Instruments In God's Hands

"Harry Potter and the Lavendar Brigade"

2010-11-22T12:29:00.000-08:00

This is an extremely timely post from Mr. Doug Phillips to go along with the recent release of "Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows."

Originally published July 22, 2005

By Douglas W. Phillips

As well as being extraordinarily popular, the [Harry Potter] books have encouraged millions of children to start reading for the first time.... For those who have a problem with the idea of fantasy and alternative universes alongside ours, we need to recognize that almost all children play imaginative games in their minds starting at a very young age and have no difficulty whatsoever in distinguishing between fantasy and reality.... Additionally, the Harry Potter books send a strong message about moral order. There are beautiful and enjoyable human relationships among the characters, and there is a depth of commitment and service among them.... Finally, I see the books as valuable because they consistently include the three fundamental themes that can be found as a subtext in almost all good literature: the beauty of creation, the appalling reality of evil, and the universal human longing for redemption.... J.K. Rowling does not profess to be a Christian, as far as I am aware, but she has insight into the themes that are at the very heart of what Christians understand to be true about the nature of the universe in which we live.... All truth is God’s truth, and non-Christians recognize that truth to one degree or another.... It is said that because magic is a part of the ... books, they may have the effect of interesting children in the reality of the Occult.... The magic is simply a part of the imaginative worlds.... Some people have gone on record as stating that they believe that J.K. Rowling is purposely and explicitly teaching Occult and even Satanic practice. As a Christian, I have to say I am profoundly ashamed of those who have responded with this kind of malicious gossip. We must recognize that whenever she talks about evil magic she presents it as evil. (Jerram Barr, Professor of Christianity and Contemporary Culture and Resident Scholar at The Francis Schaeffer Institute)^[1]

Breaking News

This morning, the publishing industry surprised the world by releasing a new, unexpected companion volume to last week’s sixth installment of J.K. Rowling’s hugely successful Harry Potter series. As word of the new release spread like wildfire, crowds of frenzied children and teenagers began thronging at the doors of hundreds of local bookstores in the United States and U.K., hoping to be among the first to receive their own copy of a book bearing the title: Harry Potter and the Lavender Brigade.
Harry Potter and the Lavender Brigade continues to perpetuate all the sorceries, incantations, and spells which have delighted children around the world. But this installment of Harry Potter introduces a new theme — homosexuality. In Harry Potter and the Lavender Brigade, we discover that the Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry is expanding its curriculum base to provide mandatory training in homosexuality for all of its recruits. Harry discovered in Book One that he was born with witchcraft in his blood. Now, recent discoveries show that the same students born with the gift of magic also possess a genetic predisposition toward homosexuality. With this in mind, the goal of Hogwarts is to teach its students the proper and moral way to be homosexual witches. Students must learn about safety, monogamy, and even social etiquette.
But the race is on. A second witch training academy run by evil witches has also discovered their own homosexual predispositions. Unlike Hogwarts, they intend to use their homosexuality for evil. They teach their students evils like sexual promiscuity. They openly encourage pedophilia. It is the mission of Harry and his intrepid gang of sodomite warlocks and lesbian witches (dubbed “The Lavender Brigade”) to once again stop the menace of bad witches.

No Cause for Concern

Perhaps some Christians have concerns about children’s literature in which homosexuality is both a defining characteristic of the protagonists and a thematic element which runs from beginning to the end of the novel.
Relax. Don’t be so uptight. Don’t worry, Christian parents. Harry Potter is not the real world! It is an imaginary world. Children know the difference between the two. They are not going to start dressing up like their heroes or pretending to do the same things their heroes do in the stories. After all, it is just a pretend story. Thoughtful Christian critics will recognize that the author has created an alternative reality with a completely different set of rules. Sodomy may be wrong in the real world, but it is not wrong in Harry Potter’s reality, and it would be sophomoric to think that, just because the book is one long story about the glories of good homosexuality in the world of Harry Potter, that it desensitizes children to the problems with homosexuality in the real world. We should be ashamed of any Christians who would claim the author is promoting perversion. She makes strong distinctions between good homosexuality and bad homosexuality. Bad homosexuality is always presented as really bad.
And here is the clincher: Harry Potter and the Lavender Brigade is a brilliant, well-written adventure that includes all the great themes of classic literature — the creation of an alternative reality where different rules apply, a carefully-executed plot, and clear elements of good versus evil. The story presents the beauty of creation and the appalling reality of evil. (Keep in mind that all truth is God’s truth.) There is even a strong redemption theme in the story as the leader of the pro-pedophilia group realizes the wrongness of his ways and joins the good sodomites of Hogwarts. In the end, good sodomites triumph over bad sodomites and order is restored to the alternative universe.

Confession

Okay, so there is no Harry Potter and the Lavender Brigade. I made it up.
What I have not made up is the fact that Pottermania has engulfed the youth of a generation, setting an unprecedented frenzy of sales of the recent installment, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince.^[2] Within the first twenty-four hours of its release, nearly seven million copies were sold in the United States alone. Assuming a 9:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m. sales schedule, that means they averaged nearly 600,000 copies an hour.
Also not made up is the fact that there are growing numbers of intelligent, reasonable, Christian teachers and scholars — some are friends whom I dearly love and respect — who are on record as giving their blessing to Harry Potter and supporting the inclusion of Harry Potter books as a healthy, positive part of the literary diet of Christian children. I disagree with them for many reasons, but it is the limited purpose of this article to focus in on and address what I see as their root argument.

The Argument for Potter

To begin with, there really is no debate between us over the basic facts of the Potter series. We all agree that Harry Potter is a story about young children engaged in the study and practice of witchcraft. The heroes of the stories are always good witches. Typically, the bad guys are bad witches. Second, in fairness, it must be acknowledged that these men recognize the wickedness of the occult and would squarely oppose the practice of witchcraft in the real world. None of them would want their children attempting to cast spells or dabbling in the dark arts.
What, then, is the fundamental argument employed by honorable Christian thinkers like Mr. Barr of Covenant Seminary (cited above) to endorse Harry Potter and to justify the creation of children’s books which are simply drenched in the glorification of sorcery?
It is this: Fantasy worlds are not the real world. Authors need not follow the same moral rules in fantasy realities. Things which are downright wicked in the real world may be introduced in a fantasy world and presented as good, if this literary device helps to serve the broader purpose of telling a great story.
My question is: If we may bend God’s moral laws in fantasy realities, then why is “Harry the Hero-Witch” okay for our children, but “Harry the Hero-Homosexual” not?
Both witchcraft and perversion are deemed “works of the flesh” and “abominations” in Scripture.^[3] Both are immoral acts for which the practitioner stands condemned. Why would one be cute, fun, appealing, and — most importantly — legitimate in a fantasy reality, and the other unacceptable?

Not for Debate Today

Before presenting my argument, please permit me to clear away some debris.
First, it is not my purpose today to offer a broad-sweeping critique of the propriety and/or impropriety, strengths and/or weaknesses of fantasy as a genre. This is a worthy, big, important subject, but not my subject for the day. Nor am I arguing that because something is popular it is therefore inescapably evil. (I happen to like ice cream, and it does not bother me that ninety percent of Americans like it, too.) Mass entertainment appeal can raise concerns, but this argument will not carry the day one way or another.
Nor am I going to argue that Harry Potter is bad because it presents bad attitudes toward authority. To the extent that the bad attitudes of protagonists are either left unresolved in the story or presented to the reader as acceptable behavior — that is a big problem. But if this debate were really about bad attitudes, our criticism for Harry Potter would be similar in kind to that which might be expressed for 95% of the popular children’s literature and television programming of our day — media which is contributing by bad example to the discipleship in selfishness of a nation of bratty, disrespectful boys and girls.
Nor is it my purpose today to justify or condemn the Harry Potter series by comparing it to, or distinguishing it from, The Lord of the Rings or The Chronicles of Narnia. Similarities and distinctions between these series abound, but at the end of the day, neither the brilliant C.S. Lewis nor the ingenious J.R.R. Tolkien are the standard by which literature is to be judged. That standard is the revealed word of God alone which is a sufficient guide for all of faith and practice, including the development of biblical principles for evaluating literature. If either Lewis or Tolkien are guilty of employing literary devices inconsistent with a biblical worldview, then to the extent which they have missed the mark, we must be willing to say so. If not, great! But at all costs, we must not allow sentiment and experientialism to drive our theology. The issue is not whether Tolkien, Lewis, Rowling, or any other author can tell a great story, foster creative thinking, or entertain the reader — but whether they have done so lawfully.
I am less concerned with slippery-slope arguments, psychological arguments, or even empirical data about the number of children who have joined covens after reading Harry Potter. Some of the arguments are valid, some less so, some may be straw men, but none of these arguments are necessary if it can be demonstrated that, in its premise and execution, Harry Potter is inherently unbiblical, being in plain violation of the revealed law of God.

