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Category: Things Christians Say

Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Lori Alexander Says She is not Ultra-Conservative, but Then Proves Otherwise

Bruce Gerencser 1 Comment

lori-alexander

Some of you are ultra-conservative but I am not. I wear dresses and skirts just above my knees. I even wear shorts once in a while and some of my thigh shows. (One woman told me there is a verse about the thigh not showing so I asked her for it but she never responded.) I watch some TV (Hallmark, Fox News, The Duggars and The Bates Shows, and a few others) and go to the movie theater (but am careful about what I see – no nudity, sex scenes, vulgar language, etc.).

Recently, someone grabbed a picture that my daughter-in-law posted on her Instagram story of me with a skirt on with shorts underneath and some of my thigh showing. It was the Fourth of July and I was with my sons and their families and Ken. My legs were up on a footstool so more of my thigh shows than normal.

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If I knew my daughter-in-law was filming me and even if another man besides my sons or husband were around, I would have put my feet down on the ground but I didn’t know and had no clue that some woman would use it against me but this is what they do. They search and scour everything I write and every picture they can find about me (even from my children and their spouses) to try to destroy my ministry and make me into a hypocrite.

My family knows about it and they think it’s silly because they all know that I dress modestly. I never wear leggings unless I have a dress over it. I never wear low-cut tops, bikinis, short shorts, or a short skirt or dress. My modesty standards may not be the same as yours (some women were upset with a comment Ken made about some thigh showing) but that doesn’t mean we are wrong. I listen to godly men and what they consider immodest and dress accordingly. I don’t believe we need to wear burkas (as some women have told us) and cover our hair, faces, shoulders, and ankles. This isn’t what the typical man lusts after.

I have heard that some men have foot fetishes but this doesn’t mean we can never go barefoot. This is a problem with the men and yes, there are men who are perverts and will lust no matter what women wear but this isn’t our problem. It’s theirs. As godly women, we need to know how the typical man thinks and dress to not be a stumbling block to them.

— Lori Alexander, The Transformed Wife, No I Am Not Ultra-Conservative, June 12, 2017

Christians Says the Darnedest Things: Lori Alexander Says Women Too Weak to Serve in Military

Bruce Gerencser 6 Comments

lori-alexander

Should godly women be in the military, police force, or firefighters? No, godly women should not be in any of these and I will try to explain why I believe this. In the Bible, only men were the ones to go to war and they had to be 20 years old or older. “Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with the number of their names, every male by their polls; From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall number them by their armies” (Numbers 1:2, 3).

Women are the weaker vessel. “Likewise, ye husbands, dwell with them according to knowledge, giving honour unto the wife, as unto the weaker vessel” (1 Peter 3:7). “The thing which the husband is specially to understand and take into account is that he is dealing with a thing less strong than himself…The weakness here ascribed to the female sex is primarily that of the body, as we shall see when we consider the word ‘vessel,’ though it may, perhaps, indicate frailty in other respects as well.” (Elliot’s Commentary) And I am sure the feminists will love Matthew Poole’s definition of this verse; “weaker than the husbands, and that both in body and mind, as women usually are.”

In past generations, EVERY ONE knew that men are stronger physically and emotionally than women. Men have ten times the testosterone than women do. Yes, men’s struggle is with their sexual nature but women’s struggle is with their emotional nature. Men and women are different. We are not the same. (It’s sad that I even have to write these words.)

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The Lord instructs husbands to be the head of their wives. “For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body” (Ephesians 5:23). They are over them to protect and provide for them. This is God’s perfect plan in marriage and in society; it is the men who are to be the protectors. Being in the military, a firefighter, or policeman takes strength. Unfortunately, feminists have bullied men into women being able fulfill these positions. We are called to be feminine with gentle and quiet spirits. These jobs are all masculine.

Can you even imagine what women in the military who are captured by the enemy must endure? I am sure it is horrible! Women are much more vulnerable and defenseless than men. Women are the ones who are raped. (Yes, some men are being raped today, too, in today’s perverted society but it normally takes several men to do this whereas it only takes one man against one woman to rape a woman.) How about a female police officer caught in the middle of a gang? What if a female firefighter had to drag a 200 pound man down from a second story on a ladder to save his life? Women cannot do this. It is all nonsense.

