Riddleblog and Blessed Hope Podcast Updates:
I am continuing my Riddleblog series, “Francis Schaeffer — Apologist and Evangelist,” as well as an exposition of the Book of Hebrews.
In season three of my Blessed Hope Podcast series on 1 Corinthians, we are tackling the controversies in chapters 12-14: Gifts of the Spirit, Baptism in the Spirit, the abiding characteristic of love, and the gift of tongues and their interpretation. What about the questions these chapters raise? Do the gifts of the Spirit continue today? What is the baptism in the Holy Spirit? Is tongues a known language (hint—”yes!”) or a heavenly or ecstatic utterance? (hint—”no!”).
Thinking Out Loud:
Kawnzaa is an absolute farce—invented by a convicted sex-offender as a Marxist alternative celebration for oppressed non-white people in lieu of Christmas. Festivus is a satirical holiday invented by Seinfeld writers as a mockery of the commercialization of Christmas (regardless of the motive, it was brilliant satire). Festivus grows more popular by the year on social media, while people (other than Kamala Harris who thinks it is wonderful) ask, “what is Kwanzaa?” I love the Festivus miracles, feats of strength, and especially the airing of grievances. Next year, “you people are rally gonna hear about it!”
I’m simply amazed how the evangelicalism of my youth—which stressed missions and evangelism, lay apologetics, and believed arguments over doctrine were important and worth having—has largely become a gospel-less, conglomeration of political tribes serving political masters, far more interested in social media diatribes and pastors as political pundits and culture warriors, than with the preaching of the gospel or biblically-based worship. Granted, there are a number of noteworthy exceptions. The Reformed can always find something worth debating, and there is a wonderful new emphasis on doctrinal retrieval.
The MAGA theme for 2025 will end up being “Let’s get ready to rumble!” But not against Trump’s political opponents. The MAGA in-fighting has already begun, the ultra thin MAGA majority in the House is gonna have trouble getting anything done. DOGE (which I love!!!) is gonna be challenged by hours of negative news coverage whining about how unfair it is for these poor, irreplaceable government workers to lose their jobs. If Trump can’t make good progress on a significant number of his campaign promises early in his term, MAGA is gonna get slaughtered in the midterms. It is far harder to defend a party’s record while in office than it is to criticize the party in office.
The pontificating of the Christian nationalists about what our government will be like when the millennial age dawns with them holding sway, is like me asking whether or not I should style my bald head with a mullet or a fade.
Has anyone else entertained the question as to why so many Christian nationalists strive to look like Civil War Confederate generals?
To read my reflections on 2024, hopes for 2025, and a bunch of links, follow the link below
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