Hanukkah

This year Hanukkah falls on Thanksgiving-which in a way is appropraite-because the first Hanukkah was a time of giving thanks to God for the victory that Judah Maccabee had won which was religious freedom for the Jewish people.  

In 167 BC, the Seleucid Greeks began a policy of forced assimilation into the Greek culture for the Jews. The Temple of Jerusalem was taken and profaned by the Greeks by pouring swine blood on the altar. Possession of the Bible and observance of the law of Moses was a capital crime.

 Many Jews were put to death for their faith. Finally an elderly priest named Mattathias resisted. Soon thereafter, his son, Judah took over the Jewish revolt.

Judah was called "Maccabee" which means "the Hammer" in Aramaic because of the way he hammered the Greeks in battle. Later, the Temple was re-taken by the Jews and dedicated (Hanukkah in Aramaic) to God anew.  The story of the first Hanukkah is told in the Books of First and Second Maccabees and in the writings of the Jewish historian Josephus. The Books of Maccabees are part of the Bible for Catholics and Orthodox Christians while most Protestants relegate 2 Maccabees to the "apocryphal" section of the Bible.

 The story of Hanukkah is a story of a great conflict and inspiring tales of heroism and great courage.

 Stephen Missick had re-told the story of Hanukkah in a comic book form. "Most people don't realize that Marvel comics and other major comic book companies, started off with Bible comics. I believe that comics are an effective medium for re-telling the Bible story. The story of Hanukkah is particularly important because it is a relevant story about the importance of

religious liberty. Also, for many Christians the story of Hanukkah is part of the Old Testament of the Bible. For Protestants, the story is important in understanding what happened in the time period between the Old and New Testaments. Also, Hanukkah was important to Jesus. In John 10:22, we find that Jesus observed the festival of Hanukkah." Stephen Missick has written and illustrated a comic book series based on the Hanukkah story called "The Hammer of God." Recently, his "Hanukkah Comic and Coloring Book" has been published. Missick said, "I think it is important to make this great story more accessible to the public and I think it is a story that needs to be passed down to the new generation."

Stephen Missick is a graduate from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary and is a doctoral student at Houston Graduate School of Theology. He is the associate pastor of King of Saints Church in Cleveland Texas. Contact him at 281-592-4104

 

 

NEW HANUKKAH PROGRAM

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVNT3G8OHlg&feature=player_embedded

Hanukkah Crossover Interview with Stephen Missick

Introduction:

Stephen Andrew Missick is associate pastor of King of Saints Messianic Congregation in Cleveland, Texas.

He has served in Iraq with the US Army twice and served as an Army Chaplain.

He is the author of "The Words of Jesus in the Original Aramaic" and several other books.

He is also the author and illustrator of a series of comics that tell the story of Hanukkah and the recently published "Hanukkah Comic and Coloring Book."

 

Question 1:

We all see the Hanukkah menorahs out during the holiday season, and many people see Hanukkah as a type of Jewish equivalent to Christmas, what is Hanukkah really about?

Answer:

Hanukkah is a celebration of the victory of Judah Maccabee over the Syrian Greeks who were persecuting the Jews. The Syrian Greeks were killing Jews for believing in the Bible and for observing the Law of Moses.

The Syrian Greek King, Antiochus Epiphanes, aimed to exterminate Judaism.

Judah Maccabee fought against these killings. Judah Maccabee won religious freedom for the Jewish people about 167 years before the birth of Jesus. Hanukkah is about the Battle for Religious Freedom and the fight against anti-Semitism.

Question 2:

What does the word "Hanukkah" mean?

Hanukkah is a word in Hebrew and Aramaic that can be translated "Dedication." The reason this festival is holiday is called "Dedication," is because the Syrian Greeks had taken God's Temple in Jerusalem and erected idols inside it and then they sacrificed a pig on the altar in order to profane it. After three years of fighting, Judah Maccabee was able to liberate the temple and rededicate it. Hanukkah is a celebration of the liberation of the temple and the cleansing and rededication of the Temple.

Question 4:

Why is Hanukkah celebrated for eight days?

Originally, Hanukkah was called "Sukkot in Kislev." It was patterned after Sukkot, what is also called "The Feast of Tabernacles," which is an eight day holiday. Many people are familiar with the story of a one-day supply of sacred oil lasting for eight days and this being the "miracle of Hanukkah." However, this story isn't in the earliest sources. I think the oil story can distract from the real story of Hanukkah which is a story enduring persecution and fighting for religious liberty.

Question 5:

What exactly is a menorah?

Moses built a tent-shrine when the Israelites were in the wilderness. Sacred furnishings were built for this tabernacle, which included the Ark of the Covenant and the Menorah.

The Menorah was a seven-branched lamp-stand. The Hanukkah Menorah, called a Hanukkayah, has nine branches and is a candle stand. On each night a new candle is lit, until on the eighth day, all nine candles shine. The center candle is called the Shamash-or servant-candle.

According to Jewish tradition, the Menorah is placed openly in the window, the boldly proclaim the Jewish family of the household in celebration of the religious freedom won by Judah Maccabee.

Question 6:

What motivated you to tell this story?

I believe that this story is very relevant because we see religious freedom under attack every day, around the world and in the United States of America as well.

Recently, Christians were massacred in Egypt and in Kenya. Here in the United States we see the government trying to force religious institutions to support political agendas that are opposed to their sincerely held religious beliefs concerning abortion, birth control, and gay marriage. Also, we see the rise of anti-Semitism, often masquerading as "anti-Zionism." So the Hanukkah story deals with important relevant issues.

The story of Hanukkah is also an all around fascinating story about good verses evil, amazing courage and adventure.

The story of Hanukkah also is important in understanding the historical context of the world in which Jesus lived.

Question 7:

So would Hanukkah be part of Jesus' Jewish culture?

Yes. In fact, the Gospel of John states in John 10:20 that Jesus went to Jerusalem in order to observe Hanukkah. I think this is very important for several reasons. First, Hanukkah is, in some ways, a minor Jewish festival. It has risen in importance because it usually falls near Christmas.

Hanukkah was not a pilgrimage festival like Sukkot or Passover, but Jesus chose to go to Jerusalem in order to observe Hanukkah.

By celebrating Hanukkah, Jesus is signaling that this is an important holiday that his followers should be familiar with.

Question 8:

We see that Jesus celebrating Hanukkah is in the Bible, but is the story of Hanukkah in the Bible?

The story of Hanukkah is told in 1 and 2 Maccabees, which are part of the Bible for Roman Catholics and Greek Orthodox Christians. Until the Protestant Reformation, Maccabees was part of the Old Testament.