— Lori Alexander, The Transformed Wife, Should Women Be in the Military, Police Force, or Firefighters?  June 27, 2017

Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Men Are Like God, Women are Weak and Need of Protection

Bruce Gerencser 5 Comments

keeping women in line

John Rice  [a Fundamentalist Evangelist, editor of the Sword of the Lord, and author of such titles as The Home and Bobbed Hair, Bossy Wives, and  Women Preachers] wrote this about this topic. “A man is like God in a sense that a woman is not like God…God is always in the Bible, called He, never Her. He is called Father, not Mother, Christ is called the man Christ Jesus, not the woman…I do not mean that Christ is not the Saviour every woman needs, not that He does not know her every longing, feel her every sorrow, meet her every need. But God would not have had the Bible so full of it if He did not want us to notice that Christ was a Man, not a woman, and that man is therefore made in the image of God in a sense that cannot be true of women. So, in the home, man is deputy of God, and should lead the home for God.”

I love the fact that Christ was a man since men are our protectors. They are bigger and stronger. They are not led by their emotions and feelings as easily. They are more steady. I am happy that I am not the protector and provider of my family. Men have a much bigger responsibility than women have been given and a man’s nature is created for this and woman’s is not. Most men wouldn’t want to worship a female god. They want a strong and masculine God like the One we have been blessed with. He is perfect in every way!

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The only reason women have so much “power” today is because men have given it to them. They could have never gotten it if men didn’t allow it because men are mightier in strength than women. God originally created man to have power and dominion over the earth. He never has given this responsibility to women. He made men the Kings, Prophets, Priests, Disciples, Apostles, and Elders for a good reason and His purpose. This is His plan.

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Most women today would despise this teaching. It doesn’t bother me in the least because I love being a woman and I love God’s ways. God created men to be the leaders and women the followers, just our body makeup proves this point. We are the weaker and softer sex so we should be the more gentler one. Women are the more lovely of the sexes, especially when we wear some make up, fix our hair, and wear prettier and more colorful clothing. Men are highly attracted to women. Godly, good women bring a lot of beauty to this earth. We make our homes places of loveliness. We bear and raise godly offspring. As we do all of this, we bring honor and dignity to our husbands and to the Lord.

— Lori Alexander, The Transformed Wife,  Woman is the Glory of Man, May 26, 2017

Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Lori Alexander Thinks Women Who Breastfeed in Public Should Stop Tempting Men

Bruce Gerencser 4 Comments

lori-alexander

Anyone can take the place of an astronaut, an engineer, a doctor, or name any other career out there, but no one can take the place of a mother in a child’s life. If you are married and have children, no one can take your place and your time and energy should be going to caring for these important people in your life, not given to strangers who could replace you in a blink of an eye.

Dennis [Prager] also brought up something that happened in the Australian Parliament. A senator nursed her baby while the Parliament was in session. She has no problem showing her breasts to men while she is nursing her baby. Why not? Men can go shirtless and there’s no problem with it. Since men and women are now equal in every way, according to feminism, this shouldn’t be a problem, right? Wrong. They fail to realize that men will always have an attraction for women’s breasts. God made them this way: “Let her be as the loving hind and pleasant roe; let her breasts satisfy thee at all times; and be thou ravished always with her love” (Proverbs 5:19).

Then I hear of Ivanka Trump trying to convince her father, our President, to create another enormous government program to pay for childcare for mothers so they can have careers and not worry about the financial situation. All of these are lies that our culture keeps screaming at us and trying to pull us away from the life that God has planned for us!

God made you a woman for a reason. He gave you a womb to bear children. He gave you breasts to nourish your baby and satisfy your husband. He made you soft for your baby to cuddle with you and your husband to enjoy. He made you the weaker vessel and your husband stronger to provide and protect you. He made you love beauty so you could use your desire for beauty to make your homes places of beauty for your families and all who enter. It’s all a part of His wonderful and perfect plan for you.

