The Conservative Manifesto -- In great victories, expect attacks.

Sex, Marriage, & Fairytales

2012-01-27T08:48:00.000-08:00

That's the title of this latest poetic piece from Spoken Word phenom, Jeff Bethke.

Here's the inspiration behind the work...

(Feed readers click through for videos)

I read Real Marriage at the beginning of this month and can attest that it is incredibly encouraging and challenging, and highly recommend that you read it as well -- even if you're not married. It's only $12.

As I mentioned, I also picked up the Real Marriage DVD and am actually beginning the study with a few close, young married couples from our fellowship this evening. Really stoked on that.

Dig the book, dig the study, dig the poem.

An Excerpt from Reagan's Diary on Gingrich

2012-01-25T16:26:00.000-08:00

From Ch. 3, 1983.

Click image to enlarge.

Newt Gingrich has a proposal for freezing the budget at the 1983 level. It's a tempting idea except that it would cripple our defense programs. And if we make an exception on that every special interest group will be asking for the same.

President Obama's Economic Record

2012-01-25T13:54:00.000-08:00

Despite the spin, it's bad.

America needs a decisive right turn this November.

The Marriage Initiative

2012-01-24T22:10:00.000-08:00

The college and young adult ministry that I've been blessed to shepherd is putting on an event the first Saturday in February, and on the off-chance that any of my readers are able to make it, I wanted to throw it out there.

If you live in or around Los Angeles or Ventura county, do consider swinging up/down/over to my neck of the woods and joining us.

The event is of course free and open to the public.

If you're married, single, engaged, divorced, excited about, put off by, or simply curious about marriage, The Marriage Initiative serves to bring entertaining and challenging clarity to this ordained and troubled institution through an accurate understanding of the roles of women and men in marriage.

Format:

- State of Marriage Address (TCM)
- Marriage and Women (video, Pastor Mark Driscoll)
- Intermission (refreshments available)
- Marriage and Men (video, Pastor Mark Driscoll)
- Q&A Panel (live)
- Dessert and fellowship

Calvary Chapel Thousand Oaks
2697 Lavery Court, Suite 14 (map)
Newbury Park, CA 91320

Questions?

Drop a comment on this post, over at the TCM Facebook Page, or mention @TCManifesto on Twitter.

You can also directly RSVP for the event on Facebook.

Hope to meet you there!

"...I was getting bin Laden"

2012-01-24T21:40:00.001-08:00

I didn't watch Obama's SOTU Address. Not because I dislike his politics, but because I had vastly more important things to do.

Like playing catch with my 2-year-old son. Bath time. And reading to him true stories about Jesus, including the one where the God-man defeats demons by slaughtering 2,000 pigs.

PETA is stoked, I'm sure.

But did the Obama really say this?

Some said the state of our union was getting stronger, while others said it was getting weaker, but I was getting bin Laden.

If so, I don't care who you are. That's hilarious.

Who Gives More: Romney or Obama?

2012-01-24T13:17:00.000-08:00

It's not even close: 15% to 1%.

If the Left wants to make issue about Romney's income/charity/tax rate, let 'em. The former governor paid 42% of his 2011 income in charity and taxes.

Sounds like Romney has been doling out his fair share.

Meanwhile, VP Bleeding Heart Biden gave a whopping $369 to charity.

Of course, this is only surprising if you haven't been paying attention. We've known that as a whole conservatives give vastly more in charity than liberals for some time now. And that's despite the fact that liberal as a whole have higher incomes.

That doesn't mean conservatives are better people, just more generous givers -- despite what the Left would have the body public believe.

Romney vs Obama is simply the latest example of that truth.

"The Bible doesn't limit God, it recognizes our limit in understanding God and quenches it."

2012-01-24T08:36:00.000-08:00

(Feed readers click through for video)

Did You Know? Bain Campaign Contribution Edition

2012-01-20T08:48:00.000-08:00

Just a fun fact for your Friday.

Bain Capital gives more campaign money to Democrats than it does to Republicans.

Democrats have accepted more political donations than Republicans from executives at Bain Capital, complicating the left’s plan to attack Mitt Romney for his record at the private-equity firm.

During the last three election cycles, Bain employees have given Democratic candidates and party committees more than $1.2 million. The vast majority of that sum came from senior executives.

Republican candidates and party committees raised over $480,000 from senior Bain executives during that time period.

Hat tip: Crush Liberalism

Vintage Romney

2012-01-20T08:38:00.000-08:00

The Atlantic labels the photos tragic. Personally, I think think they're epic.

Mitt Romney

Cranbrook Schools, class of '65

City: Bloomfield Hills, Mich.

Awards/Activities: Cross Country, Hockey, Glee Club, Pre-med Club, Church Cabinet, The Forum, Pep Club, Blue Key Club, American Field Service, World Affairs Seminar, Speculator’s Club, Homecoming Committee Chairmen, Assistant Editor of the yearbook, Inter-house council representative

As Matt J. commented over at the TCM Facebook Page yesterday, Romney had more leadership experience as a high school senior than what our sitting president has now. Heh.

You can check out the other GOP candidates here.

A Christian Psychology of and Biblical Response to Homosexuality

2012-01-17T08:18:00.000-08:00

Few issues converge the theological, political, sociological, and psychological like the issue of homosexual behavior. Whether you believe societal institutions place too much emphasis on the topic or too little, one would be hard-pressed to not admit it has emerged as one of the most prevalent issues of our day.

On the first and last of those components, Professor of Counseling at Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary Sam Williams wrote a substantive article -- "A Christian Psychology of and Response to Homosexuality" -- offering a fresh perspective on tough questions.

A tease:

Homosexuality has not been a biblical abstraction in my life. That doesn’t mean I am coming out of the closet here. The skeletons in my closet don’t look quite like that; they are probably worse, and they are not the topic of this lecture, thank God.

You can also view his lecture:

(Feed readers click through for video)

Hat tip: The Gospel Coalition

Majority of Conservatives See Romney as "Acceptable" GOP Nominee

2012-01-10T08:00:00.000-08:00

And I'm one of them.

This Gallup study serves as a nice segway into what my readers have known for a few weeks now: I support Mitt Romney as the 2012 GOP presidential nominee.

As many/most of you will remember, I supported Romney for the nod in 2008 and am happy to do so again this go-around.

No candidate is without "flaw", but I believe Romney is not only best suited among the pack to handle the economic crisis in which this country currently resides, but is also the most electable.

And I'm not even close to being alone in this line of thinking.

Mitt Romney is the now the only candidate that a majority of conservative and moderate/liberal Republicans nationwide see as an "acceptable" GOP nominee for president. Conservative Republicans are more likely to say Romney would be an acceptable nominee than either Newt Gingrich or Rick Santorum.

...

Fifty-nine percent of all Republicans nationwide perceive that Romney is an acceptable GOP nominee for president, the only candidate with majority support on this measure. Slightly less than half say Gingrich (46%) or Santorum (45%) would be acceptable, while a majority of Republicans say that the three remaining candidates -- Perry, Paul, and Huntsman -- would be unacceptable as their party's nominee.

It's time to rally the troops.

#Romney2012

Tebow Throws Down

2012-01-09T12:24:00.000-08:00

Dude loves Jesus and can throw the friggin' football. What's not to love about that non-controversy?

Only Tim Tebow could turn his passing yards into a biblical passage.

In a thrilling 29-23 overtime win against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Denver Broncos quarterback threw for 316 yards and set a postseason record of averaging 31.6 yards per completion.

The religious aspect takes shapes with the number 316 because one of Tebow’s favorite Bible passage is John 3:16:

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.”

Can't think of a better illustration for the subtitle of this blog: In great victories, expect attacks.

Real Marriage: The Most Important Book on the Subject

2012-01-06T08:30:00.000-08:00

Because it's rooted in the only infallible collection of books -- that's the Bible, for the theologically liberal out there -- and points to the one who created the institution.

I had a chance to pick up and dig through Real Marriage: The Truth about Sex, Friendship, & Life Together last weekend before the book hit shelves, while at the most unabashedly & creatively Jesus-centered conference I've ever attended.

I can't even begin to tell you how much the book has already blessed my marriage, and would like to emphatically encourage you to grab a $12 copy from The Resurgence.

Here's the tease:

(Feed readers click through for video)

I also picked up the Real Marriage DVD. A few close young married couples are going to join my wife and me and go through the 11-session study. After that, I hope to establish it in our church as the post-wedding study, hosted by various couples in the intimate and safe setting of their homes.