The Jewish historian Josephus wrote about the Hanukkah story in his books. He was from the same family as Judas Maccabee.

Actually, Christians viewed Judah Maccabee as a hero of the Old Testament along with Abraham, Moses, and King David. In fact, in pre-Reformation Catholic Europe, Maccabees was probably one of the more popular stories of the Old Testament.

The Jews use a version of the story of the Maccabees that is derived from 1 Maccabees, it is called Megollith Antiochus. The Jews did not include Maccabees as a part of the Bible. For that reason, Martin Luther and other Reformers delegated Maccabees to the status of "Apocrypha."

However, the story of Hanukkah IS in the Bible. Daniel prophetically writes about the Maccabees in Daniel 11:32. His prophecy of the Maccabees would be fulfilled centuries after he wrote.

Jesus celebrating Hanukkah in John's Gospel alludes to Maccabees. Also, there is a reference to the Maccabean Martyrs in Hebrews 11:35-36.

Question 9:

Isn't the Book of Maccabees used to justify the Roman Catholic belief in purgatory?

The first thing to remember about the Book of Maccabees is that these are not Roman Catholic writings. These are pre-Catholic, ancient Jewish writings. There is a passage in 2 Maccabees that Catholics use to support their doctrine of purgatory, and it is a passage where Judah Maccabee repents on behalf of some of his fallen soldiers who dabbled in idolatry. Catholics also use verses in the book of Corinthians and Revelation to support their doctrine of purgatory (Revelations 21:27 and 2 Corinthians 5:10). What 2 Maccabees is trying to do is to affirm life after death, which the Sadducee faction denied, it isn't about purgatory. 1 and 2 Maccabees are two alternate accounts of the Hanukkah story. Both are important. I have heard people described Maccabees as "very wicked and demonic books." This is an ignorant statement made by someone betrays the fact that they never read the books by making such a statement. Jesus celebrated the Maccabees story when he celebrated Hanukkah. Jesus is holy, he wouldn't have celebrated anything wicked or demonic. Judah Maccabee didn't claim to be a prophet or any thing like that. He was a hero fighting for the Jewish people. Judah Maccabee also preserved the Holy Bible. Part of his mission when he was fighting was to collect and preserve the Holy Bible. The Syrian Greeks had given orders that all copies of the Bible were to be destroyed.

So, Judah Maccabee played an important role in the story of how we got the Bible.

Question 10:

Why did you decide to tell the Hanukkah story in a comic book format?

I am a bit of an artist and I also think that comic books are an effective means to communicate the story of the Bible. Both Marvel Comics and EC comics began with Bible comics. Comic artists began communicating the story of the Bible almost as soon as the art form was developed.

I called this series "The Hammer of God" because Judah was given the nickname "Maccabee" which means "Hammer" in Aramaic." The "Hammer of God" comic book series tells the story of Judah Maccabee and Charles Martel, both of whom fought for religious freedom.

Papal Neutrality in the Culture War? November 15, 2013 - 4:40 AM - See more at: http://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/patrick-j-buchanan/papal-neutrality-culture-war#sthash.We8TVtwV.dpuf

By Patrick J. Buchanan

Pope Francis doesn't want cultural warriors; he doesn't want ideologues," said Bishop Blase Cupich of Spokane, Wash.: "The nuncio said the Holy Father wants bishops with pastoral sensitivity, shepherds who know the smell of the sheep." Bishop Cupich was conveying instructions the papal nuncio had delivered from Rome to guide U.S. bishops in choosing a new leader. They chose Archbishop Joseph Kurtz of Louisville, Ky., who has a master's degree in social work, to succeed Archbishop Timothy Dolan whom Laurie Goodstein of the New York Times describes thus: "[A] garrulous evangelist comfortable in front of a camera, [who] led the bishops in their high-profile confrontation with the Obama administration over a provision in the health care mandate that requires most employers to have insurance that covers contraceptives for employees." That mandate also requires employers to cover abortion-inducing drugs and sterilizations. Yet here is further confirmation His Holiness seeks to move the Catholic Church to a stance of non-belligerence, if not neutrality, in the culture war for the soul of the West. There is a small problem with neutrality. As Trotsky observed, "You may not be interested in war, but war is interested in you." For the church to absent itself from the culture war is to not to end that war, but to lose it. What would that entail? Can we not already see? In America, the family has disintegrated. Forty percent of working-class white children are born out of wedlock, as are 53 percent of Hispanic children, and 73 percent of black children. Kids from broken homes are many times more likely to drop out of school, take drugs, join gangs, commit crimes, end up in prison, lose their souls, and produce yet another generation of lost souls. Goodstein quotes the Holy Father as listing among the "most serious of the evils" today "youth unemployment." And he calls upon Catholics not to be "obsessed" with abortion or same-sex marriage. But is teenage unemployment really a graver moral evil than the slaughter of 3,500 unborn every day in a land we used to call "God's Country"? Papal encyclicals like Rerum Novarum and Quadragesimo Anno have much to teach about social justice in an industrial society. But what is the special expertise of the church in coping with teenage unemployment? Has the Curia done good scholarly work on the economic impact of the minimum wage? The cultural revolution preached by Marxist Antonio Gramsci is continuing its "long march" through the institutions of the West and succeeding where the violent revolutions of Lenin and Mao failed. It is effecting a transvaluation of all values. And it is not interested in a truce with the church of Pope Francis, but a triumph over that church which it reviles as the great enemy in its struggle. Indeed, after decades of culture war waged against Christianity, the Vatican might consider the state of the Faith. Our civilization is being de-Christianized. Popular culture is a running sewer. Promiscuity and pornography are pandemic. In Europe, the churches empty out as the mosques fill up. In America, Bible reading and prayer are outlawed in schools, as Christian displays are purged from public squares. Officially, Christmas and Easter do not exist. The pope, says Goodstein, refers to proselytizing as "solemn nonsense." But to proselytize is to convert nonbelievers. And when Christ admonished his apostles, "Go forth and teach all nations," and ten of his twelve were martyred doing so, were they not engaged in the Church's true commission — to bring souls to Christ. Pope Francis comes out of the Jesuits. Hence, one wonders: Did those legendary Jesuits like St. Isaac Jogues and the North American Martyrs make a mistake proselytizing and baptizing, when they could have been working on youth unemployment among the Mohawks? An Italian atheist quotes the pope as saying, "Everyone has his own idea of good and evil," and everyone should "follow the good and fight evil as he conceives them." Does this not reflect the moral relativism of Prince Hamlet when he said to Rosencrantz, "there is nothing either good or bad but thinking makes it so?" Yet, is it not the church's mission to differentiate good and evil and condemn the latter? "Who am I to judge," Pope Francis says of homosexuals. Well, he is pope. And even the lowliest parish priest has to deliver moral judgments in a confessional. "[S]ince he became pope," writes Goodstein, Francis' "approval numbers are skyrocketing. Even atheists are applauding." Especially the atheists, one imagines. While Pope Francis has not altered any Catholic doctrines in his interviews and disquisitions, he is sowing seeds of confusion among the faithful, a high price to pay, even for "skyrocketing" poll numbers. If memory serves, the Lord said, "Feed my sheep," not "get the smell of the sheep." And he did not mean soup kitchens, but more importantly the spiritual food essential for eternal life. But then those were different Jesuits. And that was long ago. - See more at: http://www.cnsnews.com/commentary/patrick-j-buchanan/papal-neutrality-culture-war#sthash.We8TVtwV.dpuf

