Silent Planet

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2009-10-14T17:32:00.000-07:00

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2009-10-14T17:02:00.000-07:00

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2009-10-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

Hey everyone

2009-10-13T14:35:00.001-07:00

Check out Glen Beck's special tomorrow at 1800 hours - friday.
He will be discussing the new "healthcare" legislation with doctors.

Does Free Speech equal Hatred in our Dystopia?

2009-10-12T18:11:00.000-07:00

I recently had a very fiery debate with someone on a Christian website. Without going to deep into the overall battle I will just show you how it ended and then get into the issues.

““Wow. So now Obama is the Devil? (Is that what you mean by 'on-topic' John?).
This discussion has degraded into to ridiculous. I don't see Christ in (many) of these comments AT ALL. What I see (in both the question AND several comments) is bigotry, hate and racism cloaked in veneer Christianity. Jesus said, 'You will know my followers, for they will have LOVE for one another'.
.... I know I read that somewhere.
This discussion has been most 'illuminating'. I've had my say. I'm going to wash my hands....
Peace be unto you all.”” – PD

“”'bigotry, hate and racism.' That is the firey dart I was waiting for.

Quote: 'I have a dream that my four children will one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character.'

The president not only passed the glass ceiling, he shattered it - and there was never a greater opportunity for healing or a return to the core values of this nation. Instead we have seen the opposite. The people on this board have judged Pres. Obama on his character and found him lacking. That is what discernment is all about. It is the liberals who have given him a free pass for "being black" and therefore have made themselves to be the racists. Whether it be late night comedians who are too cowardly to satirize him or the media talking heads who practically worship the man - they are the ones who have judged him based on skin color.

I have been accused of not judging Pres. Bush in a similar manner. Not true. When Bush stood for the 'two nation solution to Jerusalem' I attacked him harshly on this very web site. I was rebuffed then as well. When the temple institute issued the Meghilla- Bush I cheered them on.

I have served side by side with soldiers of every race - I have cried at too many funerals and I have seen with my own eyes that we all bleed red. Leveling a charge of racism against me for my ideological opinions smacks of oppression - you just want to shut me up. If racist is a label I have to wear to have a voice SO BE IT.”” - ME

“”John, et al. I'm done. You guys can practice hate in the name of Jesus, by yourselves. IMHO, You will be the ones in the outer darkness. You will be judged for every word you have written in this group. Every single word. As for me, every (real) Christian (white AND black) I have let read these threads has told me to RUN, don't walk away from this group, and that isJUST what I'm doing. John, if you have something to say, say it in the LIGHT. For ALL to read. If it's just more hate then, ....hate away 'Christians'. This group grieves the spirit.”” - PD

Hatred? It is disconcerting to me that calling the administration what it is, amounts to racism. Since when does declaring the truth about something make you a racist? We have a president shown to be profoundly socialistic and working hand in hand with the unions. His overall world-view is a bizarre mix of Socialism and Islam. We see the nationalization of industries, federal power grabs, and the most pro-abortion administration ever. Whilst this is going on the President travels the world apologizing for us. He feels soooo guilty for America. He deserves criticism. He deserves to be voted out. He might even deserve jail time (you heard it here first folks).

People please don’t stop telling the truth just because someone calls you racist. Frankly I am not surprised that this escalated to me being “thrown into the outer darkness.” I promise you I never attacked PD’s faith or accused him of not being a “real Christian.” Who’s practicing hate here? Who has judged who? Think about it.

Time to take action...

2009-02-10T22:32:00.000-08:00

Glamour Bombing.

Counter point to Islamic hate

Read all about it here.... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Glamourbombing

If there is any time to start fomenting revolution it is now. People of America - wake up. The government has abdicated it's constitutional role of protecting the electorate against foreign and domestic enemies. Soldiers need to prepare to wage asynchronous warfare against said enemies.

Civilians need to exercise their free speech. But you can't can you?

Read Bill Warner's article here... http://www.politicalislam.com/blog/ignorance-as-a-political-point-of-view/

The Newstate is in league with Political Islam. The foundations of the republic are crumbling under the weight of entitlement and the hammer of political correctness. Citizens are only free to speak their mind if the state sanctions their point of view. Don't believe me? Try talking about the evils of Islam at work, in school or even your church.

Again I suggest glamour bombing. Go to the library, the book store - place cartoons and articles about Islam, loose into books. Get business cards you can print on your home printer and make cards that say nothing but "haltterrorism.com" or "WhatYouCanDoAboutIslam.com" and put them wherever you can. Some grocery stores, for example, have a place you can post your business cards, or a bulletin board. Every time you go to the store, re-stock the cards.

If you are a Christian you can witness in the same way.

You can write cryptic or inspirational messages and post them in conspicuous places. You can leave surprises with your messages attached for target people. Perhaps flowers, packets of seeds, crystals or a nice hot latte with http://www.politicalislam.com/ or http://www.silentplanet23.com/ written on the side. Just leave it in a coworkers cubicle when they are not looking.

If you are afraid you can still get the word out.

Girls of the IDF (need I say more?)

2009-01-30T00:29:00.001-08:00

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KMe1HfPNq7Y

Hank Hanegraaff

2009-01-30T00:10:00.000-08:00

The Bible answer man?

Imagine my suprise to tune in to radio 93.9 Fm on my local dial and find Hank the answer man in discussion with a Palestinian Christian advocating "the roadmap" - two nation solution to the Middle East conflict.

Apparently Hank and his friend are translating copies of his new book into Arabic. While not wanting to contend one way or another on the wisdom of that. Here is a quote from Norman Geisler that seems illuminating related to The Apocalypse Code Hank's new book.

"Hanegraaff meekly declares of the release of his new book: 'I think it will create a major paradigm shift in our understanding of the end times that is long overdue.' He believes it will be away from dispensational futurism and toward his preterism/idealism scheme."

For an excellent critical breakdown of Hank's views and some counter arguments see below:

http://www.preteristarchive.com/CriticalArticles/2007_ice_hanegraaff.html

The conclusion from the preterist archive says it all:

"This book is not only filled with factual error throughout, but teaches that most Bible prophecy has already been fulfilled and advocates the following preterist viewpoints: Nero was the beast of Revelation (i.e., the antichrist), Christ's Olivet discourse and most of the Book of Revelation were fulfilled by events surrounding the a.d. 70 destruction of Jerusalem, and the tribulation was also fulfilled in the first century. Hanegraaff is certainly no lover of Israel since he teaches that God divorced the harlot Israel (he needs to read the end of Hosea) and took a new bride-the church, supports the pro-Palestinian claims against Israel, and even accuses Israel of the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Hanegraaff embraces and argues for many viewpoints that are detrimental to sound Bible study and interpretation. Not surprisingly, I do not recommend this book, unless one is looking for an example of how not to study the Bible for all its worth. Maranatha!"

Well said, I couldn't have done better myself.

Update Moslem anti-semitism

2009-01-28T22:28:00.000-08:00

Two synagogues and a Jewish school in the Chicago area were vandalized on Jan. 10. The graffiti included hate messages directed at Israel for its invasion of the Gaza Strip. A week before, bomb threats were made to several Chicago-area Jewish schools. And on Dec. 29, a man threw a Molotov cocktail at the outside wall of Temple Sholom of Chicago.

In Carmel, California, five youths were arrested for vandalizing three (Jewish) peers' homes over the weekend and face possible hate crime charges.

Monroe, New York - Monroe Village Police have charged a 14-year-old Monroe youth in connection with etching a 20-foot-by-20-foot swastika in the snow on one of the downtown ponds where people skate.

A Brockton (MA) man accused in a rape and double murder reportedly told police that he intended to kill as many Jews as possible, then kill himself, in what he called a fight "for a dying race."

Police say anti-Semitic graffiti was found scrawled along the walls of a Crown Heights subway station.

Some passages from school textbooks in Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, and Indonesia incite hatred and violence. The offending passages include those that incite hatred and violence against Jews.

The Jewish community in Golders Green, London, has been the target of further anti-Semitic attacks.

The Catalunya government in Spain has called off the ceremony marking the International Holocaust Remembrance Day, which was scheduled to take place on January 27, citing the Israeli offensive in Gaza as the reason.'

Anti-Semitic fliers were left in three synagogues in Venezuela.

Protestors in Sweden gathering to support Israel were pelted with eggs and bottles and tear-gas, then dispersed by police

A synagogue in the Czech city of Trebic was sprayed by an unknown vandal with the slogan "Jews, return Gaza, murderers of kids".

In Italy, a new survey finds that 44% of Italians are admittedly anti-Semitic.

Iranian state television has come to the conclusion that Harry Potter is a Zionist plot

In Romford (UK), a synagogue has come under attack from anti-Semitic vandals.

A Norwegian diplomat . . . sent out e-mails from her Foreign Ministry email account equating Israel's offensive against Hamas in Gaza with the systematic mass murder of six million Jews by the Nazis.

Kosher warehouse hit in Paris blaze

Videos

Palestinian children celebrate martyrdom and Jew hatred at Carnival: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JAolwtAaM3U

Hamas video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CWIDZ7Jpdqg

“The Jews lived as Dhimmis among us”:http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=10789687&msgid=212009&act=7GBC&c=162528&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D-BH5SCUg3r8%26eurl =

Jews Get Out: http://click.icptrack.com/icp/relay.php?r=10789687&msgid=212009&act=7GBC&c=162528&admin=0&destination=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.youtube.com%2Fwatch%3Fv%3DplzeK9Q02zs%26eurl%3D

2009-01-28T22:19:00.001-08:00

This was brought to my attention. I know it is short notice but please take action NOW!

