ICHABOD, THE GLORY HAS DEPARTED - explores the Age of Apostasy, predicted in 2 Thessalonians 2:3, to attack Objective Faithless Justification, Church Growth Clowns, and their ringmasters. The antidote to these poisons is trusting the efficacious Word in the Means of Grace. John 16:8. Isaiah 55:8ff. Romans 10. Most readers are WELS, LCMS, ELS, or ELCA. This blog also covers the Roman Catholic Church, Eastern Orthodoxy, and the Left-wing, National Council of Churches denominations.
My email crashed and did not come back. Once upon a time I had Thunderbird email (inexpensive and easy to use. Then I went to the inexpensive later version - Betterbird, yes very corny.
Emails are ultimate now.
I was working on Google Workspace, which did not go well with me. I was resting on those thoughts with Charlie when GW went blank, perhaps fearing an initial use would have to move faster.
Microsoft 365 is supposed to be good.
I would like to see something straightened out.
I just ordered two books on Microsoft emails, one a summary, the other more complete.
When a sudden and violent storm blew at the large ELCA church, during "The Vote," the steeple reminded many of Revelation in threats and fears.
8:1 And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour.
2 And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets.
3 And another angel came and stood at the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given unto him much incense, that he should offer it with the prayers of all saints upon the golden altar which was before the throne.
4 And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
5 And the angel took the censer, and filled it with fire of the altar, and cast it into the earth: and there were voices, and thunderings, and lightnings, and an earthquake.
6 And the seven angels which had the seven trumpets prepared themselves to sound.
7 The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth: and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up.
8 And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea: and the third part of the sea became blood;
9 And the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed.
10 And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters;
11 And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.
12 And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise.
13 And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice, Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trumpet of the three angels, which are yet to sound!
The heat and lack of rain combined to make the garden areas barely alive. Even when actual rain began to fall, normal growth failed to emerge. The new roses began tentatively, timidly, torturously. Finally, I had roses for Doggy Day Care and my Asian friend across the street.
My mushrooms began to sprout and provide some approval. She said - "I am coming over tomorrow!" Oddly enough, I had bags of grocery store mushrooms in the deep freezer, as if they should keep providing until New Year's Day. That is one of those casual mistakes of routinely buying more mushrooms, which have the double role of opposing cancer and improving stew. Onion! My farm-bred parents said, "You don't know what's good for ya. You don't know how good you have it. You know what's wrong?!" Inevitably - "You are spoiled! Spoiled ROTTEN!"
I expect even more storms today, and the backyard continues to absorb more rain. The reluctant roses now have beautiful booms in various places. The much-maligned Joe Pye Weed has been trained down to the soil level for the rest of the season. They have been defeated by cannas, which provided free stops for hummingbirds.
Roses showing up now are Veterans Honor, Fragrant Cloud, Queen of Sween, Elizabeth, and some heavily scented English roses. Ketchup and Mustard - as a rose - was only good for one blooming for the season.
We are in our fifth day of rain after a summer of drought. The soil seems dry enough to absorb even more water than expected.
I was thinking overnight about the drought of Biblical knowledge and teaching. The Book of Revelation (starting Chapter 8 tomorrow) is vivid, displaying what the final times will offer. It is a combination of the Savior's work as the Creating Word (Genesis 1 and John 1), and His condemning reaction against unfaith or anti-faith.
The Bible holds everything we need to know and far more than we can contain. Nevertheless, people grab for entertainment and even better - for churches' drive-in coffee and car repair (LCMS, Midland, Michigan). As Luther observed, our actions and thoughts are meaningless without faith. How many times have I heard about the numbers!?
Fellow seminary students (Waterloo, Ontario) would ask me, "Why are you studying GREEK?" We had a great old professor (Otto Heick) who taught faith in Jesus Christ, but now they have only a few students in that same building, where dogs are provided to cheer up the chapel. Theology is absent, but cute.