Islamic Slavery

http://secularafrican.wordpress.com/2013/08/22/denials-of-islamic-slavery/

Sarah Palin's Christmas Book

Sarah Palin has written a new book about the Left's War against freedom of religion and Freedom of Speech.

In her New York Times bestsellers Going Rogue and America by Heart, Sarah Palin revealed the strong Christian faith that has guided her life and family. In Good Tidings and Great Joy she calls for bringing back the freedom to express the Christian values of the season. She asserts the importance of preserving Jesus Christ in Christmas—in public displays, school concerts, pageants, and our expressions to one another other—and laments the over-commercialization and homogenization of Christmas in today's society.

Interwoven throughout are personal memories and family traditions, as well as more than a dozen family photos, which illustrate the reasons why the celebration of Jesus Christ's nativity is the centerpiece of her faith. Palin believes it is imperative that we stand up for our beliefs before the element of faith in a glorious and traditional holiday like Christmas is marginalized and ignored. She also encourages readers to see what is possible when we unite in defense of our religious convictions and ignore the politically correct Scrooges seeking to take Christ out of Christmas. Good Tidings and Great Joy is a call to action to openly celebrate the joys of Christianity, and say Merry Christmas to one another.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVNT3G8OHlg&feature=player_embedded

Aramaic Christian Ministries

 

Aramaic Christian Ministries

Hello and welcome to this edition of the Aramaic Herald Newsletter.

In this edition I will introduce some new projects that I am working on.

I am founding a non-profit organization called "Aramaic Christians Ministries."

The goal of this organization is to research the history of Syriac Heritage Christianity with a focus on the Assyrian Church of the East. Also, we will teach scriptural study using Aramaic sources such as the Syriac Peshitta and other Syriac commentaries.

(The Assyrians use Syriac, a form of Aramaic very similar to the Aramaic spoken by Jesus Christ as their liturgical language. Many Assyrians speak Modern Assyrian, which is classified by most linguists as a modern form of Aramaic.)

I also want to help rescue Christians of the Middle East. The goal is mainly to create awareness, especially among American Christians. Also, we will explore ways to provide assistance to Assyrian Christians in need. Lastly, we hope to preserve and restore the great legacy of Assyrian Christianity.

Doctoral Studies

This year I started my doctoral program. I am attending Houston Graduate School of Theology. The equivalent of a thesis in my program will be a project, in which I implement an educational program about the Assyrian and Aramaic Christian heritage.

The project will be entitled "FACILITATING INTERACTION BETWEEN THE ARAMAIC ASSYRIAN CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY AND EVANGELICAL CHRISTIANS FOR SUSTAINMENT AND RENEWAL."

 

The program will be open to the public. Classes on Aramaic and on the Assyrian Christian heritage will be offered. These educational programs will be developed in cooperation with the local Assyrian community. A conference on the persecution of Assyrians and other Middle Eastern Christian groups will also be offered. In the course of research, meetings will be held with Assyrian Church leaders and local Evangelical churches. Assyrian leaders will be in order to discover from them their needs and the researcher will work them to develop strategies to help the Assyrian Christians and to help preserve the Aramaic language and Assyrian culture. Part of the project will include engaging Christian leaders and Christian media to tell the story of the Assyrians and developing strategies to aide Assyrian refugees. Also, ways to make the Aramaic Christian heritage more accessible will be explored. One question to be addressed is whether it is possible to develop user-friendly materials to make traditional Syriac Bible studies and Syriac spirituality more accessible to Evangelical Christians and the general American public. In the course of the projects, presentations about the Assyrian people, relations between Islam and Christianity, and religious persecution will be offered to Evangelical churches. The ultimate goal is to increase the awareness of the plight of the Assyrian Christians and develop strategies to help the community.

I am looking into financial support to pay for the doctoral program. Please, pray for me, that God will provide my needs, that the program will be implemented effectively and that it would be successful. If you would like additional information, please contact Stephen Andrew Missick (see below).

Voice of the Word

I have began a new teaching series. They will be available on DVD. The first episode is "Voice of the Word: De-Coding the Language of Jesus." I may do additional episodes. I would like to do twelve episodes of the program and develop a "Voice of the Word" radio program.

Newsletters

This is the 170^th edition of the "Aramaic Herald" newsletter. Almost all of the newsletters are up on the blog: www.aramaicherald.blogspot.com. I also have another newsletter I have started called "Miltha" in which I focus more on the research I am pursuing in the process of my doctoral program.

2013

This year is drawing to a close. In 2013, I made my mission trip to India. I preached a lot in Hyderabad, India. Christianity is the third largest in India and of course has a long history, which according to tradition goes back to St. Thomas. Christianity is large and thriving in India. India is first, Hindu, then Muslim and thirdly Christians. There are more Christians in India than Buddhists, Zoroasterians, and Jains.

I also started on my doctoral program this year. The first session was May 15-October 15. I have now started the second session.

I went to the Assyrian Convention this year and had productive visits with Jan Magiera of Light of the Word Ministries, Father Bazzi, Nicholas Al-Jeloo and others.

Other Projects

I have been working with the Assyrian community, in both the Middle East and the United States for almost twenty years. Also, I have written articles on the history of the Assyrian Church of the East and some books as well on the Assyrian Christian heritage.

I am working through the Diatesseron of Tatian the Assyrian for our Saturday morning Bible study at our church in Cleveland.

In our prison ministry, I am teaching through a Bible study based on an English translation of the Syriac Peshitta version of the Gospel of Mark at the prison in Livingston, Texas.

