This site dedicated to the Lordship of
Jesus Christ
(Acts 10:36)
Soli Deo Gloria!
Welcome to my home page! I belong to the Presbyterian Church in America. The PCA stands firmly and solely upon the authority and sufficiency of the Scriptures (Sola Scriptura!) in Reformed Theology. I lead Bible Studies and now teach a Defense of the Faith class to 10 year olds and up in Sunday school. Read our concluding lesson on the theology of salvation from one of my earlier classes.
A quick note about theology and politics:
I had an interesting interchange with one Mark Parent, an elected politician and (apparently former) contributing columnist to the Halifax Daily in Canada, back in December 2002 over the content of this front page as represented in his (then) regular column. The title and subtitle of his opinion piece--Religious right fuels war, Web sites such as Tanker Bob's are the reason the U.S. will eventually go to war with Iraq--give you the idea of its flavor. In cruising the net, I found that the New Republic preserved the original article here. He misunderstood the intent of this page, misidentified and hence mischaracterized the tune in the background, showed a superficial grasp of US history, and lamented the mixing of "the Lordship of Jesus and the motherhood of the Statue of Liberty" (Eliza Gauger's work in response to the terrorist attacks of 9/11/2001). There were also poorly considered phrases about the "religious right" and erroneous assumptions about how war with Iraq might be linked to religious voting blocks. I challenged Mr. Parent's errors and the conclusions that followed, but to no avail. He apologized for the factual errors, but didn't print a correction. I suppose that a public correction would have tarnished his journalistic reputation, which he apparently holds more dear than his integrity. Maybe he works for the New York Times now, eh? "All the Lies Fit to Print"
To minimize the possibility that someone else may misunderstand this page and its construction, I will quote a small portion of my response to Mr. Parent:
"I'm not sure what the so-called "religious right" really is or who it encompasses in your mind. The label lost its luster a long time ago, and isn't used much here in the US. I do not share the theological views of those to whom the term was generally applied in those days. For the record, I do not consider the US to be specially singled out by God as some modern promised land. There is no basis for such an assumption--inherent in the term "religious right"--in the God-inspired Scriptures, our only rule for faith and practice.
"As an ordained Ruling Elder in the PCA, I believe that all of life should be lived to the glory of God, though we do so imperfectly. That's part of what Augustine meant when he observed that we are at the same time just and sinner. My faith informs all areas of my life, as it rightly provides the basis of my worldview. This is generally true of all faiths. However, while my faith informs my politics along with the rest of my life, my faith is not my politics or visa versa. I'm curious in which denomination you are ordained, and if your faith informs your worldview."
I think that about covers the subject for those who might follow down Mr. Parent's path. It turned turned out that he was an ordained minister in the United Baptist Church and should have known better. Perhaps his seminary professors forgot to elaborate on the Nineth Commandment.
In conclusion, I do not apologize either for my faith or my patriotism, and they are decidedly not the same thing. As Cal Thomas rightly observed, our salvation will not come riding in on Air Force One. Now that we have that out of the way...
Christians must pray for God's mercy on our country. We must stay engaged in the political process to minimize the damage that the socialists will visit upon our once-great country. Support and vote conservative governors, senators, and representatives. Write your congressmen on issues expressing your views and expectations. Buy all the guns and accessories that you'll want for a few years before January 20, 2009. Remember and take heart that well over 58 million Americans voted against B. Hussein Obama.
Also, expect to be a victim of that Chicago-type thuggery. Take precautions to defend you family and property. Be prepared and keep a low public profile. I've seen numberous blog comments threatening to vandalize the cars and houses of those that express opposition to the socialist Obama. I personally saw some of that and the news blogs reported such cases during the election. If conservatives did that to all the blatant Bush haters in the last 8 years, there'd have been an outcry of "police state". But, it's OK if they do it. Make no mistake, leftists do not support free speech. They only support their free speech. Your opposition free speech is their definition of hate speech. Read George Orwell's Animal Farm and 1984 to see what to expect.It's a historical irony that B. Hussein Obama's election closely coincided with the 70th anniversary of the Kritallnacht, when the Nazis trashed and burned Jewish homes, businesses, and synagogues in 1938, murdering 90 Jewish people in the process. Obama will be doing that economically to those who actively produce America's wealth, and his thugs threaten to physically do the same to those who oppose their agenda. How soon we forget. That night is often considered the start of the Holocaust, as the first 30,000 Jews were sent to concentration camps then.