To Be Debated Today

The question is this: Is it biblically lawful to create alternative literary realities in which necromancy and witchcraft are presented as glorious, healthy, positive, and good?^[4]
I say no because I believe to do so is inconsistent with revealed law. If pro-witchcraft fantasy realities are unlawful, then the fundamental question of whether Harry Potter is healthy literature is resolved.
Stated another way, the question is: Does the creation of “alternative fantasy realities” allow authors to employ literary premises which declare “good” that which God has declared morally reprehensible in the real world?
And another: If certain acts are abominations over which God pronounces the death sentence in the real world, should Christians glory in the same abominable practices when presented as desirable and declared to be “good” in the fantasy worlds of literature?

The Case Against Potter

The case that I would like to respectfully make in response to my brothers who defend Harry Potter is built on four propositions:

The seriousness of God’s prohibition on witchcraft and His declaration that it is immoral to practice dark arts make it unlawful even to pretend that witchcraft is a good thing;
Man may not lawfully escape the righteous rule of God by entering fantasy realities in which the law of God does not apply;
To create fantasy universes built on propositions which are immoral is to undermine the character of God Himself or establish false gods; and
God holds man accountable for vain imaginations. This means that fantasy is only lawful insofar as it does not undermine the moral law of God.

Point #1: The Seriousness of God’s Prohibition on Witchcraft

When you come into the land which the LORD your God is giving you, you shall not learn to follow the abominations of those nations. There shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or his daughter pass through the fire, or one who practices witchcraft, or a soothsayer, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who conjures spells, or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead. For all who do these things are an abomination to the LORD.... (Deuteronomy 18:9-12)

The Bible, both Old and New Testament, has much to say about witchcraft, all of which is supremely negative. In anticipation of nitpickers and legalists who want to wiggle out of the prohibition against witchcraft, the Bible details by specific precept and numerous examples the wickedness of those who seek such supernatural powers and the judgment that will fall upon them.
The prohibitions against witchcraft elaborate to include witchcraft in any form or expression. Sorcerers, mediums, soothsayers, spell-casters, astrologers, and those who practice any dark art fall under the prohibition.
Witchcraft is declared to be an abomination (Exodus 22:18; Deuteronomy 8:9-12; 1 Samuel 15:23; Isaiah 8:19-20). Those who practice it are in rebellion against God (1 Samuel 15:23) and were subject to the death penalty (Exodus 22:18). They will not inherit the kingdom of heaven (1 Corinthians 6:9-10; Galatians 5:19-21), are detestable to the Lord (2 Kings 21:6; Micah 5:12; Isaiah 47:12; Ezekiel 13:18,20; Acts 8:11-24; Leviticus 20:27; Exodus 7:11; Revelation 9:21; 22:15), and will be cast into the burning lake of fire (Revelation 21:8).
Furthermore, God describes sorcery as an immoral “work of the flesh” and lumps it in with idolatry, murder, and adultery, declaring that those who do such will not inherit the kingdom of God (Galatians 5:19-21; Revelation 9:21).
The biblical response of God’s people to witchcraft is to (1) drive it from the land (Deuteronomy 18:9-12); (2) flee from every vestige of it, even if this means publicly burning expensive books (Acts 19:19); and (3) rebuke attempts to mix the spirit of sorcery with the spirit of Christ (Acts 8:1-40).

Point #2: Man May Never Escape the Righteous Rule of God

Supernatural powers, by definition, are the means to suspend or work outside of the natural law order created by God.^[5] Our God reserves supernatural powers to Himself because He alone is the creator and the object of worship. He will share His glory with none other. Witchcraft is an abomination, not because of some arbitrary, localized principle applicable only to ancient Israel, but because it is rebellion against God Himself, who never, ever changes. Witchcraft is man’s attempt to be like God. It can involve the explicit false worship of devils, but it need not. Conjuring, sorcery, and divination are all attempts to have powers reserved to God. They are attempts to live outside of the reality in which God has placed man.
I am frankly amazed at the efforts of some to strain at a gnat and swallow a camel when it comes to the issue of witchcraft. It truly seems like we are often more interested in justifying the theology of Walt Disney, than we are in sticking to the plain teaching of Scripture. The fact is that the Bible makes no distinctions between cute, harmless sorcery (or necromancy or divination) and a bad kind. Any attempt to participate or dabble in supernatural dark arts is a crime in God’s universe. You can dress up cute little fairies in bonnets, but the minute they attempt to cast spells or invoke supernatural powers reserved to God, they become moral criminals.
Note that we are not discussing fiction about potential scientific discoveries. The exploration of the natural universe is explicitly given to man by God as a means of understanding Him better and for executing his duty under God to take dominion over the earth. And let’s not kid ourselves — Harry Potter is not about scientific children who create amazing flying-broom machines. It is about sorcerers engaged in witchcraft. Under the Hebrew economy, Harry Potter, the great hero of a generation of children, would be put to death^[6] by direct order of the King of Kings and author of all reality — Jesus Christ Himself.
Nor are we criticizing Harry Potter for the inclusion of talking animals in its storyline. The Bible begins^[7] and ends^[8] with revelations about talking animals, a fact which establishes beyond any doubt that the inclusion of talking animals in storytelling is not per se an abomination which assaults the very character of God. Similarly, dragons,^[9] demons,^[10] giants,^[11] and unicorns^[12] may be the stuff of fantasy lore, but they are also real creatures discussed, as such, in the Bible. None of these elements assault the righteous rule of God, but a fantasy universe filled with “good sorcerers” does.

Point #3: Man May Not Refashion a God of His Own Imagination — Even in a Fantasy Reality

The eternal quest of rebellious man is to escape the law and dominion of God. Man wants to create realities of his own where he is free to operate without the constraint of the rule of law as prescribed by God. The moral law of God and its application in the universe reflect the eternal, transcendent, immutable character of God Himself.^[13] Consequently, those who seek to create alternative realities in which the moral law of God is suspended are, in fact, creating alternative realities governed by something or someone other than the God of the Bible. This god need not be explicitly revealed by name. He can be implied or simply assumed. Even the perceived absence of a god in an alternative reality presupposes some unifying, eternal, transcendent principle or “force.” The point is this: Every alternative reality has a god. Those alternative realities which alter the moral law of the God of the Bible thereby substitute a false god as lord over the universe they have created.
Like the Babel-builders of the past, twenty-first century man is discontent with the rules and realities given to him by God. He wants a different reality. It is the quest of some fantasy literature to satisfy this ungodly longing by recreating God in man’s own image. This happens when we construct literary worlds which rest on propositions which challenge the very character of God Himself.
Note that the use of allegories, parables, types, and symbolism can be employed in literature lawfully and to the glory of God. Jesus Christ modeled this Himself in Holy Scripture.^[14] Christ-honoring authors may draw from a host of techniques and circumstances when employing such literary devices. But the moment an author redefines the moral law order of the universe, he has left the realm of legitimate analogical reasoning and creative allegory, and has declared war on God. This is the case for fantasy realities in which murder, perversion, or witchcraft are presented as good things.
The character of God is challenged when we posit alternative realities which redefine the moral law order of God to allow men to delight in that which would be deemed wickedness in the real world. Creating worlds of good witchcraft versus bad witchcraft is a prime example of the problem. No such world can exist — anywhere — not even in our own imagination, without redefining the nature and attributes of God Himself. The essence of witchcraft and the desire to employ the tools of witchcraft are an assault on the Lordship and sovereignty of God. By virtue of the fact that Harry and his friends are “good guys” in pursuit of the very powers reserved to God Himself in the real world, the god of Harry Potter’s universe is, ispo facto, a different god than the God of our universe.
And no one need ask, “What Would Jesus Do?” in the real world to Harry and his friends, because the Bible answers the question with deafening specificity:

But the cowardly, unbelieving, abominable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars shall have their part in the lake which burns with fire and brimstone, which is the second death. (Revelation 21:8)

Point #4: The Bible Forbids Not Merely Acts, But Vain Imaginations

Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? (Psalm 2:1)

Not all imagination is wrong, but vain imagination is wrong. A “vain imagination” is one in which man seeks to create a reality at war with God and His law.
We live in a world in which millions of men and women leave what they perceive to be a humdrum life of marriage to escape into a fantasy-world of alternative reality. They do this in their minds.^[15] They are aided and abetted in this practice by literature, images, and film which become the mediator between the individual and the fantasy world. In their alternative fantasy realities, these men and women are not married to their boring, overweight, selfish wives and husbands. Instead, they are able to enjoy intimate relations, free of guilt, with seemingly perfect individuals who appear nearly superhuman in their emotional and physical perfections. Since this is only a fantasy — the argument goes — there is nothing wrong with it. Some argue that modern man can actually cope better in the real world if he regularly visits his fantasy world.^[16]
Christian advocates of Harry Potter make the same mistake: In effect, they are arguing that little children may freely take witchcraft into their hearts by identifying with their sorcerer-hero and rejoicing in his magical powers — just so long as they would not engage in dark arts in the real world. After all, little children know the difference between reality and fiction.
This response misses the point. The Bible offers no refuge to the individual who says, “It is okay for me to imagine and rejoice in the vanity of immoral speculations, because I am not doing it in the real world.” If you imagine such things in your heart, you stand condemned. The Lord Jesus Christ answered those legalists who wanted to limit the scope of the culpability before the law to the physical world. He explained that they would be condemned for having wicked imaginations in their fantasy world as well:

Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28)

The same principle that applies to pornographic literature applies to witchcraft-glorifying literature. Men do not have the right to enter fantasy worlds in which they delight in their hearts in acts of adultery. Nor do they have the right to enter fantasy worlds in which they delight in immoral acts of witchcraft.

The Use of Witchcraft in Literature and Entertainment

For the record, I do not oppose the appropriate inclusion of witchcraft in literature. The Bible tells the story of actual witches. It describes the practices of these witches and reveals the laws against witchcraft. We learn of the divinations of Jezebel,^[17] the consultation by Saul with the witch of Endor,^[18] and the influence and rebuke of Simon the Sorcerer.^[19] Witchcraft is in Old and New Testaments. But witchcraft is always presented as an incontrovertible evil.
Just as there is nothing funny, glorious, or desirable about adultery, perversion, or murder — there is nothing funny, glorious, or desirable about witchcraft (see Galatians 4:24).^[20] It is one thing for a story to include adultery, perversion, murder, and witchcraft in their true despicable form as an element necessary to make a righteous point, but it is another to portray abominations as virtues. Any television show, film, or literature which does the latter is encouraging others to identify in their imaginations with evil.
To put it bluntly: Bewitched — bad! Walt Disney’s Merlin from Sword in the Stone — bad! Glinda the Good Witch of Oz — bad! The White Witch of Narnia — not necessarily bad at all, because she is presented as the incarnation of evil. Gandalf? You will have to do the math yourself.^[21]

Concessions

At this point, I am losing some of you. You have cherished fond childhood memories of these icons of twentieth-century culture. There is massive sentimental value associated with these stories. If the principles articulated in this paper are true, then there could be some substantial boat-rocking in your life — perhaps even some changes in your reading or viewing diet. I hear you. My own boat has been substantially rocked over the years as I have considered the implications of the character of God and His law-word upon the icons of modern culture.
Let me offer a little help and a few concessions:
Concession number one: There are some genuine challenges and tough calls involved when evaluating what constitutes Christ-honoring literature. I fully recognize the complexity of faithfully applying these principles, for example, to the use of various literary devices that appear to incorporate mysterious transportation vehicles or tools which possess unusual powers. Meditation, prayer, and reasoned analysis are the need of the hour. Faithful men may disagree on some applications. But the challenge of application never absolves us of our personal duty before the Lord to rigorously examine everything in light of Scripture.
Second, there is not a man on the planet who is perfectly consistent in the application of the biblical principles he understands, let alone the ones with which he is grappling. Here again, the fact that there are inconsistencies in our behavior, or holes in our thinking, does not relieve us of the biblical duty to become more consistent in the application of our Christianity as we take every thought, frame, and note — everything — captive to the obedience of Christ.
Third, many Christians are uncomfortable tossing out an otherwise “good story” because it has one offensive element. I certainly understand this challenge. For some, the answer is to perform a balancing test which weighs the good against the bad to see which comes out on top. But when it comes to Harry Potter, no balancing act is needed. This consideration need not apply. Why? Because the premise of the stories is witchcraft, the plot of the story is witchcraft, and the protagonists are all witches. From beginning to end, Harry Potter is a story immersed in a subversive lie about a genuine abomination called witchcraft. Period! Harry Potter calls evil good, and thus falls under the explicit censure of our Lord.

Conclusion

Harry Potter favorably models for children that which the Bible clearly and unequivocally declares to be an abomination.^[22] It creates heroes of a class of individuals that the Bible declares to be villains. In the world that God created, the heroes of Harry Potter would (absent their repentance) be enemies of the Church and eternally damned souls.
Moral evil does not become acceptable simply because it is presented in an alternative reality. There is no such thing as good witchcraft, good bestiality, good sodomy, good child sacrifice, or good Dagon worship in this reality (the only reality created by God); and man is not at liberty to free himself from the law of God by concocting fantasy worlds of his imagination in which the transcendent, eternal, binding moral law of God no longer applies.
Finally, the Bible, not sentimentalism or personal experience, is the only standard by which the Christian may evaluate his culture.^[23] By this standard, Harry Potter fails the test of biblical acceptability. Just as Christians should oppose the glorified homosexuality of a hypothetical Harry Potter and the Lavender Brigade, so they should also recognize the systemic poison of any and all Potter books that are built on the false proposition that witchcraft can be a good thing.

But these two things shall come to you in a moment, in one day: The loss of children, and widowhood. They shall come upon you in their fullness because of the multitude of your sorceries, for the great abundance of your enchantments. (Isaiah 47:9)

History of Christianity and Western Civilization Study Guide Officially in Print!

2010-11-15T15:54:00.000-08:00

Make sure and visit VisionForum.com for more info on the History of Christianity and Western Civilization Study Guide and video series! A very important resource for every family!

History of Christianity and Western Civilization Study Guide from Joshua Titus Phillips on Vimeo.

Encouragement from the Puritans

2010-11-12T12:25:00.000-08:00

Recently I began reading the book “The Second Mayflower” by Mr. Kevin Swanson. In the past few days I have been reading about the Puritans. Mr. Swanson spoke of and quoted extensively Rev. Cotton Mather and his father, a second generation preacher, Increase Mather.

I would like to share with you here two of the most influential quotes that were given.

Increase Mather: “If you die and be not first new Creature, better you had never been born; you will be left without excuse before the Lord terrible witnesses shall rise up against you at the last day. Your Godly parents will testify against you before the Son of God in that day… All you disobedient children that are here before et Lord this day, hearken to the Word of the Lord. There is a Scripture which methinks should strike terror and trembling into your souls. Prov. 30:17- : ‘The eye that mocketh his father and despiseth to obey his mother, let the ravens of the valley pluck it out, and the young eagles shall eat it…‘ I am not only willing to preach and to write, but I am willing to die for the conversion of the next generation.”