Most churches do well with pre-marital counseling, but rarely have anything pro-active established for the critical first few years of marriage.

I hope to change that at my fellowship and would ask you to pray if that is something you could do at yours as well. The DVD pack includes both a leader's and participant's guide, to help you through.

A few links:

- Real Marriage in Stores Today!
- Why We Wrote Real Marriage
- 9 Reasons Marriage is for Singles
- Q&A: Mark and Grace Driscoll on Sex for the 21st-Century Christian
- What Others Are Saying about Real Marriage

Blessings!

The most unabashedly & creatively Jesus-centered conference I've ever attended

2012-01-06T07:50:00.000-08:00

That's the best way I can describe it. Granted, I haven't attended all that many conferences. But the statement remains true.

Over the New Years weekend I flew up to Seattle to The Resurgence College Conference at Mars Hill Church Bellevue.

Here's a video recap:

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I pray this becomes an annual event and hope to bring a few students from the college and young adult ministry I shepherd along in 2012.

Mitt Wins Iowa

2012-01-04T08:24:00.000-08:00

Barely.

A squeaker of an Iowa victory in hand, Mitt Romney headed Wednesday into the New Hampshire primary — in his own political backyard — insisting that staying power sets him apart from runners-up Rick Santorum and Ron Paul and the rest of the GOP presidential field. He shrugged off the promise of sharper criticism from his rivals.

"I've got a big target on me now," Romney said, adding that doesn't faze him. "I've got broad shoulders. I'm willing to handle it."

I'm happy with that. I supported Romney for the nod in 2008 and am inclined to do so again this go-around.

Any conservatives out there miffed by the victory? I know some of you are.

Tell me why.

What the Bible Really Says About Sex

2012-01-03T15:25:00.000-08:00

That's the title of an important article posted today, by Pastor Mark Driscoll.

You're going to want to read the entire piece, to gather the lead up and conclusion to the following seven points.

1. God created us male and female in His image and likeness with dignity, equality, value, and worth. Men and women are different and complement one another (Genesis 1:27-28).

2. Love is more like a song than a math equation. It requires a sense of poetry and passion to be any good at it, which is why people who are stuck in their heads struggle and are frustrated by it, and lovers prefer songs to syllogisms (Song of Solomon, all of it).

3. Marriage is for one man and one woman by God’s design. This is the consistent teaching of the Bible from the table of contents to the appendix and the teaching of Jesus Christ Himself (Genesis 2:24-25, Matthew 19:4).

4. God created sex. God made our bodies “very good” with “male and female” parts and pleasures. When our first parents consummated their covenant, God was not shocked or horrified, because He created our bodies for sex. The reason that sex is fun, pleasurable, and wonderful is because it is a reflection of the loving goodness of God who created it as a gift for us to steward and enjoy (Genesis 2:24-25).

5. Sex outside of marriage is a sin. Sinful sex includes homosexuality, erotica, bestiality, bisexuality, fornication, friends with benefits, adultery, swinging, prostitution, incest, rape, polygamy, polyandry, sinful lust, pornography, and pedophilia (I Corinthians 6:9-11,18-20, Hebrews 13:4).

6. Sex is to be done in such a way that there is no shame (Genesis 2:25; Proverbs 5:18-23). Many people experience shame in regard to sex. Sometimes shame is a gift from God in response to our sexual sin, sometimes it is the devastating feeling we bear because we have been sexually sinned against, and other times we have not sinned or been sinned against sexually but feel shame because we have wrong thinking and feelings about sex in general, or a sex act in particular.

7. Your standard of beauty is your spouse. God made one man and one woman. He did not ask them if they wanted someone tall or short, light or heavy, pale or dark skinned, with long or short hair. In short, He did not permit them to develop a standard of beauty. Instead, He gave them each a spouse as a standard of beauty (Genesis 2:23, Proverbs 6:20-35).

Read the entire article.

I'm a little over half way through Real Marriage and can attest the book is already a huge blessing to my marriage. It's an altogether encouraging, humorously no-nonsense, unabashedly Bible-based tool for strengthening your marriage.

If you're interested, The Resurgence is currently offering Real Marriage for only $12. Not sure how long that will last, but I highly recommend you get your hands on it at some point.

Here's the teaser:

(Feed readers click through for video)

Still not sure? Peruse Pastor Mark's article, Why We Wrote Real Marriage.

Single? Peruse his other article, 9 Reasons Marriage is for Singles.

May God enrich you by the richness of his word.

Where Are You?

2011-12-28T09:20:00.000-08:00

That question is pointed at you, men. And it's the title of an epic and anointed sermon by Pastor Mark Driscoll, of whom I consider myself to be a digital understudy.

Not a fan of watching/listening to sermons online? That's fine.

This one will change that for you.

Watch it.

“We agree entirely with Gov. Romney and Mass. legislators that our goal should be 100% insurance coverage...”

2011-12-27T05:26:00.000-08:00

That's from a memo penned by Newt Gingrich in 2006.

As Jonathan Karl points out:

And, Gingrich wrote, the key to achieving that goal was doing what Romney did in Massachusetts: Requiring everybody who could afford it to buy health insurance. In fact, Gingrich makes an impassioned case for the so-called individual mandate — which is also at the center of President Obama’s health plan — on conservative grounds.

“We also believe strongly that personal responsibility is vital to creating a 21st Century Intelligent Health System,” Gingrich wrote in the memo which was found on an old Gingrich website by BuzzFeed’s Andrew Kaczynski. ”Individuals who can afford to purchase health insurance and simply choose not to place an unnecessary burden on a system that is on the verge of collapse; these free-riders undermine the entire health system by placing the onus of responsibility on taxpayers.”

I imagine Romney will rightly use this to shrug off modern criticisms from Gingrich on his way to securing the nomination in 2012.

Article of the Week: What kind of society does America want?

2011-12-22T08:42:00.000-08:00

Terrific positioning by Romney in this article.

In less than a year, the American people will go to the polls and choose a new president. A matter of great moment is at stake in this election. The question we will decide is this: Will the United States be an Entitlement Society or an Opportunity Society?

In an Entitlement Society, government provides every citizen the same or similar rewards, regardless of education, effort and willingness to innovate, pioneer or take risk. In an Opportunity Society, free people living under a limited government choose whether or not to pursue education, engage in hard work, and pursue the passion of their ideas and dreams. If they succeed, they merit the rewards they are able to enjoy.

Entitlement versus opportunity.

This is exactly what the 2012 election needs to be about. Which is why I'm on the verge of swinging my support for the nomination to Romney and hoping he continues to lead with this theme.

Read the article in its entirety.

Jesus wants the rose!

2011-12-14T10:15:00.000-08:00

An important, beautiful, and tragic bit from Pastor Matt Chandler.

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The Sin God Won't Forgive (Mark 3:28-35)

2011-12-08T11:50:00.000-08:00

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Newt: "If [Obama] wants to use a teleprompter, then it would be fine with me..."

2011-11-27T21:22:00.000-08:00

I posted this over at The Conservative Manifesto Facebook Page on Saturday, but it's certainly worth a post over here at home plate.

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Me likey.

Ancient Seminary Graduates Claim Jesus' Authority is Demonic (Mark 3:20-27)

2011-11-23T22:46:00.000-08:00

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Why I'm not a Fundamentalist

2011-11-22T11:22:00.000-08:00

It comes down to Jesus.

In a radical and merciful manner, Jesus came into human history to -- among other things -- fulfill three ultimate offices: Prophet, Priest, and King.

As Prophet, Jesus comes before us as God's word made manifest; as truth-teller and convicter of sin calling us to repentance.

As Priest, Jesus comes alongside us as a compassionate comforter; as sacrifice and intercessor between us and the Father.

As King, Jesus comes over us as benevolent ruler; commanding reign over every aspect of our life, that we might have life and life more abundant.

It's through the study of these three offices that we are able to obtain a more complete understanding of Jesus' public (and continuing) ministry.

One dimension of such study is looking at how deemphasizing just one of these fulfilled roles pulls us away from the fullness of Christ's work and subsequently bends us theologically.

For instance, someone who deemphasizes Jesus as Priest tends to bend toward following the Jesus of fundamentalism -- a theological imbalance. By emphasizing Jesus' roles as truth-teller and commander of our lives, and reducing Jesus as compassionate caregiver and the sacrificial intercessor, "fundamentalists" tend to be harsh and unloving -- believing often that the truth should be told about the sin in our lives no matter how much it hurts.

To better illustrate, I've adapted an equation from Pastor Mark Driscoll's book, Vintage Jesus, and utilized icons created by The Resurgence.

