Let me beat a soapbox for a moment. I fully support the 2nd Amendment. Guns are not the issue. Lack of training isn’t even the issue. As many have said, if guns kill people, then forks make us fat and pencils make mistakes. The issue has always been with the person using the gun, fork, or pencil. What makes the person do what they did? If the gun was removed, they would just find some other way to enact the violence. [Note: Most school shootings are committed by Christians.]
There will be a host of people in the world who will claim “mental illness” is to blame. I’m not denouncing the fact that mental illness is a real thing. However, in many situations like this, it seems to be an internal rage that finally explodes.
Why are people so angry in our world? Why does it seem that the rage is growing to the point where it cannot be contained?
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When people reject God and His Lordship, they must have something to worship because we are created as worshipping beings. Without God, there must be another god that is worshipped. Whether it be self, nature, or some inanimate statue, those gods are colossal failures, disappointing all who worship them. Disappointment heaped upon disappointment causes people to lash out in anger. Couple that with the fact that the Lord “gave them up” to feel the full brunt of their emptiness without God, and disaster is sure to happen.
Only God can temper the temper and contain the rage that builds in a person.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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The closer I get to death and meeting Jesus personally face to face and giving an account for my life and for the careless words that I’ve spoken — and how much more for intentional stares — the more sure I am of my resolve to never intentionally look at a TV show or a movie or a website or a magazine where I know I will see photos or films of nudity. Never. And the closer I get to death, the better I feel about that and the more committed I become.
Jesus died to purify me. He died to purify his people. It is an absolute travesty of the cross to treat it as though Jesus died only to forgive us for the sin of watching nudity and not to purify us for the power not to watch it.
I want to invite, frankly, all Christians to join me in this pursuit of greater purity of heart and mind. In our day, when entertainment media is virtually the lingua franca of the world, this is an invitation to be an alien. And I believe with all my heart that what the world needs is radically bold, sacrificially loving, God-besotted freaks, aliens.
If we choose to endorse or embrace or enjoy impurity, we take a spear and ram it into Jesus’s side.
Seeing naked women causes men — and women seeing naked men — to sin with their minds and their desires and often with their bodies. If Jesus told us to guard our hearts by gouging out our eyes to prevent lust, how much more would he say, ‘Don’t watch it’?
These actresses are really naked in front of the camera, doing exactly what the director says to do with their legs and their hands, and their breasts. They’re standing there, and they’re naked in front of millions of people — for the world to see.
Men and women who want to be watched in their nudity are in the category with exhibitionists who pull down their pants at the top of escalators.
The following excerpt was written by Robert Reed, pastor of Victory Baptist Church in Coden, Alabama. Victory Baptist is an Independent Fundamentalist Baptist (IFB) congregation.
In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array; but (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.”
I Timothy 2:9-10
Modest Apparel
Christian modesty is always in style. This Biblical doctrine of modesty is taught throughout Scripture and is binding today. After sin entered into the world the first issue dealt with was modesty, for God clothed Adam and Eve. This Biblical principle is a vanishing virtue in the world in which we live. God’s standards are constantly under attack because Satan knows that immodest dress leads to lust and many other sins. The subject of modesty must be a concern of both men and women, for it affects them both. Our clothing gives testimony of our heart and our attitude toward God and His Word.
“Unaffected modesty is the sweetest charm of female excellence, the richest gem in the diadem of their honor.”
– Noah Webster Dictionary 1828
In reference to clothing from a Biblical perspective, there are three areas to consider: modesty, covering, and distinction. This article will focus mainly on the subject of modesty even though all three are very important. Some rebel against this truth, but many just have never been taught. It is the responsibility of fathers, husbands, and pastors to teach their wives, sons, and daughters the doctrine of modesty. May we begin this study prayerfully with open eyes and a tender heart.
THE MEANING OF MODESTY
In I Timothy 2:9 of the King James Bible, the English word modest appears only one time, “In like manner also, that women adorn themselves in modest apparel, with shamefacedness and sobriety; not with broided hair, or gold, or pearls, or costly array.”
