Choosing a Charity to Support

             Charity in the Bible is presented as “love in action,” not as a means of earning salvation but as a result of having been given the gift of salvation.  There are thousands of charities and, as we are financially able, we may donate to one or to many as we see fit. One caveat: for a Christian, our main purpose should be to advance the kingdom. Any other purposes, even those which are obviously positive, are secondary. 

            ἕκαστος καθὼς προῄρηται τῇ καρδίᾳ, μὴ ἐκ λύπης ἢ ἐξ ἀνάγκης· ἱλαρὸν γὰρ δότην ἀγαπᾷ ὁ Θεός 2 Corinthians 9:7, in a literal translation into English would read something like this: Every/each as he has decided in heart, not out of grudging or out of forced need/necessity, cheerful indeed giver loves God. Read this verse in your own preferred Bible translation.

            Not all charities are ethical and some border on actual fraud. Some give very limited funds to the causes they espouse, instead using most of their money for “administrative expenses.” Others resort to questionable practices to raise funds. They may send you a set of address labels or some small gift to make you feel a sense of obligation to them.

The website shown below discusses donor’s hesitance to contribute to charities which violate the donor’s privacy by selling their names and contact information to third parties. There are actually companies which sell targeted mailing lists of persons known to have donated to similar charities. For example, a person could be targeted for their history of donating to charities dedicated to a particular political orientation, or to a specific religious group, or to animal rescue activities, or to anti- or pro-abortion groups, or to foster involvement in the arts, or to literacy programs, or to homeless or injured veteran’s activities, or to  advance children’s sports involvement, or to disaster relief organizations, or to charities which are medically oriented. There is an established charity for almost any imaginable purpose and you can safely assume that most of them are willing to sell the contact information of their donors and to buy targeted lists of prospective new donors. They, and hundreds of others, will flood you with sometimes very insistent requests for donations.  On https://smartasset.com you can also read this article, “The 50 Worst Charities in America.”

https://www.workplaceprivacyreport.com/2022/03/articles/online-privacy/not-for-profits-charities-might-attract-more-donors-with-improved-website-content-attention-to-privacy/

This is unethical and is presumptuous, as if you owe your money to their particular charity. It exhibits an extreme disrespect for their donors but is not illegal and at least some of the donated funds go to their stated causes.

Favor Christian charities as your first choices. Give to secular charities if you have even more to give. Research your chosen charity’s mission statement carefully to make sure that they actually provide the majority of their funds to their stated purpose.  Some charities explicitly state that they respect their donors and that they do not sell your personal information to others. God loves a cheerful giver but he also expects us to use our gift of discernment. Use your money wisely to advance the Kingdom.

A few Bible verses about charity: Deuteronomy 15:11; Proverbs 14:21, 19:17; Malachi 3:10; Matthew 5:42, 6:1-2, 19:21; Luke 6:38, 11:41, 12:33; John 3:17; Acts 9:36, 20:35; Hebrews 13:16; Romans 12:13; Colossians 3:14; 1 Timothy 1:5; 1 John 3:17; James 2:15-16. 

Breaking the Fourth Wall

 

            In film-making, there is a concept called breaking the fourth wall in which one or several characters acknowledge the existence of the viewing audience and address the viewers as if they are participants in the ongoing events.

            The first, second, and third walls are like a box around a stage set: the back wall and the two side walls. The fourth wall is the wall visible to the characters in the play but totally transparent to the people watching the events as they occur. Traditionally, the actors and narrators are assumed to be unaware that they are being watched by the audience.

            Breaking the fourth wall occurs when a character in the play or film glances at the audience or camera, makes movements like a wink or a knowing smile which betray a knowledge of the existence of the audience, or actually speaks directly to the viewers. Occasionally, the narrative itself becomes self-aware. Examples of this phenomenon occur in the films, Ferris Bueller’s Day Off, the Marvel Deadpool films, and The Neverending Story, which can be seen to exhibit as many as seven levels of fourth wall breaking.  

            What does this have to do with this Christian blog? Well, this is in reference to the Bible itself. The Bible is holy, but as an object it is just a book, ink on sheets of paper, or, in our current modern days, the arrangement of millions of pixels on your cellphone screen.

            There are widely varying levels of reverence for the physical book itself, with some actually bordering on idolatry, but the physical book is just that, a book.

            Two ways of understanding the Bible are as a tool or as a weapon. Both understandings can be biblically supported.

            So, back to the subject of this post. Sitting on a shelf or lying on a desk the Bible is just a book. The thing which only Christians can understand is that once it is picked up and opened, the Bible is itself indwelled by the Holy Spirit, the same person who inhabits each of us. Just as we can use the Bible, so can he. It is one of the many ways he can speak directly to us.

            The Holy Spirit is aware as we read the biblical text and he guides us to new insights, the meat of the gospel, new levels of understanding which we as believers can gradually comprehend as we mature. How do we know this? The Bible tells us so.