Lori Alexander, The Transformed Wife, Happy to Say “I am a Wife and Mother!”, May 17, 2017

Modern Alternative Mama has a hilarious take on WHY women should NOT breastfeed in public:

  • You might make a full-grown adult uncomfortable
  • You might give an adult a sore neck, from having to look away so hard
  • You have to teach that baby that other peoples’ needs for “comfort” come before their basic right to eat
  • Your baby’s lungs need exercise, and what better way to get that than by letting them scream from hunger
  • You might accidentally flash some nipple and give someone a heart attack — that’s a public health risk!
  • Your baby needs to learn that his wants can’t always be met immediately
  • You might put other parents in an uncomfortable position — maybe they’re not ready for “the talk” with their children (you know, about breasts)
  • It’s disgusting — I mean, breast milk is practically like pee, how unsanitary
  • You need to learn a lesson about planning your baby’s feedings better
  • You need to care a whole lot about society’s opinion of your parenting

You can read Kate’s entire article here.

 

Christians Say The Darnedest Things: John Piper Advocates Threatening Children With Hell

Bruce Gerencser 30 Comments
john piper
John Piper

A question from Michael: “Pastor John, how can I talk to my 6-year-old son about hell? When any loved one has died who has also been a Christian, I have told him they have gone to heaven. But if somebody dies who is not a Christian I do not want to lie and say they have gone to heaven, but I do not know how to teach him about hell. He has extreme anxiety about death and I am afraid talking about hell may make him more anxious. He also gets very upset when he makes any kind of mistake or when I have to correct him. I do not want him to worry that if he disobeys that he will be sent to hell. How in the world can I teach him this?”

Let me start by turning the tables and saying, we should be one hundred times more concerned about a 6-year-old who has no fear of death [Yes, because it is absolutely “normal” for children to fear death and hell.] and hell than we are about a child who fears death and hell. One of the reasons we may not feel that is because when a child has no fear, we tend to go along as though all is well. He’s such a happy little fellow, and she’s such a cheerful little girl. [Pity the happy, joyful, well-adjusted child, right?] When a child has anxieties, nightmares, fears, then all of our parental instincts and mind go into gear, and action, because we want to help them, not realizing perhaps that the child with no fear needs even more help from parental vigilance and concern than the child with much fear.

I want to encourage Michael that the problem he is dealing with is a good problem to have. If he were not dealing with it, there would be more reason to be concerned than there is now. How do we help a 6-year-old child deal with the terrifying reality of hell and death? The main thing is to realize that God intends for our real and wise fear of hell to be a means of clarifying and establishing in our hearts at least five great realities.

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1. The fear of hell is a golden opportunity for treating God as big and glorious and utterly real. It is hard for human beings who are sinful to feel the reality of God, but if God is the one who created hell, and whose majesty makes hell just and understandable, then this is a golden moment. The reason hell is so terrible is because God is so great that despising him is so evil that it deserves this terrible punishment.

In other words, the horror of hell is a signpost concerning the infinite worth and preciousness and beauty and goodness and justness of God. If he were small, if God were small, hell would be lukewarm. Because he’s great, scorning God is a horrible thing. This is a golden moment for how to teach a child about how real and how great God is.

2. The fear of hell is a golden opportunity to teach about the nature and the exceedingly great seriousness of sin. Hell is all about the outcome of a life of sin, and therefore a child needs to understand what sin is. Sin is all about falling short of God’s glory; that is, failing to see God as glorious and to honor him and thank him as glorious, and to follow him and praise him and glorify him. We need to make sure that our children see the direct connection between hell and sin.

The great and frightening tragedy of growing up feeling no fear of hell is that in a life like that, children will not be able to see sin as serious. It just won’t ever get to the point where sin is ugly and outrageous, because they haven’t schooled themselves on the penalty for sin, namely hell — that they will not see it as a great and horrible offense against God. Fearing hell is a golden opportunity for bringing our children into the light concerning the horrible darkness of sin.

3. The fear of hell is a golden opportunity to bring the child to an awareness of the reality and justness of God’s final judgment. This is a great and central biblical teaching that all human beings will stand before God to give an account of their lives someday. Hebrews 9:27, “Just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment.”

What a gift for a child to grow up deeply convinced that the whole world will face judgment someday. This will give seriousness to the child’s life. Parents worry far too much that their children will be unhappy in the fear of judgment when they ought to worry that their children will be happy with no fear of judgment. Hell is a golden opportunity to bring children into the light and the reality of God’s final judgment.