The Gloria Patri The Kyrie p. 17 The Gloria in Excelsis The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
Keep, we beseech Thee, O Lord, Thy Church with Thy perpetual mercy; and because the frailty of man without Thee cannot but fall, keep us ever by Thy help from all things hurtful and lead us to all things profitable to our salvation; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Gradual
It is a good thing to give thanks unto the Lord:
and to sing praises unto Thy name, O Most High.
V. To show forth Thy loving-kindness in the morning:
and Thy faithfulness every night. Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. Praise waiteth for Thee, O God, in Zion:
and unto Thee shall the vow be performed. Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord! Praise be to Thee, O Christ! The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Preface p. 24 The Sanctus p. 26 The Lord's Prayer p. 27 The Words of Institution The Agnus Dei p. 28 The Nunc Dimittis p. 29 The Benediction p. 31 The Hymn #577God Bless Our Native Land
Announcements and In Our Prayers
Enzo Meyer finished his fourth year at Grand Canyon University campus in Phoenix. And - the Meyer girls held a tea party.
Diagnosis and treatment - Sarah Buck, Pastor Jim Shrader and Chris,
Kermit Way is celebrating his birthday today!
We may have an email solution.
KJV Galatians 5:16 This I say then, Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfil the lust of the flesh. 17 For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other: so that ye cannot do the things that ye would. 18 But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law. 19 Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are these; Adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lasciviousness, 20 Idolatry, witchcraft, hatred, variance, emulations, wrath, strife, seditions, heresies, 21 Envyings, murders, drunkenness, revellings, and such like: of the which I tell you before, as I have also told you in time past, that they which do such things shall not inherit the kingdom of God. 22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, 23 Meekness, temperance: against such there is no law. 24 And they that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the affections and lusts.
KJV Luke 17:11 And it came to pass, as he went to Jerusalem, that he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee. 12 And as he entered into a certain village, there met him ten men that were lepers, which stood afar off: 13 And they lifted up their voices, and said, Jesus, Master, have mercy on us. 14 And when he saw them, he said unto them, Go shew yourselves unto the priests. And it came to pass, that, as they went, they were cleansed. 15 And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, turned back, and with a loud voice glorified God, 16 And fell down on his face at his feet, giving him thanks: and he was a Samaritan. 17 And Jesus answering said, Were there not ten cleansed? but where are the nine? 18 There are not found that returned to give glory to God, save this stranger. 19 And he said unto him, Arise, go thy way: thy faith hath made thee whole.
Fourteenth Sunday After Trinity
Lord God, heavenly Father, who by Thy blessed word and Thy holy baptism hast mercifully cleansed all who believe from the fearful leprosy of sin, and daily dost grant us Thy gracious help in all our need: We beseech Thee so to enlighten our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may never forget these Thy blessings, but ever live in Thy fear, and, trusting fully in Thy grace, with thankful hearts continually praise and glorify Thee; through Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
American Freedom
Came from the Scriptures
Those who came over from England came with KJV Bibles, printing, and resistance to English tyranny. The path comes all the way from the Old and New Testaments.
St. Paul - Freedom Came from Paul to Luther
Paul was highly regarded as a Jewish scholar and Roman citizen. The Risen Christ converted Paul - and the new Apostle began the rugged work of preaching to Jews and non-Jews, converting them and also enraging them. Paul showed our future world that freedom could move through manage societies and languages, always with the truth of freedom through faith in the Savior.
Martin Luther - Freedom given from the Elector and then to Scriptures
Luther was the perfect example of slavery to kings, monks, and popes. Unfortunately for many, Luther began to see that the Scriptures were far more powerful than the other books and teachers so appealing to Medieval teachers.
The Elector was short on the votes for the Roman Catholic ruler, so Luther had the leverage on the better votes 500 years ago. The winepress - soon a printing press - sent Luther's work all over Europe and in all languages.
Tyndale - English, Burned at the Stake - Freedom and the Future KJV Bible
"Tyndale had written on topics like justification by faith."
The best translator for the English Bible became the hidden translator and the invisible translator. But now we can trace what was done in the midst of all those attempts at that time. Tyndale refused to lie about his work, and he was killed then burned at the stake. "Lord open the king's eyes!" - his final words. So Tyndale was not embossed on the KJV Bible but its beauty and clarify were.