January 28, 2009
Dear friend of liberty,
While driving to
work two weeks ago, Campaign for Liberty member Chris Engel was listening to a
conversation on talk radio. After one particular caller, Chris decided he
couldn't just listen anymore; he had to join the discussion.
"It is hard not to pay attention to what is going on in the world today," Chris said. "To put it lightly, there is a lot."
So, he picked up the phone and dialed the number
for Bill Bennett's radio program, "Morning in America."
"The host and screener were very nice and the show had many opinions offered," Chris explained. After getting on the air, Chris made a great point about how we
not only enjoy the sacrifices made by our nation's founders, but that our
parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents struggled to give us an
inheritance we are now too willing to throw away for a short-term gain.
"At the end, I got a quick shout-out in for Dr. Paul and the folks trying to swing
the pendulum back the other way at Campaign for Liberty," Chris said.
Chris did a great job!
Inspired by Chris, Campaign for Liberty would like to
encourage all of you to follow his lead with our first Mass Action
Day.
Campaign for Liberty Mass Action Days are one-day events where the
national organization encourages its members and state groups to perform a
specific task in order to achieve a stated organizational goal.
The first Mass Action Day will be centered on National Freedom Day.
According to the Library of Congress,
Major Richard Robert Wright Sr., a former slave, fought to have a day when freedom for all Americans would be celebrated. When Wright received his freedom, he went on to become a successful businessman and community leader in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Major Wright chose February 1 as National Freedom Day because it was the day in 1865 that President Lincoln signed the 13th Amendment to the Constitution...

Wright gathered national and local leaders together to write a bill declaring February
1 "National Freedom Day" and President Harry Truman signed the bill in 1948
making it official. "National Freedom Day" provides a backdrop for us to
discuss the principles that made our country great - limited government, a
noninterventionist foreign policy, and a respect for civil liberties.
For this Mass Action Day, we are asking you to contact national and local talk radio
programs to share and elaborate on items within Campaign for Liberty's Core
Principles and message of freedom. This year, February 1 falls on a Sunday.
For that reason, and because most talk shows accept a wider range of calls on
Fridays, the Action Day is this Friday, January 30th.
A set of basic talking points along with a list of national talk radio programs and their contact information has been created to help you with this effort. Please view
these documents here and here.
The goal is simple: we want to educate and influence
mainstream political thought so that its adherents begin to adopt our core
principles as their own. Thanks for all the hard work you have done, and for
the support you have given to Dr. Paul and his message of freedom. Together, we
can ensure the success of our message and see a day when our Constitution is
respected and our liberties are secured.
If you make it on the air, please send a link to the audio of that show. We will be posting successful calls on Campaign for Liberty's main page.

For liberty,
Matt HoldridgeDirector of
Marketing, Campaign for Liberty
P.S. Follow the lead of Campaign for Liberty
member Chris Engel, and call a national or local talk radio program on Friday,
January 30, 2009. Click here for a set of basic talking points along with a list
of national talk radio shows and their contact information here. If you make it on the air, please send a link to the audio of that show. Again, we will be posting successful calls on Campaign for Liberty's main page.

I'M BACK!!

2009-01-28T00:18:00.001-08:00

Hey, I got my BLOG unlocked! I'm back baby YEAH!!!

Gotta Love Argentina

2008-04-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

Right now I sit in my brother in law's apartment... and I have to admit: I love Argentina.

I know I know. It sounds crazy, considering it is almost impossible to do ANYTHING here. But that is somewhat the charm of the place. It takes two hours to drive twenty miles. It takes three weeks to get a passport renewed. If the only goal you have on your trip is to eat a steak... Well, you can't!

But that's o.k. Because you can still eat fresh pasta, breads, these little weird donuts that would put krispy creme out of business. You can eat to your heart's content. Just not a steak.

Apparently a tariff passed by the Argentine government made it impossible for the ranchers (gouchos) to compete in the international market against US beef. So the ranchers are punishing Buenos Aires by not delivering beef. It happens. But that was my wife's and mine only real goal on this trip... to eat lots of beef. Now that won't happen.

Rewind three years ago... We had one goal in Argentina. To renew my wife's passport. So we waited and waited at the police station. We spoke with dozens of officials, we appealed to commissars and cops alike. Strange women in blue lab coats gave us dirty looks. The problem was that we had to have a specific piece of paper to get the passport, an apostille. But nobody would tell us what piece of paper it was. "Yeah, you need my information, but I won't give it to you." was the attitude. Thanks to a hard working civil servant somewhere in Oregon, and my mother... we finally got the passport, and my wife and I were able to leave.

Now all I wish for is a steak. "That will cost $100.00 US dollars sir." "No gracias, I'll have the hot bowl of steam."

Even without steak the barbque is amazing. The pasta to die for, and the pastries will kill you with sweetness. So all in all not a bad culinary trip.

J

2008-03-16T19:16:00.001-07:00

Re-enactments usually start months or even a year before "the event" as interested parties start planning and logistics. Our hero's will be at the company level, and therefore concerned with their own affairs. But the politics surrounding planning an event are mind blowing.

Wool Trek

2008-03-16T19:08:00.000-07:00

Introducing Wool Trek, my attempt at a web comic. Wool Trek explores the sillier side of my re-enacting experiences, I hope my former Pards will forgive me for poking fun at "the Hobby." Someday when I am done will all this Army stuff I might get back into wool. Enjoy

- Jess

The Six Laws

2008-02-10T19:35:00.000-08:00

“I am the law!!!” Judge Dredd 2000AD Comics

There is much debate in the body of Christ revolving around the law. Do we keep the law? What is the law? Is it just The Ten Commandments, or is it every movie Yule Brenner ever made? Do we keep the Law of Moses? Are we to submit to the law of men? Should we be caught living a law unto ourselves? After diligent study, and discourse with many religious scholars, much more learned than me, I have come to an answer. Maybe

In the church there appears to be two general schools of thought. One school of thought I will call liberal, it asserts that Christians are not beholden to any law because of the freedom given by Christ. The other view I would term legalistic, which states that all the Ten Commandments and every scripture must be done. We do not stone many witches these days, so the legalistic approach has drawbacks. Another version of legalism is practiced by modern day Judaisers. They would have you follow the entire Law of Moses to the letter. Don’t eat pork, not even with a fork. Do the Mishna, observe the Torah.

I remember a book called The Ten Commandments; I do not recall who wrote it because in the end it did not matter. The book was a complete waste of time. Anyone who tries to keep The Ten Commandments is doomed to failure. You will be coveting your neighbor’s ass before you can say Jack Robinson. Therein is my thesis: any human attempt to keep “The Law” will fail, and should be viewed as adultery. Now what laws are we talking about? They are the laws that pertain to the Kingdom of God.

Back before Abraham met YHWH in the suburbs of Chaldea, there was already law. The laws of nature do not really apply to our discussion so I will omit them. But there was already a “law” of principle. “But now a righteousness of God has been revealed apart from Law, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets” (Rom 3:21 LITV). This is the same law wherein YHWH showed His righteousness to men through nature. “For the unseen things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things made, both His eternal power and Godhead, for them to be without excuse” (Rom 1:20 LITV).

Since the fall of humanity in the garden, the law of principle has been at war against another law. This is the one law that is easy to keep; the law of sin in the members “I find then the law, when I desire to do the right, that evil is present with me. (Rom 7:21 LITV) These two laws are consistently at each other’s throats. Some people contend that only believers feel the struggle, and non believers always give in to the law of sin.

Abraham understood these laws because they were codified by the government he lived under. It is possible that Abraham was a kid when Nimrod / Gilgamesh started building his ziggurat to Astarte, and he may have even seen the scattering of the peoples. But God had a plan, and a new law. The Law of Faith states simply that righteousness comes by believing on YHWH. “Even as Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness” (Gal 3:6 KJV). This law excludes self righteousness, “Where then is the glorying? It is excluded. By what manner of law? of works? Nay: but by a law of faith.” (Rom 3:27 RSV) You will note that Abraham’s justification predates all forms of Judaica! Also the Lord put Abraham to sleep to codify the promises based on this law. The benefits of this law are unilaterally derived, coming only from YHWH.

But why should anyone believe Abraham? Men ignored the law of principle when it suited them. Humanity requires a harsh schoolmaster. So on Mt. Sinai Moses witnessed the law of God, which is the law of principle being carved into stone. Moses presented the tablets to the people; who were busy displaying the law of sin in the members, and he was so wroth that not only did he break the tablets; he also penned another law, with YHWH’s guidance. While the law of God is the intent of the creator, the Law of Moses serves to teach that the law cannot be adhered to. “Wherefore thelaw was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith.” (Gal 3:24 KJV) Even that required another law to be instituted. There had to be a law of the mind that would convince mankind of his need to submit to the Law of God. Sadly the law of Sin always defeats the law of the Mind “But if I do what I do not will, I agree with the Law, that it is good.” (Rom 7:16 KJV) Can you begin to see the lengths God goes to, just to reach out to humanity?

If we cannot keep the Law of God or the Law of Moses, what law can be kept? The laws of the mind, sin and death demand a resolution. “For the Law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus set me free from the law of sin and of death.” (Rom 8:2 KJV) So this law of the spirit is a loophole law, it sets us free from the other laws, even the law of sin and death. How? Jesus paid the price as our advocate; we can place ourselves under His law. So the law of the spirit sets us completely free from all other laws. In fact the marriage analogy Paul uses in beginning of chapter seven details how if we try to keep the “law” when we are bound to The Law of the Spirit, we become adulterers! God’s grace operates on a continuum of infinite depth. Here is God demonstrating His righteousness: this Law of the Spirit yields benefits through submission to Christ, not by human effort. “so that the righteous demand of the Law might be fulfilled in us, those not walking according to flesh, but according to Spirit.” (Rom 8:4 LITV)

The benefits are that the Law of Faith, and the righteous Mosaic Law are made manifest in a believers life. All laws become fulfilled through faith alone in Jesus Christ. “Do not think that I came to annul the Law or the Prophets; I did not come to annul, but to fulfill.” (Mat 5:17 LITV)

How can you tell if someone is in the Law of the Spirit? “Everyone practicing sin also practices lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness. Little children, let no one lead you astray; the one practicing righteousness is righteous, even as that One is righteous.” (1 Jhn 3:4,7 LITV) They practice righteousness. Strong’s dictionary has a multitude of definitions for that word practice, (G4160 Strong’s) among them are; to make or do, to abide or agree. The idea here is summed up well with practice, not that we are perfect, but rather we attempt and we work at it. So what are you practicing? Are you trying to sin more or less is the idea you might get.