In other words: Prophet + King - Priest = Jesus of Fundamentalism

Admittedly, and by no one's fault but my own, this was the lens through which I viewed the Christian life for many years. By the grace of God, the Holy Spirit has shown me the error of my sinful way in this regard, and with an understanding of what is wrong, I can seek to reemphasize Jesus as Priest so as to enjoy the fullness of his work and role in my life and the lives of others.

It always comes down to Jesus.

Jesus Appoints His 'Go and Die' Leadership (Mark 3:7-19)

2011-11-15T10:18:00.001-08:00

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Carried back from Hell, by your nail-scarred hands...

2011-11-10T15:13:00.000-08:00

Piggy-backing on my post from yesterday, Spirit-Filled Music Can Sound Like What?, I submit to you White Flag by For Today.

Give it a try, if only for the lyrics.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Ridiculous.

236

2011-11-10T07:45:00.000-08:00

Spirit-Filled Music Can Sound Like What?

2011-11-09T10:00:00.000-08:00

With direction from some of those who attend our college and young adult ministry, I've been getting deeper into the Christian metalcore scene.

I could write entirely too much on the topic. Instead, I'll simply say that it's quite amazing what some of these groups are doing to restore an unlikely genre of music and connect with people who would otherwise never hear the good news.

I'll give you an example.

Listen first to this 10-minute interview with Oh, Sleeper lead vocalist, Micah Kinard, about the band's 2009 album, Son of the Morning.

Now listen to the first and last songs on the album, which he references specifically.

Track 1: Son of the Morning

And my personal favorite...

Track 10: The Finisher

(Feed readers click through for videos)

If you want to hear a bit more about how this fits into an understanding of Christian interaction with current culture, check out Jesus Heals a Paralytic and Eats with Sinners (Mark 2:1-17).

You don't have to like the music, but if you're a Christian, I think you have to respect the restorative work groups like Oh, Sleeper are performing on behalf of Jesus.

Jesus' Righteous Anger (Mark 3:1-6)

2011-11-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

Religious legalism, confrontation, righteous anger, restoration. Only six verses, but Mark 3:1-6 packs a punch.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Actually... the rich got poorer under Bush (and richer under both Clinton and Obama)

2011-11-07T07:49:00.000-08:00

In a time of rampant (not to mention criminal) Occupy mobs, this should be a bubble burster.

The wealthiest 5% of U.S. households saw incomes fall 7% after inflation in Bush's eight years in office, according to an IBD analysis of Census Bureau data. A widely used household income inequality measure, the Gini index, was essentially flat over that span. Another inequality gauge, the Theil index, showed a decline.

In contrast, the Gini index rose — slightly — in Obama's first two years. Another Census measure of inequality shows it's climbed 5.7% since he took office.

Meanwhile, during Clinton's eight years, the wealthiest 5% of American households saw their incomes jump 45% vs. 26% under Reagan. The Gini index shot up 6.7% under Clinton, more than any other president since 1980.

Of all the places the Occupy children have infested, it's a wonder 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. isn't one of them.

Yoga is Demonic

2011-11-04T08:38:00.000-07:00

That's the stance of Mark Driscoll, Preaching and Vision Pastor at Mars Hill Church in Seattle. And I'm more than inclined to agree with him.

I actually consider myself a digital understudy of Driscoll's. While the pastor(s) at my home fellowship are to whom I look for discipleship first and foremost, I use the work the Lord is doing through Driscoll regularly for my studies.

But I digress...

The question of yoga is particularly fun, because so many Americans -- including Christian Americans -- don't think twice about it. And when forced to do so, they tend to cling desperately to that which they previously believed.

I posed this issue to our college and young adult ministry, during post-service discussion after teaching through Mark 1:21-34, a message I entitled Jesus and Demons.

Needless to say, challenging yoga makes for a lively discussion among young adults today.

First, take a look at this clip, which Driscoll references at the onset of the article linked below.

(Feed readers click through for video)

I posted this to my personal Facebook wall a month or so back, which -- not surprisingly -- set off a bit of a firestorm. It's good to have the pot of our beliefs stirred lovingly.

On Wednesday Pastor Mark posted this expounding and clarifying follow-up article, entitled Christian Yoga? It's a Stretch.

I'll give you part of the set-up in hopes that it will tease you to read the entire piece.

And it goes a little something like this...

There is nothing wrong with stretching, exercising, or regulating one’s stress through breathing. But when the tenets of yoga are included, it’s by definition a worship act to spirit beings other than the God of the Bible. By way of analogy, there is nothing inherently wrong with intimacy, sex, and pleasure. But when the tenets of adultery are included, it’s a sinfully idolatrous worship act. A faithful Christian can no more say they are practicing yoga for Jesus than they can say they are committing adultery for Jesus.

A little over a year ago, I said yoga was demonic. My stance hasn’t changed since then, but I thought I’d take this opportunity to provide a much fuller and comprehensive teaching on what yoga is and why it is in fact demonic. By demonic I mean it’s a spiritual act to a being other than the God of the Bible. And, for those unfamiliar with me, I’m no raging Christian fundamentalist. My most vocal critics tend to be from the fundamentalist tribe as I do drink alcohol, have been known to use strong language, and talk very frankly about the joys of married sex. I’m no prude, but I am a pastor.

Giving sound teaching on yoga is important because there is increasing adoption of yoga by our culture, with over 15.8 million people practicing yoga and nearly every store you go into selling all kinds of yoga products. It’s gone mainstream. As such, Christians are also adopting it as a healthy aspect of exercise and lifestyle—complete with things like “Holy Yoga,” which is an oxymoron. Saying yoga can be Christian because you do it for Jesus is a bit like going into a mosque, going through the worship practices, and then saying you’re not a Muslim because you’re doing it for Jesus. They don’t mix.

Continue reading...

Your thoughts?

If, as a Christian, you disagree, tell me why.

Fathers, Your Leadership Role is Inescapable

2011-11-01T07:19:00.001-07:00

Another terrific video nugget from Doug Wilson.

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If you missed it, be sure to check out the clip On Father Hunger and Feminism.

Jesus on Fasting, Fabric, Fermentation, and Feeding (Mark 2:18-28)

2011-10-31T12:28:00.000-07:00

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Speaking for the 1% at Occupy Wall Street

2011-10-28T12:12:00.000-07:00

Peter Schiff is up to the task.

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Jesus Heals a Paralytic and Eats with Sinners (Mark 2:1-17)

2011-10-27T10:48:00.000-07:00

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On Father Hunger and Feminism

2011-10-27T07:30:00.001-07:00

A concise and insightful clip with Doug Wilson.

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"Feminism is the deep angst over men not showing up."

That's huge.

Is this the greatest response to Occupy Wall Street... ever?

2011-10-20T19:25:00.001-07:00

If not, I'd love to see better.

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Jesus Prays and Cleanses a Leper (Mark 1:35-45)

2011-10-18T17:15:00.000-07:00

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No matter what I do, they keep coming back for more...

2011-10-12T19:38:00.001-07:00

They come not out of financial or academic obligation.

They simply come to train... hard.

(Click image to enlarge)
I'm honored to be their instructor.

Jesus and Demons (Mark 1:21-34)

2011-10-11T07:52:00.000-07:00

Demons are real.

And I much enjoy teaching about the authority of Jesus in that context.

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Enter Jesus, Repent and Believe (Mark 1:1-20)

2011-10-04T07:29:00.000-07:00

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Article of the Week: Obama's Racial Crisis

2011-09-30T16:51:00.000-07:00

A tease from VDH's terrific piece:

n the current racial circus, the president of the United States, in addressing an assembly of upscale black professionals and political leaders, adopts the style of a Southern Baptist preacher of the 1960s. He alters his cadences and delivery to both berate and gin up the large audience — posing as a messianic figure who will “march” them out to speak truth to power. In response, the omnipresent Rep. Maxine Waters goes public yet again, to object that the president has no right to rally blacks in this way, when he does not adopt similar tones of admonishment with Jews and gays. (Should Obama try to emulate the way he thinks gays and Jews talk in his next address to them?)

Hope-and-change has now sunk into little more than a tawdry spectacle of racial spoils, as the president of the United States desperately cobbles together squabbling special-interest racial, ethnic, and gender groups in lieu of restoring http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifthe nation’s prosperity. Before the age of Obama, I don’t recall that some members of the Black Caucus were so ready to invite political opponents to “go straight to hell,” or to allege that they were veritable murderers eager to lynch blacks and restore slavery.

