John Mark Reynolds at Scriptorium Daily has a parody of John 1 applied to Lord Barack, Messiah, Savior of the World. Follow the link to read the whole thing, but it begins this way:
1Way, way, way over two years ago, there were many words from Obama about Obama, two books full. And Obama was in the Senate and Obama was the Senator from Illinois. Obama was in the beginning of Obama’s career, and though Obama did nothing in the Senate, Obama’s career was the Senate career the world had been waiting to see.*
2All good speeches were made by Obama, and without Obama no speech was made that was well made. 3In Obama was the Future of the Democrat Party, and the Party Future was the Light of Humankind, but one that was fluorescent and did not cause any warming to the cosmos.
Nancy, I was humble once, but my own humility won’t let me speak of it.
#17 I did something nice once, but I won’t tell you about it….
OK,
I wanted to actually read what Matt 7 said again, with regards to the religious right and it’s political involvement and it’s moral superiority, Bob is spot on. The Right says “Sanctity of Marriage” we mirror the world in divorce and pornography use. Judgment begins in the house of the Lord. The Right says “Pro Life”, and vote for a political party that is clearly pro business to the point that the poor (this is important because most abortions are among the poorest in our society), the environment, and the other species all suffer. The Right says “Family Values”, and somehow justifies a war that has nothing to do with self defense, Dead and wounded people greatly effect Family Values. The right speaks of freedom, yet label a person an enemy combatant and regardless of whether they are guilty or innocent, it is OK to put them away without giving them a day in court. I am a firm believer in Marriage, Life, Family Values, and Freedom, as I have said before though, the new political right and fellow bed partner the religious right are way off base.
Matt 7 is different when applied to truth in a religious context, however, the emergent side of me tells the discernment folks to actually read the other folks material. You might find they are more biblically sound then what MacArthur would lead us to believe.
Bob you are right, I was simply trying to mimac what Ed did. 🙂
Bob are you infected by the “emergent aversion to discernment”?
Have you ever tried nailing jello to a wall? very fun.
Paul, you mentioned Jim Wallis, my next book is The Great Awakening, look out I may truly turn into a real left wing propagandist after that. HAHA
I think the first part of Matthew 7 is actually appropriate for ALL sides. Discernment is certainly needed; prejudiced condemnation without testing everything and clinging to what is good is evil, but it abounds in this campaign on every side. I hear polemics, sound bites, trumped up charges, caricatures, and every other technique that gets in the way of the truth…from every side. “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?” “Even so, come Lord Jesus.”
Pixelmaster,
I am amazed at your continued one-sided application of selected scripures to the religious right. Do you not see any application of that verse to Barack Obama or Jim Wallis? 200,000 adoring Germans can’t be wrong.
Bob’s suggesion that Matthew 7:1 is more applicable to the religious right is just evidence of the emergent aversion to discernment. The Word of God does give us standards by which to discern. What Jesus is condemning in Matthew 7:1 is DAMNING someone because you believe you know their heart. He isn’t condemning DISCERNMENT. If he is, he is condemning himself, because he himself said: “By their fruit you shall know them.” It takes DISCERNMENT to JUDGE fruit, but you aren’t DAMNING the fruit.
Pix, jump forward 1 chapter… it’s more appropriate.
Ed,
In that same context
“Mat 6:1 “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven.”
What better describes much of the religious right?
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street TO BE SEEN OF MEN.” Matt 6:5
What better describes that picture?
Yes, Joe, only conservatives are referring to Obama in religious terms, especially the conservatives over there at Newsweek:
http://cache.daylife.com/imageserve/0fVg2q7f5meAh/340x.jpg
Has anyone else noticed that only conservatives are referring to Obama in religious terms? 🙂
Well, it has been soooo bad here for lack of rain that if any of us in this part of the state thought really torrential rains would fall on Obama…we might pray that he would stop here on a campaign jaunt…or even invite him to speak here….how sad that lack of rain could make one slump so low…sigh…
More lightness: http://benwitherington.blogspot.com/2008/08/britain-is-repossessing-america-im-john.html
Paul,
FOF back tracked and deleted the video.
RE the convention I don’t understand the significance of the venue. It is unprecedented to have it in an outdoor stadium?
Bob,
Let the Emergents speak, and there will be great confusion in the land, but awe wonder at the questioning of truth, and lots of meaningless conversation….
While we are praying for our nation, pray for revival. and preaching of the Word of God
BTW – my personal view is that moving the speech to the stadium takes the focus off the speech and puts it on the crowd. This “change of venue” has the very real potential of backfiring on Obama by reinforcing McCain’s charactature of Obama as celebrity. It may be a disaster with or without the rain.
Pixelmaster,
I’m sure you noticed the “Pray for Rain” video was produced by Focus on the Family Action. It’s a little too vindictive even for my blood. 🙂
Have any of you seen this?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ztO8wZz029Y&e
The left is all over this, I actually find the comedy in it.
Who of use will be praying for rain? Nancy, will you be using those knee pads for this?
b/Bo
A tinge of Elizabethan. (me Gusta!) It was enjoyable. Thank you for a lighter moment.
~~ “And great was the confusion in the land”
Almost a commentary on todays church.
It’s interesting how social conservatives complain of the nothing that Obama did and the almost everything that McCain did……
Nancy,
Amen, Sister. Amen! That is our only hope.
Yep…like I said a few months back grab your Bible and get your knee pads… We’re really goin’ to be needing ’em
Bob,
Your parody is excellent but would be closer to the truth if you included the fact that it was Obama who first raised the issue of his race, his strange sounding name, and the fact that he doesn’t look like the other presidents on US currency. The creation of the mud and the flinging thereof was of Obama origin. John McCain, as all poliicians do, merely returned the volley. It is Obama who first raised he spector that he would be seen as something he is not.
As for “the people of the Lord urg(ing) him forward with great urgings” you forget that a majority of evangelicals have great reservations about McCain and aren’t urging him to do anything. Chuck Baldwin would be the candidate that many evangelicals are “urging.”
Creative nonetheless and a worthy response to John Mark Reynolds.
“And Adam knew his wife Eve again, and she did bring forth a manchild out of the bushes, and they didst call his name McCain (which being interpreted is “Son of Cain”). And yea he did live long upon the earth.
And though was not of ruddy countenance, nor could he speak well, nor did his heart seek after the Lord, the people of the Lord urged him forward with great urgings to fight for them against their winged enemy that did come from the left. And lo, he did rise up and fight, but not as he had fought in his youth. And the people did mock him sore.
So he made great vows before the Lord, but not like the vows of the people of the Lord. Yet the people of the Lord cried out to McCain, “What shall we do that thou mayest lead us to the kingdom of our Lord?” So he fell into a deep sleep at midday (which being interpreted is nap) and he dreamed a dream. Yea, he dreamed a dream…
In his dream he saw himself as the mockers saw him, and he was sore distressed. But he heard a voice saying, “Let us take mud and slime and fling it at our winged enemy, and then people will not see you as you are, but will see your enemy as something it is not.” And when he awoke from his great sleep, he remembered the voice of the dream and did obey it. And great was the confusion in the land.