The very last line was the most impactful to me. To have such a desire to see the next generation saved as to be willing to die for it should be the wish that all Christians should have. This passage is not, therefore, simply about an admonition to the younger generation, but is also a call to evangelism. Charles Spurgeon has said “Every Christian is either a missionary or an imposter.”

Another very inspiring quote was from the writings of Cotton Mather. When he became a father he wrote these things for encouragement.

“Resolved:

At the birth of my children, I will resolve to do all I can that they may be the Lord's. I will now actually give them up by faith to God; entreating that each child may be a child of God the Father, a subject of God the Son, a temple of God the Spirit—and be rescued from the condition of a child of wrath, and be possessed and employed by the Lord as an everlasting instrument of His glory.

As soon as my children are capable of minding my admonitions, I will often, often admonish them, saying, "Child, God has sent His son to die, to save sinners from death and hell. You must not sin against Him. You must every day cry to God that He would be your Father, and your Saviour, and your Leader. You must renounce the service of Satan, you must not follow the vanities of this world, you must lead a life of serious religion.

Let me daily pray for my children with constancy, with fervency, with agony. Yea, by name let me mention each one of them every day before the Lord. I will importunately beg for all suitable blessings to be bestowed upon them: that God would give them grace, and give them glory, and withhold no good thing from them; that God would smile on their education, and give His good angels the charge over them, and keep them from evil, that it may not grieve them; that when their father and mother shall forsake them, the Lord may take them up. With importunity I will plead that promise on their behalf: "The Heavenly Father will give the Holy Spirit unto them that ask Him." Oh! happy children, if by asking I may obtain the Holy Spirit for them!

I will early entertain the children with delightful stories out of the Bible. In the talk of the table, I will go through the Bible, when the olive-plants about my table are capable of being so watered. But I will always conclude the stories with some lessons of piety to be inferred from them.

I will single out some Scriptural sentences of the greatest importance; and some also that have special antidotes in them against the common errors and vices of children. They shall quickly get those golden sayings by heart, and be rewarded with silver or gold, or some good thing, when they do it. Such as,

Psalm 11:10—"The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom."

Matthew 16:26—"What is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul?"

1 Timothy 1:15—"Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief."

Matthew 6:6—"When thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret."

Ephesians 4:25—"Putting away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour."

Romans 12:17, 19—"Recompense to no man evil for evil . . .. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves."

Jewish treatise tells us that among the Jews, when a child began to speak, the father was bound to teach him Deuteronomy 33:4—"Moses commanded us a law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob." Oh! let me early make my children acquainted with the Law which our blessed Jesus has commanded us! 'Tis the best inheritance I can give them.

I will cause my children to learn the Catechism. In catechizing them, I will break the answers into many lesser and proper questions; and by their answer to them, observe and quicken their understandings. I will bring every truth into some duty and practice, and expect them to confess it, and consent unto it, and resolve upon it. As we go on in our catechizing, they shall, when they are able, turn to the proofs and read them, and say to me what they prove and how. Then, I will take my times, to put nicer and harder questions to them; and improve the times of conversation with my family (which every man ordinarily has or may have) for conferences on matters of religion.

Restless will I be till I may be able to say of my children, "Behold, they pray!" I will therefore teach them to pray. But after they have learnt a form of prayer, I will press them to proceed unto points that are not in their form. I will charge them with all possible cogency to pray in secret; and often call upon them, "Child, I hope, you don't forget my charge to you, about secret prayer: your crime is very great if you do!"”

Mather was willing to take the time to teach his children the things of God. May we, as young men and women, be teaching ourselves to model after these things that God has required of us.

In Christ,

Jesse

"Triconium: A Review of Schools" from Thomas Cowper

2010-11-09T15:41:00.000-08:00

These excerpts from the poem "Triconium" written by hymn writer Thomas Cowper, came from the blog of the National Center for Family Integrated Churches, and give a blazing description of the evil of allowing our children to be educated by the State.

"And, common sense diffusing real day,
The meteor of the gospel dies away. Such rhapsodies our shrewd discerning youth
Learn from expert inquirers after truth;
Whose only care, might truth presume to speak,
Is not to find what they profess to seek.
And thus, well tutored only while we share
A mother’s lectures and a nurse’s care;
And taught at schools much mythologic stuff
But sound religion sparingly enough
Our early notices of truth, disgraced,
Soon lose their credit, and are all effaced.
Would you your son should be a sot or dunce,
Lascivious, headstrong, or all these at once;
That in good time the stripling’s finished taste
For loose expense, and fashionable waste,
Should prove your ruin, and his own at last;
Train him in public with a mob of boys,
Childish in mischief only and in noise,
Else of a manish growth, and five in ten
In infidelity and lewdness men.
There shall he learn, ere sixteen winters old,
Tha authors are most usful pawned or sold;
That pedantry is all that schools impart,
But taverns teach the knowledge of the hart,
There waiter Dick, with Bacchanalian lays,
Shall win his heart, and have his drunken praise,
His counsellor and bosom friend shall prove,
And some street-pacing harlot his first love.
Schools, unless discipline were doubly strong,
Detain their adolescent charge too long;
The management of tyros of eighteen
Is difficult; their punishment obscene….

For public schools tis public folly feeds.
The slaves of custom and established mode,
With packhorse constancy we keep the road,
Cooked or straigh, through quags or thorny dells,
True to the jingling of our leader’s bells.
To follow foolish precedent, and wind
With both our eyes, is easier than to think;…

That youth takes pleasure in, to please his boy;
Then why why resign into a stranger’s hand
A task as much withing your own command,
That God and nature, and your interest too,
Seem with one voice to delegate to you?
We hire a lodging in a house unknown
For one whose tenderest thoughts all hover round your own?

Alas poor boy! – the natural effect
Of love by absence chilled into respect,
Say, what accomplishments, at school acquired,
Brings he, to sweeten fruits so undesired?
Thou well deserv’st an alienated son,
Unless thy conscious heart acknowledge – none;
None that, in thy domestic snug recess,
He has not made his own with more address,
Though some, perhaps, that shock thy feeling mind,
And better never learned, or left behind….”

And seems it nothing in a father’s eye,
That unimproved those many moments fly?
And is he will content his son should find
No nourishment to feed his growing mind
But conjugated verbs, and nouns declined?
For such is all the mental food purveyed
By public hackneys in the schooling trade;
Who feed a pupil’s intellect with store
Of Syntax. Truly, but with little more;
Dismiss themselves when they dismiss their flock,
Machines themselves, and governed by a clock.

To form thy son, to strike his genius forth;
Beneath thy roof, beneath thine eye, to prove
The force of discipline, when backed by love;
To double all thy pleasure in thy child,
His mind informed, his morals undefiled.
Safe under such a wing, the boy shall show
No spots contracted among grooms blow,
Nor taint his speech with meannesses, designed
By footman Tom for witty and refined.
There, in his commerce with the liv’ried herd,
Lurks the contagion chiefly to be feared”

Pull down the schools – what! – all the schools in the land;
Or throw them up to livery-nags and grooms,
Or turn them into shops and auction rooms."

Logic and Apologetics: Part 2

2010-10-04T14:13:00.000-07:00

As we discuss the issue of apologetics a question that arises is this. Is there one particular argument that is virtually unarguable? Quite simply, yes. And this principle is what we are going to discuss today.

The entire atheistic worldview is necessarily based upon a relativistic worldview, and due to that, they must necessarily deny the existence of absolutes. These obviously ridiculous claims stem from the fact that they do not believe in a universal, abstract higher authority that has defined absolutes. This belief provides for the Christian apologist the greatest leveraging point possible. Dr. Greg Bahnsen said in “The Great Debate: Does God Exist?” that "The proof of the Christian worldview is that, without it, you couldn't prove anything.”