But what does Paul say about righteousness? “But to the one not working, but believing on Him justifying the ungodly, his faith is counted for righteousness.”(Rom 4:5 KJV) Whoa, righteousness believes on Jesus. We really do serve an awesome God. Because of this amazing thing Christ has done, we are compelled to serve Him out of love, and this is the Law of the Spirit.

Bibliography

Missler, C. (2000). Romans. Retrieved August 22^nd, 2007, www.khouse.org

Scofield, C.I. (1967). The New Scofield Reference Bible. New York: Oxford University Press

Spock...I could not resist...

2008-01-27T21:16:00.000-08:00

For those of you savvy, here is the site for the new J.J. Abrams Star Trek XI movie coming to a theater near you, Christmas 2008.

Did you notice they said "Christmas?" Kewl

StarTrekXI

You have to check it out.

John 13:13 and the Amazing humility of Jesus Christ.

2008-01-27T19:11:00.000-08:00

Jhn 13:13 Ye call me Master and Lord: and ye say well; for I AM.

This is one of the most astounding bible verses you may ever encounter. In fact every time I look at it I am amazed by the fact that the apostles do not fall flat at Jesus feet. What is even more amazing is the context in which the statement is made. Did you miss it? Let us take a deeper look.

Many scholars say Jesus never claimed to be God. (YHWH) While it is true that Jesus never said “I am God” exactly in the way quoted, He did say he was God; in many ways, and many times.

To give you a sense of why John 13:13 is so profound I will refer you to another verse.

In John chapter eight Jesus is having a “discussion” with the Pharisees. It is not going well for the Pharisees, shortly after they disparaged Jesus’ lineage He had a frank discussion with them who their real father was. Since the Jews could not win the argument they decided to accuse Jesus of having a devil. Jesus exposes their dishonesty, and dishonor. Then He talks about His true nature, about how Abraham saw his day and rejoiced in it. They were baffled, as their response indicates.

Jhn 8:57 Then said the Jews unto him, Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?

Jesus’ retort will blow them away.

Jhn 8:58 Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Before Abraham was, I AM.

The Pharisees give us a hand whenever Jesus says something extremely controversial.

Jhn 8:59 Then took they up stones to cast at him: but Jesus hid himself, and went out of the temple, going through the midst of them, and so passed by.

That was Jesus claiming to be deity. You can’t miss it because the religious Jewish authority won’t let you. Where else do we see I AM?

Exd 3:14 And GOD(YHWH) said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you.

So in both John chapter 8, and John 13:13 we see a claim to deity. You may not agree with me yet about John 13:13. Here is another passage.

Jhn 18:4-7 Jesus therefore, knowing all things that should come upon him, went forth, and said unto them, Whom seek ye? They answered him, Jesus of Nazareth. Jesus saith unto them, I AM. And Judas also, which betrayed him, stood with them. As soon then as he had said unto them, I AM, they went backward, and fell to the ground.

Wow, can you imagine the power? I’m amazed they could get back to their feet afterwards. Jesus lets these guards arrest Him. They had no power over Him.

The context of John 13.

Jhn 13:4-17

Jesus, knowing that the Father had given all things into His hands, and that He had come from God and was going to God, rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded. Then He came to Simon Peter. And Peter said to Him, "Lord, are You washing my feet?" Jesus answered and said to him, "What I am doing you do not understand now, but you will know after this." Peter said to Him, "You shall never wash my feet!" Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part with Me." Simon Peter said to Him, "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "He who is bathed needs only to wash his feet, but is completely clean; and you are clean, but not all of you." For He knew who would betray Him; therefore He said, “You are not all clean." So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call Me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for I AM. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them.”

This is the I AM of the bible, the Logos of God, the Son of God WASHING FEET! What humility, what grace. In the temple system, once the blood sacrifice was made the priest had only to ceremonially wash using the bronze laver. This is a similar picture. Jesus displays two concepts.

Even though nothing can separate us from God’s love, and nothing can add to or take away from Jesus’ sacrifice on the cross, we still need our feet washed to have communion with God. What does that mean? Confess your sins to Him daily, and He will wash you. “If I do not wash you, you have no part in me.”

Second is this. This our Jesus, our I AM has displayed that the system of God (YHWH) is upside down compared to the system of the world. The one who is greatest in the entire Universe washed the feet of those twelve men. The one who has legions of angels at His command; the one who breathed life into creation wants to wash our feet daily.

I hope you consider letting Him.

Jess

2008-01-20T15:58:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone I was thinking about this (below) today: and the Lord spoke to me in a fashion. I thought I would share it with you all.

John 10:27-28 My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any [man] pluck them out of my hand.

and I was thinking, what does it mean to obey God? Going back to our Romans bible study had me kicking around different ideas. If following the Law is adultery... then what is obedience to God?

So of course the Lord does not leave you in questioning in a vacuum of thought.

Mic 6:8 He hath shewed thee, O man, what [is] good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God? - this was a sermon point this morning at my church.

to do justice: one of the commands John the Baptist gave soldiers!
to love mercy: wow, to be excited about it even. Do we not all need mercy?
to walk humbly with God: pride goes with my uniform, sometimes I have a sincere need to be RIGHT about stuff. The Lord has been convicting me of pridefulness of late. We should always enter into discourse with the aim of building relationships. In other words only battle if need be...

Mar 12:30 And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this [is] the first commandment. And the second [is] like, [namely] this, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. There is none other commandment greater than these.

The above is on my calendar this month, and it is a blessing to dwell on it.

So of course I had to ponder, why am I so angry at my psychology classes this week? Because there is a humanist doctrine that teaches people in ways against the word of the Lord. The cult of SELF is a poison to the soul.

Mar 8:34 And when he had called the people [unto him] with his disciples also, he said unto them, Whosoever will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.

I am trying to listen, and I am learning.

Don’t Mess With Israel (Part 2 of 2)

2007-12-28T22:11:00.000-08:00

The Storm Rages

In Oregon it rains a lot. That may sound like an obvious statement. Bears crap in the woods, okay we can agree on this. The Pope wears a silly hat. But you are missing the undercurrent of obviousness. In Oregon it RAINS A LOT kay? Now with this in mind in my home town of Salem the average rainfall per year is 60 inches. When spread out over two hundred days of overcast weather this is not a big deal. But in one 24 hour period 11 inches seems biblical. Take for example the Lees Camp weather station that recorded 14.5 inches of rain on December the 3^rd. Just down the road we have Vernonia with 11 inches of rain on December 3rd. This was enough to place the town of Vernonia twelve feet under water, and thus we saw the dramatic rescue of the townsfolk from their roofs that night.

Lincoln City recorded record winds; 125 mph winds literally blew power gauges off the houses of local residents. Bay City near Tillamook experienced 129 mph winds. Oregon suffers a plague called radical environmentalism, under this scourge our timber industry is prevented from cutting down deadwood, cleaning underbrush or performing simple forestry in so called “protected lands” this leads to conditions every summer where a large portion the state catches on fire, it is so bad that the National Guard’s operation plan for civil support is called Op Plan Smokey. The 100 mph plus winds caused absolute havoc throughout the state. Oregon has damage to 350 million board feet of timber and is scrambling to find foreign markets to buy our wood. Even if we can clear it and sell it, the rail road supplying the Port of Tillamook was destroyed by a large bolus of floating forest debris during the flood. There is no practical way to load the lumber on to ship. The final cost of the storm is estimated to be $250 million. Of course this is nothing compared to the human loss of six lives.

December 3^rd Politically

Secretary Rice was the opening speaker for the US-Palestinian Public-Private Partnership Promoting Economic and Educational Opportunities for the Palestinian People. USPPPPEEOPP? Rice said “Most Israelis now believe that a responsible Palestinian state is in the national interest of Israel.” Oh really? I guess she doesn’t read the op-ed portion of Haaretz. No one in the Likkud party is espousing a Palestinian state and very few in Labor seem all that interested. “Israel must meet its obligation to ensure that a Palestinian state will be viable and independent” she continued.

Winds of Change

While the winds of change were blowing in D.C. and Secretary Rice was hob knobbing with Palestinian sympathizers; the winds of destruction were blowing in Oregon. You may disagree with my assertion that this was a judgment from God on the US. So let us fast forward a week or two. While Secretary Rice was in France on Monday 17 December, she pledged almost a billion dollars of US taxpayer dollars to the Palestinian government. At the same time a snow storm was hitting the central United States, it claimed nine lives. Every time Rice places pressure on the Israelis to accept a Palestinian State, and a divided Jerusalem; we get record weather and 92,000 without power… maybe we should stop.

After all it is a great new theory on global “climate change” mess with Israel and God messes with your weather. I know it sounds real “Olde Testament” but that’s the way it looks. When the Great Willamette Flood of 1996 hit on February 9^th 1996 the Clinton administration was pushing Benjamin Netanyahu to relinquish the Golan Heights to Syria. That was the same weather system that ravaged the Southern portion of the United States with twenty two tornados. Coincidence? Maybe. This was the same month the US State Department was pressuring Israel to expel illegal Jewish aliens so Palestinians could get jobs in Israel. The US wanted Israel to expel 60,000 foreign nationals specifically to employ Palestinian refugees.

