Friday, November 27, 2015

THE LAST DAYS FULFILLED

Bless me, Father, for I have...  

not blogged in six months!!!

So goes my (formerly) Roman Catholic confession of blogospheric negligence. I am guilty as charged, and fully prepared to do penance right now. So today, I have decided to post about my recent excursions into preterism, also known as "fulfilled" or "covenant eschatology."

Why would I pursue so lofty a goal as understanding the Second Coming of Christ (with other various and sundry "last things" to be studied) you may ask? I am glad you asked. I really am.

Yesterday, I discovered an excellent series of YouTube videos on the subject of the "last days" published on the Heart of the Matter channel. My favorite preterist/evangelist for Christ, Dr Don Preston, has once again proven his genuine mettle for leading the charge against evangelical far-sightedness (futurism) in eschatology, or the study of last things. A great topic for our times, right? Always.



Suffice it to say, after having watched this debate and lecture series from Dr Preston in its entirety, I feel more confident than ever in the Bible. But more importantly, it has reinforced my persuasion toward the preterist viewpoint -- not as a replacement for the historic Christian faith, but as a supplement to it. Perhaps another Reformation is in order.

All good Christians want reformation, right? Of course we do! The hardest part of admitting to this is coming to grips with our own personal need for it. Ouch! Not always fun, but always beneficial. I hope to spark a micro-Reformation of sorts with this particular blog post, as part of a greater Reformation already happening, Lord willing.

That reformation should include eschatology, in my opinion.

Monday, May 18, 2015

ONE SIMPLE CHANGE

To borrow a phrase from my very favorite brand of supplements, Juice Plus+, try One Simple Change to start changing the present course of your life. That change, for you, may be accepting and believing the Gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Or it may involve making a dietary change to improve your chances of fighting disease and illness.

Progress in a positive direction will always involve a course correction. Just like a trip to the moon (I know that is reaching back in the past) involved many, many course corrections to finally reach the desired objective (moon landing), so does our life sometimes require a change in behavior, activity, thoughts, and words.

With that said, my objective is to find gainful employment. Out of past experience, and wishful thinking, I am blogging to persuade the employment gods (HR Managers) to act favorably toward my feeble efforts at employment.  Since blogging happens when I am not working, I figured posting a prayer for work would effect that change for me!

Here I go!

Thursday, March 19, 2015

ESCHATOLOGICAL PRETERISM VS FUTURISM

There is a whole lot of "iron sharpening iron" (Proverbs 27:17) going on in this debate! Wow!

I suggest you make sure you have a good idea of what each camp teaches and where you lean, if not stand, on each issue, before watching this video, because there is plenty of fodder and fuel being flung across the aisle (figuratively speaking, to complete my alliteration).


I believe each of these men has a heart for Christ and for His people. I also personally believe about 90% of each man's doctrine as portrayed in this debate. I have to give credit to both sides for sharpening all who heard and followed the debate point by point.

I lean preterist. I myself, along with every believer of the Bible, have a long way to go before my theology is perfect.(1 Corinthians 13:12) But we all benefit from hearing both sides of every issue.

"Let every man [and woman] be fully persuaded in his [and her] own mind." (Romans 14:5)

Thanks for visiting.

ABOUT FACE

Well, nothing like a change of font face to do a blogger good, eh?

How about that Droid Sans 14-point? Really brings the message of my blog posts out of the realm of two-dimensional flatness, huh! Not really.

Just another cyber-spacial activity to wile the time away and prevent complete boredom meltdown (CBM), as I wait for the inspiration (and email/phone call) to get a new job! Don't worry. I'm looking.

I have been pondering the possibilities of self-employment from the advice given by Gary North, libertarianism's favorite Christian economist. Trading one set of problems for another, looking for the "promised land" of economic freedom and happiness in the same lifetime.

I can dream, can't I? Thanks for visiting.

NEW BLOG SUBTITLE!!!

After years of "perspectives on faith and life," I have decided to update my shifting paradigm "worldview window" blog subtitle to reflect an ever-changing database of current events and Christian growth (hopefully) in my lifetime. Sobering yet encouraging.

I hope this cosmetic, if not thematic, alteration will not detract from my myriad readers (both of you) wanting to visit this blog in the future. Perhaps some gems of truth posted here on Worldview Window will  positively impact your appreciation for the truth, no matter how ugly or unpleasant it may be.