Read the entire article.

The Dead Sea Scrolls Go Digital

2011-09-28T09:13:00.000-07:00

Though it's not the same as seeing them in person, this is surely the next best thing.

Here's the BBC article on Google helping to make it happen.

ObamaCare Arrives at the SCOTUS

2011-09-28T08:50:00.000-07:00

Here we go.

The National Federation of Independent Business (NFIB) stole a march on the Obama Administration this morning by filing a petition with the U.S. Supreme Court appealing the 11th Circuit’s Obamacare decision.

The Department of Justice (DOJ) had announced on Monday that it was not going to ask all 11 judges of the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals to review en banc the August 12 decision of a three-judge panel of the 11th Circuit that found the individual mandate unconstitutional. This opened up a path to an appeal by DOJ to the Supremes.

My prediction: 5-4 (with Kennedy as the swing vote) the court strikes down ObamaCare on the basis that the individual mandate is unconstitutional, and that ObamaCare as a whole is predicated on the individual mandate.

Filing for VA Disability: Day 361

2011-09-28T08:35:00.000-07:00

On Monday (9/26) my back began to slip out. I immediately spent about 30 minutes stretching and performing floor exercises, but I've been down this road several times since the injury and knew it was on its way out -- and would do so by the next morning.

And so it was. When I woke up I could put almost no pressure on my right leg. I worked from home yesterday and have to do so again, as my back feels about the same today.

In case you're wondering, I'm using this blog -- not to garner sympathy -- but to document the dates and sequences of my back issues since first filing with the VA.

It's been 361 days and still no word on my claim -- except letters every so often about how the VA is still processing my claim.

Just moving at the speed of the government.

What is the Gospel?

2011-09-26T12:56:00.000-07:00

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Filing for VA Disability: Day 359

2011-09-26T12:34:00.000-07:00

A bit ironic.

My back is out again, as I'm inside one week from one full year since first filing for VA benefits for the injury I incurred on a military parachute training operation.

Still nothing.

Efficient, the government is not.

Filing for VA Disability: Day 355

2011-09-22T07:37:00.000-07:00

Ten days short of one full year since first filing for VA benefits for the injury I incurred on a military parachute training operation.

Still nothing.

Efficient, the government is not.

Six Weeks to a Bigger Bench Press

2011-09-14T09:33:00.000-07:00

Stepping away from faith and politics for a post, and on to another passion of mine: fitness.

I've had about six weeks off from the fitness boot camp I instruct at the local university (see videos: here and here) and have channeled that break into stepping up my early morning workouts.

Infusing workouts from Crossfit, P90X, you name it, we hit the weights pretty hard for an hour or so before heading to the office (and still being among the first to arrive). This drives the metabolism down a much better road throughout the day.

Any way, in case you're interested, here's a 6-week program a buddy and I use to increase our flat bench press 1 rep max -- the most stereotypical test of strength, though not nearly the best.

(Click image to enlarge)

Once you're done, take a week off and start over with new percentages based on your new 1 rep max.

It's a terrific incremental system all but guaranteed to work. If you lift, try it out and let me know what you think.

If you don't lift, you should.

Any questions?

Can I just be the one to say...

2011-09-14T08:38:00.000-07:00

That you know you live in a great country when a national median household income of $50,000 USD is touted as "bad" news?

Sure, it's a drop. But forget partisan politics for a second.

Did you hear what I just said?

Fifty. Thousand. Dollars.

Average.

Obama and the Burden of Exceptionalism

2011-09-13T07:47:00.000-07:00

It's nearly two weeks old, but still a huge article from Shelby Steele in the only newspaper left in this country.

Hat tip goes to TCM Facebook fan Matt J. for bringing this to my attention.

No teaser text necessary.

Just read it.

What Kind of Man Are You?

2011-09-12T13:55:00.000-07:00

Tons of insight for both the guys and the gals.

(Feed readers click through for videos)

In My Seat

2011-09-11T17:55:00.000-07:00

(Feed reader click through for video)

On Manhood and the Fatherhood of God

2011-09-09T14:22:00.000-07:00

Tough and tender.

(Feed readers click through for video)

The Highlight of Last Night's Debate

2011-09-08T07:27:00.000-07:00

Had to have been when Newt laid the smack down on NBC’s Brian Williams and Politico’s John Harris for, as Ed aptly put it, their attempts to create rhetorical mountains out of insubstantial molehills of differences in the policy positions between the GOP candidates, declaring himself uninterested in "puffing up" attempts to make Republicans fight each other in order to take the focus off of Barack Obama.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Newt actually spoke at our church yesterday morning -- GASP! Yes, our church allows political candidates (of any stripe) to speak from the pulpit. Under Pastor Rob's leadership, our fellowship doesn't engage in separatist Christian living as, quite frankly, the world would desire.

Pastor Rob spoke for a few minutes, Terry and Nancy Clark led us in a few worship songs, former Congressman Bob McEwen spoke briefly and ultimately introduced the former Speaker, who spoke for about 15 minutes on the state of the nation, and the role of faith in public service. Then five or six (can't remember exactly) local pastors joined Newt on stage and led us all in prayer for not only Mr. Gingrich, but all candidates, the President, and the nation in general.

As it pertains to the video, Newt told us he was no longer willing to take nonsense from debate moderators. And as you can see above, he wasn't kidding.

I appreciated the stance.

The Truth About Marital Compatibility

2011-09-06T09:00:00.000-07:00

An incredibly important piece by way of The Resurgence, featuring 5 Questions for Singles to Ask When Seeking a Biblically Compatible Spouse as well as 5 Questions for Married Couples Who Want to Become More Biblically Compatible.

No teaser text.

Just read it, friends.

Shadows

2011-09-01T11:00:00.000-07:00

One of the temps working in my group at work passed along this tune from David Crowder Band and Lecrae.

Really dig it.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Song: Shadows
Artist: David Crowder Band (feat. Lecrae)
Album: Passion - Here for You
Web: www.davidcrowderband.com

Arguably the Toughest Chapter in 1 John

2011-08-30T09:50:00.000-07:00

Doctored text, uncertain theological implications (for me at least).

The fifth and final chapter can be a bit tough at times.

But none of that is reason to fear or doubt.

(Feed readers click through for video)

The Missional Church: Simple

2011-08-28T08:08:00.000-07:00

The nuts and bolts, with a clever delivery.

(Feed readers click through for video)

I'm thinking about this sort of stuff a lot lately, particularly as it relates to Upstream, our fellowship's college and young adult ministry.

Couple that with relearning the restoration component of the Gospel through The Next Christians, and I have a lot swirling around in my head as I pray for the direction of our budding ministry.

Krauthammer is Right About Huntsman (and Perry, and Romney)

2011-08-26T16:44:00.000-07:00

Point blank, "Huntsman is a liberal’s idea of what a Republican ought to be."

(Feed readers click through for video)

Not sure how to put it any better at this point.

By Obama's Own Standard, Obama is Unpatriotic

2011-08-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

Not to mention irresponsible.

Have a listen.

(Feed readers click through for video)

The problem is, is that the way Bush has done it over the last eight years is to take out a credit card from the Bank of China in the name of our children, driving up our national debt from $5 trillion for the first 42 presidents – #43 added $4 trillion by his lonesome, so that we now have over $9 trillion of debt that we are going to have to pay back — $30,000 for every man, woman and child. That’s irresponsible. It’s unpatriotic.

To the 'T', we've seen the same accrual of debt under Obama -- but in less than three years.

Ed asks:

And what exactly has Obama done as President? Despite claiming that he has known that deficit reduction has been needed since the first day he took office, Obama has offered no deficit reduction proposals in his term as President. In fact, he has submitted budget proposals that have massively expanded deficit spending.

Just how patriotic is that? After all, if Obama can use the increase in the national debt to question Bush’s patriotism, doesn’t it follow that increasing deficit spending by 152% per month makes Obama 152% more “unpatriotic” than Bush?

Satan Doesn't Care if You Love Jesus

2011-08-23T07:43:00.000-07:00

Did you know that? He doesn't.

The Enemy does not even care if you worship Jesus... so long as it's a false Jesus.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Article of the Week: Obama: The Affirmative Action President

2011-08-19T15:33:00.000-07:00

Bravo, Matt Patterson. Bravo.

Years from now, historians may regard the 2008 election of Barack Obama as an inscrutable and disturbing phenomenon, a baffling breed of mass hysteria akin perhaps to the witch craze of the Middle Ages. How, they will wonder, did a man so devoid of professional accomplishment beguile so many into thinking he could manage the world's largest economy, direct the world's most powerful military, execute the world's most consequential job?