The Bible? Do we still read that thing?

In a day when the President keeps a Koran in the Oval Office and states that Christians and Muslims pray to the same god cultural obfuscation is the opiate of the masses. The powers that be will say anything to keep American Christians from re-claiming political assertiveness. So I leave you with this.

Zec 12:2 Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah [and] against Jerusalem.

Isa 59:18-21 According to [their] deeds, accordingly he will repay, fury to his adversaries, recompence to his enemies; to the islands he will repay recompence. So shall they fear the name of the LORD from the west, and his glory from the rising of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a standard against him. And the Redeemer shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the LORD. As for me, this [is] my covenant with them, saith the LORD; My spirit that [is] upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the LORD, from henceforth and for ever.

References

http://www.oregonlive.com/argus/stories/index.ssf?/base/columnist/1197049966146080.xml&coll=6

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1197582904185300.xml&coll=7

www.watch.org

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1207/freund121307.php3?printer_friendly

http://www.state.gov/secretary/rm/2007/12/96142.htm

Aluf Benn (2007) What’s the Hurry? Hareetz dated 27/12/2007

http://migration.ucdavis.edu/MN/comments.php?id=1041_0_5_0

Sciolino Elaine (18 Dec 2007) $7.4 Billion Pledged for Palestinians, The New York Times

Don’t Mess With Israel (Part 1 of 2)

2007-12-17T21:45:00.000-08:00

The Oregon Flood Dec 2007

I stood up groggily and stretched, wincing with pain as my back reminded me I wasn’t a young grunt anymore. The chair of the audio-visual station was extremely uncomfortable, especially after six hours. Taking a long swig of the cold congealed coffee in my paper cup, I got the urge for another stimulant. So I sauntered over to my usual desk while trying to ignore the officer’s briefing going on in the front of the room. As I fumbled around for a pack of cigarettes in my top desk drawer I saw my calendar. The date said December 3^rd. “Tell Anna ‘I told you so.’” was the cryptic note I had written myself. I was almost in shock, but then the logic of it fit neatly. On November 5th I had made a prediction to Anna. “We’ll be busy on December the third.” I had said. “How can you know that?” was the expected reply. “Listen, this guy has a theory…”

US Anti-Semitism

Why do we mess with Israel? What makes us think we can alter God’s plan or help it along? Are we ignorant or arrogant beyond all belief? I am talking about the Annapolis conference of course. Annapolis was President George Bush’s latest attempt to craft a legacy from the Middle East, an abysmal failure of course. Perhaps a better executed event than Clinton’s Camp David shenanigans. When we look at the history of the failed Annapolis proceedings we see blatant anti-Semitism and a disregard for Israeli sovereignty. We see Condoleezza Rice and her shocking statements identifying with the Palestinians. Quoted by the Washington Post Rice said “I know what it is like to hear you cannot go on a road or through a checkpoint because you are Palestinian, I understand the feeling of humiliation and powerlessness…” Wow, I am not sure how to be insulted. Should Israelis be insulted on the basis that Rice portrays them as bigots and racist, or should Americans be insulted by Rice comments that being black in white America is like being oppressed under the Palestinian authority? I give Rice credit for pissing everyone off at once. Even the Palestinian press did not like be equated to “listless African Americans.”- Al Jazeera The NAACP balked at being compared to Palestinians. I guess being a black female Secretary of State qualifies you to commiserate about American inequality and oppression.

Incur God’s wrath?

The point being William Koenig has a theory and I think people should pay attention, after all our very survival may be hanging in the balance. Koenig states that US disasters are directly linked to US involvement with Israel, specifically US pressure on Israel to release land to the Palestinians. It is a fascinating theory by any measure, one that can be historically evaluated. Go to www.watch.org for more details.

The Perfect Storm:

Based on data given by Koenig and altering the parameters slightly, I evaluated the forlorn Annapolis conference and made my prediction. I was not very sure about the variables, and it was early November, so I did not feel very precise about time, place or what. December 3^rd was my prediction. What would it be a terrorist attack or an industrial accident, maybe a severe storm? “December 3^rd Anna, were going to be busy.” We were very busy indeed.

“It started as a glint in a weatherperson's eye. As a full-grown storm, it stretched from below the International Dateline to Idaho, dumped a couple of feet of rain and zipped winds past 125 miles per hour before the power went down and the gauges blew off their stands.” – Clark Gallagher, The Oregonian

It was indeed a monster. Six people lost their lives, and we are still counting the cost. FEMA will probably write us a check for a quarter of a billion dollars. Isn’t that real money to someone anymore? Did you notice down there, you people in New Orleans? The people who came and helped you out in 2005 just had the same thing happen to them. No one batted an eye, where is the outrage at President Bush’s abject silence? Thousands were displaced and a town was wiped off of the map. Don’t worry, Oregon is tough.

That’s where we entered in. I work for the National Guard in the Emergency Operations Center. I will not glorify myself in this. I do offer the following on behalf of my stalwart coworkers.

“If there's any doubt about how effectively the state of Oregon responded to early December's storms, listen to Tony Hyde of Vernonia. ‘This was a textbook example of how to perform in a disaster,’ he says. ‘The governor and his team were superb.’” – The Oregonian

“Most dramatically of all, the Oregon National Guard raced to Vernonia, where the 125th Special Tactics Squadron rescued scores of flood victims in a dangerous, dead-of-night operation.” – The Oregonian

I am a registered Republican, but I have to tell you, Gov. Kulingoski will have my vote in the future. Good leadership is good leadership, even if you can’t stand the man’s stance on social issues. (That’s why we have a congress and senate) The hard work and determination I saw not just from the Oregon Guard, but from the entire State government was a testament to competency throughout the state. Every Oregon employee in this situation deserves high praise.

Next week: Part 2

References (see completed references at end of part 2)

http://www.oregonlive.com/argus/stories/index.ssf?/base/columnist/1197049966146080.xml&coll=6

http://www.oregonlive.com/oregonian/stories/index.ssf?/base/editorial/1197582904185300.xml&coll=7

www.watch.org

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/1207/freund121307.php3?printer_friendly

Soldiers and Suicide

2007-12-01T21:30:00.000-08:00

Everybody asks why…

What can a person say when confronted with great tragedy? We always want to find meaning in death or any kind of loss. What if there are no answers? What if nothing you can say or think will take away the shock, anger or pain? Human relationships are never perfect. There is always something you wish you had not said. There is always a feeling of guilt after someone dies. Why wasn’t I there? Why did I treat him / her that way? I wish I could communicate how I feel. I wish I could kick your ass, I wish I could give you a hug. Why did you leave me here to ask why?

Suicide is the worst of these tragedies. The survivors suffer terribly. In most tragic deaths we can find some sort of meaning. When a colleague or friend is murdered we can console ourselves that the perpetrator is dead themselves, or is facing judgment. If a fellow Soldier dies in combat we can say: ah, this was an honorable death, in the line of duty. These things do not make the grieving easier, but it makes facing the grief easier. Also, we do not feel the self blame we do when a friend commits suicide.

Numbers

Why do Soldiers commit suicide? According to USA Today, Soldier suicides were 17 incidents per 100,000 in 2003(Zoroya 2003.) According to the Centers for Disease Control this is roughly 7 more per 100,000 than the general population. That may seem insignificant, but it is very alarming considering the relative small size of the military community. Suicide is a significant cause of death in the United States, it ranks as number eleven. From 1980 to 1995 there were eighty total deaths from lightning strikes in the U.S, during that period there were roughly eighty deaths per day from suicide. Forty percent more people die from suicide than homicide.

Stressors

Why do Soldiers commit suicide? The suicide rate for the Army is consistent for deployed and non-deployed Soldiers. Suicide occurs in training battalions, and in home station. Enlisted Soldiers commit suicide the most, officers and warrant officers the least. The amount of time in service seems irrelevant. Regular Army, National Guard and Reserves have the same suicide rate. Married Soldiers commit suicide less than single Soldiers.

The life of a Soldier is the life of stress management, and we do not always do well. Many have seen combat in the last several years, those who haven’t are likely to. Some Soldiers work in very stressful offices. Others work in stressful field conditions. No matter what conditions Soldiers work in, the life of the Soldier is summed up in one statement: long periods of boredom followed by brief moments of sheer terror. Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is endemic, as are mood disorders and physical ailments. Over six percent of the National Guard is medically non-deployable on any given day. (GAO-06-105) Army members and National Guard simply take poor care of themselves.

Physically demanding, emotionally and spiritually draining, not always fulfilling, the life of a Soldier is a difficult one. Compound this lifestyle with a pre-existing mood disorder or impulse control disorder and you have a recipe for disaster.

We do not study suicide much scientifically; there have been five U.S. studies in the last fifty years. Everyone tries to prevent suicide on a case by case basis, but as a policy we tend to ignore it. Therapists tend to error on the side of caution, but laymen rarely catch on with co-workers or family. Everyone gets caught off guard by suicide; no one really sees it coming. More people die of suicide than AIDS, but precious few research dollars go to this blight.

Stigmata

Suicide bears a universal stigma; it seems that we as a species disrespect those who violate their own instinct for survival. Dishonor and shame are the feelings most associated with a suicidal death. Sometimes people rationalize that it is better to lie about a family members suicide than to tell the truth.

In the early fifth century the Catholic Church and many civil authorities were struggling with a group of religious zealots called the Donatists. These men believed that by either killing themselves or forcing someone else to kill them they could go to heaven with Christ. The problem got so bad both the Church and the civil authorities passed laws against suicide, denying Christian burial to anyone who took their own life.

