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An observation, Gods Slooooow cooking. ( to our Americana mind, it is slow, but then, we are but a vapor)
If ultimately things will get worse and worse until God has to just remove the remainder…Why did he tell us to go and make disciples of all Nations? (Ha Ha I knew you couldn’t do it!)
In Psalms you can see something repeated over and over, that of, “How Long?”
10 O God, how long shall the adversary reproach? shall the enemy blaspheme thy name for ever?Psalms 74:10 (KJV)
16 With hypocritical mockers in feasts, they gnashed upon me with their teeth. 17 Lord, how long wilt thou look on? rescue my soul from their destructions, my darling from the lions. Psalms 35:16-17 (KJV)
3 LORD, how long shall the wicked, how long shall the wicked triumph? 4 How long shall they utter and speak hard things? and all the workers of iniquity boast themselves? 5 They break in pieces thy people, O LORD, and afflict thine heritage. Psalms 94:2-5 (KJV)
They go all the way through Psalms. The question is left open….but never, never is there any doubt about God triumphing. Never is it hinted that all will just go to pot. Its always, how long? It is framed to us as as componant of worship. Have you ever heard it as a part of a modern worship song?
This was a people who were in captivity for how many years before God moved to bring them out of Egypt. Could they see any physical signs of hope?
God allowed 1400 yrs to pass before having the bible assembled in a manner that households could dream of owning,even if just one. Slow cooking.
We today have the entire historical record of Gods movement and control of history. But for the most part the church today see’s no hope that God will overcome through his people. We don’t think that the leaven of the Kingdom of God can make it through the whole loaf.
This is partly because we only see how it should leaven certain areas of our lives. We deny its right to leaven everything in us. If its not applicable to us, his people, how can it be meant for the rest of the world. Today the cry is not “Lord how long?’ till you show your hand, But rather “come quickly Lord Jesus” and take us home.
10 For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. 11 I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. 12 If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fulness thereof. Psalms 50:10-12 (KJV)
3 Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. 4 All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah. Psalms 66:3-4 (KJV)
27 All the ends of the world shall remember and turn unto the LORD: and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before thee. 28 For the kingdom is the LORD'S: and he is the governor among the nations. Psalms 22:27-28 (KJV)
4 O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah Psalms 67:3-4 (KJV)
8 He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth. 9 They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him; and his enemies shall lick the dust. 10 The kings of Tarshish and of the isles shall bring presents: the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts. 11 Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve him. Psalms 72:8-11 (KJV)
. 9 All nations whom thou hast made shall come and worship before thee, O Lord; and shall glorify thy name. Psalms 86:8-9 (KJV)
These words of worship from Psalms harmonizes with Jesus saying…go make disciples of all nations and with God telling Adam to take dominion.
Yes I can see how this “can” be made to line up with our new understanding of the last 150yrs, the idea of a rapture and God just letting man burn himself out. But I step back if that route means it no longer can harmonize with his written word.
To our eyes, we think no way….. just like the Israelites in Egypt. But God says…. you thought I was altogether like you….. psalms 50:21
Which route is harder, which route looks impossible, which way would bring God more glory. Put your pile of chips on that way, and then hold on.
More and more I am seeing how the word fits together, front to back, without needing dispensations, excuses or fancy foot work. Like God wrote it or something. Glorious!
How big is your God? Do we need to truncate and fold his word so it is within our minds grasp. Do we have a need to see his word harmonize with the current events around us. How big is the God you are presenting to your children? Our God is a slow cooker. Can you imagine spending 100 years to make a boat?
It is time for us to yield to the example of worship in our prayers, to start asking ...."How long, Oh Lord?" I am afraid we have not asked ,because we dont believe
Monday, April 27, 2009
Give Ear to the Law of God
Has anyone else seen examples of this…. part2
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
Isaiah 1:11-14 (KJV)
Here God expresses his feeling on their sacrifices and offerings. What is interesting is that the prior verse, verse ten he calls them to “Give ear to the Law of God”
10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
Isaiah 1:10 (KJV)
I have seen the same thing, in one other place, but it is alluding me right now, where God again disses the sacrifices but calls the people back to his Law.
If anyone stumbles onto examples of this, if you would email them to me, I would appreciate it.