Imagine a future historian examining Obama's pre-presidential life: ushered into and through the Ivy League despite unremarkable grades and test scores along the way; a cushy non-job as a "community organizer"; a brief career as a state legislator devoid of legislative achievement (and in fact nearly devoid of his attention, so often did he vote "present"); and finally an unaccomplished single term in United States Senate, the entirety of which was devoted to his presidential ambitions. He left no academic legacy in academia, authored no signature legislation as legislator.

And then there is the matter of his troubling associations: the white-hating, America-loathing preacher who for decades served as Obama's "spiritual mentor"; a real-life, actual terrorist who served as Obama's colleague and political sponsor. It is easy to imagine a future historian looking at it all and asking: how on Earth was such a man elected president?

Be sure to read the entire article.

California's Amazon Tax Pushing Businesses and Entrepreneurs out of the State

2011-08-16T10:10:00.000-07:00

No one saw that coming. (And by 'no one', I'm of course referring to liberals.)

I'll give away the end:

Backers of the legislation seemed to believe that affiliates would be happy to work with other retailers who also operate affiliate programs, or that online retailers targeted by the law would not end affiliate relationships and the threat was idle.

In neither case do those assumptions now seem correct.

John: There are only children of God, and children of the devil. That’s it.

2011-08-15T17:05:00.000-07:00

That's the Apostle John, to be precise.

You may be shocked to learn that there are only two kinds of people: Christians who -- by definition -- follow God’s commands and are destined for Heaven, and everyone else.

Jesus is quite narrow in that regard.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Enter Rick Perry

2011-08-13T09:09:00.000-07:00

New ballgame? I think so.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry is about to shake up the 2012 race as he makes his candidacy official today in Charleston, S.C., almost nine months after the Texan vowed he was not interested in pursuing a presidential run.

Perry, the longest-serving governor in the country who has accounted for 37 percent of all jobs created since the recession, will use his announcement to set the agenda for his presidential bid, focusing heavily on the need to fix the economy.

"Our nation cannot and must not endure four more years of aimless foreign policy," Perry will say, according to prepared remarks. "We cannot and must not endure four more years of rising unemployment ... rising taxes ... rising debt ... and rising energy dependence on nations that intend us harm. It is time to get America working again."

While I'm not willing to give my endorsement this early, I'll admit at this point my vote is Perry's to lose.

Article of the Week: The War on Wealth Isn't Just Stupid -- It's Wrong

2011-08-12T07:07:00.000-07:00

Hear, hear, Mr. Medved.

Beyond the dueling sound bites and apocalyptic rhetoric of Washington’s increasingly desperate battle of the budget, President Obama enjoys an automatic advantage with his relentless calls to tax the rich. These demands resonate with the deep American instinct to endorse the underdog, while punishing (or at least diminishing) the privileged and the powerful.

The Republicans may insist with flawless logic that placing additional burdens on the nation’s most productive citizens does nothing to create private sector jobs: after all, how will seizing profits from business people help them to invest or expand with their reduced resources? But in the arena of public opinion, arguments must appeal to emotion as well as common sense and reach the heart rather than merely persuading the mind. It’s not enough to demonstrate that attacking the rich is misguided in practice; it’s also essential to show that it’s wrong as a matter of principle.

As always, be sure to read the entire article.

How Should Christians Consume Culture?

2011-08-10T11:36:00.000-07:00

Since beginning my role as Lead Teaching Servant at Upstream, I've been blessed by the work being done over at The Resurgence, a resource site for church leaders.

Just looking at their (as of today) five latest posts should give you a strong indication of the strength of this ministry:

- How To Boast in Jesus
- 4 Questions Leaders Should Ask Themselves
- Tradition vs. Traditionalism
- Real Men Repent
- Killing Moralism

This is incredibly sound Biblical advice that someone like myself find incredibly useful as I launch into a facet of the ministry.

I have also signed up for access (don't worry, it's free) to Leadership Coaching with Pastor Mark Driscoll.

These weekly videos provide tremendously practical, Bible-based insight into questions pertaining to maintaining a leadership role in the Church.

As it pertains to my title for this post, here's Pastor Mark's latest (it's worth the signup - even if you're not in a leadership position at church):

Receive, Reject, Redeem

Questioning a Comment by Archbishop Desmond Tutu

2011-08-08T13:11:00.000-07:00

My friend PomoProphet posted a very peculiar quote of the day from activist and retired Anglican Archbishop, Desmond Tutu.

The Jesus I worship is not likely to collaborate with those who vilify and persecute an already oppressed minority. I myself could not have opposed the injustice of penalizing people for something about which they could do nothing -- their race -- and then have kept quiet as women were being penalized for something they could do nothing about -- their gender; hence my support for the ordination of women to the priesthood and the episcopate.

Equally, I cannot keep quiet while people are being penalized for something about which they can do nothing -- their sexuality. To discriminate against our sisters and brothers who are lesbian or gay on grounds of their sexual orientation for me is as totally unacceptable and unjust as apartheid ever was.

Just thought I'd take a moment to respond, though there is much more that could be asked, and not to PomoProphet, but to the bishop himself.

Archbishop Tutu, you said...

The Jesus I worship is not likely to collaborate with those who vilify and persecute an already oppressed minority.

I agree whole-heartedly that the Church has much to repent of in terms of its treatment of those struggling with homosexuality, and anyone who vilifies and persecutes homosexuals is clearly in violation of Jesus' mission and teachings.

But I'm curious what you mean and/or imply, specifically, when you say "persecute" and "oppress". It has been my experience this sort of language is used even when Christians simply state homosexuality to be sinful -- even if during the same breath those same Christians acknowledge that they themselves are guilty before God and no more righteous.

Does not the same New Testament from which you draw moral conclusions about how we are to treat homosexuals declare homosexuality to be unnatural, sinful behavior? Did Paul not clearly list homosexual behavior as just one (among fornication, idolatry, adultery, thievery, covetousness, drunkenness, revilement, extortion) unrighteous behavior of which is cause for concern as it pertains to our eternity? If not homosexuality, which others among that list are we to not take seriously as believers?

Did the Jesus you worship not reinforce God's order for marriage?

I myself could not have opposed the injustice of penalizing people for something about which they could do nothing -- their race -- and then have kept quiet as women were being penalized for something they could do nothing about -- their gender; hence my support for the ordination of women to the priesthood and the episcopate.

Beginning in Genesis 1-3 (and throughout the Scriptures), are men and women not understood to be first and foremost equal in the sight of God, but also clearly created with different roles to more perfectly reflect God's design? Are those roles not intended to play out in marriage as well as the Church, which Jesus himself calls his bride? Is there any Biblical prescription for women as pastors and elders in the Church? Or do we see the exact opposite throughout God's word -- again, that same Word from which you draw moral authority on how we are to treat those struggle with homosexuals?

Equally, I cannot keep quiet while people are being penalized for something about which they can do nothing -- their sexuality.

With all due respect, sir (and I genuinely mean that), did Jesus not teach us that which is impossible with man is made possible with God? Unfiltered by the grace of God, my own deviant, unnatural, sinful sexual nature would lead me to desire sex with several women each and every day. Is that something from which the Church should accept? Are we not called to reject the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life? Does the Holy Spirit not usher in the tools necessary to combat our sinful self and reject the ways of the world?

To discriminate against our sisters and brothers who are lesbian or gay on grounds of their sexual orientation for me is as totally unacceptable and unjust as apartheid ever was.

Is it your understanding that allowing Jesus to speak truth into our life (as Prophet), come along side comfort us (as Priest), and have dominion over every area of our life (as King) is an improper understanding of his mission and teachings?

Is the Church not to stand as the counter-cultural pillar of truth, offering the Holy Spirit as helper and Jesus as redeemer before a just judge in the Father?

How are we to do that if we don't take God at his word as to what is sinful, and if we aren't able to share the promise and hope of a God who heals?

In Him,
TCM

The Next Christians

2011-08-08T09:19:00.000-07:00

Well, I already failed.

Back in June I committed to reading one book a month as a part of my new role as lead teaching servant at our fellowship's re-vamped college and young adult ministry.

It's the second week of August and I finally finished Vintage Jesus last night. Again, in my defense, the schedule I've been blessed to hold doesn't allow for much downtime -- but I still need to be better.

So with that, this evening I begin a new read: The Next Christians: The Good News About the End of Christian America, by Gabe Lyons.