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In I Timothy 2:10, the real issue is brought forth, “But (which becometh women professing godliness) with good works.” Good works are our best ornament. Our dress is to match or be in harmony with what we believe. Our clothing is to glorify God and testify to the fact that we are a child of the King.
THE PURPOSE OF MODESTY
Modesty begins in the heart and is of utmost importance in our walk with God. Modesty was the first issue addressed after the fall, and God clothed Adam and Eve to have fellowship with them (even though no one else was on earth at that time). In I Peter 3:3-6, modesty of the heart and clothing are addressed, “Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement.” The apostle stresses inward adornment and not outward display. In verse 3, he is saying that the putting on of apparel is not your beauty, but your devotion and love to Jesus Christ is. In other words, do you spend more time adorning the outward or the inward? Our text plainly shows a connection between what is on the inside and what we are on the outside. It begins internally and manifests itself externally.
The heart is mentioned over eight hundred times in Holy Writ. No one is saved unless the heart is turned to God (Hebrews 8:10), and no one can please God in modest apparel unless there is a modest heart. When our hearts are right, our clothing will be right also. We must be governed by the Spirit of the living God and not by feelings, fads, or fashions. Modesty is man’s oldest challenge. Prior to sin, Adam and Eve were naked and not ashamed (Genesis 2:25). They were clothed in God’s righteousness and veiled in purity, but after the fall, sin and shame came. Man’s heart became darkened and God clothed them spiritually and physically. Again, we must be changed from the inside out or all is vanity.
THE REWARD OF MODESTY
The reward of modesty is blessings, joy, peace, and ultimately, a crown at the judgment seat of Christ. According to Romans 12:1-2, God is concerned with our bodies, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.” Our bodies are the temple of the Holy Ghost (I Corinthians 6:14-7:1). The Spirit of the God of heaven and earth lives within the believer (I Corinthians 3:16-17). God is very much interested in our hearts (inside) and our bodies (outside). Both are very important to God for He created us in this manner. The spiritual is connected to the physical (Revelation 3:18, Isaiah 61:10). Our salvation is spoken of as garments of holiness and the righteousness of Christ. We are called peculiar people in I Peter 2:9, and we should live in a manner that is pleasing to God. According to II Corinthians 5:10-11, if we obey God we are promised rewards, “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad. Knowing therefore the terror of the Lord, we persuade men; but we are made manifest unto God; and I trust also are made manifest in your consciences.” The apostle Paul spoke of the crown of righteousness in II Timothy 4:7-8. May we all desire the things of God and look for His appearing.
CONCLUSION
Clothing is to conceal, not to reveal. In the Garden of Eden, God designed clothes to cover our first parents’ nakedness, for man could not clothe himself. Adam and Eve made aprons, but God made coats. There is a difference between the two. As a Christian, we must let God be our designer and not man. The clothing industry is controlled by pagans and they know what sells. Satan has an agenda, and please understand that the fashion world is not neutral. Fashions and styles are to arouse the passions of the flesh. In many cases, packaging is more sensual than raw nudity. We must not allow the world to dictate what we wear. God’s Word must be our standard in all areas of Christian life, especially in modesty. Amen.
“The wearing of gay or costly apparel naturally tends to breed and increase vanity. By vanity here, I mean the love and desire of being admired and praised. Every one of you that is fond of dress has a witness of this in your own bosom. Whether you will confess it before man or no, you are convinced of this before God. You know in your hearts, it is with a view to be admired that you thus adorn yourselves; and that you would not be at the pains were none to see you but God and His holy angels. Now, the more you indulge this foolish desire, the more it grows upon you. You have vanity enough by nature; but by thus indulging it, you increase it a hundredfold. O stop! Aim at pleasing God alone, and all these ornaments will drop off.”