This year I finished writing four books:

The Baal Cycle: This book is about Canaanite mythology. I wrote this as part of my study of Biblical backgrounds. The Baal Cycle features about fifty drawing illustrating the myths. In the Old Testament, the worship of Baal is the major threat to the people of Yahweh. Due to important archeological discoveries in the ruins of the ancient Canaanite city-state of Ugarit, we now know more about what the Canaanites believe.

The Quest for the Historical Moses: This book is about what we know about the Exodus from sources outside the Bible. I would say not much. But we do know a lot. What we don't know is exactly when the Exodus occurred-sometime between 1440 and 1207-with the 1200s being the most likely date.

The Hanukkah Comic and Coloring Book This is a comic book I wrote and illustrated telling the story of 1 and 2 Maccabees. It is the story of Judas Maccabaeus and his battle for religious liberty.

The Four Principles of Moderate Islam I am tired of watching violence being carried out by Muslims against Assyrian and Coptic Christians. How do we put a stop to it? Sometimes it is necessary to meet violence with violence. However, it is important to explore peaceful options. I believe we should do this by defining what Moderate Islam is. In Moderate Islam there is:

1. No Jihad-a renunciation of religious violence

2. Sharia Law has no legal force-and is merely a personal lifestyle choice

3. Non-Muslims and Muslims are equal citizens everywhere on earth

4. No ex-Muslim should be punished or put to death.

I also have other projects in development

The Restoration of the Lost Ark, The Clan, Richard Wagner's Jesus of Nazareth, A Chaplain's Story, Christians under Islam, What Every Christian Needs to Know About Islam, Moses: The Shepherd of his People, Saint Thomas in India, The Seven Signs, Hanukkah 2.

Understanding the Difficult Words of Jesus, Misreading the Scriptures through Jewish Eyes, Babylon Religion Uncovered, The Assyrian Christian Heritage, Rabbouni: The Way of the Master, the Exodus Narrative, The Ring of King Solomon, The Lords of the Netherworld, The Semitic Roots of the Early Church Fathers, and Christ the Man 2.

I have an article on Saint Isaac of Nineveh another on the Mandaeans that I need to touch up.

 

 

 

 

About Stephen Missick

Reverend Stephen Andrew Missick is the author of The Assyrian Church in the Mongol Empire, Mar Thoma: The Apostolic Foundation of the Assyrian Church in India, and Socotra: The Mysterious Island of the Church of the East which were published in the Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies (Volume XIII, No. 2, 1999, Volume XIV, No. 2, 2000 and Volume XVI No. 1, 2002). (See www.jaas.org.) He is the author of The Words of Jesus in the Original Aramaic: Discovering the Semitic Roots of Christianity, The Secret of Jabez, Saint Thaddeus and the King of Assyria, The Ascents of James: A Lost Acts of the Apostles, The Hammer of God: The Stories of Judah Maccabee and Charles Martel, The Ennead: The Story of Osiris the Vindicator, the Beloved Enchantress Isis and Horus the Avenger and Christ the Man. He is an ordained minister of the gospel. He graduated from Sam Houston State University and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. Rev. Missick has traveled extensively throughout the Middle East and has lived among the Coptic Christians in Egypt and Aramaic Christians in Syria. He also served as a soldier in Operation Iraqi Freedom in 2003 and 2004. While serving as a soldier in Iraq he learned Aramaic from native Aramaic-speaking Iraqi Assyrian Christians. Rev. Missick is the writer and illustrator of the comic book "The Assyrians: The Oldest Christian People," the comic strip Chronicles: Facts from the Bible and the comic book series The Hammer of God which are available from www.comixpress.com. The Hammer of God comic book series dramatizes the stories of Judah Maccabee and Charles Martel. He has also served as a chaplain in the Army National Guard in Iraq during his second deployment in 2009 and 2010. He participated in an archeological excavation of Bethsaida in Galilee in 2011 and went on a missionary trip to Uganda in 2012 and India in 2013.

 

Stephen Andrew Missick is available to teach in your church. Topics include the Semitic roots of Christianity, Insight from the Aramaic language of Jesus, Islam and Christianity and much more. Invite him for a weekend and add a seminar or a Bible teaching of your choice. Please contact our office at 2228 FM 1725, Cleveland, Texas 77328 or PO Box 882, Shepherd, Texas, 77371 Or call (281) 592-4101 to invite Stephen to your church.

See also: www.youtube.com/aramaic12 or www.aramaicherald.blogspot.com

 

 

Complete Works of Stephen Andrew Missick

ARTICLES

(Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies www.jaas.org)

The Assyrian Church in the Mongol Empire, Mar Thoma: The Apostolic Foundation of the Assyrian Church in India, and Socotra: The Mysterious Island of the Church of the East which were published in the Journal of Assyrian Academic Studies (Volume XIII, No. 2, 1999, Volume XIV, No. 2, 2000 and Volume XVI No. 1, 2002).

BOOKS

The Words of Jesus in the Original Aramaic: Discovering the Semitic Roots of Christianity (Xulon Press, 2006)

Mary of Magdala: Magdalene, the Forgotten Aramaic Prophetess of Christianity (Xlibris, 2006)

Treasures of the Language of Jesus: The Aramaic Source of Christ's Teaching (Xlibris, 2006)

Aramaic: The Language of Jesus of Nazareth (Xlibris, 2008)

Christ the Man (Xulon Press)

The Hammer of God: The Stories of Judah Maccabee and Charles Martel (Xulon Press, 2010) ( Charles Martel: The Hammer of God and Judas Maccabeus: The Hammer of God (Createspace 2011) are also available.

The Ascents of James: A Lost Acts of the Apostles (Create Space 2010)

The Second Adam and the Restoration of All Things (Create Space 2010)

Saint Thaddeus and the King of Assyria: The Aramaic Origins of Christianity (Create Space 2010)

A Soldier in Iraq (Createspace 2011)

The Lord's Prayer in the Original Aramaic (Createspace 2011)

Jesus the Poet (Createspace 2011)

The Ennead and The Art of the Ennead (Createspace 2011)

The Secret of Jabez (2011)

The 613 Commandments (2011)

 

The Assyrians: The Oldest Christian People (Createspace 2011)

 

The Epic of Baal and The Baal Cycle (2012, 2013)

 

Chronicles: Facts from the Bible (2013)

 

The Quest for the Historical Moses (2013)

 

Hanukkah Comic and Coloring Book (2013)

 

COMIC BOOKS

 

The Assyrians: The Oldest Christian People

The Hammer of God Character and Historical Reference

The Hammer of God Coloring Book

The Hammer of God Mini-comic

Chronicles: Facts from the Bible

The Seventh Sign

 