Here's the primer video.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Compelling, right?

If you've read The Next Christians, please drop a comment and let me know what you thought. I need to dig into the material more, but this may be something through which I actually teach. We'll see. Need to pray about that as I work through the book.

Oh, and props to my mother for recommending the book to me a few months back. She always keeps an eye out for good stuff like this.

=)

Hope and Change: S&P Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating for the First Time

2011-08-05T18:39:00.000-07:00

Go ahead and file this under "during Obama's watch".

Standard & Poor’s announced Friday night that it has downgraded the sterling U.S. credit rating for the first time.

The move came even though the Treasury Department said that it had found a math error in the firm’s calculations of deficit projections, according to a person familiar with the matter.

S&P decided to lower the AAA rating, held by the United States for 70 years, to AA+ after a bipartisan debt deal signed into law this week failed to assuage concerns about the nation’s growing spending.

Analysts have said a downgrade could increase the cost of borrowing for the U.S. government and lead to tens of billions of dollars in more interest costs per year. That could translate into higher borrowing for consumers and businesses, too.

A downgrade would also have a cascading series of effects on states and localities that rely on federal funding, including in the Washington metro area, potentially raising the cost of borrowing for schools and parks.

But the exact impact of the downgrade won’t be known at least until Sunday night, when Asian markets open, and perhaps not fully grasped for months. Analysts say the immediate term impact is likely to be modest because the markets have been expecting a downgrade by S&P for weeks.

Standard & Poor’s has warned Washington several times this year that, unless the federal government took steps to tame its debt, its credit rating could be lowered.

Are the problems that led us to this point entirely the fault of this president? Nah. But did Obama's policies push us rapidly over the edge?

You better believe it.

I'm just trying to figure out who looks more incompetent right now: President Obama, or Treasury Secretary Geithner who in April said there was "no risk" the U.S. would lose its top credit rating.

Sheesh.

Article of the Week: Sip the Tea—Don't Swallow the Kool Aid

2011-08-05T07:07:00.000-07:00

Sage advice from Michael Medved this week, as usual.

Now that our elected leaders have finally found a way to avert the Great Debt-Ceiling Disaster with an imperfect settlement that generally advances the conservative agenda, mainstream Republicans must prepare to answer the objections of Tea Party True Believers who grumble, "If we had just held on, we could have gotten more."

This objection to the fizzled crisis faces one overwhelmingly significant question: how?

In countless conversations, both on my radio show and in private, I've never found an advocate for the "stand on principle and never compromise" crowd who could sketch out a plausible scenario by which conservatives gain from pushing a potential settlement beyond August 2.

Read the entire article.

Non-partisan Report that Looks at the U.S. Federal Government as if it were a Business

2011-08-04T07:47:00.000-07:00

Verrry interesting presentation.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Are you a Christian?

2011-08-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

If you answered in the affirm, I have a follow-up: Are you certain?

Over the weekend I taught out of 1 John 2, exploring three gauges by which we can be certain we are Christian.

(Feed readers click through for video)

If you're interested in hearing our study of the first chapter, you can view 1 John 1 here.

Sen. Rubio Nails Debt Speech (and Schools John Kerry in the Process)

2011-08-01T08:30:00.000-07:00

It's fourteen minutes long and worth every minute.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Hat tip: Crush Liberalism

Nat'l health spending will grow at a rate faster than it would have if ObamaCare had not passed

2011-07-28T08:48:00.000-07:00

SURPRISE! What, you're not surprised?

But wait. Perhaps critics are citing some obscure, right-wing analysis group. Right?

Nah, that's from the government's own numbers.

Total spending is projected to grow annually by 5.8 percent under Mr. Obama’s Affordable Care Act, according to a 10-year forecast by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services released Thursday. Without the ACA, spending would grow at a slightly slower rate of 5.7 percent annually. ...

The federal government is projected to spend 20 percent more onMedicaid, while spending on private health insurance is expected to rise by 9.4 percent. ...

“Simply put, this report states the obvious, that Americans have known for more than a year – the $2.6 trillion law only makes the fundamental problem of skyrocketing health care costs worse,” said Sen. Orrin G. Hatch, Utah Republican and ranking member of the Senate Finance Committee.

"Raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure"

2011-07-28T08:18:00.000-07:00

But don't take my word for it, those are the words of then-Senator Barack Obama on the floor of the U.S. Senate.

"The fact that we are here today to debate raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure. It is a sign that the U.S. Government can’t pay its own bills. It is a sign that we now depend on ongoing financial assistance from foreign countries to finance our Government’s reckless fiscal policies. … Increasing America’s debt weakens us domestically and internationally. Leadership means that ‘the buck stops here. Instead, Washington is shifting the burden of bad choices today onto the backs of our children and grandchildren. America has a debt problem and a failure of leadership. Americans deserve better."

Hat tip: Cj

Miraculous New Drug: Spenditol

2011-07-26T11:44:00.000-07:00

(Feed readers click through for video)

Republican states have the best public schools... by a long shot

2011-07-25T15:33:00.000-07:00

Also not surprising, Texas and Florida are leading the way.

Using a set of indicators ranging from graduation rate to college admissions and SAT scores, the panel reviewed data from high schools all over the country to find the best public schools in the country.

The results make depressing reading for the teacher unions: The very best public high schools in the country are heavily concentrated in red states.

Three of the nation’s ten best public high schools are in Texas—the no-income tax, right-to-work state that blue model defenders like to characterize as America at its worst. Florida, another no-income tax, right-to-work state long misgoverned by the evil and rapacious Bush dynasty, has two of the top ten schools.

Hat tip: Crush Liberalism

Male-Female Equality and Male Headship (Genesis 1-3)

2011-07-22T09:09:00.000-07:00

An important essay on Male-Female Equality and Male Headship.

I tease with just the intro:

Why go all the way back to the first three chapters of the Bible, if our concern is with manhood and womanhood today? Because as Genesis 1-3 go, so goes the whole Biblical debate. One way or the other, all the additional Biblical texts on manhood and womanhood must be interpreted consistently with these chapters. They lay the very foundation of Biblical manhood and womanhood.

My purpose in this essay is to demonstrate from Genesis 1-3 that both male-female equality and male headship, properly defined, were instituted by God at creation and remain permanent, beneficent aspects of human existence. Let me define male-female equality:

Man and woman are equal in the sense that they bear God’s image equally.

Let me also define male headship:

In the partnership of two spiritually equal human beings, man and woman, the man bears the primary responsibility to lead the partnership in a God-glorifying direction.

The model of headship is our Lord, the Head of the church, who gave Himself for us.1 The antithesis to male headship is male domination. By male domination I mean the assertion of the man’s will over the woman’s will, heedless of her spiritual equality, her rights, and her value. My essay will be completely misunderstood if the distinction between male headship and male domination is not kept in mind throughout.

Evangelical feminism argues that God created man and woman as equals in a sense that excludes male headship. Male headship/domination (feminism acknowledges no distinction) was imposed upon Eve as a penalty for her part in the fall. It follows, in this view, that a woman’s redemption in Christ releases her from the punishment of male headship.2

What, then, did God intend for our manhood and womanhood at the creation? And what did God decree as our punishment at the fall? The first two chapters of Genesis answer the first question and the third chapter answers the second.

Be sure to read the entire piece.

I also reference you back to this two-part sermon from Pastor Mark Driscoll on Marriage and Women and Men.

Launching a Ministry for Jesus from Scratch

2011-07-20T10:10:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to post a few (color!) photos from the recent launch of the college and young adult ministry with which I have been entrusted in His name.

(Click images to enlarge)

Numbers are of little importance, especially early on as we're simply building the foundation for growth. But in these first few weeks the Lord has already blessed the ministry with about 35-40 attendees. I actually expect that number to drop before it grows -- trusting He will work anything and everything together for good (Romans 8:28).

I've also begun a ministry journal. You know, pen and bound paper. Old school. I'm using it to track incremental progress and jot down reflections the day after the service. Whether this ministry lasts a few months, a few years, or well beyond my time as its lead teaching servant, I know there will be plenty of blessings and lessons learned that I'm intent on capturing.

Feel free to follow the Upstream blog (RSS feed), which contains links to our social networks in the right column.

And for a little background, you can listen to my sermon from a recent Sunday morning service -- in which I presented the mission of the ministry (as well as the Three Offices of Jesus).

Exciting times!

Rick Perry Hinting

2011-07-17T13:36:00.000-07:00

If you ask me, he's in. Even though he's not officially in.