The unspoken, if not understood, goal of blogging is to affect change (or is it "effect"). I try to identify a problem and/or a solution, be it with faith or practice, and put it before my readers for their reflection and contemplation. I try to inject humor or graphics whenever possible to compensate for the "dry bones" of textual content.

My hope is that more people will see things my way... Just kidding!!!

My hope is actually that more people will see what I see, not necessarily the way I see it. I am just a passerby pointing out to another passerby an interesting if not troubling/amusing/edifying bit of reality (such as it is) available to all who have a pulse and an Internet connection.

Belief in God is optional, though extremely preferable in light of eternity.

Thanks for visiting.

Wednesday, March 11, 2015

UNEMPLOYMENT WOES HIT BLOGGER... AGAIN!

Yes, friends. It is time to blog once again. When an unemployable idiot like me loses another job, there are few options left to pretend I have a "skillset" and "giftings" from God. So here I am: blogging my little heart out.

Look! I posted an image on the Internets! I know about rudimentary web design, ya know. I use Blogger to its full potential. Not every Moe, Joe, and Larry knows how to perform such highly-skilled tasks as that. But enough about my abilities, stellar though they are.

Yeah, yeah, I know what you're thinking (or not). You're saying, this bozo -- er, I mean, dunce-- is a garden-variety moron! Nobody with two brain cells firing will hire a useless (or is it "useful") idiot like me to do any real, serious work. You know, high paying, high-brow stuff like Walmart or McDonald's. That's for young, upwardly mobile professionals with a mountain of student loan debt.

Wait a minute! I have a mountain (though it be small, thank the Lord), of student loan debt. Maybe I can get a job throwing pizzas or newspapers until a real job opportunity with one of these really successful temp agencies opens up!

Yeah, that's the ticket.

Thursday, January 1, 2015

BIBLE TRANSLATION MATTERS

Well, my New Year's resolution is to intentionally grow closer to God by knowing Him better through His Word, and thereby walking closer with Christ Jesus the only Lord and Savior of sinners. The Object of my faith surely deserves more of my time with Him and His people, and warrants more of my efforts to share His Word, power, and life with those who do not yet know Him.

With that being said, I have been watching a lot of YouTube videos by popular, mainstream, and Reformed preachers of the gospel of Jesus Christ, and have been very encouraged in the process.

I may be unemployed now, but I am going to Heaven later! Glory to God alone.

Which brings me to bringing to you my latest video excursion into doctrinal debates from my favorite defender of the faith against modern and ancient heresies and false teachings, Dr James White.



My only comment (for the moment) is that this misguided firebrand named Steven Anderson is passionately defending an indefensible (for the most part, according to Dr White) position of King James Version Only-ism of the Holy Bible.

Let me just say, I used to be one of them -- a King James Only believer, that is -- for a short time, maybe a few years, in the '90's. Then, little by little, I was enlightened through logic, reason, and love from other pastors and teachers who were (and still are) equally as credible as my then-current pastor of a KJV church (in terms of pulpit usage).


THE DEVIL IS GOOD AT MATH, ESPECIALLY DIVISION!

So, I became disillusioned little by little, by the grace of God, until finally, I abandoned my high-and-mighty perch above those lesser-informed masses of fellow believers in Christ who did not esteem the KJV of the Bible above all others like I did. Like "we" did.

Through the loving interaction and intervention of fellow Christians who loved me enough to pray for me and lead me in a way that was better than the way I was on, I learned how to think outside the KJV box. Not to abandon the sound doctrine I had learned thus far, but to abandon my ignorance of Bible translation issues with the KJV, which seemed to be clarified in readings from other translations, to my temporary and carnal dismay.

I could wax indefinite, if not infinite, about this whole issue. Suffice it to say, it felt good and reassuring to revisit the KJV-Only issue anew in this post. I strive to love my "separated brethren," and to keep my own emotions in check. For this is indeed a very hotly debated issue in many circles I used to run in.

I feel Dr White did a masterful job of keeping a rather overbearing and stubborn opponent under control, while maintaining a godly, father-to-son-in-the-faith exchange.  In the end, it was obvious he was becoming exasperated with the unrepentant whipper-snapper, who proved to be a potentially dangerous proponent of heresy, relatively speaking.

Watch the video.