“The wearing of costly array is directly opposite to being adorned with good works. Nothing can be more evident than this; for the more you lay out on your own apparel, the less you have left to clothe the naked, to feed the hungry, to lodge the stranger, to relieve those that are sick and in prison; and to lessen the numberless to which we are exposed in the vale of tears.”
– John Wesley
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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One article of men’s clothing that is sadly on the decline is the necktie.
This abandonment reflects a refusal to accept any restrictions, discipline or discomfort in clothing or presentation. Many want to feel comfortable at any cost, even if undignified. Comfort and informality are today’s fashion gods. People will go to great expense to wear torn and ragged fashions with designer labels to worship at the altars of these gods.
The necktie is one major casualty of the war on good taste and formality. Some still wear it, but it is sadly disappearing and only visible on rare occasions. A person wearing a necktie stands out in a crowd today.
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In today’s world, t-shirts, blue jeans, tennis shoes and an occasional blazer have invaded every part of life. The open collar conveys a sense that nothing is really important. The individual’s self-interest and comfort reign supreme.
People fail to realize that how they present themselves externally reflects the interior aspects of their souls. Elevated dress encourages good and elegant behavior. Slovenly dress encourages an attitude that reflects laziness and a lack of self-respect and discipline.
Wearing a tie in a tieless world requires courage and personality. Such a man does not go along with the fads and fashions of the world. He knows how to assert himself.
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Thus, while the tie may seem restrictive, it promotes a dignified, professional and polished appearance that uplifts the soul. It reflects a desire to please others by appearing and acting like a gentleman. Over time, a man learns to feel comfortable in a tie, just as he learns to accustom himself and sense the delights of self-discipline.
The tie was a small detail in a Christian civilization. Those seeking to do something to oppose the destruction of good customs would do well to get a tie and learn how to tie it. Stand out from the crowd. Be part of that restoration of a Christian order that is sacral, austere, anti-egalitarian and anti-liberal.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
We are not sure how long the new telescope has been operating. We [I, Derrick Thiessen] just found out about it last night, and unbelieving scientists are touting it as the miracle of science. [What Tee can’t be bothered to name is the Simonyi Survey Telescope at the Vera Rubin Observatory in Chile.]
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Since the universe is not expanding, dark energy most likely does not exist, and we do not think that dark matter exists either. It is just more made-up stuff by unbelieving scientists.
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Unbelieving scientists continue to chase the wrong things using the wrong tools and going down the wrong path. Then, while dismissing this telescope is easy, Christians need to be more on guard.
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The telescope may be an amazing piece of human construction and technology, but its main goal, whether stated or unstated, is to continue to deceive Christians and unbelievers.
It cannot find evidence for things that never existed. It can only capture what God did at creation. Anything else is read into the images by unbelieving scientists. Why do we find evidence for God everywhere? It is because God knew that humans would be exploring the heavens, the earth, and the oceans.
He made sure they were without excuse at the final judgment. God has let Himself, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit be known easily.
— Dr. David Tee, whose real name is Derrick Thomas Thiessen, Don’t Be Fooled
The new telescope has been advertised that it could possibly find the origins of the universe.
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However, finding the origin of the universe is impossible.
The origins are gone, and the only evidence that there was an origin is the fact that the universe and everything in it exists today. The title of that video is misleading, but it also shows how arrogant and unintelligent scientists are.
The arrogance leads them to think they can build a telescope that can see into the past (which the video states it may do). The past is gone, and God is not going to be found repeating what he already did.
This leads to the unintelligent aspect of scientists. They think they can find something that no longer exists. Also, they think they can find a natural origin that never took place and never existed. That is just dumb.
We have the origin of the universe that everyone can read [the Bible], and no one has to spend billions of dollars to find it. All one has to do is buy or borrow a bible, read the first few verses of Genesis one, and they have the origins of the universe.
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No matter what man does and marvels at, God has done it bigger, better, and more glorious. When you watch these videos, keep in mind what we wrote in the previous article on the telescope. It cannot see into the past, it cannot see creation or the origin of the universe, and it is never better than what God did.