Whatever the rationale or circumstances surround a suicidal death, we need to be cognizant of the needs and the feelings of the families affected. Anything less is a dereliction of duty. To the religious out there I would strongly caution against any kind of statement of dogma, which may color the families perception of the deceased. That is not your duty. Just be there for the bereaved.

In the end

I have no idea why Soldiers or anyone else commit suicide. All I know for a fact is the effect is painful and far reaching. There do seem to be factors in common with many suicidal deaths. It would appear that first of all, a person must develop a terrifying pain threshold. The borderline patient or the person with mood disorders has to work up several self destructive attempts before a lethal one can be made. These “calls for help” should be heeded. (Joiner 2005) If you notice someone regularly drinking themselves into a stupor this can be a buildup of this sort. The most striking commonality is the perceived sense the suicidal have that they no longer belong, that they have become ineffective. A loss of perceived worthiness or a distancing from friends and family is especially troubling. This may be why divorce or job loss often precipitates suicide attempts. I guess the overall point I am trying to make is that there may be a disease process in play that subrogates blame from the suicidal patient to the family mezzo system or the macro-systems in play. This does not mean that any one individual should shoulder the burden of blame; this means that suicide is a human disease, and a tragedy of perplexing proportions. I really cannot express this opinion in any less technical terms.

Biblical Understanding

The pulpits have been either silent or judgmental when addressing this issue. The modern church should be ashamed of the lack of preaching or bible study related to this subject. The Bible records six suicides that I can find. I will concentrate on three.

Judas Iscariot a gentile by the way, have you ever known ancient Jews to have surnames? Judas killed himself out of guilt after betraying the Lord. One question; if he had not, would the Lord not have forgiven him just as he did Peter?

King Saul fell on his own sword rather than let the Philistines take him. David and the house of Israel wept bitterly for Saul, gave him a kingly hero’s burial. I see no condemnation of Saul for his suicide in itself.

Samson the judge pushed the pillars down on the Philistines, in so doing he effectively committed suicide. I will rest my case of the judgment of Samson on Hebrews chapter eleven.

The scripture I would like to use to comfort any believer whose family member committed suicide is Romans 8:38-39 “For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (KJV) It is obvious to me to note a few things. First off suicide is as prevalent within the church as it is in the general population. Next would be that if neither death nor any living creature can separate us from the love of God, then neither can we by killing ourselves.

Having said that, and reiterating that you will not go to hell for committing suicide, I do need to say this. Suicide is self murder, and a sin against God. You will be held to account for the pain and suffering you cause the Lord and your family. There is no reason why you should not seek help and counseling. You are the temple of the Holy Spirit 1Corinthians 6:19 “What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost [which is] in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?” (KJV) Also, you were creating in the image of God. (Genesis 1:26) Therefore you have a dignity derived from Yahshua and it cannot be taken lightly. Your life is sacred just like other life around you. From the dispensation of government we derive the fact that suicide is a criminal act, see Genesis 9:5.

Chasidic traditions teach that every soul was created with a specific mission here on Earth, in general to bring light into the darkness. Suicide circumvents your mission on Earth and since your time has not come, and your soul has no body to go back to, you may end up in limbo. I am not sure I subscribe to this theology except to say that in Orthodox Judaism suicide is specifically prohibited.

Finally

You never know what you have until it is gone. This is most obvious with death. Two people I know who were killed both left me sad and mortified by their departure. One took his own life, and the other, she was murdered. I was really not aware of how much of an impact either of these people had on my life until they were gone. Had the man who committed suicide only known, what an impact he had on others, how sorry we would be to see him go…

I do not think he would have done it.

This entry is dedicated to Robert.

References

Simmons, Shraga (n. d.) Burying a Suicide, Ask The Rabbi, reprinted from http://judaism.about.com/library/3_askrabbi_o/bl_simmons_burysuicide.htm

Joiner, Thomas (2005) Why People Die by Suicide, Cambridge, MA, Harvard University Press

Zoroya, Gregg (2003) Army Probes Soldier Suicides, Reprinted from USA Today

Dobson, James (2001) Talking to Kids About Suicide, http://listen.family.org/askdrbill/A000000325.cfm

Phipps, William (1985) Christian Perspectives on Suicide, http://www.religion-online.org/showarticle.asp?title=1924

Understanding Suicide www.cdc.gov/ncipc/pub-res/Suicide%20Fact%20Sheet.pdf

Book Review of Jabez

2007-11-27T16:22:00.000-08:00

The Prayer of Jabez

Recently a reader asked me some questions about the Prayer of Jabez, which I had referred to in another posting. I thought today I should clarify my point of view.

The first I saw of the prayer of Jabez was when it was a bathroom reader in my parents’ house. I picked up the little volume and analyzed it. Initially it seemed fine, but the more I looked at it the more I disliked it.

I guess what disturbs me most is the dualistic nature of the book. You can take this book two ways, either you intend to increase your own “territory” or you intend to increase the Lords.

"...make the Jabez prayer for blessing part of the daily fabric of your life. To do that, I encourage you to follow unwaveringly the plan outlined here for the next thirty days. By the end of that time, you'll be noticing significant changes in your life.... Read the Jabez prayer every morning.... Reread this little book once each week during the next month...." The Prayer of Jabez, page 86.

I am always weary of spiritual programs like the Purpose Driven Life or the Prayer of Jabez. It seems churches, and home groups will get wrapped up in a program, and forget to study the Bible. What can replace God’s own narrative?

Mat 6:7 But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. (KJV)

The very lightest criticism I can offer is that this is not how Yahshua teaches us to pray.

Here is the disciple’s prayer.

Luk 11:2-4 And he said unto them, When ye pray, say, Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in heaven, so in earth. Give us day by day our daily bread. And forgive us our sins; for we also forgive every one that is indebted to us. And lead us not into temptation; but deliver us from evil. (KJV)

Compare the above with the below.

1Ch 4:10 And Jabez called on the God of Israel, saying, Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge my coast, and that thine hand might be with me, and that thou wouldest keep [me] from evil, that it may not grieve me! And God granted him that which he requested. (KJV)

Notice my friends; Jabez only prayed this once. The prayer is for personal increase, the disciple’s prayer is a better way, it prays for the Lords increase! Jabez lived under the law, we live under grace. Would you rather be increased under the law, or diminish under the GRACE of Yahshua? I for one, being a monarchist would rather pray for the King’s kingdom, my own kingdom is already too big for me.

Jhn 3:30 He must increase, but I [must] decrease. (KJV) John said it best!

I guess I am not alone in my concern…

"I have an uncomfortable feeling about The Prayer of Jabez.... The Lord commented unfavorably on repetitious prayer. Please help me sort out my uncomfortable feeling about this 'movement'. Reading Dr. Dobson's 'most important letter he ever wrote' about Bruce Wilkinson's book and the effect it has had on future plans of FOTF is disconcerting. Is my concern misapplied?" –

- Ramsay Devereuxv

Here is Wilkinson’s take on this… "Dear Reader, I want to teach you how to pray a daring prayer that God always answers. It is brief--only one sentence with four parts--and tucked away in the Bible, but I believe it contains the key to a life of extraordinary favor with God....”

Sadly Dr Dobson, who I appreciate immensely for his work in the field of Christian Psychology, has decided to apply this book to his personal ministry.

There is more, of course.

Mat 8:20, Luke 9:58 And Jesus saith unto him, The foxes have holes, and the birds of the air [have] nests; but the Son of man hath not where to lay [his] head. (KJV)

What? Are you saying the Lord himself did not use the prayer of Jabez? Are you kidding me? Did he not know?

Jhn 18:38 Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. (KJV)

Are we not servants of the King? Are we not his children? Do we not belong to Yahshua’s kingdom? People now, even Christians, do not know what it is like to serve a king. The king is not some politician, this is not a realm made rich by conquest. This is a kingdom made rich by love and sacrifice.

Our king is a warrior and a poet; he has died for us, and would die again. Our king loves his people and we call him Father. We have no need for increase, we must work for Yahshua’s increases. (the people he wants in His kingdom) We must add to HIS kingdom.

Jam 5:16 Confess [your] faults one to another, and pray one for another, that ye may be healed. The effectual fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. (KJV)

I have questions, what if you prayed the prayer of Jabez every day for thirty days and the Lord took your family to heaven? What if your house burned down, and then you were diagnosed with cancer? Would you think that the Lord had not answered your prayer? Would you think you were lacking in faith? Would you believe you had committed a terrible sin? What if the Lord required your life of you? Would you not now be increased a thousand fold?

Jam 4:3-4 Ye ask, and receive not, because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume [it] upon your lusts. Ye adulterers and adulteresses, know ye not that the friendship of the world is enmity with God? whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (KJV)

I must admit, I too am guilty of the above.

Psa 66:18-20 If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear [me]: [But] verily God hath heard [me]; he hath attended to the voice of my prayer. Blessed [be] God, which hath not turned away my prayer, nor his mercy from me.(KJV)

Wow, now that is a promise. Seek God’s mercy in your prayer!

Pro 21:13 Whoso stoppeth his ears at the cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard.

With or without the prayer of Jabez? It is better to give than to receive.

In the end programs like this end up like spiritual fad diets. Sure, you succeed for a while, even get some weight off but in the end you are right back where you started. But just like the physical realm, the spiritual realm only has one recipe for strength, diet and exercise. Your diet is the meat and drink of the word of God. Your exercise is to pray fervently to your God lifting up worship, praise and supplication to Him, as the Holy Spirit guides you.

Think about it, pray about it.

Jess

Bibliography

Wilkinson, Bruce (2000) the Prayer of Jabez, Multnomah, OR: Multnomah Publishers Inc.