Essentially he is saying that the universality of the Judeo-Christian God is the very basis for all absolutes which the atheist must, as we said, necessarily deny. The laws of logic, for example, are what Dr. Bahnsen specifically spoke about, for atheists cannot account for them in their worldview. Therefore, rational and logical debate is not possible in atheism.

The definition of ‘worldview’ is as follows. “It refers to the framework of ideas and beliefs through which an individual interprets the world and interacts with it.” Also, “A set of commonly held values, ideas, and images concerning the nature of reality and the role of humanity within it.”

A universe with God would look quite different from a universe without one. A physics, a biology where there is a God is bound to look different. So the most basic claims of religion are scientific. Religion is a scientific theory.

Gianna Jessen: Abortion Survivor

2010-09-30T14:46:00.000-07:00

This incredible video contains both the story and the testimony of a Christian women whose birth mother attempted a saline abortion that failed. Despite the attempts of the doctor at the Planned Parenthood abortion clinic, a man who considers abortion his "passion," Gianna Jessen was born, and has used her story to speak to thousands all over the world. This video was taken in Australia, her speech being delivered to members of Parliament the night before the debate over decriminalizing abortion in Victoria.

Gianna Jessen, Abortion Survivor from ѓакон Тони on Vimeo.

(You must have the latest version of Adobe Flash player to view this video.)

Logic and Apologetics: Part One

2010-07-12T12:56:00.000-07:00

In this first in a series of articles about logic and apologetics, I would like to discuss what is called by Dr. Jason Lisle, the “ultimate proof” of creation. I believe that as a Christian, the ability to defend the faith is not only an important aspect of that faith, but is a mandate in Scripture, and in 1 Peter 3: 15 we read these words:

“But sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you, to give an account for the hope that is in you.”

In this passage the word “defense” is translated ‘apologia’ and it is defined as giving a reasoned argument in defense of one’s position. Although I firmly believe that this is a biblical mandate, I do not think that every Christian must or should have a Ph. D in apologetics and theology in order to defend the faith. Simply having answers to the question that must be answered in a reasonable defense is all that is needed to be “always ready.” This verse will be the thesis point of this series of articles. Ultimately, apologetics is a defense of a worldview rather than a defense of evidence, for all people see the same evidence, but our worldview causes us to interpret it differently. When we debate, everything that we attempt to defend ultimately comes down to the presuppositions of our worldview. We defend the existence of God because of the presupposition of the infallibility of Scripture which teaches God’s existence. And so the list continues.

What we need to realize in a study of worldviews is this: that evidence alone will not convince someone that their worldview is faulty. We need to realize that all people see the same evidence; we simply interpret it differently according to our prospective worldviews. Therefore we need to be ready to defeat the starting point of the atheist’s worldview in order to defeat the rest of his arguments.

Logic Series

2010-07-10T11:18:00.001-07:00

As I listed in my bio, I am extremely interested in logic and apologetics, specifically targeting the presuppositional method, its most famous modern proponent being Dr. Greg Bahnsen. I thought I would write a series of posts about apologetics and logic for you all to read. Look back for the starting post today!

Thanks!
Jesse

A Summary of the Family Economics Conference

2010-03-07T16:57:00.000-08:00

As I sat during the last session of this conference watching Mr. Kevin Swanson close it out, I was thinking about the things I had learned in the past weekend; not only about biblical economics, but also about the biblical family, and in Mr. Swanson's last session, about freedom. "I was raised with a love for freedom," he said. "I’d rather die a bloody death in the jaws of a dragon than serve as a slave." It seems as though our culture has pursued debt rather than economic freedom; they have become the servant to the lender. "Why do people go into debt?" asked Mr. Swanson. "The judgment of God."

Freedom is ultimately what we as Americans search for and long for. We were raised with a love for freedom because of the founding fathers. That is what I had learned this weekend; what Mr. Swanson spoke about, what Dr. Sproul advocated, as well as Mr. Brown and Dennis Peacocke. Ultimately, they wanted economic freedom, the basis of biblical economics.

As he spoke during the last session, Mr. Swanson stood upon the platform that had held so many men of God during the weekend. He shouted out, "Freedom! Amen? Freedom! Amen? We want freedom! I pray freedom will be our lot in the years to come."

As the session finished and the crowd rose to their feet, Mr. Swanson walked down from the stage toward me. I reached out my hand and as he took it he looked into my eyes. I saw a man of God who I have never seen rivaled in passion. He looked tired after being on the move for an entire weekend, but his fatigue was because in putting on this event, he had exhausted himself in order to put forth biblical doctrines spelled out clearly in scripture to families from all over the world that will, by God's grace, be implemented and passed down from generation to generation until an entire culture is changed for God. And I believe that, to him, it was totally worth it.

Later that evening I was walking down the hallway of the church towards the speaker's lounge and I caught up with Mr. Swanson who was heading the same way. "That was amazing, Mr. Swanson," I said. "Well," he replied, as he put his arm on my shoulder, "God's word is amazing." I realized that that is exactly what I had learned from these men during this conference. God's word can change a culture for His glory. It can change a family for His glory, and it can change a life for His glory. Whether it be economics, governments, marriages or individual lives, God's word can change anything.

Sola Scriptura

Panel Discussion

2010-03-06T13:58:00.000-08:00

Kevin Swanson, Eric Weir and Scott Brown had another panel discussion in which the questions fielded from the audience dealt with various entrpreneurial issues, including how families can revitalize their businesses and how large corporations can be created that are functioning according to biblical principles. Thanks for following these updates and stay tuned for Mr. Swanson's closing session.

Simple, Seperate and Deliberate in Tough Economic Times

2010-03-06T12:49:00.000-08:00

Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. spoke upon "Simple, Seperate and Deliberate in Tough Economic Times." Speaking of the Highlands Study Center, his personal ministry, Dr. Sproul, Jr. said, " We exist to help people to live more simple, separate and deliberate lives for the glory of God. We try to help people understand the lies of the devil." Throughout the message, Dr. Sproul, Jr. encouraged us to "consume less than you produce" in order to prosper according to God's word. "God tells us that we prosper by producing," he said. Living by God's Word is the ultimate priority in biblical economics. A very inspiring message!

The Global Economic Crisis and the Kingdom of God

2010-03-05T22:34:00.000-08:00

Renowned economist Dennis Peacocke just spoke on "This Pivotal Moment: The Global Economic Crisis and the Kingdom of God." "What the world needs" said Mr. Peacocke " is disciples of Jesus Christ... we don't need to play defense, we need to train (our children) so they can play offense... I train my children for takeover." He spoke about the demise and destruction of the family that is now leading to the economic destruction of America. Because of abortion, which has led to the death of millions of children, it has also subsequently destroyed the millions of jobs that could have been held by these children. "What started as infanticide ended up in the death of the aged," argued Mr. Peacocke. Tomorrow we start again. Stay tuned!

Panel Discussion

2010-03-05T16:26:00.000-08:00

Mr. Swanson, Mr. Brown, Eric Weir of Weir Financial, Mr. Dennis Peacocke, Dr. Sproul and Mr. James Lansberry, Vice-President of Samaritan Ministries, recently finished a question and answer session where they touched upon such issues as self-employment, healthcare, and tax credits. They had many wonderful insights for all of us. Stay tuned tonight for a report on Dennis Peacocke's Keynote session.

Helping Widows in a Welfare Age

2010-03-05T13:46:00.000-08:00

Dr. R.C. Sproul Jr. spoke on the topic, Helping Widows in a Welfare Age. He taught from 1 Timothy 5: 3, his basic premise being that it is the church's job to care for widows rather than the job of the government. Speaking of this passage Dr. Sproul said, "There is absolutely nothing here about the state. You cannot give in Jesus' name with somebody else's money and you most assuredly cannot give in Jesus' name with Caeser's money."

Ten Building Blocks For a Family Work Ethic

2010-03-05T11:30:00.000-08:00

Mr. Scott Brown spoke on "Ten Building Blocks for a Family Work Ethic" about creating a desire to work in unity as a family. "Work," he said, "is a blessing. It existed in the garden before the fall. Work is cursed, but it is not a curse." His key passage was Matthew 25: 14.

