faith:
“I don’t see how a person can separate their public life from their private life or from their faith,” said Ryan. “Our faith informs us in everything we do.”
“My religion defines who I am,” said Biden. “I’ve been a practicing Catholic my whole life.”
Michelle Boorstein, at the Washington Post posted an interesting argument: Continue Reading…
Something is heating up GOP presidential primaries after Mitt Romeny’s win in the Florida primary and it’s not the humidity. GOP leaders are declaring that a war on religion is here. First, it was Rick Perry with his “strong” video that proclaimed a war on religion exists. Now, it’s Newt Gingrich who tried to harmonize Perry’s message by accusing both Mitt Romney and President Obama: “I think Gov. Romney is extraordinarily insensitive to religious freedom in America and the Obama administration is clearly engaged in a war on religion.”
Religious persecution or a war commanded by Romney or Obama is just not there. Such claims are aimed at charging a base of the electorate to vote in favor of a particular candidate. Why should we believe there isn’t a war on religion? There are three reasons:
Is it me, or are hecklers become more common or just more reported? This week, President Obama was called the “Anti-Christ” as a protester shouted directly to Obama from the front row of a fundraiser speech. Here is what we can make out from the video:
“The Christian God is one and only true living God! The creator of heaven and the universe! Jesus Christ is God! Jesus Christ is God! Jesus Christ is still our God! Jesus Christ is still God! You are the Antichrist!”
President Obama listened the man and was concerned about his jacket. Obama agreed some of the heckler’s claims:
Jesus Christ is Lord. I agree with that.
In thinking about the possibility of Obama being the Anti-Christ, Paul’s words to the believers in Corinth come to mind. Paul wrote:
2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. (1 Corinthians 12:2-3)
According to Paul, one who says, “Jesus is Lord” can only do so by God.
The saga continues for the Kanye West story, but his time President Obama has unwisely gotten himself involved. (Remember Henry Louis Gates Jr and the Harvard Police?) The President called Kanye West a “jackass” for interrupting the MTV Music awards during Taylor Swift’s acceptance speech. You can find the audio of the President’s incident here.
If you want to pass up on the audio, here is the transcript of the event:
“I thought that was really inappropriate. It’s like, she’s getting an award, why are you butting in?” Obama says in the audio clip. “I hear you. I agree with you. The young lady seems like a perfectly nice person. She’s getting her award. What’s he doing up there?”
Someone asks, “Why would he do that?”
Obama groans, comically: “He’s a jackass!”
There’s a nervous explosion of laughter from the others in the room, which Obama immediately reacts to: “Now, now, all this stuff… I’m assuming all this stuff — come on guys, cut the president some slack. I’ve got a lot of other stuff on my plate.”
How did this come about? How could we catch such an unusual Presidential event? Why would a President or any politician say something like that on the off chance of it being recorded? How did someone get a recording of this?
Here’s how:
In a truly remarkable news story, a Phoenix pastor gave a sermon in which he opening talked about praying for President Obama’s death. His 
sermon was entitled, “Why I hate Barack Obama”. This pastor, Steven Anderson, even said that his congregation members that God hates Obama, therefore they should hate Obama. You can also her some of his sermon here. (Warning, this is very offensive). In addition, he also wished cancer on the president:
“I hope that God strikes Barack Obama with brain cancer so he can die like Ted Kennedy and I hope it happens today,” he told MyFOXPhoenix on Sunday. He called his message “spiritual warfare” and said he does not condone killing.
What is even more shocking is what he told his congregation next:
I’m gonna pray that he dies and goes to hell when I go to bed tonight. That’s what I’m gonna pray… Look up the word hate. Look up the word abhor, the word loathe. You’ll see there are a lot of people that God hates, and so we should hate. But see, I didn’t write that, that’s in the Bible… I’m going to prove that tonight.”
Where does this guy get this theology? He sounds like he belongs at the Westboro Baptist Church with Fred Phelps. How convenient that this pastor can excuse his actions because he takes the easy way out and uses the old “the Bible says so” routine. In his sermon he even contradicts himself by saying, “I love all of God’s creation.” Doesn’t that include people? Like the president?
If that was not enough, things got worse:
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