Kjos, Berit (u.d.) Problems with the Prayer of Jabez. Reprinted from http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/Jabez.htm (November, 2007)

Zaleski, Philip (2001) In Defense of Jabez, Website captured from http://www.firstthings.com/article.php3?id_article=2236 (November, 2007)

Rejected: the Emerging Church

2007-11-24T18:42:00.000-08:00

Rejected: the Emerging Church

by Jesse Eastes

It has become a growing concern of mine that the modern church is adopting far too many modern ideologies and wholly embracing post-modern thinking. To make matters worse, and to highlight the insidious nature of the threat, I will admit to you right now that I too have been caught up in this dangerous vein of thought. God help us when soldiers like me with a fourth grade reading ability can also be led down the path of Christian liberalism.

Just what the heck am I talking about? I’ll give you a few anecdotes that highlight my concern. My insurance agent happens to be my best “guy” friend, to understand that you must know that I knew him before he was an insurance agent. Also, just to set the record straight my wife Carla is my actual best friend. Why do I ramble on? Here is a man who is very dedicated to the Lord. He spends time reading his bible, he prays and most of all he helps out other people with an open and genuine heart. Dale is the embodiment of Mark 12:30 and 31. In fact Dale often shames me just by his example and his constant outpouring of love for others.

So I was in for a surprise when I spoke to his sister a few years ago. She goes to “City Church” in Kirkland Washington. I cannot say I have anything against this church; they have a mission statement and a creed that I can not disagree with except that I don’t believe in mission statements or creeds in general. What Dale’s sister, had to say did cause me concern. When asked about her church she went on and on about the youth ministry, the stage production and the puppet show. She talked about the pastor and what a great man he was, she talked about the pastor’s wife and how she loved her sermons. When questioned on her faith she did profess what sounded like a genuine exegesis and Christian belief. Are you alarmed yet? She was also reading Teachings of the Christian Mystics by Andrew Harvey. I have this book and I will tell you it is a useful historical reference and that is about it. Dale’s sister was trying to apply these concepts, some of which are Gnostic or blatantly New Age to her spiritual walk. Where did she get this book? At the church bookstore.

Loreena McKennitt is a very popular New Age singer and songwriter you can find in the World Section of your local Borders bookstore. I have a handful of her CDs just because the instrumentals are amazing and her voice is clear as crystal. Do I recommend her work to other Christians? Hardly She is New-Age bordering on nature worshipper. I did go to a concert in Seattle and even though I sat in the nosebleed seats somewhere between LaGrange Five and the Kuiper Belt I was still impressed by her performance. Imagine my shock when I read an extremely positive review of her latest album on the website of the United Methodist Church 1. The review even went as far as to make an apology for New-Age music with a joke. “What you get when you play a New-Age album backwards is New-Age music.” The reviewer also stated that Loreena’s music could be useful in worship or meditation. I was trying to digest these developments as I was driving to work one day and I drove past a Methodist church. The marquee stated “Were not your grandmother’s church!” Excuse me, you are my grandmother’s church and I don’t think she would approve of your tone.

I read in the local newspaper that a council of local churches was to gather and discuss community needs. In addition to the many Catholic, Protestant, and Orthodox churches attending the Mormon and Jehovah’s Witness churches were also invited. I have seen that some so-called evangelical churches are holding conferences with Mormon churches. I once went to a Mormon church at the invite of a friend. I was curious to see what goes on there. I am ashamed to admit it, but the deed is done. I intensely disliked the absence of scripture, I intensely disliked the so-called “testimonies” and I intensely disliked the Irish looking WASP “Jesus” hanging on the wall. When the elements of communion were passed out consisting of white Wonder Bread and thimbles of water I was downright distressed. You might as well partake in a black Sabbath. Since when has the church of Christ accepted such things?

Now we have the Emerging Church and all I can say is I am afraid. The term Evangelical used to be powerful and a force to be reckoned with. Now it is watered down and meaningless. The name “Jesus Freak” used to carry meaning and I aspired to be one. I am sorry; I wish I could find something positive here, but the Emerging Church is a hydra and it will kill us. The Bible is being ignored and I can easily point it out to you just as I can point out a killer storm on the horizon. Everything from questions on homosexuality to the authority of scripture are being ignored or diluted by the shepherds of confusion.

Brian McLaren writes: “Frankly, many of us don't know what we should think about homosexuality.2" Well Brian, the Bible says it is an “abomination before the Lord,” a judgment from God and that you should hate the sin and not the sinner3. Did I miss something? Perhaps I am a victim of what McLaren calls radio orthodoxy:

“Usually when I'm asked about this subject, it's by conservative Christians wanting to be sure that we conform to what I call ‘radio-orthodoxy,’ i.e. the religio-political priorities mandated by many big-name religious broadcasters. Sometimes it's asked by ex-gays who want to be sure they'll be supported in their ongoing re-orientation process, or parents whose children have recently ‘come out.4'”

How distressing to see such a thing on Christianity Today. My major gripe here is that the evangelical movement is embracing relativism to their own detriment. This is the darkest of all lies spawned by deconstructionist theories prevalent in academia. How many Christian college students have lost their faith to this socialist dogma? Is it not bad enough that most young and under-trained believers fail to survive school when confronted by literary carpetbaggers who teach that words have no true meaning, no presence? A sentence is only a “groundless chain of signifiers” open to infinite manipulation? Take it a step further, there is no truth! Nothing can be defined by right or wrong; truth is relative! Fair enough, Liberal Professor, I challenge you to defy gravity, do us all a favor and jump off of a cliff.

Now that relativism and deconstructionist thought is invading the church we find the New Age and the occult riding in on the coat tails. Many churches are adopting Centering Prayer which is a type of prayer that relies on repetition of a single word and the emptying of the mind. If it sounds like eastern philosophy, don’t worry it is. Centering or contemplative prayer was developed by a monk named Thomas Keating who tried to reach out to eastern mystics by adapting their practices to Christianity. Even the Roman Catholic Church has spoken out against Keating’s seminars and philosophies but that hasn’t stopped the Emerging Church from using his methods.

Is it any wonder that the church is falling for eastern mysticism given the rejection of scripture as the absolute word of God? Scot McKnight writes:

“The emerging movement is a protest against much of evangelicalism as currently practiced…The emerging movement tends to be suspicious of systematic theology. Why? Not because we don't read systematics, but because the diversity of theologies alarms us, no genuine consensus has been achieved, God didn't reveal a systematic theology but a storied narrative, and no language is capable of capturing the Absolute Truth who alone is God.5"

So what we have is a movement that refuses absolutes about who God is, read that as who Jesus is, on the basis that they were not democratically determined. I have two problems with that. Firstly God is not a committee and does not have to subject the truth to a public forum. Secondly the Lord always maintains a remnant not a majority6.

McKnight was nice enough to give us his motivation:

“A final stream flowing into the emerging lake is politics. Put directly, they are Democrats. And that spells "post" for conservative-evangelical-politics-as-usual. I have publicly aligned myself with the emerging movement. What attracts me is its soft postmodernism (or critical realism) and its praxis/missional focus. I also lean left in politics.7"

Ah ha, thanks for clearing up that ambiguity. Here I thought you were just a misguided believer. Now I know you’re a dedicated socialist.

“This stream flows from the conviction that the church must always be reforming itself.”

Stop it, you’re killing me! With such wonderful writing combined with titles like my Prosaic Jesus, Or Brown like Shit by David Sherwood and Please Don't Stereotype The Emerging Church by Dan Kimball I confess it is hard not to laugh when reading the literature coming out of these circles. But no one is laughing at the metrics.

More and more churches are adopting the seeker-friendly values of the Emerging Church and those that do, see growth in leaps and bounds. The production quality church services combined with a message lacking in the basic message of Christianity is a powerful draw to the populace.

“Worship is participatory and multisensory. People are encouraged to tangibly express their spirituality. Many are weaving together elements from different religious traditions, especially Catholicism and Eastern Orthodoxy. Some are discovering medieval mystical practices such as walking the labyrinth, but adding decidedly modern twists. It's a pick-your-own-mix approach that also stresses community and social justice8."– Kim Lawton.

“One of the deepest problems is that -- and nobody ever would intend this -- but that for some people, the traditional view of hell makes God look like a torturer. My purpose is to get conversation going about the old view and problems with it so that we can together move forward in reconsidering, and maybe there is a better understanding of what Jesus meant and what the scriptures mean when they've talked about issues like judgment, justice, hell.9” – Brian Mclaren

Of course a gospel like this is popular we have a Jesus without authority, a Bible you don’t have to agree with, a Hell without fire and sins without consequence. This is a complete denial of the certitude of faith. What is the point? There are now congregations where the truth has not been preached in years. I will tell you right now that if you have not heard in your church that you are a sinner, sin kills and only Jesus can save you from Hell and damnation then you have not heard the gospel in your church.

Where is it headed? Compare and contrast.

“New Lights offer up themselves as the cosmions of a mind-of-Christ consciousness. As a cosmion incarnating the cells of a new body, New Lights will function as transitional vessels through which transforming energy can renew the divine image in the world, moving postmoderns from one state of embodiment to another.10" -- Leonard Sweet, Emerging Church Leader.

“The Christ-Consciousness stands far above this common way of give-and-take thinking. It is from this superior and sublime point of view that we have to understand what it is to empty oneself and to be filled by the Spirit. When He says 'empty thyself and I shall file SIC thee', it is not that the Christ as Jesus, the personality, is going to sit on your head. He cannot fill you, as a person.11" - Sri Swami Krishnananda

The ecumenical movement will take us back to the Catholic Church. The emergent church will take us into New Age theosophy; they will unite into one monster religion. Evangelicals are starting to deny the future and God’s promises. Some say the Millennium of Christ will not come, reference Hank Hanegraaff’s recent bombshell book The Apocalypse Code Unveiled where he basically espoused replacement theology and disregarded dispensationalist theology. Then you have Bruce Wilkinson’s Prayer of Jabez that promotes a prosperity gospel and Rick Warrens Purpose Driven Life pointing to a gospel with a watered down exegesis lacking in a proper treatment of sin, hell and the blood of Christ. This is all leading to the conditions Jesus himself warned about in the Church of the last days:

“And unto the angel of the church of the Laodiceans write; These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God; I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and [that] the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent. Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne. He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches.” - Revelation 3:14-22

The warning seems all the more alarming in the light of this scripture.

