Politicization of Church Will Soon Lead to Its Persecution

In 1972, Yale professor Sydney Ahlstrom published a remarkable book entitled, A Religious History of the American People. I strongly recommend it.

   
In his book, Syndey points out that, in 1820, a surprising three-fourths of the anti-slavery societies in American were in the South. Before that, Baptist and Methodist missionaries had been busy preaching the Good News of Jesus Christ there. These missionaries uniformly believed that slavery was no witness to Jesus Christ. As a result, white Christians in the South had formed groups (“societies”) to reflect on slavery and discern how to end it.

Responding Nobly to the Presidency of Donald Trump

In August 1974, Richard Nixon felt compelled to become the first President of the United States to resign. A month later, President Gerald Ford pardoned Nixon for any crimes he might have committed. With that act, Ford may have ruined his chances to win the 1976 election. At any rate, Jimmy Carter benefited from his status as a Washington outsider to become President.

   
While beneficial to getting elected, being different did not endear Carter to the Washington insiders with whom he had to work. If one were to believe the corporate media at the time, Carter was perpetually misguided and incompetent. The media neglected few opportunities to ridicule the President.

Taxes? Jesus Avoids Jupiter's Politicization, Polarization, and Purging (Matthew 22:15-22)

We should not allow all those church buildings, medieval and modern, to fool us. We Christians and churches adore the same six conventional gods of Olympianity that our neighbors do. Today Jesus calls us back to our senses.

   
As a society, one of the gods we absurdly adore is Jupiter, god of politics. While Jesus has already set us right with God and one another, Jupiter seeks to shatter these right relationships. He does this by persuading us, all too easily, to politicize an issue. The corporate media happily help him to do this. Then he polarizes us around this issue. He has us choose sides. People on our side are good. People on the other are evil. Finally, and for him most gratifyingly, he has us purge those considered evil.

   
Jesus shows us a different way.

Moving Now into the Future

Leaving Olympian society and culture: spiritually and intellectually
“Come out of her [Babylon], my people” (Revelation 18:4, New Revised Standard Version).

   
I first used this quote in the essay, “Watching TV, Reading Scripture,” posted to this blog on September 15, 2014. Three years ago, Jesus wanted us to step outside the Olympian worldview that we, as Christians and churches, had unwittingly immersed ourselves in. Negatively, this meant ceasing to wallow in the Olympian worldview broadcast universally, constantly, instantaneously, and intensely by all the corporate media as exemplified by TV. Positively, it meant reading the Bible at least one hour each day and developing a far more biblical point of view as Christians and churches.

Leaving Olympian society and culture: physically

Today, we need to understand Christ’s call to “come out” as broadly and deeply as possible.

Three New Pages: Books, Visual Arts, and Music

You will find these three new pages, and the rest, in a horizontal row right under the orange header at the top of this blog.
     
Books: on this page, as well as on Visual Arts and Music, I address our need, as prophetic witnesses to Jesus, for greater biblical and cultural literacy. On Books I've included two types of writings from Olympia and America. Representative writings are those that everyone should read. Others are works that anyone may find edifying.
   
Visual Arts provides a list of major paintings, sculptures, and architecture from Olympia and America. Familiarity with these works of art helps us to better understand the world in which we live. It also allows us to enjoy anew of creations of great beauty.
   
Music provides a brief list of compositions from Olympia and America over the last three centuries. Listening to this music allows us to put the noise of our own age into helpful perspective. It also enables us to hear some of the most meaningful sounds ever created.

Copyright (c) 2017 by Steven Farsaci. All rights reserved.

How Many Thousands of Churches and Seminaries Will Soon Go Bankrupt?

American individuals and organizations have experienced an extended period of easy money. Interest rates have been unusually low. In response, thousands of churches, parishes, dioceses, and denominations, as well as church schools, colleges, and seminaries, have borrowed large sums of money to renovate or enlarge existing buildings, construct new ones, purchase new and expensive technological equipment, and expand programs.

  
Has this been wise? Did this really witness to Jesus or simply express our devotion to other gods to our hurt?