VIDEOS

Crossover Program: Iraqi Christians in Crisis

Crossover Program: The Armenian Holocaust

Crossover Program: Hanukkah and the Hammer of God

Voice of the Word: De-coding the Language of Jesus

 

Stephen promotes his "Hanukkah Comic"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVNT3G8OHlg&feature=player_embedded

Jefferson Bethke: A Son of Belial

Jesus said that the days would come when anti-Christs, false-prophets and false teachers-even those who claim to be followers of Jesus would appear. John tells us in his epistles that many Anti-Christs have come. One such deceiver-is a servant of Satan and false teacher named Jefferson Bethke. This Anti-Christ spends his time attacking Christianity and the Church. He is more active and effective than many atheists. I read his trashy article entitled "Jesus was not about the "good ole days" that appeared on the RINO network's website (that's www.foxnews.com.). What I find most disturbing is that Thomas Nelson, a traditionally conservative evangelical publishing company, prints this man's garbage and anti-Christian propaganda. I sent Mr. Bethke-this son of Belial, this letter today.

Mr. Bethke,

Here is my analysis of your continuing attack upon the body of Christ, the work of Christ and indeed, Christ Himself.

Jesus said, "narrow is the way, that leads to life, and few day it" and "broad is the way that leads to destruction." You would have us abandon Jesus and his way and follow the world-to destruction. You have turned your back on the Lord Jesus and are an enemy of the cross of Christ! You need to repent-and if you are not going to-please leave the church and stop attacking the Body of Christ-you DEVIL!

Jesus was not about the 'good old days'

By Jefferson Bethke

Published October 13, 2013

FoxNews.com

 

It is obvious from reading your article that you are an uneducated person. No one who had a theological education could possibly make profoundly ignorant remarks.

Also, you do not possess the Mind of Christ but think in a carnal, unregenerate manner.

First off, your basic premise is incorrect.

I read a book entitled "Young Jesus" by Jean-Pierre Isbouts. This man is not a conservative. He says "Jesus's "Kingdom of God" program aimed to restore the ancient socio-religious village culture of the Galilean peasantry, steadily being torn asunder by the misrule of Herod the Great and his son Antipas."How was it being torn asunder? By exploitative and confiscatory taxation. By the Imperial rule of Rome, in which the people of Israel lost their status as citizens and were reduced to subjects and slaves of the Empire. In my opinion, this is exactly what the Democratic Party is doing today. So according the Isbouts, Jesus was about restoring the "good old days."

As the "who's in and who's out" debate -- recently criticized by Pope Francis -- storms on within the church, many voices declare that all would be well in America if we could just return to "conservative Christian biblical values."

Who is saying "all would be well"? I think that it is obvious that families were better off before than they are not. Before President Johnson's "War on Poverty" 25% of all African American Children were born out of wedlock. Now it is over 75%. And now, whites are over 35% born out of wedlock and it was under 5%. Although Liberals call themselves "progressives"-this isn't progress. These failed policies are destroying peoples lives by the millions! And yet, people like you attack the prophetic voice that speaks the truth! Why do Liberals pursue policies that harm people-why not examine to see if you are really helping people-and if you are doing more harm than good-and the liberals are-stop and develop a more effective strategy. The problem is that they are blinded by an ideology.

It is the Liberals who think "all will be well" when you have totalitarian control over every ones life and the state can control even what people think and believe. It is the Liberals who are Utopians who believe that government is the answer for everything. Evangelicals know that man is fallen and sinful and that "all will be well" only when Jesus returns and established God's Kingdom on earth as it is in heaven.

[Pope Francis said the church had grown "obsessed" with abortion, gay marriage and contraception, and said it should focus more on socioeconomic issues.]

First off, I view Pope Francis as an Anti-Pope. Secondly, he is wrong. It is the Left who obsesses about homosexuality, abortion and contraception. We the church do two things: 1 Present the Good News of Jesus Christ and 2 Provide moral clarity on contemporary issues based on the Scriptures. Contraception is so readily available it not an issue. Walmarts have entire aisles of birth control. However, Obama Care wants to force Churches and Christian Colleges to pay for abortions and give students of Bible Schools free condoms. Isn't that a gross violation of the separation of church and state?

I have many questions. First, why are you opposing people who believe in Biblical Values? Secondly, what church have you gone to? You are far more judgmental in your hateful comments attacking the body of Christ that any church I have ever been to. You are a false Christian fighting against Christ. The Lord rebuke you! You are not operating in the Holy Spirit but in a carnal satanic spirit.

But they're fighting the wrong battle. In fact, they might actually be a part of the problem, not the solution.

So, now we see you are engaging in a "who's in and who's out" debate! Conservative Evangelicals are the problem not the solution!

The real problem this country faces is the Liberal Establishment that holds a monopoly on entertainment, news, academia, education, the judiciary, and the bureaucracy. This is the oppressive power structure that needs to be overthrown.

I am not totally against liberalism, I am for a market place of ideas. What I am against is how liberals exclude different points of view and ostracize and demonize voices of dissent-often by using inflammatory rhetoric and name calling-using such pejorative terms as "religious right," "homophobic" and baseless claims of racism.

Weakminded people, such as yourself, easily fall prey to such a system. Indeed, Jesus said it would be this way. He said that there would be such a great deception that even the Elect, if possible, would be deceived and that many would fall away.

Jesus isn't after restoring America as "Christian" or getting back to the good ol' days. (Side note, by the way: it really bothers me when people say they want to get back to the "good ol' days," as if white people owning black people as property and women being seen as second class citizens was somehow "good".)

Are you a historian?

What bothers me more is that Christians were held as slaves in Sudan less than 15 years ago. I think this is more important that what happened 150 years ago. It bothers me that 3 million, mostly Sudanese Christians, were killed in Sudan, for their faith. I imagine that you didn't know this. What bothers me is that genocide and ethnic cleansing of Christians in Egypt, Syria and Iraq is going on right now. And it wouldn't surprise me that you don't know about it-or if you did know that you don't care.

You were making historical claims- but-are you a historian? I strongly doubt it. I find your comments shallow and ignorant. You obviously don't know what you are talking about.

In the past, our ancestors struggled to survive. They didn't have the leisure we have today to reflect on grievance politics and the politics of victimization. These ideas wouldn't have occurred to many of them and many wouldn't have seen any value in voting if they had the right.