            One of the activities of the Holy Spirit is the Reminding Ministry. He will guide you in the Bible to the answers or understandings which you need to further mature as a Christian.

            Isaiah 11:2; 1 Corinthians 2:12, 3:1-4, 6:19-20; Hebrews 5:12-13; John 14:17,26, 16:13; Romans 8:9; Colossians 1:27; 1 John 4:15.

Eschatology Series, Post #3: Christian Eschatology

Prior posts in this series:
http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2015/01/film-comment-left-behind.html
http://saintsontheloose.blogspot.com/2015/01/eschatology-series-post-2-eschatologies.html

Christian eschatology is the study of the end times of the world as related to Christian doctrine. This is far less settled than many people think. Some Christians see eschatology as the major emphasis of their ministry activities while other Christians seem to be totally uninterested. Others merely point out that Christians are clearly instructed in the Scriptures to be ready for the end times but to not set dates. We are instructed to watch the signs and to stay aware. Much of the discussion centers on the book of Revelation.

There are numerous concepts in Christian eschatology which have engendered much discussion (and sometimes heated arguments leading to church splits) among the Saints. There seem to be as many opinions on this subject as there are Christians. Below is a short listing of some of the terms involved in the discussion.

ANTICHRIST: The Antichrist is a world religious and political figure in Christian Eschatology who represents everything opposed to God and Jesus. He is called the Beast and the Man of Perdition who will declare himself to be God. Some believe that he will be a human son of Satan. Others believe that he will be Satan himself. Some see the Antichrist as not a person but a political system or a false church system. Others say that he is in some way merely a symbolic figure representing the world system which opposes the teachings of Jesus Christ. Various persons throughout history have been suspected by some of being the Antichrist: The Roman Emperor Nero, Oliver Cromwell, the Pope, and even United States President Barack Obama. There is a number associated with the Antichrist, 666, which we are told is the number of a man. Intense numerological speculation has occurred with it being demonstrated, for example, that the Emperor Nero's name totals to the number 666. My view is that when the true Antichrist appears it will be readily obvious to members of the Body of Christ. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, 1 John 2:18, 2:22, 4:3, 2 John 1:7, Daniel 7:24-25, Revelation 13:5-8, 15:2

FALSE PROPHET: The False Prophet is a person who uses seemingly magical powers to convince people to worship the Antichrist as God. Some believe that he will be of Jewish origin, others that he will be a Gentile. Revelation 13:11-15, 16:13, 19:20, 20:10, Matthew 7:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:9

MARK OF THE BEAST: The Mark of the Beast is some sort of marking placed upon those persons who accept the divinity of the Beast/Antichrist. Without the mark, a person will be unable to buy, sell, or hold a job. Speculation as to the nature of the mark includes that it might be a tattoo, an actual branding, a bio-chip, or just the internal mark of having chosen allegiance to the Antichrist. Revelation 13:16-18, 14:9-10.

THE GREAT TRIBULATION: A time period ruled by the Beast during which Christians will be intensely persecuted and martyred. Revelation 6, Daniel 9:24-27, 12:1, 14:1-5, Matthew 24:21, Jeremiah 30:7, 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, 5:2, 9, 1 Corinthians 15:51-53, Isaiah 2:2, 13:6-9, Joel 1:15, 2:1-31, 3:14, Deuteronomy 4:30, Zephaniah 1:1

THE MILLENIUM: A one thousand year time period during which Jesus Christ literally rules the entire Earth from His throne in Jerusalem. There are numerous comments and interpretations about this period: they include:
  1. Some insist that it is first mentioned in the Persian Zoroastrian religion and was copied by Christianity.
  2. The word merely means "a long time."
  3. The millenium is merely symbolic.
  4. We are in the millenium now and the world will progressively become better until the Kingdom of Heaven is finally achieved.
Matthew 24, 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, Revelation

ARMEGEDDON: A terrible world-wide war provoked by the Antichrist in which the majority of the Earth's population will die. Daniel 9, Matthew 24, Revelation 4:19.

THE RAPTURE: The Rapture is the event when Jesus returns to take believers into the air with Him, leaving the Earth populated only by unbelievers. Exactly when, or even if, this occurs is disputed among Christian believers. There are many conflicting interpretations of this doctrine. 1 Thessalonians 4:16-18, Matthew 24:29-31, Mark 13:24-27, Luke 21:25-27, 1 Corinthians 15:52, Isaiah 27:13.

What They Think of Us: The Christian Neurosis

Pierre Solignac  (born 1929, France) is a French psychiatrist who claimed that Christianity uses guilt in order to maintain control of its followers. He spoke of the “Christian Neurosis,” which he said meant that a Christian had to carry around a huge weight of neurotic guilt in order to be properly “humble” before God. It is sad to say that many Christians down through the ages have bought into this anti-Christian, non-Christian attitude. Solignac said that Christians believe in a God of conditional love (if we are “good” enough and “humble enough” He will accept us) who uses law and rules to keep us under control.  “L'éducation chrétienne repose essentiellement sur l'
angoisse et la peur, le manque de confiance en la nature humaine, le mépris du 
corps, ...” (Christian education is based primarily on the anxiety and fear, lack of trust in human nature, contempt of body ...)