— Dr. David Tee, whose real name is Derrick Thomas Thiessen, An Impossible Task
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
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Atheists choose to limit themselves to only one cosmological option. They hitch their wagon to the wild fantasy that everything came from nothing. This foolish belief creates an irrational worldview. But unlike Christianity, which is an evidence-base faith, atheism has a religious-like devotion to the absurd belief that nothing created something.
Let me rewrite this paragraph for readers:
Christians choose to limit themselves to only one cosmological option. They hitch their wagon to the wild fantasy that everything came from a mythical deity. This foolish belief creates an irrational worldview. But unlike atheism/humanism, which is an evidence-base faith, Christianity has a religious-like devotion to the absurd belief that a mythical triune deity created everything.
Delzell went on to say:
Atheists should actually be afraid of ‘nothing.’ That is to say, atheists should fear the faulty assumption that nothing produced space, time, matter and energy at the beginning. This blind faith is rooted in a preposterous make-believe theory, without a shred of scientific evidence to support its impossible conclusion.
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Lee Strobel posted in 2017: “To continue in atheism, I would need to believe that nothing produces everything, non-life produces life, randomness produces fine-tuning, chaos produces information, unconsciousness produces consciousness, and non-reason produces reason. I simply didn’t have that much faith.”
If an atheist follows the evidence, he or she can meet “the only true God” (John 17:3). But when atheists dig in their heels and continue trusting in their illogical ideology, they remain spiritually blind. Sadly, man with his free will can choose to close his mind to the truth he was created to understand and accept.
When an atheist faces a family crisis, he has nothing to rely upon for spiritual comfort. When atheists become disillusioned with life, there is nothing substantive to pull them out of the pit of discouragement. And when atheists stand before Jesus Christ on Judgment Day, they will have nothing good to say about why they rejected God.
A callous heart prevents a person from experiencing the appropriate fear of paying the penalty for his sins in Hell. Many atheists laugh off the notion of an actual place called “Hell,” but their laughing is tragically misguided and uniformed.
I wrote, “The man who refuses to trust God is a man who assumes he can trust his own opinions. And so he looks for ways to shore up his weak position, and to convince himself that his perceptions are in perfect alignment with the visible and invisible realities of the universe.”
If you are staking your soul on the idea that everything came from nothing, you need to wake up and snap out of your spiritual stupor. God created you with a body, soul and spirit. (see 1 Thessalonians 5:23) And it is impossible to extinguish your immortal soul.
Therefore, you would be wise to get on board with the Creator’s design for your life. If you place your faith in Jesus, God will wash away your sins. But if you refuse to adopt the fear of the Lord, you will remain on a path that leads away from God throughout eternity.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
You see the atheist must indeed lead a lonely life since he does not believe in a divine Creator. By definition they must believe that they have no soul and no immortality. Since they came into existence by chance, and not divine design, any meaning they find in life is but a by-product of random occurrences. Even the great mysteries of our universe that cause us to ponder just who we are and why we are here, are a closed corridor of thought, to those who place God as something that exists only in one’s imagination.
If the atheist can show that the disciples were lying and the whole Christian story is a fabrication, then he must conclude that he came into existence from nothing and when he dies he will go back to nothing. And somehow in between these two states of nothingness he is supposed to find meaning in life!
Since the atheist has no god to believe in he places himself as the supreme person in his universe and spends the rest of his life searching for a reason for his existence. Searching every pathway, every byway, overturning every stone, examining every philosophy, and experiencing every feeling, as he comes to the end of his journey, the answer he finds is that none exists!
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What does the life of an atheist offer its followers but a life of no meaning, no accountability, and no hope for a life to come. And in the last analysis if there is no God then the atheist can enjoy his sin since he doesn’t have to worry about being accountable to a holy God. Thus, he can do what is right in his own eyes. So, who would die for a lie? The Christian is betting his eternal destiny on Jesus. The atheist if he is right loses big time. My friends I know that Jesus is who He says He is because He transformed my life. Jesus is no lie – He is the way, the truth, and the life!