The Ten Building Blocks

1. Right Theology

2. Unified Vision

3. Diligent Application: Proverbs 21: 17; Proverbs 24.

4. Accurate Assessment

5. Genuine Unity

6. Continuous Discipleship

7. Appropriate Avoidance

8. Sabbath Rest

9. Family Celebration

10. Family Worship

After Lunch our next post will be, "Helping Widows in a Welfare Age."

Biblical Economics and the Family

2010-03-05T09:46:00.000-08:00

Mr. Kevin Swanson of Generations with Vision opened the conference speaking about the demise of the "nuclear family in the west" and the destruction of biblical economics. "The gods of the markets are tumbling," he said in his very encouraging message. "You cannot build a macro- or a micro-economy that is violating the laws of God.... Wealth is not a part of the Cash for Clunkers Program. It is a function of character. If you work," he continued, "you make wealth."

Next up is Mr. Scott Brown speaking on "Ten Building Blocks For a Family Work Ethic." Stay tuned!

Live From The 2010 Family Economics Conference

2010-03-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

We are here at the 2010 Family Economics Conference and as of now the folks here are greeting and fellowshipping with one another. It is shaping up to be a great conference with about 850 people scheduled to attend. The venue is wonderful and we are looking forward to hearing these great men of the faith speak God's Word to our hearts. First up speaking is Mr. Kevin Swanson. Stay tuned!

2010 Family Economics Conference

2010-03-04T00:23:00.000-08:00

On Friday, March 5, 2010 we will be doing live blog updates of the 2010 Generations with Vision Family Economics Conference in Castle Rock, CO, keeping a steady stream of photos and descriptions of the sessions running for all of you who have not been able to attend. This conference features an amazing line-up of speakers, including Dr. R.C. Sproul, Jr., Mr. Scott Brown and Mr. Kevin Swanson. These great speakers will be dealing with such issues as work, debt-free living, investments, tithing, family entrepreneurship, health care, insurance and many other things. It is going to be a great conference and we are honored to be able to play our music for these people. So far, about 600 people have signed up to attend this conference and we are all looking forward to hearing these great messages. We will also be posting these updates to Facebook and Twitter in order for you to reach them more easily. Stay tuned! Find more information about the conference on the Generations home page.

Rescue Haiti's Children

2010-02-10T15:30:00.000-08:00

"Pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their distress." (James 1: 27)

Recently the nation of Haiti, off the coast of Florida was devastated by an earthquake which measured up to 7 on the Richter Scale. Before this event there were already 350,000 orphans populating the nation; but now, after this catastrophe which has resulted in approximately 212,000 deaths, there are thousands more. Every day relief groups are doing their best to save these children and put them in good homes or orphanages, however, these groups cannot function effectively without proper funds.

An organization whose ministry we have greatly appreciated, Rescue Haiti's Children, is run by Mr. Doug Phillips at Vision Forum. They have been in the country for 2 weeks, digging through wreckage and collapsed buildings to find buried children, as well as helping orphans that have lost their parents and homes. Here is a video that they have made as part of the outreach of their message.

As James 1:27 states, pure and undefiled religion is taking care of widows and orphans, visiting them; whether with money donated or with a home for these children, we must do our best as Christians to follow this command given by our God.

Our band is attempting to help this specific ministry and, until February 28th, 100% of online CD sales will be going to the ministry of Rescue Haiti's Children. Our goal is to sell at least 200 CDs by that date, but we would love, if God wills, to sell many, many more. Please help us benefit this incredible ministry to Haitian orphans by visiting our website and purchasing a CD, or check out our Facebook and Twitter pages to find out more about this fundraiser. Also, visit Doug's Blog to read more of what they are doing in Haiti through the Rescue Haiti's Children ministry.

"Jesus said to him, 'If you wish to be complete, go and sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven." (Matthew 19: 21)

A Review of "Do Hard Things"

2010-02-02T14:07:00.000-08:00

“Most people don’t expect you to understand what we’re going to tell you in this book. And even if you understand, they don’t expect you to care. And even if you care, they don’t expect you to do anything about it. And even if you do something about it, they don’t expect it to last. We do.”

These words are from the beginning chapter of one of the most encouraging and challenging books I have read in years, Do Hard Things, written by Alex and Brett Harris, twenty year-old twins living in Oregon who have woven together “biblical insights, history, and modern examples to redefine the teen years as the launching pad of life,” and created Do Hard Things. At the age of sixteen, the Harris brothers began a blog that had one main goal. To start “a teenage rebellion against low expectations,” and it seems as though they have accomplished what they set out to do, since they are now two of the most well-read teen writers on the Internet, with more than 16,000,000 hits, as well as running a yearly national “Do Hard Things” speaking tour.

When I first read their book, I knew that what Alex and Brett were stating would not inherently be new to me, after being raised the way I have been. But I knew that it would challenge me, and so that is why I read it. The way I see it, if we are never challenged, we will never grow, and if we never grow we won’t accomplish big things for God’s kingdom. Once I started reading, I was hooked, and really had a desire to do some of these things that they were talking about; pushing the expectations of culture a little bit farther then I felt I already was.

When you ask the normal, average inhabitant of the Western World what the expectations of a teen should be the answers you get are astounding. As one teen put it,

“…teens in a nutshell are people ages 13-17 who want freedom and desire to make their own choices…”

And in “Do Hard Things” Alex and Brett have challenged that idea and created an entirely new road map for “teen” culture; one of wisdom, maturity, responsibility and godliness, rather than one of what our world expects. They have challenged complacency and a status-quo mentality; the idea that our teen years are meant to have fun and “sow our wild oats” only later reaping the consequences, and they have created some amazing tips for “teens” to follow, my favorite of which is best summed up in this statement,

“Pursue excellence, not excuses…”

That is what is so wrong with our culture today, a status-quo mentality; a worldview that says, “I’m content living the way I am. I am not going to push myself for greater things.” Yet that is not a biblical stance; the teen years should not be a time of laziness and immaturity, but a time of pushing to do bigger and better things for God. At first they may seem like the hardest things we could ever do, but after a while they become a natural thing for us, like walking and talking. Along these lines, I’d like to share with you as story that the Harris brothers have shared on their blog.

“I still remember my first shower. It was a horrible experience. I was eight years old and all I had ever known was baths. Baths were neat and tidy ordeals where the water flowed in from below my head and – provided I didn’t splash too much – stayed below my head.

I found showers to be an entirely different beast. The water, rather than flowing as a solid stream that was easily visible and avoidable, sprayed out as nearly invisible and unavoidable droplets that seemed to have a magnetic attraction to my eyes.

I did not ask to be promoted from Junior Bath Taker to Junior Shower Taker, but my parents had set the date for my graduation and protesting made little difference. It didn’t help that my twin brother Alex loved showers and had taken one earlier that week.

Before I could draft my formal petition, let alone get anyone to sign it, I found myself staring up at the dreadful shower head just as a brave soul stares down the barrel of his executioner’s gun.

However, once the trigger was pulled and the shower head began rumbling and hissing, my courage melted away, and I was screaming before the first drop hit me.

You see, in my mind there was no moral difference between making your child take a shower and stripping that same child naked and locking him out of the house during a thunderstorm. It was abandonment. I wasn’t a Water Nymph. I wasn’t a shower person. I was a bath person and I was happy that way.

The funny thing is that this morning, nearly ten years later, I took a shower and didn’t think twice about it. I even purposefully let the water spray on my face! It is incredible that what then seemed to be an impossible hurdle is now part of my everyday routines.”

When it comes to pushing ourselves, that is the mentality we need to have, one of running toward a higher goal, even if what we are doing now is not enjoyable. I would very highly recommend this book to everyone as a preparation for walking through the “teen” years with a mentality aimed at pleasing Christ through the work we do for Him.

Visit www.therebelution.com to read more from Alex and Brett.