“I’m not ready to tell you that I’m ready to announce that I’m in,” Gov. Rick Perry told The Des Moines Register. “But I’m getting more and more comfortable every day that this is what I’ve been called to do. This is what America needs.”

Another big-name potential Republican presidential candidate who is still on the sidelines, Sarah Palin, told Fox News in May that she has “that fire in the belly” to run. It remains a question whether Perry does.
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“I’ll be real honest with you, I don’t wake up in the morning – never did and still don’t today – and say, ‘Gee, I want to be president of the United States,’ ” Perry, 61, said by phone last week.

But his wife, Anita, and hundreds of people nationwide say they want him to run, he said. He said he would likely decide in two or three weeks.

Call me crazy, but I actually dig that Perry doesn't wake up thinking he wants to be president. He's been a little busy running arguably the most successful state in the union.

Yes, he was once a Democrat. So was Reagan.

He, like Obama, also inherited a Bush economy. So when Obama continues to complain about the policies of the past, Perry will be quite a bit shielded from that criticism by extension.

And to be honest, Perry is probably the only candidate that -- at least at this point -- could pull my support from Romney.

Time will tell...

The Three Offices of Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King

2011-07-12T09:59:00.000-07:00

At the 11:00AM service this last Sunday, I was blessed to be asked by Pastor Rob to teach in his place. Rob taught on The Joy of Gentleness at the 9:00 services and then headed over the hill to Calvary Chapel Malibu, the latest project the Lord has handed our little fellowship.

As you'll hear in the video, I took the opportunity to present to the congregation the vision for the new college and young adult ministry, of which I am lead servant.

I also wanted to take the opportunity to illuminate a particular area of my recent study, The Three Offices of Jesus: Prophet, Priest, and King. Again, as you'll hear in the video, I think it's a particularly potent topic to study as it relates to a better understanding of Jesus, church leadership, and our role as servants in the Body.

Let me know your thoughts...

(Feed readers click through for video)

And if you're wondering about the book I mentioned by Pastor Mark Driscoll, I highly recommend you get your hands on a copy of Vintage Jesus.

The Joy of Gentleness (Philippians 4:1-5)

2011-07-12T09:49:00.000-07:00

(Feed readers click through for video)

Obama's Reagan Parallels are Falling Away

2011-07-05T13:06:00.001-07:00

Which of course assumes he had (m)any at the onset.

Jonah Goldberg explains:

5.1, 9.3, 8.1, 8.5, 8, 7.1 and 3.9.

While that might sound like a controversial series of Olympic curling scores, these numbers in fact add up to a grave problem for Barack Obama.

They are the quarterly percentage gains in gross domestic product starting in 1983 through to Election Day 1984. And they aren't the only significant numbers. In 1984, real income for individuals grew by more than 6% and inflation plummeted. The unemployment rate in November 1984 was still 7.2% — relatively high — but it had dropped from 10.8% in December 1982, and it was clear the momentum was for even lower unemployment. "Staying the course" with Ronald Reagan made sense to most people, which is why he won re-election in a 49-state landslide.

Sadly for Obama — but far worse for the country — that kind of growth seems like a pipe dream. Last month, the Federal Reserve lowered its forecast for 2011 GDP growth from a range of 3.1% to 3.3%, made just two months earlier, to a much slower 2.7% to 2.9%. And it revised downward its projections for 2012 and 2013 as well.

Ed expounds:

The White House clearly assumed that they would see similar numbers from their stimulus package spending. As Jonah points out, Obama’s team encouraged comparisons to Reagan last year in anticipation of “Recovery Summer” and a wave of economic growth. Instead, the best quarter in the last five has been 2010Q3′s 2.8%, a number so anemic that it falls more than a full percentage point below Reagan’s worst quarter leading into his re-election. The initial Q2 number due at the end of this month will almost certainly fall below Q1′s 1.7%, and might go negative based on economic indicators in April and May.

Unemployment has also been just as problematic. Obama promised that spending $775 billion would keep the jobless rate below 8%. Instead, we have only had a handful of months below 9% in the two-plus years since the stimulus passed, and unemployment has started rising again. Civilian participation in the workforce has fallen to a 30-year low, masking the real jobless rate. The June figure is due on Friday, and like the Q2 GDP number, is almost certain to be unhelpful for the administration.

Obama has a year to get the economy moving in order for the comparison to be fully valid. By this time in 1983, however, Reagan already had a roaring recovery and a kick-start to the massive job creation that dropped unemployment by more than three full percentage points by the time of the election. The more relevant comparison might be George H. W. Bush in 1992, when a weak recovery had started by the end of 1991, but the perception of recession stuck with the electorate. And that might be the best-case scenario Obama has.

The Joy of Our Heavenly Citizenship

2011-07-04T15:26:00.000-07:00

I can think of no better post on this 4th of July than Pastor Rob's message from yesterday.

Enjoy and be blessed.

(Feed readers click through for video)

Obama's Economists Admit: Stimulus cost $278k per job, now causing the economy to shed jobs

2011-07-04T14:42:00.000-07:00

Sorry to be the bearer of dreary news on a beautiful 4th of July, but Obama's own economists concluding that the "stimulus" cost $278,000 per job is news no matter what day it's reported.

Oh, and that same brilliant "stimulus" is actually causing the economy to shed jobs.

When the Obama administration releases a report on the Friday before a long weekend, it’s clearly not trying to draw attention to the report’s contents. Sure enough, the “Seventh Quarterly Report” on the economic impact of the “stimulus,” released on Friday, July 1, provides further evidence that President Obama’s economic “stimulus” did very little, if anything, to stimulate the economy, and a whole lot to stimulate the debt.

The report was written by the White House’s Council of Economic Advisors, a group of three economists who were all handpicked by Obama, and it chronicles the alleged success of the “stimulus” in adding or saving jobs. The council reports that, using “mainstream estimates of economic multipliers for the effects of fiscal stimulus” (which it describes as a “natural way to estimate the effects of” the legislation), the “stimulus” has added or saved just under 2.4 million jobs — whether private or public — at a cost (to date) of $666 billion. That’s a cost to taxpayers of $278,000 per job.

In other words, the government could simply have cut a $100,000 check to everyone whose employment was allegedly made possible by the “stimulus,” and taxpayers would have come out $427 billion ahead.

Furthermore, the council reports that, as of two quarters ago, the “stimulus” had added or saved just under 2.7 million jobs — or 288,000 more than it has now. In other words, over the past six months, the economy would have added or saved more jobs without the “stimulus” than it has with it. In comparison to how things would otherwise have been, the “stimulus” has been working in reverse over the past six months, causing the economy to shed jobs.

Of course, this is only shocking to folks on the Left (if they even admit it) and those who didn't do their homework.

The government can't buy its way out of debt or an economic slump, and only the government would even think that it could in the first place.

Cause and Effect: Public Union Reform in Wisconsin Edition

2011-07-01T10:10:00.000-07:00

Cause: In March and amid brutal protests, Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker held the line and signed into law a union reform bill.

Wisconsin Gov. Scott Walker has officially taken away nearly all collective bargaining rights from the vast majority of the state’s public employees.

Effect: Wisconsin school districts are already beginning to turn deficits into surpluses.

The Kaukauna School District, in the Fox River Valley of Wisconsin near Appleton, has about 4,200 students and about 400 employees. It has struggled in recent times and this year faced a deficit of $400,000. But after the law went into effect, at 12:01 a.m. Wednesday, school officials put in place new policies they estimate will turn that $400,000 deficit into a $1.5 million surplus. And it's all because of the very provisions that union leaders predicted would be disastrous.

The Left just doesn't get it.

Cause and Effect: Out-of-State Online Sales Tax Edition

2011-06-30T07:37:00.000-07:00

Cause: Governor Jerry Brown and the rest of the left-leaning legislature in Sacramento recently passed a new state law requiring large, out-of-state retailers to collect sales taxes on Web purchases from their California customers.

Getting the taxes, which consumers typically don't pay to the state if online merchants don't charge them, is "a common-sense idea," said Gov. Jerry Brown, who signed the legislation into law Wednesday.

Effect: Amazon has now ended its affiliate advertising program with 25,000 California websites and Overstock.com Inc. is doing the same with thousands more.

The bill, AB 28X, takes effect immediately. The state Board of Equalization says the tax will raise $200 million a year, but critics claim it will raise nothing because online retailers will end their affiliate programs rather than collect the tax.

The Left just doesn't get it.