America has been perpetrating our own holocaust since 1973, which B. Hussein Obama has vowed to expand. Averaging about 1.5 million/year, abortionists have eliminated over 50 million babies so far. That's about 9 times the number of Jews eliminated by the Nazis in their holocaust. Call me naive, but I am amazed that a black man would support a holocaust that Margret Sanger (founder of Planned Parenthood) started advocating in 1917 as a exercise in eugenics to eliminate blacks and orientals. Beyond that, can any human being honestly say that this looks like a "choice" rather than a baby:
[Important aside for those who have had abortions - "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." (1 Jn 1:9, ESV). Christ mercifully forgives all who repent and turn to Him. There is nothing that He will not forgive for those who truly turn to Him and call on His name. He will provide us gracious comfort in dealing with our past mistakes. If you have had one or more abortions, turn to Christ, confess your sins to Him, and He will uphold you in His mighty right hand. In Him, you will find comfort (Matt 11:30). For those who don't repent and seek forgiveness, well, be warned that Jesus showed a special love for children (Matt 19:13-15).]
Oh, and when the terrorists start succeeding in blowing up Americans here in the United States, you can thank the socialists. For over 7 years, the Bush administration had been:
When the barbarian hordes overwhelm the socialists after they dismantle our military and intelligence organizations, or when B. Hussein Obama capitulates to their terror, I'll be ready. Because:
Barbarian: A fierce, brutal, or cruel person. (American Heritage Dictionary)
That definition fits nicely those who fly airliners into office buildings, cut the heads off of hostages, blow up women and helpless school children, and use cartoons as an excuse to burn embassies. Barbarians once destroyed the last republic with the fall of Rome in AD 476, and another republic didn't appear again until 1776. This highlights the stakes riding on our current struggle with the Islamic terrorist-barbarians who threaten our freedom and way of life.
The enemy is as tenacious as they are ruthless. The Islamic Moors invaded Spain in AD 711 under the Umayyad Caliphate. This fact easily refutes the terrorists' "crusader" label for the West, since the first crusade wasn't until 1095. The last of the Muslim invaders wasn't replused from Europe until 1492, an event celebrated to this day in Spanish cities and villages. That's over 750 years of domination by the Muslim invaders. So clearly Islam first invaded Europe long before any crusade--they were the original aggressors. You don't see that recounted in the mainstream media (MSM). Perhaps liberal journalists never study basic math, or maybe they just rewrite history on the fly.
So, no educated person should be surprised when barbarians acts like barbarians--murdering those who express different opinions, burning cars because their criminals electrocute themselves through their own stupidity, and burn embassies over political cartoons. After all, these same followers of Mohammed cheered and danced in the streets on world-wide television when their brothers massacred 3,000 innocents on 9/11/2001. So why is anyone surprised when the flames rise yet again when freedom manifests itself?
Liberals have a tough time with this concept, because liberals think that if they show tolerance and bury their heads in the sand, that the barbarians will become noble and leave them alone. They conveniently forget that liberals were numbered amongst the dead on 9/11, and have been beheaded since by the barbarians. Christians, who the liberals hate so vehemently, boycott advertisers who support TV shows and art exhibits which demean Christianity far worse than those 12 cartoons in Denmark ever did to Islam. That's what responsible citizens in a free country do to make their voices heard, yet they were roundly condemned in the MSM. Islamists, on the other hand, have amply demonstrated that they would behead the author, producer, artist, and whomever else they decide offended them, and even videotape their butchery. Yet the liberals still see Christianity as the threat and Islam as a "religion of peace". Liberal cranial density clearly approaches maximum.
A number of very good pieces have appeared in the blogosphere of late concerning these issues. In my opinion, the best and most pointed is a video by Michelle Malkin which she calls "First, They Came..." The Jawa Report has a salient analysis comparing the scourge of Communism to Islam as a socio-political philosophy. If you want the short version, Jeff G. translated the core doctrine of the barbarians concerning free speech thusly: "Free speech is good so long as it tolerates our right, as an identity group, to dictate which free speech is authentic and allowable. Otherwise, y’know, we get to torch sh*t." Other than adding in some gratuitous beheadings and throat slittings, it's pretty much that simple. True Christianity has silently withstood the onslaught of persecution, ridicule, and death for 2,000 years, all the while pioneering hospitals, medicine, care for orphans, widows, the sick, the poor, etc. Islam can't take a few cartoons without rioting in the streets, murdering innocent Christian bystanders, and violating the sovereign territory of embassies. Which is the religion of peace?
Sam offers a cartoon version that appeared on The Jawa Report and expresses the extent of the MSM's dedication to freedom of the press:
Therefore, let's all stand together against the barbarians and...
Closer to home, the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution was written for just such times. It is the Second which guarantees all the rest, including the First. That's why we call it the First Freedom. Free people must arm and train themselves to remain a free people and preserve their free nation against all enemies, foreign and domestic. This is especially true today, because the barbarians are truly at the gates.
Tanker Bob's position in a political quiz as of 11/20/05:
| You are a
Social Conservative (36% permissive) and an... Economic Conservative (88% permissive) You are best described as a:
Link: The Politics Test |
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