Slavery is a great evil, but all ancient empires were built on human and animal labor. We marvel at the pyramids and the Coliseum, but Egyptians and Romans forced people to build those imposing structures. What really has liberated people our technological advances. (John Deere liberated more people than Abraham Lincoln.) Just think about the electronic washing machine and drier. Have you ever thought about life without it? For a family to survive, the wife needed to do housework. It was necessity and survival. She needed her husband to provide for her and he needed her help so he could go and earn a living. Their thinking wasn't politicized in a way for either of them to imagine that she was "property." And often, they loved each other. Have you ever read Paul's reflections on love in 1 Corinthians 13?

America has been the greatest nation on earth, since its founding, and it was the best and freest nation on earth, even during the time in which the shameful practice of slavery was going on.

I recently read "Whose Religion is Christianity?" (It is by a Christian from Africa.) The author spent most of the book responding to Anti-Christian polemics and vitriol that we find in the Liberal Establishment over Academia, Information Media, and Entertainment.

Most of what these people say about Christian history isn't true. For instance, Medieval Historians do not believe there ever were "Dark Ages." Well, if historians of the period reject the idea of a "Dark Ages" where does the idea come from? It comes from movies and TV. See how powerful the disinformation is.

YOU can count yourself among the brainwashed!

"Defending Constantine" shows that most of what is said against Constantine is not historical. (Since your are a profoundly ignorant person-I need to tell you-Constantine was the Roman Emperor who ended the persecution of Christians. Google it. I wonder-does your education go beyond sixth grade?

I recommend that you read Rodney Stark's books especially "God's Battalions" (which shows that most of the common knowledge about the Crusades is also erroneous and many myths about the Crusades have been exposed long ago by Crusade historians).

I think that Rodney Stark's books are above your reading level. So, I suggest Rush Limbaugh's "Rush Revere and the Brave Pilgrims" to get you on the right track. If you have trouble with reading comprehension you can get your wife to read it to you-or maybe by the CD and listen to it.

 

The "if only" mentality is everywhere.

I don't have an "if only" attitude. I have a realistic attitude. I will try to change the world for Christ as long as I can-but it is obvious that America is no longer a free country or a functioning constitutional republic. Your mentality of buying into the anti-Christ world system and supporting a despot like Obama is the problem. You are willing to compromise the Gospel-if that isn't bad enough-you attack those who stand upon the word of God.

"If only we could go back to when Christians were the majority." "If only we could go back to when gay marriage was illegal."

Well, technically Christians are still in the majority. For now at least. Also, Christians have always been involved in politics. If we care about people, shouldn't we? Isn't it our civic duty to be involved in our government in a Republic? Christians in politics led the abolitionist movement against slavery and the civil rights movement against racial discrimination. You also had the temperance movement and Christian women involved in the suffrage movement. The political activist William Jennings Bryan led a crusade against racism and social Darwinism. Now Christians fight to protect Christian values-and to prevent Christians from being discriminated against by the racial left.

Also, people on the left are the ones who are hateful and intolerant. The writer of "Ender's Game" believes in Biblical Marriage. The vitriol against him-and calls for boycotts are shocking to me. The liberals will not allow people to believe in what God says. They want to punish belief in God's Word.

Also, they are the ones who are controlling and PETTY. People are dying from starvation, malnutrition and oppression around the world-and the latest cause of the left-don't dress up as an American Indian for Halloween. Who are they to tell me what to dress up as? Where will their controlling stop?

Look, now they have gay marriage what is next? In California they are putting boys and girls together in the showers-that's what's next. And Obama himself has called for "sex ed" teaching children how to masturbate and about homosexual sex acts in elementary school. What will happen to parents who object? They will be attacked by people like you-and once your actions have an effect on the culture-what's viewed as acceptable and not-then legal action will be taken against the parents who are opposed to the sexualization of their children. (Look at what happened in Helena, Montana just a couple of years ago.)

I have to give it to you-you are a champion in the fight against religious freedom and freedom of speech.

The problem I have with this "if only" mindset is, Jesus never spoke of such a thing. Never once do I read the New Testament and see Jesus saying, "You know what would be nice, Peter? If you get a bunch of people to get prayer into public schools!"

In fact, it's almost as if Jesus assumed that the normal societal powers would dislike his followers because the usual tools of the state (manipulation, fear, coercion, even death) seemed peculiarly ineffective against the disciples.

If you are insinuating that the church has such power or is using such power or intends to use such power-you are a fool. It is Christians who are powerless and are a target of the left-who are using fear and coercion to silence Christians. One way the government controls the church is through monitoring sermons to see if sermon content is acceptable or not. If the state doesn't like sermon content then they can take away the church's "non-profit" status. So we see freedom of speech and freedom of religion are limited. I don't believe that it is the states responsibility to monitor sermon content. I don't like what Jeremiah Wright says in his church, but I think free speech should be protected for everyone. Since the government approves of leftism, he and his ilk don't have to worry about fear and coercion from the manipulation of the IRS and the federal government.

"Christian" literally means "little Christ." So, if we say we are a Christian, we are to be a little Jesus -- attempting to emulate his behavior and language. That means if we want to bring about change in our cities, schools, etc., we need to look at how he did it.

Christian does not mean "little Christ." Where do you get this stuff? Why don't you do some research before you make such claims. (I have found that the less you know, the easier it is to make haughty claims. Such attacks and vitriol are signs of the unlearned mind.) The Greek word Χριστιανός (Christianos)—meaning "follower of Christ"—comes from Χριστός (Christos)—meaning "anointed one"—with an adjectival ending borrowed from Latin to denote adhering to, or even belonging to, as in slave ownership. Some scholars believe that "Christian" originally meant "Partisans of Christ."

If the Greek form were "christion" it which would indeed mean "little Christ," "little Messiah" or "little Anointed One."

But the Greek word underlying English "Christian" actually appears three times in the NT, and numerous times in Patristic and early Latin literature. And it's not christion, but as follows:

In Greek:

christianos (singular)
christianoi (plural)

In Latin:

christianus (singular)
christiani (plural)

The reality is that christianus is a Latin form. This is a second declension, masculine noun, and the Greek forms are simply imitative of and adapted from the Latin. It was common at this time in both Latin and Hellenistic Greek to use this suffix to identify the adherents of a public figure. So we have all sorts of examples, such as

Pompeiani
Augustani
Caesariani
Herodiani

These forms refer to the adherents or partisans of these men, those who belong to them or are devoted to them. So a Christian is a partisan of Christ. The above forms don't mean "little Pompeys," "little Augustuses" or "little Herods."

If that is true, then the word does have a political connotation-as does the Greek word for Church, Ekklesia, which means Assembly-as in the Government Assembly-or "Congress."

Did he say, "Let's make sure the 10 Commandments stay in the courthouse!"