11 To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto me? saith the LORD: I am full of the burnt offerings of rams, and the fat of fed beasts; and I delight not in the blood of bullocks, or of lambs, or of he goats. 12 When ye come to appear before me, who hath required this at your hand, to tread my courts? 13 Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. 14 Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: they are a trouble unto me; I am weary to bear them.
Isaiah 1:11-14 (KJV)
Here God expresses his feeling on their sacrifices and offerings. What is interesting is that the prior verse, verse ten he calls them to “Give ear to the Law of God”
10 Hear the word of the LORD, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah.
Isaiah 1:10 (KJV)
I have seen the same thing, in one other place, but it is alluding me right now, where God again disses the sacrifices but calls the people back to his Law.
If anyone stumbles onto examples of this, if you would email them to me, I would appreciate it.
Reformers and Economics
The most suprising economic talk I have heard lately on economics was from Herb Titus from his domminion talk. He was showing private property rights come from Genesis. Most interesting. This was from the 6cd set he gives on the Law of God.
From the most recent Mises Austrian economic conference. There were two talks that caught my attention and might be of interest to others trying to connect the dots from our christian faith to economics. They are available as free mp3's
The Influence of John Calvin on Economic Thought.
and
Nineteenth Century early Protestant theory and the biblical view of property
They were interesting, but more than once they would not come back and ground things in Gods Law, so it is kind of left hanging.
From the most recent Mises Austrian economic conference. There were two talks that caught my attention and might be of interest to others trying to connect the dots from our christian faith to economics. They are available as free mp3's
The Influence of John Calvin on Economic Thought.
and
Nineteenth Century early Protestant theory and the biblical view of property
They were interesting, but more than once they would not come back and ground things in Gods Law, so it is kind of left hanging.
Sunday, April 26, 2009
Where did they go? The demons.
I am fascinated, puzzled and still asking God for wisdom concerning all of the demonic expelling that is recorded in the gospels and in Acts.
While reading Christians and Pagans the author discussed this too. How the Jews had those who performed this and so did the christians. But the christians were better at it. I need to look at it again but i think it was from about 150AD
While reading Christians and Pagans the author discussed this too. How the Jews had those who performed this and so did the christians. But the christians were better at it. I need to look at it again but i think it was from about 150AD
Learning to fight like Paul
How should a church or pastor respond to smears and lies about its activities and beliefs? We should first throw out the window what would be our knee jerk responce to act in some way that our culture thinks is christian. Just nail ourselves to a cross and apologize all over the place because someone was disturbed by what we believe or think. Especialy if it is as a result of speaking or acting on biblical truth.
The apostle Paul showed the way with this. He never hesitated to use all legal means to frustrate those who opposed him and the gospel. The fact that most christians would be troubled with the idea of frustrating the enemies of christ is a sign of how much our thinking is captive to the culture and not Gods word.
Doug Wilson and Christs church in Idaho know what its like to live your faith, to take the gospel to all areas of life and so has drawn the wrath of those who hate our Lord. We are not attacked because we are just learning how to apply our fatih consistantly. But We will be attacked as our consistancy grows.
So as show prep it would be good to see what has happened to others and to observe how you can use the internet and current laws to defend and even advance the gospel in the face of resistance.
Wilson has a long string of archived blogs called Moscow Diversity Cleansing that can be read, laughed at and learned from. It will be good mental prep for what will surely come, if not to us , maybe to a ministry known to us. Start at the bottom of the page and work up. Its a lot of postings so consider it a semester course in wisdom application.
An example would be the christian counselors here in AZ that are being attacked by the state board.
The apostle Paul showed the way with this. He never hesitated to use all legal means to frustrate those who opposed him and the gospel. The fact that most christians would be troubled with the idea of frustrating the enemies of christ is a sign of how much our thinking is captive to the culture and not Gods word.
Doug Wilson and Christs church in Idaho know what its like to live your faith, to take the gospel to all areas of life and so has drawn the wrath of those who hate our Lord. We are not attacked because we are just learning how to apply our fatih consistantly. But We will be attacked as our consistancy grows.
So as show prep it would be good to see what has happened to others and to observe how you can use the internet and current laws to defend and even advance the gospel in the face of resistance.
Wilson has a long string of archived blogs called Moscow Diversity Cleansing that can be read, laughed at and learned from. It will be good mental prep for what will surely come, if not to us , maybe to a ministry known to us. Start at the bottom of the page and work up. Its a lot of postings so consider it a semester course in wisdom application.