No! No! No! No! No!

Our salvation is not based on following rules or being humble doormats or being good enough or knowing some secret doctrine hidden from the world.

“For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast.” Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV)

“There is therefore now no condemnation to them which are in Christ Jesus, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit.” Romans 8:1

Do you realize what the Bible says about Christians? It does not say that we become perfect at the moment of our salvation. What it says is that there is no condemnation for us.  “No condemnation” means “found innocent with no penalty imposed.” As John tells us in 1 John 3:14, “We have passed from death to life.”

We have been declared innocent because we are covered by the shed Blood of the Lamb of God. Through the process of sanctification we are becoming like Jesus and when God looks at us He sees the Blood, He sees Jesus. Our guilt has been washed away.

The Apostle Paul understood that Christian innocence could be misunderstood and he adds a coda at Romans 6:1-2 to oppose the heresy of antinomianism. Antinomianism taught that since we are saved and are no longer under the condemnation of the Law we can do whatever we want without any penalty.

“What shall we say then? Shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein?” Romans 6:1-2. (KJV)

Ghosts!!!!!

The Bible is clear that we are surrounded by hosts of supernatural beings, both benevolent and malevolent.  A less clear question is whether or not any of these beings are what we would call “ghosts,” the disembodied spirits of dead humans.

There are numerous mentions of “ghosts” and “spirits” and an “after-life” in the Bible.  (Deuteronomy 18:9; 1 Samuel 28:7-25,  Matthew 14:25-27, 2 Corinthians 4:13-18, 5:1,6-8, 11:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18, John 10:10, 19:30, Mark  5:1-20, 15:37-39, Luke 23:46, 24:39  1 John 4:1,  

There are various Christian interpretations which have been put forth:

1.     “Ghosts: are demons in disguise, hoping to lure us away into error.

2.     “Ghosts” are not personal beings, but are traces or ripples we leave behind in the space-time continuum., especially after intense emotional experiences.

3.      “Ghosts” are what many believe them to be, the disembodied spirits of dead humans, trapped in the material and unable to “move on.”

4.     “Ghosts” are the product of superstition or very “active imaginations.”

5.     “Ghosts” are an utter fabrication produced by persons wishing to profit in some way from gullible people.

My own take on ghosts is that they do not exist.  When we die, we immediately are in the presence of the Lord (Luke 23:43).  There is nothing in the Bible about the spirits of the dead walking the Earth.  The witch of Endor who called up Samuel the Prophet (1 Samuel 28) was shocked when he actually showed up.  She was accustomed to dealing with someone or something else.

If ghosts did exist, Christians would have no need to fear them.  We are indwelled by the Mind of Christ and demons, as well as angels, must obey us.  The demon’s only other recourse would be to run away. (James 4:7)

Below are links to sites exhiiting the world’s extreme interest in ghosts and hauntings.

http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/news-seven-most-haunted-spots-earth

http://paranormal.about.com/od/hauntedplaces/ig/World-s-Most-Haunted-Place/

http://www.letitflow.com/most-haunted-places-usa/

http://inventorspot.com/articles/13_real_haunted_places_2532

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_reportedly_haunted_locations_in_the_world

One United Church of Christ pastor , The Paranormal Pastor, definitely believes in ghosts:.

http://theparanormalpastor.blogspot.com/2008/08/bible-and-paranormal-part-1-ghosts.html 

And, The Haunted Places Directory.

http://www.haunted-places.com/ 

Film Comment: Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure

The video clip below is from a cult classic movie named Bill and Ted’s Excellent Adventure (1989).  The film is truly hilarious because it is so ridiculously mindless and vapid.

In 2688 AD/CE, Rufus is chosen to save the Utopian future by using a time traveling phone booth to go to 1988 and to ensure that the Two Great Ones, Bill and Ted , are able to form the rock music band Wyld Stallyns (Wild Stallions) because their music is destined to save the world. To preserve the future, Rufus has to help the two empty headed boys make a passing grade on their high school history project.

(Some videos will not play properly when you click on the triangle.  Instead,  click on the title line in the picture and the video will begin .  When the video is completed, close the You Tube pop-up window to return to this blog.) 

This video replay is blocked. Try this link instead.

“I think they want us to say something.”

“What should I say?”

“Make something up!”

“Be excellent to each other!”

“Be excellent to each other!”  This is excellent advice but is a very naive basis on which to build a society because of the fallen nature of man.  History has repeatedly proven that we will not “Be excellent to each other!”

Only a complete change in our nature, a total transformation in our understanding of the nature of reality, will suffice. We need to be of one mind about things.  Christians are capable of this because we are indwelled by the Holy Spirit.  We have the Mind of Christ. (1 Corinthians 1:10, 2:16; Philippians 1:27)

“In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother. For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.” 1John 3:10-11