To those who think America needs to stand with Israel or that the Jews are currently God's chosen people:

Paul calls Gentile Galatians "the Israel of God" (Gal. 6:15-16). He notes that not all Israel are Israel (Romans 9:6-8) and says that being a Jew is not a matter of bloodline or nationality but of faith.

I am a truer Jew than any of Abraham's physical descendants who reject Christ. Jesus scoffed at those who placed a premium on their Jewish heritage saying, "God is able from  these stones to raise up children for Abraham," (Matt. 3:9).

Indeed, that's very much what he's done with most of us-- raise a valley of dead Gentile bones into the true covenant Israel.

My new favorite anti-Jewish slur: Christ is King.

"Remember, upon the actions of each depends the fate of all."

- Alexander the Great

Brothers, we're all counting on each other. Be strong.

A myth that never seems to fade away: the idea that the Council of Nicaea, convened in 325 AD under the authority of Roman Emperor Constantine, played a pivotal role in establishing the Biblical canon.

This notion suggests a conspiracy and power play orchestrated by a select group of elite bishops; a narrative popularised by works like Dan Brown’s Da Vinci Code. However, a closer examination reveals a lack of historical basis for this claim.

https://thesacredfaith.co.uk/home/perma/1700172300/article/debunking-the-myth-the-council-of-nicaea.html

The means by which the early church transformed pagan Rome into a Christian empire were twofold:

1) Christians were absolutely willing to suffer and die for the proposition that Jesus is Lord.

2) Christianity disproportionately was a religion of the upper class, and they leveraged their political power on behalf of the church.

We should apply both principles to our age. The first should not be seen as weak, and the second should not be seen as underhanded. They are both legitimate tactics seen throughout the Old and New Testaments.

Sending and sponsoring foreign missionaries is a waste of time and money. It's the spiritual equivalent of our government sending hundreds of billions to Ukraine and Israel while our own nation crumbles.

Men, we are called to embrace the noble journey of manhood. In every step we take, let courage be our compass.

“Be watchful, stand firm in the faith, act like men, be strong.” — 1 Cor. 16:13

Defend ⚔️ Strengthen ⛰️ Build 🛠️

This week, as you make mad dashes to ensure you have all the ingredients and as you worry about potential flare ups at the table over taboo topics, know that Thankfulness is the antidote for anxiety. Thankfulness allows us to talk to God, the one who can still the anxious heart; the one whom we cast our cares upon; the one who skillfully wrought us and knew us before we were born.

"How unspeakably wonderful to know that all our concerns are held in Hands that bled for us."
—John Newton

#thanksgiving

@calvinismmemes

Pietism is a syncretistic merger between pagan dualism and orthodox Christianity. It relies on three false dualities:

1) The duality between “spiritual” and “earthly” blessings
2) The duality between “eternal” and “temporal” life
3) The duality between “subjective & true” and “objective & false” religious experiences.

Thanksgiving is the ultimate antithesis of each of pietism’s dualities. It insists we give thanks for earthly blessings in this temporal life. It is also an external, formalized, and objective religious celebration which recognizes God’s temporal, earthly blessings as objective goods and covenant rewards.

Do your part this Thanksgiving to dunk on gay, cringe pietists.

We can't let just anyone on the council, brothers.

Why Protestants Should Read the Apocrypha:

1) The canonical Scriptures, the Fathers, and the Reformers all reference the Apocrypha and understanding them will increase our literacy with those sources.

2) Understanding inter-testamental history is key to understanding the New Testament.

3) They were highly esteemed by our forefathers in the faith as beneficial and illustrative books.

4) The Apocrypha receive the approbation of our confessions (Belgic Confession, Article 6; Westminster Confession I.III, 2nd Helvetic Confession Chapter 1).

5) Knowing the Apocrypha is helpful in Roman Catholic apologetics.

My recommendation would be to read an RSV-CE or NRSV-CE (Catholic edition).

Our best to the Irish children stabbed by an Alergian migrant (thankfully nonfatally). God bless the adults who sustained injuries in a brave attempt to protect them. Throughout all our countries and across all our creeds, let our position be:

Get. Them. Out.

“Cowards die many times before their deaths; the valiant never taste of death but once.” — Shakespeare; Julius Caesar

Defend ⚔️ Strengthen ⛰️ Build 🛠️

"Man created in the divine image, the protagonist of a great drama in which his soul was at stake, was replaced by man the wealth seeking and consuming animal.“

~Richard M. Weaver

The Definitive English Version Tier List. Within each tier, left to right is best to worst.

S - Excellent for congregational use
A - Solid versions for personal use
B - Good for supplemental use
C - For occasional reference only
D - Hot garbage and/or heretical