Or…

Jesus celebrated Hanukkah in John 10:22. Hanukkah was a celebration of a revolt against an attempt of the Greeks to erase all vestiges of the Bible from the culture. Jesus doesn't not support attempts to secularize the culture. The Kingdom of God is not a democracy. When Jesus comes again ALL law will be made subject to his law.

Taking down monuments of the Ten Commandments is a front in the lefts all out war against God and any and all vestiges of America's biblical foundation.

"Man, if only they stopped saying 'happy holidays' and really stood firm on 'Merry Christmas,' the world would be a better place."

No.

The early Christians were put to death for refusing to throw a pinch of incense into a fire for an offering to the genius of the emperor. If you are so willing to give into state intimidation from even saying the very name of Christ-you have already denied him-and Jesus has denied you before the Father.

Government and businesses threatened to punish employees for saying "Merry Christmas" because they find the name of Jesus Christ, and the power of that name, offensive.

This is a form of religious persecution and a threat against free speech and freedom of religion. It is an attempt to create a climate of fear against expressing the Christian faith.

It is the government and businesses that are using fear, manipulation, and coercion against Christians and not vice versa.

 

When you read Acts, the story of the early Church, you see that Christians had zero governmental power and never pushed political agendas. In fact, they were even seen as enemies of the state in some regions.

From the point of view of the Roman authorities the Early Church was pushing a political agenda. And this is why they fed Christians to the lions. They saw the early Christians as a political threat. As Isbouts says they were considered "Un-Roman and hostile to the state."

Of course, repeating the teachings of Jesus Christ and the Apostles (see the Didache and the Epistle of Barnabas) the early Christians fought against abortion and infanticide. (The Democratic Party is the party of Sodom, killing unborn babies, and creating a totalitarian police state. Of course the Republican Party is almost as bad. Being led by Christ, how can we not be against such wicked and corrupt organizations?)

In the early church, people with political power and influence were coming to faith in Christ. People like the Centurian Cornelius and the Governor Sergius Paulus. I believe that Christians who have political authority, as these men had, should exercise their political authority in a godly manner.

You know who else has a political agenda? YOU DO! You wrote this paper to further your political agenda-your support of "gay marriage," abortion, and censorship or religious expression and religious speech.

A complete separation of Church and State is self-referentially incoherent and not a goal we should have. The abolitionist movement and many other social welfare movements were spearheaded by Christians. Also, without State support, there wouldn't have been a Protestant Reformation-it was a "Magisterial Reformation." If the German Princes had not given Martin Luther their political support-we wouldn't be where we are today as far as Evangelicalism is concerned.

The Roman Empire didn't like this group of people who worshipped an executed Jewish rabbi. They were the rejects, the mess ups, the marginalized, and the broken.

No one looked at the first Christians and thought, "Oh yeah, they are definitely going to change the world!"

Oh yes they did! They saw them as a threat to the power structures of the day. Hence the persecution. Is it that you don't read the Bible or is it that you don't have the intellect to understand and comprehend what you are reading? This could be because you are lacking the Holy Spirit of God because you are unregenerate. You can't understand the Scriptures because they are spiritually discerned.

But they did. They turned it upside down.

The question is, how?

I'd argue by the power of forgiveness, reconciliation, and sacrificial love.

You are insinuating that this is not what the church is preaching-and that is a damn lie and you know it! That makes you a LIAR-and not only that you are maligning Christ and his Church.

They went around telling everyone they didn't need to live in the old system -- there was a new king and that was good news! A new way, a new world, a new life had been inaugurated at the resurrection of Jesus. He literally kicked a hole right in the center of darkness, bringing new life to all who claim He is Lord.

OK-it is obvious that you are not a reading or thinking person-but I will try to help you out here. I read a book some time ago called "Lost Worlds of Africa"-I think the author was named Willard. It had a chapter on why the Romans persecuted Christians-because they viewed the Gospel as political and a political threat to the empire-and it was.

This theme has also been explored by the liberal Marcus Borg. I don't agree with a lot of what he has to say-but he is an intelligent person. I read through "Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time," some of what he wrote, I disagreed with, but I think he is right that Christianity was political and revolutionary. It was a movement against the Roman Empire. (I think that is what the Revelation of John is really all about.) Francis Schaeffer once said that Christianity is neither conservative nor liberal-its revolutionary. I think Jesus, for his day and time could be considered "liberal." However, Jesus is appalled at modern liberalism, which has three core beliefs sodomy, killing unborn children, and the creation of a totalitarian state that rules over its subjects with the same Imperial rule that Rome subjected the people it ruled over with. Total control and power not only over life and death-but to control what you think, how you think, and what you are to believe.

How does this look in practice?

Well, take gay marriage for example. How about instead of trying to legislate morality and do everything in your power to vote gay marriage down, you walk across the street and invite Chuck, your gay neighbor, over for dinner?

All laws are legislated morality. If a law is an immoral law, it isn't a valid law and needs to be abolished. It is against the law to kill, to steal, and to physically injure another person because to do so are immoral acts. In a republic, citizens have the right to ensure laws are just, fair and moral.

You take all these shallow liberal slogans and repeat them without thinking them through. Why?

Ask him how you can serve him. Ask him how he's been hurt by certain ways of thinking. Ask him how you might be a good neighbor to him.

Friendship with the world is enmity against God. You hate your brothers and sisters in Christ-and condone of sin. (I don't believe you know God-it is evident in your piece. So, you are no brother of mine.) Love doesn't condone sin.

I don't hate homosexuals and I try to have a non-judgmental attitude towards those with whom I degree. Unless of course, they want to be hateful, attack me, my faith and fight. I am ready to provide an answer and a defense.

I think we have to serve the Lord first. Also, our mission is to liberate the homosexual, so that he may serve the Lord, instead of being a slave to sin. Jesus warned that an evil day would come when it would be "as it was in the days of Lot." And so, here we are. And yet to you-these are the "good ole days." This is because you don't know God. Jesus warned against Sodomy. As did Paul, Jude the Lord's Brother, (whose views a place more value in that in your twisted and perverted way of thinking). Also, John the Revelator condemned homosexual conduct. So we see here is that the problem you have is with the Word of God (and God the Word) and the teaching of the Apostles.

About your Gay friend-I try to be compassionate and understanding-BUT Jesus taught the Gospel of the Kingdom-and NOT "how to win friends and influence people." If someone knowingly rejects God's gift of salvation and basic morality-that is to bad for them-and they are going to face God's judgment. Therefore, it is their problem and not mine.