An example would be the christian counselors here in AZ that are being attacked by the state board.
That ye may Live
Never mind the spoon, Gods word is something you could stand a nation up in. part one
33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.
Deut 5:32-33 (KJV)
This is not about eternal life. (Just like it says in john!) This is I love you, I have chosen you for my people, so live like this, and it is for your good… for this is you wisdom and your understanding deut 4:5…that you may live.
Duet 6:24 and the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always that he might preserve us alive.
This is not about accessing the father, but pleasing the father and living your life and structuring your community in a way to advance his Kingdom, his way. Because we acknowledge that he is Lord.
This "that you may live" has to do with Gods people, who are instructed to fear him and love him and God has at least partially defined loving him, with keeping his commandments. Not for salvation but in response to his love.
Ex20: 6 showing mercy to those who love me, and keep my commandments.
I john 1:4 he who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him…5:2 by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments and II john 1:6 this is love, that we walk according to his commandment…
It is a glorious harmony.
That you may live asserts a directive for living life, gives a standard of right and wrong, for all time, and all men, and is the tangible componant to go with Jesus last command to “disciple the nations”, it calls all men to his submission. And why wouldn’t it? When the author is the Lord God of the universe and claims all, everything, for his own glory.
33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.
Deut 5:32-33 (KJV)
This is not about eternal life. (Just like it says in john!) This is I love you, I have chosen you for my people, so live like this, and it is for your good… for this is you wisdom and your understanding deut 4:5…that you may live.
Duet 6:24 and the Lord commanded us to observe all these statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always that he might preserve us alive.
This is not about accessing the father, but pleasing the father and living your life and structuring your community in a way to advance his Kingdom, his way. Because we acknowledge that he is Lord.
This "that you may live" has to do with Gods people, who are instructed to fear him and love him and God has at least partially defined loving him, with keeping his commandments. Not for salvation but in response to his love.
Ex20: 6 showing mercy to those who love me, and keep my commandments.
I john 1:4 he who says I know him and does not keep his commandments is a liar and the truth is not in him…5:2 by this we know that we love the children of God when we love God and keep his commandments and II john 1:6 this is love, that we walk according to his commandment…
It is a glorious harmony.
That you may live asserts a directive for living life, gives a standard of right and wrong, for all time, and all men, and is the tangible componant to go with Jesus last command to “disciple the nations”, it calls all men to his submission. And why wouldn’t it? When the author is the Lord God of the universe and claims all, everything, for his own glory.
His Commandments, they are life!
Glory! His commandments! They are life! They are grace made manifest!
I have had just a great time sifting through the word this week, each morning after arising and before working and when going to bed it has been so juicy, I have had to put newspaper on the floor. Every day I have thought of stuff I should stick on my blog or write an email about and now its Friday night and I am trying to decide what items to take out of my cart so I can get through the nine items or less line to share on Sunday morning. “You should see what I left behind in isle three..”
His truth endures, by his light we see light. I have written nothing because God has kept me hopping with work all week. Estimates and research for customers in the evening has left me no scribbling time. Praise God again!
But let me say this. I have been use to thinking that the old covenant was us, under the Law, and the new covenant was under grace. But how I have understood it, was not what the word meant.
Rob has been mining a nice stream of thought about how we grab a proof verse to back up some position, and miss looking for Gods heart behind an issue. The proof verse method, usually leaves scripture contending against other scripture. So you wind up either saying certain verses are no longer operative, or were cultural, and sometimes we are just are plain ignorant. My hand is up :)
(Wilson illistrates what that looks like here.)
God giving us his law, was an act of grace to us too! Everything God does interacting with man is always a form of his grace. We were under the Law. But no man was ever called to live “under” the law as we prisoners of modernity think of it. It was more like being under the shelter of Gods wing, the call was to live “in it” in submission to God, that ye might have life.. I see this all over the place in psalms.
33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.
Deut 5:32-33 (KJV)
That ye may live… God says what he commanded was life. …That you may live…. When God says something is life, or that, by this you may live, it doesn’t mean that other choices are less life. He isn’t saying “ here is one way to live amongst many, and this is one I am just throwing out there to get you going,” to prime the pump as it were.
There is no neutral ground the word says, you are with me or against me, you gather or you scatter. When told… Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live… to deviate from what God says will bring life or by this you will live, is to choose death. Anything other than Gods way, will lead to pain, corruption, death. His way, is not one of many ways, it is the only way, for life more abundant.