"And then many will be offended, will betray one another, and will hate one another. Then many false prophets will rise up and deceive many. And because lawlessness will abound, the love of many will grow cold. But he who endures to the end shall be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all the world as a witness to all the nations, and then the end will come. Mat 24:10-14

Christians are either growing “cold or lukewarm.” Many are denying God’s promises to Israel and teaching replacement theology. Many are denying the kingdom age and the imminent return of Jesus. These things can only lead us to selfishness, bitterness, anti-Semitism and a crisis of faith. Religiosity is a sickness not a goal.

I urge you to read your Bibles and read them literally. I urge you to pray without ceasing. I urge you to find someone who is an elder who will guide you in the truth of the scripture. I urge you to cast off all religiosity and false religious systems whether they are New Age or Christian works based religions. Plug into the grace of God and the truth of Jesus. If you do not have a personal relationship with Jesus then develop one right now. The wolves are out there and they are hungry.

“But He answered and said, ‘It is written, 'Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.'’ " -Matthew 4:4

1 http://www.umc.org/site/c.lwL4KnN1LtH/b.2574663/k.4FEE/Loreena_McKennitt_iAn_Ancient_Musei.html

2 http://blog.christianitytoday.com/outofur/archives/2006/01/brian_mclaren_o.html

3 Romans 1:26-27, Leviticus 20:13, Luke 15:7, James 5:20

5 http://www.ctlibrary.com/40534

6 Romans 11:4, Revelation 7:4

7 http://www.ctlibrary.com/40534

8 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week845/cover.html

9 http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week846/cover.html

10 www.LeonardSweet.com

11 www.dlshq.org/religions/christconscious.htm

Focus Report: Borderline Personality Disorder

2007-11-24T18:09:00.000-08:00

History of Borderline Personality Disorder

American psychoanalyst Adolph Stern was the first practitioner to describe “the borderline group” in 1938. In his description possible etiology and effective treatments were discussed. Most of the symptoms Stern laid out are included in the current DSM-IV TR. In the 1940’s Robert Knight introduced the concepts of Ego Psychology (Friedel, n.d.), which enables us to regulate our emotional functions to the social environment. Knight suggested that these functions were impaired in some people and referred to the impairments as “borderline states.”

Otto Kernberg proposed that mental disorders were determined by three personality organizations: psychotic, neurotic and “borderline personality.” (Friedel, n.d.), In 1968 Roy Grinker and his colleagues conducted and published research on patients with Borderline Personality Disorder which was referred to as “borderline syndrome.” In 1975 Gunderson and Singer published a groundbreaking article on borderline personality disorder that included a definition of major characteristics and diagnosis criteria. Gunderson then produced a specific research instrument that verified the validity of BPD. Because of Gunderson’s work borderline personality disorder appeared in DSM-III as a psychiatric diagnosis in 1980. (Friedel, n.d.)

In 1986 John Brinkley, Bernard Beitman and Robert Friedel experimented with low doses of neuroleptic drugs and found some promise for treating symptoms of BPD. In two placebo controlled studies they found positive effects. Pathophysiologists in the 1980’s experimenting with neuroimaging, biochemical, and genetic studies found evidence for a biochemical cause of BPD. In the 1990’s Marsha Linehan introduced Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) which was specifically developed for BPD and targeted patients with self injurious behaviors and frequent hospitalization.

Two advocacy groups have been formed within the past ten years, the Treatment and Research Advancements Association for Personality Disorder (TARA APD) and the National Education Alliance for Borderline Personality Disorder (NEA-BPD). These groups seek to increase awareness of BPD, provide support to the sufferers and families of BPD, lobby to increase federal support for research, and to reduce the stigma associated with the disorder. (Friedel, n.d.)

Description of Borderline Personality Disorder

Borderline Personality Disorder is an intense and pervasive mental disease in which the symptomatology is suicidal and interpersonal. Individuals with this disorder make frantic effort to ward off abandonment whether real or perceived. Chaos defines the patient’s problem solving; their self image and self control are scattered by anger and recklessness. Affective instability, and notoriously difficult are key attributes of BPD. Terrifying for both families and practitioners is the consensus. BPD is characterized by a dualistic perception of relationships where loved ones and authority figures are idealized one minute, and devalued the next. The individual feels a chronic emptiness, and a severe sense that they are evil. Perfectionism meets self loathing in a downward spiral that if not interrupted will take everyone else concerned with it.

Differential Diagnosis

Since borderline personality disorder is thought of by some as a catch all diagnosis for a certain subset of people, the American Psychological Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4^th ed.) Text Revision has devoted particular detail to distinguishing BDP from other personality and mood disorders.

The DSM-IV-TR, 2000 states:

Borderline Personality Disorder can be mimicked by an episode of Mood Disorder, the clinician should avoid giving additional diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder based only on a cross sectional presentation without having documented the pattern of behavior as an early onset and a long standing course.(p. 709)

Also:

You can differentiate Borderline Personality Disorder from Histrionic Personality Disorder by self destructiveness, angry disruptions in close relationships, feelings of emptiness, and loneliness. Paranoid ideas or illusion are more fleeting, interpersonally reactive, and responsive to external structuring in BPD than in Schizo-typal Personality Disorder. (DSM-IV-TR p. 709) Paranoid Personality Disorder and Narcissistic Personality Disorder may also be characterized by an angry reaction to minor stimuli, the relative stability of self-image as well as the relative lack of self destructiveness, impulsivity, and abandonment concerns distinguish these disorders from BPD. (DSM-IV-TR p. 710)

Individuals with Antisocial Personality Disorder are manipulative to gain profit, power, or some other material gain, whereas the goal in BPD is directed more toward gaining the concern of caretakers. BPD can be further distinguished from Dependant Personality Disorder by the typical pattern of unstable and intense relationships. (DSM-IV-TR p. 710)

Course of the Disorder

There is no standard course for BPD, which is to say that there are many divergent paths this personality can take. Lingering imbalance typifies early adulthood. With periods of intense interpersonal friction, and episodes of impulsivity, the patient is exposed to the medical system regularly and the mental health system constantly.

Generally the self destructive periods which include suicide attempts, self mutilation, drugs, and promiscuity, occur during the young adult years. As the patient ages, the symptoms ebb and become more subtle, suicide becomes less of a risk. That is not to say that all problems go away in the patient’s thirties. There is no time threshold denoting that the individual is magically cured. Rather at some point the disorder has resolved itself, either due to structured change in behavior and thinking, or a tragic consequence.

Relational intensity, impulsive behavior, and emotional extremes tend to be lifelong. When therapeutic and pharmacological methods are employed early or at a critical point improvement can be seen almost immediately. By the thirties or forties many patients with BPD have remarkable success in familial or professional situations, and go on to lead normal lives. There is hope!

Etiology of BPD

As we have discussed throughout Abnormal Psychology an integrated approach is most logical. “BPD is five times more common than among first-degree biological relatives of those with the disorder than in the general population.” (DSM-IV-TR) At the same time, statistically speaking, it is very rare to have BPD and no history of childhood abuse. (Durand & Barlow 2006) “Core dimensions of BPD appear to have neurobiological cause, most saliently evidenced as prefrontal cortex (PFC) dysfunction,” (Feske, Soloff, et al.) So we can infer that there is a biological and a social component to this disease.

Doctor Linehan of the University of Washington hypothesizes that the disorder is a consequence of an emotionally vulnerable individual growing up with a particular set of environmental circumstances which can be referred to as “the Invalidating Environment.” (Kiehn & Swales 2006) This means that children with genetically heritable low tolerances for stress have extreme autonomic reactions, and take longer to return to regular stress levels; these same children, if subjected to parenting that does not validate their emotions, and the observations of the child, can be pushed into this disorder. Certain stress thresholds must be breached. According to Linehan this same environment also places high expectations of self control and self reliance on the child. (Kiehn & Swales 2006) “She will neither have the opportunity accurately to label and understand her feelings nor will she learn to trust her own responses to events.” (Linehan 1993) This is further confounded by “Functional MRI studies in BPD have demonstrated abnormal responses to social cues (such as face recognition) in the amygdale, which increases the likelihood of inappropriate emotional and behavioral responding.” (Feske, Soloff, et al.)

The child’s affect will fluctuate in this environment between sublimation of feelings, in an attempt to gain favor, and all out tantrums in an attempt to have feelings recognized. (Kiehn & Swales 2006) “a particular consequence of this state of affairs will be a failure to understand and control emotions; a failure to learn the skills required for ‘emotional modulation’.” (Linehan 1993)

The question of abuse and sexual trauma can not be ignored; in Linehan’s model these abuses are considered “Invalidation” in the extreme. Also this would explain the patient’s lack of regulation in relational contexts. Another problem arising from sexual trauma is theoretical models that predict damage to the hippocampus similar to that occurring with PTSD. (Shire, Butler & Lewis 2005) “Structural studies using MRI have demonstrated volume loss in the hippocampus and/or amygdale in women with BPD.” (Feske, Soloff, et al.)

While these theories as put forth by Linehan are not empirically supported, the proof is in the pudding one might say. Doctor Linehan’s treatment modalities have proven successful at the University of Washington, and in other measured studies.