If he is hurt by God's way of thinking-that is his problem! What about the 60 million unborn children slaughtered in their mother's wombs? We have the Holy Spirit. God's Holy Spirit is grieved at this massive slaughter. Jesus said that we have the Spirit and that the Holy Spirit will lead the church and speak through the Church. You do not have the HOLY SPIRIT otherwise you wouldn't speak against God. The Holy Spirit condemns abortion and homosexual marriage and the left-wing war against the family and the word of God.

You have chosen to stand with the world against the Eternal Word of God.

Because let's be honest, the tides are changing and we are no longer the moral majority, but rather the prophetic minority. And personally I'd like to be known as the minority that shows love in such a way it turns the world upside down.

I am not interested in following popular trends. I follow Jesus Christ. And things are very fluid. It is possible that the Republicans can take back the Congress in 2014 and all branches of government in 2016. It could happen. But the Republican Party is almost as corrupt as the Democrat Party. We follow Christ-in everything. He is above all. Christians becoming a powerless minority may be a goal of yours-and a hope of yours-but it may not happen-You could be wrong about your forecasts.

If the "religious" people of the day are spewing the same charge against us as they did in Acts 17 (see below), then we are probably doing something right.

Where in the Bible does it say that Jesus was opposed to the religious people of his day? That is your incorrect interpretation.

The current "establishment" is the Left. Christians are not in a position of power. The religious people of Christ's day would include those people who followed the Christ and John the Baptist. Wouldn't it? "Religious people" means people who believe in God and desire to follow and obey him (or, from your point of view "the enemy/the problem").

The Sadducees were liberals who were willing to compromise with the world-as represented by the ruling Imperial Roman power.

The Herodians were those who were willing to suppress religious expression in society in order to strengthen the power of the state. Thus, they persecuted the Baptist and the Christ. You sir, are a Herodian.

The Pharisees were legalists similar to today's Orthodox Jews or Muslims. They were concerned about diet, dress, and observances of religious festivals.

Evangelical Christians are not like the Pharisees. The only Christian groups that could possibly be compared to the Pharisees would be the Amish or perhaps some "Oneness" Pentecostals.

What the Sadducess, the Herodians, and the Pharisees did have in common was their opposition to Jesus Christ, his followers and his message. You are sharing in their work.

So, it seems to me that you are a modern day Sadducee, Herodian and Pharisee all rolled into one.

 

"These men who have turned the world upside down have come here also [….] and they are all acting against the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, Jesus." Acts 17:6

Jefferson Bethke is creator of the YouTube sensation "Why I Hate Religion But Love Jesus" and author of the new book "Jesus>Religion: Why He Is So Much Better Than Trying Harder, Doing More, and Being Good Enough," (Thomas Nelson, October 2013).

Part of the Problem with the Left is that you all reject Christ's saying "Render unto Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." You make an idol out of the government. You worship the government as god-and/or the leftist "leader" like Obama. The Left wants the government and courts to have god-like power and to control all aspects of peoples lives.

I am not totally against liberalism. I am for a free marketplace of ideas. What I am against is how liberals exclude different points of view and demonize all opposition using name-calling and pejorative terms such as "religious right," "homophobic," "right-wing" and false accusations of racism-and as the Southern Poverty Law Center has recently done-and the US Military-classify Born Again Evangelical Christians as a "hate group."

You are making baseless hateful attacks on the church in the typical liberal manner. (It isn't "liberal" to use such tactics. Liberals should be tolerant of different points of views. The most hateful and intolerant people I have EVER come across are self-professed liberals and progressives. I have never met a Conservative or Republican more full of hate, anger and intolerance, than a liberal. Most rational people, excluding liberals, respect peoples right to hold and opinion and to state it. And in typical liberal fashion that is what your paper is attacking.

Take "gay marriage." What this is really about isn't the right of gay people to marry-its about passing laws against people who believe in the Bible. This is a fact. It is all documented in the book and documentary series "Speechless: The War against Christians."

I don't hate gays. I believe in the Bible and in freedom of speech and religion. I perceive this as being under threat from the left.

Currently, I have the right to speak freely. This seems to me what you are attacking-the right of Christians to voice their concerns and petition their government.

Also, you seem to want to silence the church from being God's prophetic voice to the world.

These words you wrote are going to testify against you on judgment day.

I noticed in your other works that you attack Christian "religious people."

YOU ARE AN ANTI-CHRIST. You oppose the Christ, the Church he founded and his teachings.

WHAT SHOULD YOU DO?

I think that you would fit right in with Richard Dawkins and Sam Harris. You should call them up. I think they are very appreciative of the work that you have done on their behalf.

You need to stop posing as an Evangelical Christian. Please "get thee hence, you Satan, you who oppose the things of God and think in a strictly carnal manner." Go join Marcus Borg and John Dominic Crossan in their left-wing activism. At least they are honest about what they believe and they are both thinking people, unlike you. (Therefore, even though I disagree with them, I grant them a measure of respect.)

Stop pretending to be a born again Christian and go join and work with your left-wing buddies.

The other option is for you to repent and stop doing harm to the body of Christ. I am shocked that Thomas Nelson is printing your ignorant garbage.

I am surprised to see that Thomas Nelson has stooped to publishing your anti-Christian hate literature.

If you were a Christian-you wouldn't hate God's people, as you clearly do. Neither do you have the love of God in your heart. The Bible says how can you say you love God when you hate your brother? How can you say you love God, whom you cannot see, when you hate your brother, who you do see. Why are you casting all these lies and aspersions upon the body of Christ? I believe it is because you are of the evil one. You are a son of Belial.

I pray that you do convert and submit yourself to Christ and then you must apply yourself to healing the wounds you did to the church, undoing the damage you have done to God's people and then publically confess your sin and lead those whom you have led astray back to the fountain of life and truth.

You think as a man thinks not as God –and do not have an eternal perspective

Heaven and earth will pass away but my word will not pass away.

The flower fades-but the word of God endures forever

1 John 2:17, "And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever."

A house divided against itself cannot stand stand-America will collapse before God's word fails.

However, things can change-if Republicans take the House and Senate in 2014 and the White House in 2016-which is possible.

Friendship with the world is enmity against God

Broad is the Way that leads to destruction

Woe unto you when men speak well of you-for so they spoke of the false prophets

Jesus preached the Gospel of the Kingdom not "How to Win Friends and Influence People"

It should be remembered that when Jesus was a child, it was prophesied over him that he would be a sign that would be spoken against.

The cross is a scandal to the world-it is God's power for Salvation.

Some people my protest that the way I am speaking about and to you isn't Christian. Well, what you write and say isn't Christian either-in fact it's Anti-Christ.

THE LORD REBUKE YOU!