Freedom KJV America - Patriots - The Parker Honors
They have traced a relative back to the Patriots, men who risked their lives to escape from English tyranny and enjoy their freedom.
Charlie Kirk’s assassination by a radical young “all-American” leftist demonstrates that the ideological crisis that’s raging in education, politics, and pop culture has irreversibly escalated. His death marks the beginning of a new chapter for America. We’ve crossed a cultural Rubicon; the nation is irreparably divided by competing moral visions, national unity is forever lost, and conflict is unavoidable.
Kirk’s death was as tragic as it was predictable. Many lay the blame on evil, but evil came in a virulent form of social Marxism, equity, that’s cloaked in the woke cultural rizz of transgender rights, social justice, equality, fairness, tolerance, Critical Race Theory, DIE, anti-racism, white supremacy, systemic inequality, and patriarchy, to name a few. It’s a toxic philosophical cocktail, an expansion of classical Marxism transformed by Critical Theory and post-modern philosophy, that’s become the best of the worst of what the world’s deadliest ideology, the gospel according to Karl Marx, has to offer.
Equity is taking America by storm — it’s the price America pays for bailing on Christianity and religion in record numbers. It captured the Democrat party. (The Biden administration was committed to building equity into the “everyday business of government” — see Executive Order 14091.) Countless Americans like Kirk’s assassin were drawn to its promise of an infinitely tolerant, progressive, permissive post-Christian society, where everyone is equally free to choose his gender, lifestyle, and sexual preferences without the moral judgment of the “Thou Shalt Nots” of the Christianity they despised.
But as it turns out, there’s a serious downside to decadence.
The despisers of religion can’t live as atheists. A world without God leaves humanity suspended in moral ambiguity, lacking an ultimate authority. It’s an intolerable existence that sends people searching for a new moral constitution that could liberate them from the constraints of a biblically influenced worldview. Atheists need religion. As John Grey notes in Seven Types of Atheism, “the God of monotheism did not die, it only left the scene to reappear as humanity — the human species dressed up as a collective agent pursuing its self-realization in history” (p. 1,157).
Post-Christian Americans looking for moral guidance turned to equity as a new secular religion, and equity was happy to oblige.
This set America up for the showdown that has plagued humanity for over a century, Christianity versus Marxism, and it put Charlie Kirk in the crosshairs.
4 - Throne set in Heaven, Thou art worthy, glory, honor, power
5 - 2 Who is worthy?
11 Worthy is the Lamb
6 - The six Seals
7And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.7And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
7And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.
2 And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea,
3 Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads.
4 And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.
5 Of the tribe of Juda were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Reuben were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Gad were sealed twelve thousand.
6 Of the tribe of Aser were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Nephthalim were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Manasses were sealed twelve thousand.
7 Of the tribe of Simeon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Levi were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Issachar were sealed twelve thousand.
8 Of the tribe of Zabulon were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Joseph were sealed twelve thousand. Of the tribe of Benjamin were sealed twelve thousand.
9 After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands;
10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.
11 And all the angels stood round about the throne, and about the elders and the four beasts, and fell before the throne on their faces, and worshipped God,
12 Saying, Amen: Blessing, and glory, and wisdom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might, be unto our God for ever and ever. Amen.
13 And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they?
14 And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
15 Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them.
16 They shall hunger no more, neither thirst any more; neither shall the sun light on them, nor any heat.
17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.
The Confession of Sins The Absolution The Introit p. 16
Introit
Have respect, O Lord, unto Thy covenant:
oh, let not the oppressed return ashamed!
Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause:
and forget not the voice of Thine enemies.
Psalm. O God, why hast Thou cast us off forever?
Why doth Thine anger smoke against the sheep of Thy pasture?
The Gloria Patri The Kyrie p. 17 The Gloria in Excelsis The Salutation and Collect p. 19
Collect
Almighty and everlasting God, give unto us the increase of faith, hope, and charity; and that we may obtain that which Thou dost promise, make us to love that which Thou dost command; through Jesus Christ, Thy Son, our Lord, who liveth, etc.