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Don’t run away from this opportunity. Don’t miss this golden moment of using the fear of hell as a means of clarifying and establishing the truth of 1) a great and glorious God, 2) a horrible nature of sin, 3) the reality and justice of future judgment, 4) the greatness of the cross and Christ’s rescue from hell, and 5) the glory of a fearless life of faith.

— John Piper, Desiring God, Explaining Hell to Our Children, May 2, 2017

Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Godly Men are on a Superior Level to “Unsubmissive” Women

Bruce Gerencser 2 Comments

wives submission

Good men, God-fearing men are very very important. We all heard “cut off the head”, right?!?! The enemy knows this so he makes it a point to destroy relationships between man and woman. Satan hates the man that knows not only to protect the woman from the dangers of the natural world but also from the more dangerous  supernatural world. These men are rare, the ones that lead families etc. in the ways of God. They’re on another level placed there by their continued submission to God. Promoted by God for His glory. So that woman must get on his level. Not the level he put himself on but the level God is placing him on. Samson was messing with females that weren’t on his level and it cost him his life and anointing. The woman can’t jump ship when the trials and tests hit the home. She shouldn’t tell the man to “curse God and die” like Job’s wife did, because she blames him for all the drama and pain in her life, yet he was blindsided by it all too. A woman that submits to God and a man of God will be honored by her husband. He will brag on her at the gates, lol. God created an order, a structure. Women say they want good men but for some reason they keep throwing their lures in the same wrong pond(club, bar etc). Murky water! God’s pond crystal clear but get your level up ladies by seeking Him and He just might grant you access to peaceful waters.

— EmJay, Seeking His Kingdom, A Word to the Ladies From EmJay, April 25, 2017

Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Wives Should FEAR Their Husbands by Lori Alexander

Bruce Gerencser 8 Comments

lori-alexander

How are godly women to win their disobedient husband? By being in subjection to them without a word while they (their husbands) behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear (1 Peter 3:2). This “coupled with fear” stood out to me recently so I went to the commentaries to figure out what this meant.

Pulpit Commentary: “The close connection with the word ‘chaste, and the parallel passage, Ephesians 5:33 (‘the wife see that she reverence her husband’), make it probable that the fear here inculcated is reverence for the husband – an anxious avoidance of anything that might even seem to interfere with his conjugal rights and authority.”

Most husbands can only dream of having a wife who feared them in this way! Unfortunately, the majority of wives today have no desire to fulfill their husband’s “conjugal rights” or allow him to be the “authority” in their homes. What are conjugal or marriage rights? Conjugal rights would include not depriving their husbands of sexual intimacy since this is a strong need that the majority of men have and their wives are commanded to fulfill it according to the Word. It also includes treating their husbands with respect and reverence. Wives are to be their husband’s help meet and take good care of their children and home as well. Godly wives will want to do these things for their husbands and do their best to obey their husbands in everything!

Included in this list of conjugal rights of a husband as a godly wife, would be to build her home up instead of tearing it down with her own hands. Part of building her home up would be pursuing peace within her home. Most husbands don’t want to fight with their wives. They also want well-disciplined children who are pleasurable to be around.

“Coupled with fear; with reverence of their husbands, giving them due honour, and showing all proper respect; or with the fear of God, which being before their eyes, and upon their hearts, engages them to such an agreeable conversation.” (Gill’s Exposition of the Entire Bible)

Ultimately women, we will one day answer to God for how we treat our husbands for when we reverence and fear our husbands, we are showing reverence and fear towards God. Knowing this, we won’t argue with our husbands because when we are arguing, we are showing disrespect and are usurping our husband’s God-given authority over us. We need to be agreeing with them a lot more than we are disagreeing. If we disagree, we state our opinion once and then let it go. Hammering them over the head with our opinions all of the time is not showing them the respect they deserve.

“Fear—reverential, towards your husbands. Scrupulously pure, as opposed to the noisy, ambitious character of worldly women.” (Jamieson-Fausset)

Women of the world today are incredibly noisy. They want to be known, their voices heard, and their wants fulfilled. They march for godless principles, watch ungodly shows, and speak filth. This is opposite of what the Lord wants from us. We are to be known for having meek and quiet spirits. We rest in the Lord’s will and are at peace, not fighting for what we want but living out godly values instead. We trust the Lord to handle things so our faith becomes strong and we pray continually.