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
I was reading the verses in Genesis and the story of the Noah and the Ark. I was wondering: how did he fit all the animals on the Ark? The Ark was not big enough for all the animals was it? — Martha in Walkertown
Hi Martha in Walkertown,
The Ark was about 500 feet long and about three stories high. It was build with three decks and thousands of square feet for storage and cages for animals. Go and visit the Ark Encounter in northern Kentucky if you get the chance. So what about the animals? All of the animals were not required to enter the Ark, only some of them. And the Genesis account refers to “kinds” of animals. “Kinds” means species, and there are only about 7,000 different specials of animals. Canines or dogs is a species, and so is felines or the cat families. But only two dogs, a male and female, entered the Ark. And all the dogs that exists now came from those two dogs. Likewise with all the species. It is speculated that the Ark could have held around 50,000 animals. Keep in mind that baby dogs, giraffes, and dinosaurs, would have been on the Ark, so the cages were still pretty small. This also means that each person on board (8 total) would have cared daily for about 6250 animals. Can you imagine?
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
Recently, Canyon Independent School District (Texas) Superintendent Darryl Flusche removed the Bible from school libraries due to its sexually explicit material. Some Evangelicals were outraged over the superintendent putting the Bible in the same category as secular books deemed offensive to Christian sensibilities.
Regina Kiehne, a mother of two students in the Canyon Independent School District said:
It seems absurd to me that the Good Book was thrown out with the bad books. In a day when we are needing security guards and bulletproof windows and doors, I think having the Word of God available to our children cannot only be preventative to violence, but also provide comfort and a sense of security in a chaotic world.
It just makes sense to have the Word of God in our school library. After all, it is the book of wisdom. It is the bestselling book of all time; it is historically accurate, scientifically sound, and most importantly, life-changing.
The only reason something is stolen is because it is valuable. The Bible holds great value. It should be valued in our Texas school system.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
Dr. David Tee, whose real name is Derrick Thomas Thiessen believes a husband beating his wife is NOT grounds for divorce; that a wife must submit to her husband even if he beats her. It should be noted that Thiessen has been accused of spousal abuse in his previous marriage.
There is nothing to unpack [from the quote below]. Abuse is not the criteria for divorce. Are you greater than Jesus??
Male leadership has been God-approved from the beginning. . . The NT gave the leadership role of the church to men, not women.
Throughout the Bible, we see this consistency and order from God. Why would he change this way of leadership for marriage and confuse everyone? Even if abuse is a part of the marriage, God does not change the leadership structure.
As Peter wrote- “In the same way, you wives, be subject to your own husbands so that even if any of them are disobedient to the word, they may be won over without a word by the behavior of their wives, ( 1 Peter 3:1)
The Bible does not teach nor give permission for husbands or men to be abusive towards wives and other women. When men do that they are sinning and need to get right with God. But notice Peter’s words. They fall in line with Jesus’ words on divorce. Abuse is not grounds for divorce.
Nor is abuse grounds or permission for women to disobey God’s instructions given through the apostles. Wives are to remain true to God’s word, following it correctly so that Jesus can work in their husbands.
Those pastors and other well-meaning Christians who tell wives they can leave their husbands and divorce them in these situations are leading more women to sin and disobey Jesus.
It is difficult to leave women in those situations but it must be done.
Bruce Gerencser, 68, lives in rural Northwest Ohio with his wife of 47 years. He and his wife have six grown children and sixteen grandchildren. Bruce pastored Evangelical churches for twenty-five years in Ohio, Texas, and Michigan. Bruce left the ministry in 2005, and in 2008 he left Christianity. Bruce is now a humanist and an atheist.
Your comments are welcome and appreciated. All first-time comments are moderated. Please read the commenting rules before commenting.