The Epistle and Gradual
Have respect, O Lord, unto Thy covenant:
oh, let not the oppressed return ashamed!
V. Arise, O God, plead Thine own cause:
and forget not the voice of Thine enemies.
Hallelujah! Hallelujah!
V. O Lord God of my salvation:
I have cried day and night before Thee. Hallelujah!
The Gospel
Glory be to Thee, O Lord! Praise be to Thee, O Christ! The Nicene Creed p. 22
The Preface p. 24 The Sanctus p. 26 The Lord's Prayer p. 27 The Words of Institution The Agnus Dei p. 28 The Nunc Dimittis p. 29 The Benediction p. 31 The Hymn #660 I'm But a Stranger Here
Prayers and Announcements
Veteran's Honor Rose for Gary Meyer.
Alicia Meyer's home is now recovering.
Charlie Kirk - Christian martyr.
Medical care: Sarah Buck, Pastor Jim Shrader and his wife Chris.
KJV Galatians 3:15 Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man's covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto. 16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. 17 And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. 18 For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. 19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. 20 Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. 21 Is the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. 22 But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
Part 1
KJV Luke 10:23-37 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
Part 2
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
Part 3
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 An by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side. 33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. 36 Which now of these three, thinkest thou, was neighbour unto him that fell among the thieves? 37 And he said, He that shewed mercy on him. Then said Jesus unto him, Go, and do thou likewise.
Lord God, heavenly Father, we most heartily thank Thee that Thou hast granted us to live in this accepted time, when we may hear Thy holy gospel, know Thy fatherly will, and behold Thy Son, Jesus Christ! We pray Thee, most merciful Father: Let the light of Thy holy word remain with us, and so govern our hearts by Thy Holy Spirit, that we may never forsake Thy word, but remain steadfast in it, and finally obtain eternal salvation; through Thy beloved Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, who liveth and reigneth with Thee and the Holy Ghost, one true God, world without end. Amen.
Jesus the Good Samaritan and Wounded Man
KJV Luke 10:23-37 And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things that ye see: 24 For I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
The Gospel of Luke is filled with clear passages so easily appreciated and also misunderstood. Most people assume that the Good Samaritan is a do-gooder, an example for all of us. I recall the era when sermons were scoured like this - "Get off your padded pews!" Another version was - "Make the world a better place." The Social Gospel Movement was based upon turning the Savior into works-righteousness. The Social Gospelers (who turned atheist) urged, "Shouldn't we make the road to Damascus safe?"
Listen to the clergy emphasize today the works that have to be done
25 And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? 26 He said unto him, What is written in the law? how readest thou? 27 And he answering said, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. 28 And he said unto him, Thou hast answered right: this do, and thou shalt live. 29 But he, willing to justify himself, said unto Jesus, And who is my neighbour?
The Talmud became an instrument for surrounding the Old Testament, so it did not have all those volumes at that stage. Clergy often buy entire sets of Bible interpretation, but they are reflections of the editors, with a lot of extra wording and opposition to the Scriptures themselves. Individual books on the singlewords alone are popular. I find them very hard to find the NT words and themes - efficacy, and "faith comes by hearing."
30 And Jesus answering said, A certain man went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, which stripped him of his raiment, and wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 An by chance there came down a certain priest that way: and when he saw him, he passed by on the other side. 32 And likewise a Levite, when he was at the place, came and looked on him, and passed by on the other side.
Luther explained that the man who fell among thieved, stripped of his robes, and wounded was a figure of Jesus. Since this is a story, an illustration, we can see how this is true. Jesus was suggesting that He would be like the man, ignored by the holy ones of Israel, avoided, abandoned - a priest and a Levite. The priest avoided the beaten man, going to the opposite side of the road, and the Levite looked the man over and avoided being close. Wasn't Jesus in the same position on the cross, beaten and abandoned? He last words on the cross were from the Psalm, My God My God, why hast though forsaken Me?
This is not a stretch, to identify Jesus both with the man going to Damascus and the Samaritan who stopped to help. The entire Bible is about Jesus, primarily Jesus because He is God in the flesh, so we can see and understand the Trinity in the flesh.