~Jesse

The Fight for Christmas

2009-12-05T14:54:00.000-08:00

Everybody loves Christmas. Thoughts of seeing family and friends stimulate the emotions and bring the anticipation of new memories and traditions that are celebrated only once each year; the giving of gifts and the enjoyment of choosing them. Seeing the classic, “Charlie Brown Christmas,” and remembering that Christmas time really is here. Listening to wonderful Christmas music as well as preparing and taking pleasure in a substantial (calorie-filled) dinner, followed by wonderful desserts and camaraderie. All of these things are quintessentially identified with the season of Christmas, but it seems as though our culture has left out one important object of the celebration. The birth of the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now, this is not an accidental occurrence, something of pure happenstance. It’s direct; a deliberate attack against Christianity and what it stands for. So what is the reason that Satan would have a desire to blackball this season, and how has he gone about it?

Quite simply put, the reason for his hostility is this. It is because the day is a celebration of our Savior’s birth. Think about it. Christ’s nativity is the beginning of the end for Satan’s plans to ruin God’s design for his Bride, the church. It’s the very last rung for Satan, the end of the rope. When Christ returns he’ll be damned forever to his place of torment, so he’s got to do as much as he possibly can until then to attempt to damage the Church.

One thing to consider is this; when we look at other world religions such as Islam, they have their day of celebration commemorating the birth of their “priest,” in this case Allah, or, as he is more commonly known, Mohammed. But does it seem as though the public that follows the teaching of this false doctrine has anything to take the minds off of their celebration? Certainly not. The ACLU is never seen defending Christianity, and you'd never see a man of Christian conviction accepted into the orginization. Instead they defend other religions against Christianity, usually Atheism, which is the direct antithesis of the truth of God's word. You see, Satan wants to propagate counterfeit religions for the purpose of damaging the one true religion of Christianity. Other religions that are close counterfeits of Christianity, the Jehovah’s Witnesses in particular, do not even celebrate Christmas; to them it is some evil, unholy occurrence.

Christmas is the archetypal Christian holiday, second only to Easter, as it accounts for our Redeemer’s birth into the world for the express purpose of saving sinners. But the salvation of sinners is the very last thing that the devil wants since it accounts for God’s victory and his defeat. What was the reason that Satan fell? Pride, the desire to be like God. And what is one specific thing that God holds that no others hold? The power over men’s souls. So what is it that Satan wants? The power over men’s souls, and that is what Christ steals directly from him. So he has done his best to muddy up the pond and take the focus off of the amazing implications our Saviors birth spawned. But he still has not won. He has not been able to take the focus from true, strong Christians, and that maddens him because he does not have the sovereign power to simply make them think on other things.

Now that we’ve examined the why let us look at the how. How has Satan damaged the “true meaning of Christmas?” Well, one of the most prominent methods he has used is the image of Santa Claus. He’s the big man in red with the long white beard who has loaded lots of toys and goodies on his sleigh. His modern image is taken from the true story of a man named Nicholas who performed compassionate deeds to poor people all over his village. It began with his dropping bags of gold down the chimney of an old man and his daughters, the reason being that he barely had enough to live, and because of this might have had to send his children away. But Nicholas came, and the gold he dropped landed in the stockings of the daughters. His story spread throughout the land and his image gradually changed to what it has become today. At first glance he may seem entirely harmless, just a fanciful thing that children can believe in, an innocent personage that brings a cup of good cheer once a year at Christmas. But when you dig deeper you realize that that is not all that Santa is. Maybe that’s how he started, but that isn’t what he has become. What he has become is a focus-robber, stealing away all of the most important elements of Christmas. Look at it this way. We celebrate the day of Christ’s birth once a year at Christmas time; when Christ came, he came to die for and save those he had chosen before the foundation of the earth, and to judge the disobedient and rebellious. Santa parallels this quite closely. He is celebrated only once per year, at Christmas time. He comes, and to those who are on his “nice” list, he brings toys. Those on his “naughty” list solicit coal. Those who are brought toys have been “good little children” and those on the other list say “bah, humbug” throughout the year. Sounds a little too close to the real Christmas story, doesn’t it? Admittedly it is not a perfect comparison, but it mimics Christianity enough to be scary and take the focus off of Christ and instead put it on Rudolph pulling the sleigh through the sky with Santa in tow to bring whatever everyone has got coming to them at midnight. Satan comes as an angel of light, and his manifestation through Santa Claus is just that. He is innocent, benevolent, and filled with a heart of charity (as well as a few of those calorie-filled dinners.) No regular ordinary “moral parent” would let their small kids enjoy thoughts of Santa if he were someone who came around in black baggy clothes, encouraged AC/DC music and had a few teeth here and there because he was a chain smoker. That is not what the average parent wants their young children to seek after, because he would set a bad example. But Satan has craftily gotten around that and made Santa innocuous and something that parents want their children to believe in, thereby taking the focus off of God, and putting it upon something entirely different. Like we said, Satan wants control over men’s souls and he will do anything it takes to gain it.

Presents are another thing that Satan uses to take the concentration off of Christ through the season. Not that they are a bad thing by any stretch of the imagination, for if they were, the Wise Men would be in some hot water. Presents are a wonderful way to show love for someone you know; a gift demonstrates a caring heart for others around you. But, like we have said, focus is everything in an issue like this, and focus been transferred. Christmas is, without a doubt, the most commercialized holiday on record. Christmas to the world has become a time to accumulate rather that to celebrate; a time to get more stuff for themselves. Satan has again done a perfect job at covering his deception. Gifts in our culture are a perfectly harmless thing to give, a great symbol of Christmas and the spirit of the holiday. But when gift giving removes the spotlight off of Christ, it can become a potentially deadly thing, a horribly damaging thing to the world so in need of the true message of Christmas.

Now to sum up, we as Christians should not expect anything more from the world or the devil than what we see, because they are lost people; we shouldn’t expect them to act like Christians. When it requires confrontation is when Christians take part in the destruction of this major pillar of our faith. Christians are told to universally stand up for truth, and when things like Santa Claus remove our single-mindedness off of Christ’s birth, then we have something to fight against.

But we have to keep at the forefront of our minds the fact that the war is not against flesh and blood, but against principalities and powers. The victory for Christmas doesn’t come easily; Satan has a good foothold on the worldview of our culture, but God’s truth will always win. And even if we don’t defeat Satan on earth, he’s going to have a difficult time of it when Christ returns- the Christ of Christmas.

Vision Forum Father/Son Retreat

2009-09-11T15:23:00.000-07:00

Just a few weekends ago Cody, my Dad and I were given the amazing opportunity to attend and perform at the Vision Forum Father/Son Discipleship Retreat in Fraser, CO. It was an absolutely wonderful event and we all had a great time listening to Mr. Doug Phillips, Mr. Bill Potter and Mr. Kevin Swanson speak on very relavent issues about fatherhood, sonship, and being a man after God's heart.

The retreat took place at the Crooked Creek Ranch just outside of Fraser. It is a beautiful facility in the heart of the Rocky Mountains, complete with everything from a pool and hot tub to a forty-foot tall ropes course that takes you through the treetops.

The night before we flew out of the Sacramento, we stayed at a hotel in Woodland about a ten-minute drive from the airport and woke at three o'clock on Friday morning to make it on time for our 6 o'clock flight.

Fortunately, our flight was direct and we made it to Denver in about three hours. After getting our rental car, (which is a whole 'nother story) we started out. It took two hours to drive there, and once we arrived we played for an hour or so in the Center Plaza as other attendees arrived for registration. That night we played a couple of songs as a preview for our Saturday concert, and then Mr. Phillips preached a wonderful message about manhood.

The retreat center was gorgeous, looking out on forests and mountains with huge log cabins, separated into different dorms, each sleeping about ten men apiece. The center had an entire eighteen-hole Frisbee golf course, a whiffle-ball diamond, pool, ping-pong, Foos-ball tables and a full-sized basketball court.