— Lori Alexander, The Transformed Wife, Wives Are Commanded to Fear Their Husbands, April 25, 2017

Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Having Sex an Act of Christian Worship by Ashley Mazelin

Bruce Gerencser 10 Comments

ashley mazelin

Most likely if you are living together, you are also sleeping together. But the thing is, sex is not just physical, but also spiritual. When you have sex with someone who is not your spouse, you are not only taking something from that person that isn’t yours and sinning against your own body, but you are ultimately sinning against God. He created sex to be an act of worship to Him, representing the union of a man and woman who love each other the way that God loves the church and has covenanted with her. Outside of marriage, you can’t reflect that picture; in fact, you actually defile it. So my purpose in saving my virginity is not to simply give a nice gift to my husband on my wedding night, but to please my greatest love — the Lord God who made my body and my soul.

— Ashley Mazelin, publicist at Focus on the Family, Boundless, Living Together Isn’t the Answer, March 10, 2017

Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Christian Mommy Upset Over Beauty and the Beast

Bruce Gerencser 7 Comments

whine

Words within [ ] belong to chief snarkologist Bruce Almighty.

I called Disney to book our vacation on the same day that the director, and some of the cast, of the live action version “Beauty and the Beast” announced that the movie would have an ‘exclusively gay moment’.

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You should also know that we’ve been waiting for the live action “Beauty and the Beast” for months. If you follow me on Instagram, then you know that I have a princess obsessed little girl on my hands. She is a Disney character every day, and literally talks about last years trip every single day. As I’m typing this, she’s sitting on the sofa in her Belle dress. However, our plans to see the live action “Beauty and the Beast” as a family were brought to a screeching halt when we found out the news that Lefou had ‘feelings’ [GAY! GAY! GAY!]  for Gaston in the new movie.

So, if you’re following me, we’ve officially come to the conclusion that we won’t be seeing the live action version of “Beauty and the Beast” and we’ve cancelled our $6000 Disney World Vacation [Good. You should give the money to Jesus, anyway. Think of all the souls that could be saved for 6K].

I know what you’re thinking, if you boycott all the things that support an agenda you don’t agree with, you’d have nothing. So let’s be clear, I’m not going to boycott Disney because they support something I don’t [Yes, you are]. Despite their unofficial “Gay Days” that have gone on since the 90’s(?). I know that Disney aired a lesbian couple on the popular television show Good Luck Charlie in 2014. I know that the LGBT community pleaded for Elsa to make the ‘turn’ too.

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There comes a point where you have to take a stand for the things you believe in, this is my stand If we’re being honest, there’s a lot of things we’ve stopped doing. We don’t even bother with rated R movies, because I hate the language, and the near pornographic scenes. I’ve walked out, or turned off, many PG-13 movies for the same reason. I refuse to use the regular bathrooms at Target and if the family room has a line, then we leave. [I hope you have a strong bladder.] Some of the most popular shows (Scandal, How to Get Away with Murder, Quantico, This Is Us, Greys Anatomy, The Good Wife, etc.), most of which air on ABC, a Disney owned network, I quit watching them all when they revealed exclusively LGBT characters [but I’m not a homophobe]. We cut our cable years ago because we refused to pay for things we weren’t able to watch. Even the commercials make me cringe. [I am starting to think your post is all about LOOK AT ME!! I don’t so this, I don’t do that, and if people really love Jesus they will live their lives JUST LIKE ME!]