Classic Video: Milton Friedman on Socialism vs. Capitalism

2011-06-30T07:27:00.000-07:00

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Personal Assistant Confesses: John Lennon was in the Closet

2011-06-29T09:19:00.000-07:00

What a burden this must have been for the once-communist sympathizer.

John Lennon was a closet Republican, who felt a little embarrassed by his former radicalism, at the time of his death - according to the tragic Beatles star's last personal assistant.

Fred Seaman worked alongside the music legend from 1979 to Lennon's death at the end of 1980 and he reveals the star was a Ronald Reagan fan who enjoyed arguing with left-wing radicals who reminded him of his former self.

...

He says, "John, basically, made it very clear that if he were an American he would vote for Reagan because he was really sour on (Democrat) Jimmy Carter.

...

"I also saw John embark in some really brutal arguments with my uncle, who's an old-time communist... He enjoyed really provoking my uncle... Maybe he was being provocative... but it was pretty obvious to me he had moved away from his earlier radicalism.

"He was a very different person back in 1979 and 80 than he'd been when he wrote Imagine. By 1979 he looked back on that guy and was embarrassed by that guy's naivete."

How to Safeguard a Marriage

2011-06-25T17:30:00.000-07:00

(Feed readers click through for video)

And instead of watching a movie this weekend, take two hours with your husband or wife and watch these two videos.

Marriage and Women and Men

2011-06-24T08:58:00.000-07:00

An absolutely critical sermon in two parts. I can't recommend highly enough that if you're reading this, you take the time to watch both of these videos in succession. If you can't now, simply bookmark and return.

Men, women, married, dating, single.

Everyone needs this exegesis.

Marriage and Women

Marriage and Men

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24 Minutes to a Better Understanding of Manhood

2011-06-23T10:28:00.001-07:00

Courtesy of Mark Driscoll.

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I Am Second

2011-06-20T21:19:00.000-07:00

You can count me among the worshipers of Head (and Korn) from back in my high school days. What a mighty work Jesus has done in this man's life.

Bless you, Father.

(Feed readers click through for video)

On Fatherhood and Forging an Excellent Wife

2011-06-20T14:02:00.000-07:00

Two terrific posts for your week, following what I hope was a blessed Father's Day weekend for everyone:

1. 5 Godly Ways to Be a Good Dad
2. An Excellent Wife is Forged, Not Found

I pray these entries minister to you as they have to me.

Done Deal: Wisconsin Supreme Court Reinstates Collective Bargaining Law

2011-06-14T15:51:00.001-07:00

A victory for fiscal sanity -- even though the challenge was on procedural grounds, not the legality of the law itself.

Acting with unusual speed, the state Supreme Court on Tuesday reinstated Gov. Scott Walker's plan to all but end collective bargaining for tens of thousands of public workers.

The court found a committee of lawmakers was not subject to the state's open meetings law, and so did not violate that law when they hastily approved the measure and made it possible for the Senate to take it up. In doing so, the Supreme Court overruled a Dane County judge who had struck down the legislation, ending one challenge to the law even as new challenges are likely to emerge.

Forget the beef, where's the global warming?

2011-06-13T08:58:00.000-07:00

To borrow the quippy title of Crush Liberalism's post on the matter: In order for there to be global "warming", shouldn’t there at least be some, oh I dunno, warming?

Global greenhouse gas emissions have risen even faster during the past decade than predicted by the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and other international agencies. According to alarmist groups, this proves global warming is much worse than previously feared. The increase in emissions “should shock even the most jaded negotiators” at international climate talks currently taking place in Bonn, Germany, the UK Guardian reports. But there’s only one problem with this storyline; global temperatures have not increased at all during the past decade.

The evidence is powerful, straightforward, and damning. NASA satellite instruments precisely measuring global temperatures show absolutely no warming during the past the past 10 years. This is the case for the Northern Hemisphere mid-latitudes, including the United States. This is the case for the Arctic, where the signs of human-caused global warming are supposed to be first and most powerfully felt. This is the case for global sea surface temperatures, which alarmists claim should be sucking up much of the predicted human-induced warming. This is the case for the planet as a whole.

If atmospheric carbon dioxide emissions are the sole or primary driver of global temperatures, then where is all the global warming? We’re talking 10 years of higher-than-expected increases in greenhouse gases, yet 10 years of absolutely no warming. That’s 10 years of nada, nunca, nein, zero, and zilch.

But what does NASA know about science?

I mean, really.

Unearthing Sexual Exploitation

2011-06-08T11:20:00.001-07:00

(Feed readers click through for video)

As I wrote over at the TCM Facebook Page, among other grotesque things, this is a damning indictment of the Left's vision for publicly-funded, non-parental-notification abortions in America.

The Conservative Manifesto -- In great victories, expect attacks.

Sex, Marriage, & Fairytales

An Excerpt from Reagan's Diary on Gingrich

President Obama's Economic Record

The Marriage Initiative

"...I was getting bin Laden"

Who Gives More: Romney or Obama?

"The Bible doesn't limit God, it recognizes our limit in understanding God and quenches it."

Did You Know? Bain Campaign Contribution Edition

Vintage Romney

A Christian Psychology of and Biblical Response to Homosexuality

Majority of Conservatives See Romney as "Acceptable" GOP Nominee

Tebow Throws Down

Real Marriage: The Most Important Book on the Subject

The most unabashedly & creatively Jesus-centered conference I've ever attended

Mitt Wins Iowa

What the Bible Really Says About Sex

Top 5 Posts of 2011

Where Are You?

“We agree entirely with Gov. Romney and Mass. legislators that our goal should be 100% insurance coverage...”

Article of the Week: What kind of society does America want?

Jesus wants the rose!

The Sin God Won't Forgive (Mark 3:28-35)

Newt: "If [Obama] wants to use a teleprompter, then it would be fine with me..."

Ancient Seminary Graduates Claim Jesus' Authority is Demonic (Mark 3:20-27)

Why I'm not a Fundamentalist

Jesus Appoints His 'Go and Die' Leadership (Mark 3:7-19)

Carried back from Hell, by your nail-scarred hands...

236

Spirit-Filled Music Can Sound Like What?

Jesus' Righteous Anger (Mark 3:1-6)

Actually... the rich got poorer under Bush (and richer under both Clinton and Obama)

Yoga is Demonic

Fathers, Your Leadership Role is Inescapable

Jesus on Fasting, Fabric, Fermentation, and Feeding (Mark 2:18-28)

Speaking for the 1% at Occupy Wall Street

Jesus Heals a Paralytic and Eats with Sinners (Mark 2:1-17)

On Father Hunger and Feminism

Is this the greatest response to Occupy Wall Street... ever?

Jesus Prays and Cleanses a Leper (Mark 1:35-45)

No matter what I do, they keep coming back for more...

Jesus and Demons (Mark 1:21-34)

Enter Jesus, Repent and Believe (Mark 1:1-20)

Article of the Week: Obama's Racial Crisis

The Dead Sea Scrolls Go Digital

ObamaCare Arrives at the SCOTUS

Filing for VA Disability: Day 361

What is the Gospel?

Filing for VA Disability: Day 359

Filing for VA Disability: Day 355

Six Weeks to a Bigger Bench Press

Can I just be the one to say...

Obama and the Burden of Exceptionalism

What Kind of Man Are You?

In My Seat

On Manhood and the Fatherhood of God

The Highlight of Last Night's Debate

The Truth About Marital Compatibility

Shadows

Arguably the Toughest Chapter in 1 John

The Missional Church: Simple

Krauthammer is Right About Huntsman (and Perry, and Romney)

By Obama's Own Standard, Obama is Unpatriotic

Satan Doesn't Care if You Love Jesus

Article of the Week: Obama: The Affirmative Action President

California's Amazon Tax Pushing Businesses and Entrepreneurs out of the State

John: There are only children of God, and children of the devil. That’s it.

Enter Rick Perry

Article of the Week: The War on Wealth Isn't Just Stupid -- It's Wrong

How Should Christians Consume Culture?

Questioning a Comment by Archbishop Desmond Tutu

The Next Christians

Hope and Change: S&P Downgrades U.S. Credit Rating for the First Time

Article of the Week: Sip the Tea—Don't Swallow the Kool Aid

Non-partisan Report that Looks at the U.S. Federal Government as if it were a Business

Are you a Christian?

Sen. Rubio Nails Debt Speech (and Schools John Kerry in the Process)

Nat'l health spending will grow at a rate faster than it would have if ObamaCare had not passed

"Raising America’s debt limit is a sign of leadership failure"

Miraculous New Drug: Spenditol