KJV Colossians 2:9 For in him dwelleth all the fulness of the Godhead bodily.
33 But a certain Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was: and when he saw him, he had compassion on him, 34 And went to him, and bound up his wounds, pouring in oil and wine, and set him on his own beast, and brought him to an inn, and took care of him. 35 And on the morrow when he departed, he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee.
The Good Samaritan has been distorted as the Law for a long time. Various ministers have used it to tax everyone on their need to take care of others. I blame this in part on the Social Gospel Movement, which blossomed under the rationalistic Federal Council of Churches. They were so scandalous (Marxist) that they changed their name to the National Council of Churches and produced the RSV, ESV, and NRSV Bibles. I exposed the theology of one famous LCA pastor. He said he opposed the Social Gospel Movement but in his talk said, "Should we bind the wounds of the man left for dead on the road to Damascus? or make the road safe?!" I told him afterwards, "That was the Social Gospel."
The National Council of Churches are so Unitarian in denying the Christian Faith that they use their dogma to support destructive programs in America, which we see everywhere today, and it keeps getting worse.
The Samaritan is clearly Jesus, because He became an outcast and yet in His compassion sought to give us forgiveness, peace, and security.
First, he observed the miserable state of the beaten, abandoned man.
a) he went to the man
b) bound up his wounds,
c) pouring in oil and wine, and
d) set him on his own beast, and
e) brought him to an inn, and
f) took care of him.
Second, we see the six-fold response complete the actions of the Samaritan - and he took out two pence, and gave them to the host, and said unto him, Take care of him; and whatsoever thou spendest more, when I come again, I will repay thee. [another group of six]
This is how Jesus works with all who believe in Him. Nothing is so low or repugnant that He cannot
help the person in distress. People are bound to be in distress today because the radicals have done so much to wreck American jobs, American schools, and the US military. Name an entity which is not infected by a widespread, organized attempt to wreck the last bulwark of freedom this world.
Charlie Kirk is an example of those who are harmed or killed for no good reason, from the railroad trains to the open forums for people to hear and see what leaders can say for our country. I noticed that Wiki quickly responded against Kirk.
The only hope for America is to return its Constitutional guide, which assumed God as the cornerstone of this great land.
Today’s guest post is from Daniel L. Dreisbach, a professor at American University in Washington, D.C. He has authored or edited 10 books, including Reading the Bible with the Founding Fathers (Oxford University Press, 2017), from which this article is adapted. You can follow him on Twitter at @d3bach
John Adams, in his retirement, was disheartened. What had his life in politics counted for? he wondered.
The renewal in 1805 of a 30-year friendship with Doctor Benjamin Rush reinvigorated him. Their frank correspondence, touching on all manner of topics, lifted his spirits. “Dr. Rush’s letters are of inestimable value to me,” the former president recalled.
A Philadelphia physician, social reformer, and a venerated signer of the Declaration of Independence, Rush was respected by the leading political figures of the day. He would later negotiate a rapprochement between former presidents John Adams and Thomas Jefferson a decade after the bitter political campaign of 1800 had left their relationship in tatters.
In one conversation about the “perfectibility of man” and religion’s role in making “men and nations happy,” both Rush and Adams lamented the moral decay they witnessed in the world around them. “By renouncing the Bible,” Rush interjected, “philosophers swing from their moorings upon all moral Subjects. . . . It is the only correct map of the human heart that ever has been published. It contains a faithful representation of all its follies, Vices & Crimes.” He then concluded: “All Systems of Religion, morals, and Government not founded upon it, must perish, and how consoling the tho[ugh]t! — it will not only survive the wreck of those Systems, but the World itself. ‘The Gates of Hell shall not prevail against it [Matt. 16:18].’”
“The Bible,” Adams promptly responded, “contains the most profound Philosophy, the most perfect Morality, and the most refined Policy, that ever was conceived upon Earth. It is the most Republican Book in the World, and therefore I will still revere it. . . . [W]ithout national Morality,” he continued, “a Republican Government cannot be maintained.”
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