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I’m not paying for simple entertainment that doesn’t accurately align with my personal beliefs [Fine. Turn off the TV]. Furthermore, since the news about “Beauty and the Beast” has come out- no pun intended- Disney is having to answer more and more for their LGBT agenda. You’ll see that the Disney XD show “Star v.s. the Forces of Evil” aired an episode this year where the lead characters are surrounded by others who take to kissing their neighbor during a boy band concert, many of which are the same sexual orientation. This move made Disney’s first LGBT moment in a kids animation. Last fall, the creators of “Moana” mentioned in an interview with a liberal media source that they wouldn’t rule out an LGBT Disney princess. Director Ron Clements said, “It seems like the possibilities are pretty open at this point.” WHAT?! [Yes, like blacks, Hispanics, heterosexuals, and Fundamentalist Christian mommies, LGBTQ people are a part of our society. They are not deviants that need to be closeted. Personally, I am offended by Christian Mommies’ homophobic bigotry. I don’t want her blog to be on the internet. Remove it NOW before I suffer any further. Or, I can just not visit her site.Each to their own, right? ]

Disney isn’t just aiming their efforts towards parent’s of Disney-aged children anymore. They are pointing a desperate finger at the innocence of our youth [Innocent? I thought children were wicked, vile sinners in need of salvation. I thought children come forth into the world speaking lies. Evidently, God doesn’t think your child or any other child is innocent.]  Disney is targeting our youth like they’re aiming at big game on a corporate hunting trip. They are banking on corrupting the purity of a child’s mind for the 1%. They are no longer making watching a choice, but by forcing it to become mainstream, Disney is telling the conservative family, the Christian public, that they’re views hold no worth.[Your views have worth, but you want your views to be valued above all others. You want your views to be the only views in town.]  In jest, they’re subtly encouraging you to conform your ways. (Mark 13:22)

At this point, Disney is proudly looming over your morals and values and eerily cackling like a villain in one of their own classic fairy tales.[If Disney can corrupt your morals, what does that say about YOU?]
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Next Disney will be talking about teen sex and abortions in efforts to normalize these issues to children as well.   I guess you can pretty much tell that I’m pro-life and believe that sex isn’t appropriate outside of marriage. It really shouldn’t be surprising. [No, it’s not, but your moral beliefs are yours and yours alone. Just because you think premarital sex is a “sin” doesn’t mean everyone else (not married)  must refrain from enjoying a roll in the hay. ]

— Brooke, This Modest Mom, Disney’s LGBT agenda forced me to cancel our Disney World Vacation – Boycott Disney , March 7, 2017

Note

Brooke is a 23-year-old, Fundamentalist pastor’ wife. She married her preacher man at age 18. Her life trajectory speaks volumes. I can only hope that she will, in time, rethink her life and her homophobic reaction to LGBTQ people. Doing so will require her to abandon the Bible and her Fundamentalist beliefs. True, lasting change is hard, but Brooke can experience change if she will learn to see people as people without first viewing them through the anti-human pages of the Christian Bible. The B-I-B-L-E is the problem. Brooke doesn’t see it, of course. She thinks of herself, as I did as a pastor, as a wonderful, loving, kind human being. And she, like I was, probably is all of those things. But she is also hateful and bigoted, allowing fear instead of love to direct her thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Here’s what Brooke had to say in her defense on Facebook: (link no longer active)

ThisModestMom.com continues to be on and off line as we propagate to another server who can host the influx in views that it is receiving.

HuffPo asked me to respond in regards to the story they ran, here is my response:

“There is no denying that the majority of reactions to my post have made me out to be a person filled with hate and disgust. Most of the responses I have received have been nothing short of vile and extremely crude. I’ve received death threats, ill wishes in regards to my family and those who affiliate with me (regardless of their views), and a number of other malicious attacks. Even through this, my views have not changed. I have never seen such contempt and hostility come from a group of people before. This is not acceptable, no matter who is on the receiving end.

Despite the alarming amount of obscene responses, there has also been an overwhelming amount of support from people on both sides. I’ve read emails from people who identify as LGBTQ and, even though they disagree, commended my courage and stance. I’ve received comments from people who admit to being afraid to stand up simply because of the reaction that I received. People that have civilly voiced their opinion of what I said, yet also sent apologies and sympathies for the backlash that I have had to endure.

I’ve fed the hungry, clothed the poor, and served the needy- all with no inquiry to their chosen political party, religious beliefs, or sexual identity. People are different and that is life, and that is okay. We can be kind and loving, but we do not have to agree and we do not have be accepting. Despite the difference in opinions of people all over the world, the beauty comes when we can realize that we may not agree, but we can still be compassionate. But love and compassion do not mean approval. “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16) But make no mistake, He also came to reprove the world of sin (John 16:8.) On a daily basis, I come in contact with things that I don’t agree with, I cannot be sheltered by that. Disney’s choice made me feel forced to react. I have a right to not be entertained by ways that don’t align with my religious convictions. This does not make me malevolent.