Treatment of BPD

"This man has not yet seen his last evening;

But, through his madness, was so close to it,

That there was hardly time to turn about"

(The Devine Comedy, Dante, [Canto I, Pergatorio])

The borderline patient is far from abandoning hope, but hangs precariously over the pit. Intervention and accountability is the key. BPD is difficult for everyone involved, especially the therapist; this due to the comorbidity of BPD with substance abuse, and mood disorders. Repeated suicide attempts are the extenuating cofactors that lead to caregiver burnout. Again an integrated or holistic approach utilizing psychotherapy, cognitive therapy, and pharmacology proves logical.

Pharmacology, despite many opinions, has a measurable positive impact on BPD. While there is no evidence any drug will prevent suicide, (Paris, 2006) other areas of the disorder can be regulated successfully. (Triebwasser & Siever, 2006)

Currently the most proven drugs are (SNRIs) serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, and (SSRIs) selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, usually fluoxetine. These anti depressants have shown in placebo trials to affect rage, irritability, aggression and general clinical complaints. (Triebwasser & Siever, 2006) It is interesting to note that in control groups receiving Dialectical Behavior Theory these drugs showed little impact.

Anticonvulsants have shown great promise and it is theorized that this is due to BPD “anger attacks” being similar in physiologic function to a seizure; patients often describe the attacks as sudden and irresistible. (Triebwasser & Siever, 2006)

Antipsychotic drugs are the most controversial, and they have replaced the neuroleptic drugs after two studies showed haloperidol, a neuroleptic, to be ineffective. (Triebwasser & Siever, 2006) Studies showed olanzapine and aripiprazole superior to placebo in controlling anxiety, anger, paranoia, hostility, impulsivity and aggression.

In the borderline patient suicide is chronic and not acute, the function serves to provide a sense of control. Since the patients can not control life, they control death. Suicide attempts serve to punish others, escape suffering, and to communicate distress. (Paris, 2006) The caregiver should not apply methods used to control acute suicide when approaching chronic suicide. Active suicide interventions tend to reinforce negative borderline behaviors; the caregiver must tolerate suicide and focus on the behaviors that cause it. (Paris, 2006)

By far the most proven effective treatment has been (DBT) dialectical behavior theory. This approach trains the borderline to modulate emotions and evaluate extremes in thinking. The borderline symptoms present as an assertion which is seen as a “thesis” an opposing position must be formulated “antithesis.” Both thesis and antithesis are extremes typically, so the patient must seek the “synthesis” a median between two extremes. Teamwork is the model of the client / therapist relationship, the client must accept certain facts and weaknesses of the therapist, and the therapist must do the same for the client. Assumptions have to be made; the patient wants to change, and her behavior is not her fault, the behavior is understandable given the background of the patient, patients can not fail, if things do not improve the treatment is failing, the patient must never be referred to in a pejorative attitude. (Linehan 1993) Agreements must be made and the patient must understand the fact that “Sometimes therapists are jerks.” (Linehan 1993)

DBT utilizes four modes of treatment; individual therapy, group skills training, telephone contact, and therapist consultation. Individual therapy is the core of the treatment, and is broken down into a series of stages and a subset of targets designed to alter thinking and behavioral patterns. The strategies of DBT are; contingency management, cognitive therapy, exposure based therapies, and pharmacotherapy.

Two major trials have established the effectiveness of DBT (Linehan et al, 1991) compared the effectiveness of DBT relative to (TAU) treatment as usual at one year the control group had significantly more inpatient psychiatric days compared to the DBT group. (38.6 days per year for control; 8.46 days for the DBT group.) One should note that even though the DBT group was successful in three measurable areas; suicidality, inpatient days, and treatment compliance, there was no difference between the control and the DBT group, when evaluating mood and suicidality questionnaires.

Biblical Critique of BPD

“Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6) In mainstream Christianity there is very little acceptance for those people who use bad parenting as an excuse for bad behavior. But empirical data supports the fact that childhood trauma leads to adult misery. Fault is a term not to be bandied about lightly. The BPD sufferer is not to blame for the emotional trauma of their youth, but their weaknesses are still their faults, just like a vase with a crack suffers from its own fault. The borderline must take responsibility. In Luke chapter eight we met a woman who had spent her savings on doctors, she was trying to heal an issue of blood. The borderline has a multitude of issues from the mind, if she seeks help, Jesus’ answer to the BPD patient will be the same: “Daughter, be of good comfort: thy faith hath made thee whole; go in peace.” (Luke, 8:48)

References

American Psychological Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4^thText Revision ed.)

Friedel, Robert O. (n.d.). Borderline Personality Disorder Demystified WHAT IS BPD, History. Retrieved October 22, 2007, from http://www.bpddemystified.com/

Horner, A.J. (1976). Oscillatory Patterns of Object Relations and the Borderline Patient.

Int. R. Psycho-Anal., 3:479-482.

Kiehn, B. & Swales, M. (n.d.) An Overview of Dialectical Behavior Therapy in the Treatment of Borderline Personality Disorder.

Retrieved October 17, 2007, from http://www.priory.com/dbt.htm

Tribewasser, J. & Siever, L. J. (2006) Pharmacology of Personality Disorders. Psychiatric Times, pg. 34-41

Paris, J. (2006) Managing Suicidality in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder, Psychiatric Times, pg. 34-42

Feske, U., Soloff, P. & Tarter, R. (2007) Implications for Treatment and Prognosis of Borderline and Substance Use Disorders, Psychiatric Times, pg. 41-49

Kreisman, J.J. & Straus, H. (1989) I Hate You – don’t leave me: Understanding the Borderline Personality. New York, New York: Avon Books.

Linehan M.M. (1993) Skills Training Manual for Treating Borderline Personality Disorder. New York, New York: the Guilford Press.

Durand M. V. & Barlow D. H. (2006) Essentials of Abnormal Psychology (4^th ed.). Belmont, California: Thomson Higher Education.

Christian Maturity in the Light of Feminist Theory

2007-11-24T18:07:00.000-08:00

SYNOPSIS PAPER

Christian Maturity in Light of Feminist Theory

Mary Stewart Van Leeuwn

Reprinted from Journal of Psychology and Theology, 1988, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 168-182

Jesse Eastes

Main Points/Thesis of the Article

Everybody holds a worldview. Worldviews are beliefs, and they tend to be non-negotiable. These beliefs attempt to answer questions about the nature and origin of the universe; the nature of humanity, differences in humans, and how such differences can be overcome. The goal of a worldview is to develop maturity. Of course every worldview defines maturity a differing way. The Judeo-Christian worldview is of course the most likely correct worldview; it has a concept of maturity that combines relatedness and transcendence.

Three camps make up feminist theory; Marxist feminism, liberal feminism, and of course radical feminism. The author asserts that each branch of feminism has a lesson to offer the Christian worldview, and analyzes each one in turn.

Marxist feminism teaches Old Testament truths (in a fashion) that some theologians would rather forget. These are the truths God gave the prophets regarding poverty. God has a special concern for the poor, and he doesn’t suffer well those who exploit them. Marxism defines this as class struggle, and secularizes it.

Liberal feminism confirms the common creational personhood of men and women, both created in the image of God.

Radical feminism shows that the brokenness of relationships between the sexes is far from trivial; it is a problem that requires persistence, and hard work. This is a work that will probably never be completed.

The author then, launches into a bible study that evaluates Genesis 3:16. The argument is that the original sin was punished in a specific fashion, and these punishments create the tensions, and conflicts that feminism seeks to resolve.

Research Base

The author draws on over fifty research articles. The basis for the paper is anthropological, and did not require study groups or scientific evaluation. Empirical evidence is not considered. This could be considered a legal or historical argument.

Application to Family Life Education

This article serves as a reminder of key facts that keep the church strong. For instance, Paul’s writing that “there is neither slave nor free, neither Jew nor Greek, neither male nor female, but all are one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal 3:28 NKJV) That man and woman were created as equals. Also during church revivals gender roles within the church practically disappear, which may be a sign of “true religion.”

Christian Critique

One of the strongest arguments throughout history for Judaic religion and Christianity are the feminist views within them. No one compliments Islam for its pro-woman stance on social issues; neither can the secular world be lauded for the feminist ideologies that prevail there.

In the Tanakh we see Deborah, one of the judges over Israel, we also see Ruth and Naomi taking particular importance in the biblical narrative, and it comes down on Esther to save the Jewish race. Even Rahab the harlot plays a critical role, not just for Joshua, but she actually becomes part of the lineage of Christ.

In Luke chapter 10 we see Martha and Mary; one works and the other sits at the master’s feet. In Acts chapter sixteen Lydia is the first European convert, because of her, historians tell us that much of Europe was saved. Also Ephesians chapter five denotes a symbiosis between husband and wife, the wife submits, but the husband gives his life. This echoes Genesis two and three. God clearly created man and woman as equals who do poorly without each other. This is apparent before and after the fall. The fact that each sex has strengths and weaknesses does not imply that we can use these differences against each other. I agree with the author on the above points.

Where I disagree is here; the rule of the man over the woman is not a result of the fall (GEN 3:16), rather it is a restoration to the original mandate. In Genesis 2:18 God says “I will make a help fit for him.” The order instituted by God before the fall was God – Man – Woman – Beast. The fall displays a reversal of the order; the snake tricks Eve, Eve convinces Adam, and Adam fails to obey God. Genesis 3:16 is a reiteration of the earlier mandate. This also appears to be root of pagan religion; the beast is worshipped, women serve as priests, men follow the women to perdition, and God gets really mad.

In the end “feminist problems” are not determined by Genesis but by the fall in general. Both men and women subvert God’s perfect will in their lives. In Romans chapter one “the pagan man” details the sins of men, and women, who both suffer the same judgment for denying the truth of God.

Van Leeuwen, Mary S. (1988) Christian Maturity in the Light of Feminist Theory. Journal of Psychology and Theology, Vol. 16, No. 2, pp. 168-182