On Sunday, Mr. Swanson preached a hard-hitting sermon on worship that left us all filled with a sense of God's awesome glory and majesty, and a better understanding of the praise that we owe Him as the Creator of everything on earth.

One neat thing that almost everyone did on Saturday was a Father and Son History walk. During this time the participants go somewhere alone, and the sons ask their fathers questions about their life, marriage, and what he desires for them. We spent about an hour-and-a-half just talking, and I heard things I had never know before about my father's childhood and other miscellaneous topics, and that was one of my favorite times that weekend.

Overall, I left this retreat with a deeper sense of respect and love for the parents that God has given me, knowing that my scriptural duty is to honor them with my whole heart and to obey them because God has instructed me to. "Children obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 'Honor your father and mother (which is the first commandment with a promise) so that it may be well with you, and that you may live long on the earth'."
(Ephesians 6:1-3)

In Christ,

Jesse

P.S. We were asked to play at this retreat again next year, and are really looking forward to it.
You can see a short photo synopsis of this year's retreat, including one shot of us playing on stage, at Mr. Phillips blog post here.

Also, we would like to hear from everyone who has visited us and how you found our site, so please do leave comments. We are especially wondering about those who have visited from places like Germany, England, Ireland and Australia, so leave a comment so we can figure out how in the world you found us.

Jesse

Posting

2009-08-16T20:29:00.000-07:00

I am sorry it has been so long. We have been very busy playing at numerous events all over the place and, in fact, this is the first weekend in town that we have had in about a month. I am working on another post right now and I'll have it up as soon as possible.

Happy Lord's Day.

In Christ,

Jesse

Is it Permissible for Christians to Support Witchcraft in the Media?

2009-07-13T20:28:00.000-07:00

Today we see a rising trend of witchcraft, sorcery and mysticism being portrayed in our movies, television shows and publications. Books like The Harry Potter series and the collections of Tolkien and C.S. Lewis have been dramatized and made into multi-million-dollar films, because, sadly the world and more sadly, Christians, do not mind such divination and they are willing to support it for entertainments sake.

We must ask ourselves as believers in a holy, pure and perfect God, should we grasp the trend and go with the flow, or should we avoid these things? Are they, as Philippians 4:8 says, true, honorable, right, pure, lovely, and of good repute, and worthy of dwell on? We must be as the Bereans and search the scriptures before blindly taking a stand and helping to promote media such as this. What does the Word of God say about witchcraft and its implications for the believer?

In the Old Testament, the nation of Israel was given strict laws pertaining to diet, worship and morality, set down in the Pentateuch, from Exodus to Deuteronomy, given so that they might obey them and be different from their pagan neighbors in order to specifically prove that they were the people of God. These laws were made to be very strict so that there would be an image of what Christ would save them from; but when He came, God’s chosen race rejected Him. God also set up severe punishment for those who disobeyed these laws to show that he was a holy God that would not tolerate any sin, and there are those who were killed for there disobedience as is evidenced by the story of Uzzah.

One of God’s requirements was that the Israelites did not practice sorcery and that they put to death those who did. Exodus 22:18 states,

“You shall not allow a sorceress to live.”

Deuteronomy echoes, saying in 18:10-11, “there shall not be found among you anyone who makes his son or daughter pass through the fire, one who uses divination, or one who practices witchcraft, or one who interprets omens, or a sorcerer, or one who casts a spell or a medium, or a spiritist, or one who calls up the dead.”

Note that God does not say to simply avoid them, to refrain from associating with them, but He says to put them to death; keep them permanently out of the nation by destroying them. God sees witchcraft as a sin, as we see here, and Paul, writing under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit calls it a fleshly thing in Galatians 5:17-20. He says, “for the flesh sets its desires against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh, for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit you are not under the Law. Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity, sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger, disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.” These are rather strong words and we know that the Lord is not joking when He says these things.

Even in historical narrative throughout the Scriptures there are stories of men and women who do sorcery, such as King Manasseh, in 2 Chronicles 33:6. There it says “… and he practiced witchcraft, used sorcery, dealt with mediums and spiritists. He did much evil in the sight of the Lord, provoking Him to anger… Thus Manasseh misled Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem to do more evil than the nations whom the Lord destroyed before the sons of Israel.” They were committing more sin than their pagan neighbors and God was extremely angry with them. He was angry because they practiced divination and witchcraft. 2 Kings 9:22 says,

“When Joram saw Jehu, he said, “Is it peace, Jehu?” And he answered “What peace, so long as the harlotries of your mother Jezebel and her witchcrafts are so many?”

The man realizes there can be no peace until these idolatries and sorceries are stopped in Israel because God will not allow peace until they are destroyed from the nation he made to be spotless and without blemish.

One important thing to note is that we have spoken about only the nation of Israel, and you might consider that these scriptures do not apply to you. But they do, as much as the Ten Commandments, which were given to the Israelites, apply to you, for it is still the Word of the Lord, and even though we are not required to give sacrifices as in the Mosaic Law, for Christ was the sacrifice for all time and has taken the punishment for our sin since His death on the cross, obedience is still expected. Christ says in Matthew 5:17,

“Do not think I came to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to abolish but to fulfill.”

The entire Old Testament was not destroyed when Christ came and set up the New Covenant. All that was destroyed from the Mosaic Law was the sacrifice, for Christ at His death was the ultimate sacrifice for the sins of God’s chosen people.

You might also be thinking that the sorcerers in the novels of Tolkien and Lewis are being portrayed, as in The Lord of the Rings with the sorcerer as a good one, in fact being the image of God, or in Narnia as a bad one, being an image of Satan, but although this may be true, it is still not a valid argument. Tolkien is giving an image of God through something that God condemned throughout the Scriptures, and this would be the same as portraying Christ as a homosexual or an adulterer, for example. This cannot be done with the support of Scriptural teachings throughout God’s Word. This is, in fact, blaspheming the name of the members of the Trinity, which are perfect, righteous, and holy deities. We, as Christians, cannot support these things that so blatantly defy the Bible. One might reason that since you are not practicing it and it is being used 'in context,' it does not matter that you are seeing or reading it. But this is a flawed view, in the same way that it would be illogical to argue that you may watch or read about someone committing adultery, since it is in context, even if it is being portrayed as wrong.

We see in the Chronicles of Narnia also that some of the magic is portrayed as doing the work of the Lord, but this could not be the case and the stories still be biblically sound, for God could not deem something as permissible if His work is being done through things that He has condemned in His Word. This would be the same as thinking something is right, even if, say, the apostles were shown doing God’s work but worshipping idols. This cannot logically be accomplished, and we would consider it sacrilegious if the disciples were portrayed in that manner.

After seeing these passages one wonders, how we can as Christians assist in the production and distribution of films, shows and books like these? From my understanding of Scripture, we cannot support them and be doing right before the Lord, for God calls us to be separate from the world. In his letter to the Roman church, in 10:1-2, Paul writes these wonderful words; “Therefore I urge you brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” Through being different from the world we prove what the will of God is, through both the things we do and those we don’t do. If the world is supporting idolatry, we, as Christians would not support it, for God forbids it; yet we are willing to encourage the spread of sorcery in media, even though God forbids it.

We need to again become separate from the world and its satanic devices and be pure and undefiled, not willing to even have anything to do with Satan’s strategies to lead us into his paths. But the wonderful truth of the matter is, we know where he is going, and we also know where we are going to be after our death; with Christ, in an eternal state of perfection, with new bodies and a new earth.

I want us to think about this and ponder, am I obeying God by watching or reading these things, and am I different from the world by supporting them? For through being different we will shine like stars in the universe, and be radically ministering to the unsaved for Christ Jesus our Lord, and His word.

In Christ,
Jesse

Documentary

2009-06-29T21:34:00.000-07:00

As I stated in my profile I am very interested in Christian filmaking. I am now officially starting my first film, a documentary, a genre I would like to focus on. It is about adoptive families in our area and the ministries that they have through this medium, as well as the blessings that many children can bring. There is not yet an official title, although I have a few basic ideas for one. More later!

In Christ,

Jesse