Know that whoever you are and however you identify, I have only compassion for you. We may not be fighting for the same things, we may not be fighting together, but know that we are each passionate for our own causes. Because of this I cannot be silent.”

Christians Say the Darnedest Things: Christians CAN Understand the Bible by Mike Ratliff

Bruce Gerencser 2 Comments

want truth read bible-001

Words within [ ] belong to chief snarkologist Bruce Almighty.

It is vital for Christians to know God’s Word, to love its precepts so much that they hide it in their hearts so they will never forget it. Why? This is the foundation of discernment. God gives the gift of discernment to His people. Some have more than others [And, based on his blog and writing for the Christian Research Network, Mike Ratliff has lots of d-i-s-c-e-r-n-m-e-n-t.] of course, but we all must learn to develop it and it begins by knowing and understanding God’s Word. Why? God’s Word is our plumb line. All Christians have a right and duty, not only to learn from the church’s heritage of faith, but also to interpret Scripture for themselves [But only if their interpretations agree with mine].

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Each book of the Bible was written in a way that could be understood by the readers to whom it was addressed [You mean the people who couldn’t read or write?], not in code. I know many who refuse to accept this as they point to the books of Daniel, Zechariah, and Revelation. They contend that the heavy use of symbolism in those books require them to “decode” them. However, the main thrust in these prophetic books is always clear, even if the details are clouded. Our understanding of any book in the Bible includes the words used, the historic background, and the cultural conventions of the writer and his readers. When we understand these things then we are well on the way to grasping the thoughts that are being conveyed. There is another aspect of God’s Word, however, which is the spiritual understanding [Gnosticism, anyone?]. This is the Christian discerning the reality of God, His ways with His people, His present will, and one’s own relationship to Him. This spiritual understanding will not reach the Christian from the text until God removes the veil from his or her heart [So, God keeps people from understanding the Bible?].

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Each book proceeded from the same divine mind, so the teaching of the Bible’s sixty-six books is complementary and consistent. I know of many Christian leaders who doubt that what I just wrote is true. I know of some professing Christians who comment here at times who reveal that they doubt it as well. If we find ourselves in this place of doubt then the fault is in us, not in Scripture. There are no contradictions in Scripture [*sigh*]. I know that there are some who specialize in revealing supposed contradictions, but not one has ever stood in light of proper Biblical exegesis. [Proper is code for “my infallible interpretation of the Bible.] Scripture interprets Scripture. [That’s a hoot. At best, the Bible is confusing. At worst, it is a contradictory mess that leads honest, unbiased readers to conclude that God was off his meds when he “wrote” the Bible. According to Ratliff, the Bible is true because it says it is.] This sound principle of interpreting Scripture is sometimes called the analogy of Scripture, or the analogy of faith. [Ah yes, the analogy of faith, a thin layer of sweet-smelling bullshit painted over textual errors and contradictions.]

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No meaning may be read into or imposed on Scripture that cannot with certainty be read out of Scripture—shown, that is, to be unambiguously expressed by one or more of the human writers.[Yet, 2,000 years and countless denominations later, this is EXACTLY what Christians have done.] Careful and prayerful observance of these rules is a mark of every Christian who is “rightly handling the word of truth” (2 Timothy 2:15).

The weakness and apostasy we are seeing the Church in our day is directly attributable to an incredible lack of biblical discernment [Also known as people who disagree with me]. Doctrinal truth is either ignored or not known. These conditions arose when relativism invaded the church. This caused a de-emphasis of proper Bible study from the top down in the churches compromised by it. Strong Churches [Churches that I would go to] are doctrinally sound and this happens when God Word is properly taught and then studied by the believers within. This proper handling of God’s Word must be according to these guidelines which are the “ordinary means” through which God’s people become solidly grounded in God’s Word.

— Mike Ratliff, Possessing the Treasure, Christians Can Understand the Word of God, March 7, 2017

Bruce Gerencser