He showed the how, that it might be well with us, that we may prolong our days.
Does not the scriptures say, his commandments are wisdom and understanding for his people, the psalms declare that all the ways of the lord are righteous. All his ways!
Every supposition, every starting point needs to see Our God as he is, as a God of merciful loving kindness,(see ex34:6,7) all scripture needs to be examined with this as part of the background. Or we will twist and pervert the meaning of his word. We can impart meaning to his word that takes his name in vain.
Next time you are reading through psalms, watch for it, they wanted to live in it, it was life. I have been so pagan in my thinking, for so long that I saw Gods commandments for life as a burden, in direct contradiction to his word saying that they are not a burden!
How dare I call myself by His name and deny what his word says!
I repent, from making hocking sounds at Gods word.
Thank you for praying for my family, for it is God who gives one the ability to make wealth. The real wealth has come in the morning and late in the evening, meditating on his word, that ye may live. Part2
I have had just a great time sifting through the word this week, each morning after arising and before working and when going to bed it has been so juicy, I have had to put newspaper on the floor. Every day I have thought of stuff I should stick on my blog or write an email about and now its Friday night and I am trying to decide what items to take out of my cart so I can get through the nine items or less line to share on Sunday morning. “You should see what I left behind in isle three..”
His truth endures, by his light we see light. I have written nothing because God has kept me hopping with work all week. Estimates and research for customers in the evening has left me no scribbling time. Praise God again!
But let me say this. I have been use to thinking that the old covenant was us, under the Law, and the new covenant was under grace. But how I have understood it, was not what the word meant.
Rob has been mining a nice stream of thought about how we grab a proof verse to back up some position, and miss looking for Gods heart behind an issue. The proof verse method, usually leaves scripture contending against other scripture. So you wind up either saying certain verses are no longer operative, or were cultural, and sometimes we are just are plain ignorant. My hand is up :)
(Wilson illistrates what that looks like here.)
God giving us his law, was an act of grace to us too! Everything God does interacting with man is always a form of his grace. We were under the Law. But no man was ever called to live “under” the law as we prisoners of modernity think of it. It was more like being under the shelter of Gods wing, the call was to live “in it” in submission to God, that ye might have life.. I see this all over the place in psalms.
33 Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live, and that it may be well with you, and that ye may prolong your days in the land which ye shall possess.
Deut 5:32-33 (KJV)
That ye may live… God says what he commanded was life. …That you may live…. When God says something is life, or that, by this you may live, it doesn’t mean that other choices are less life. He isn’t saying “ here is one way to live amongst many, and this is one I am just throwing out there to get you going,” to prime the pump as it were.
There is no neutral ground the word says, you are with me or against me, you gather or you scatter. When told… Ye shall walk in all the ways which the LORD your God hath commanded you, that ye may live… to deviate from what God says will bring life or by this you will live, is to choose death. Anything other than Gods way, will lead to pain, corruption, death. His way, is not one of many ways, it is the only way, for life more abundant.
He showed the how, that it might be well with us, that we may prolong our days.
Does not the scriptures say, his commandments are wisdom and understanding for his people, the psalms declare that all the ways of the lord are righteous. All his ways!
Every supposition, every starting point needs to see Our God as he is, as a God of merciful loving kindness,(see ex34:6,7) all scripture needs to be examined with this as part of the background. Or we will twist and pervert the meaning of his word. We can impart meaning to his word that takes his name in vain.
Next time you are reading through psalms, watch for it, they wanted to live in it, it was life. I have been so pagan in my thinking, for so long that I saw Gods commandments for life as a burden, in direct contradiction to his word saying that they are not a burden!
How dare I call myself by His name and deny what his word says!
I repent, from making hocking sounds at Gods word.
Thank you for praying for my family, for it is God who gives one the ability to make wealth. The real wealth has come in the morning and late in the evening, meditating on his word, that ye may live. Part2
Tea Party time
Thanks to all for your prayers for the Terry family small bizness venture. It continues to grow praise God!
I am so very thankful in what God is doing with it. But I rejoice even more with how God is bringing us more and more into the freedom and power of believing His word and what he has written for us......all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth...the word of the Lord is truth... the counsel of the Lord stands forever... we may not know how to apply it all correctly, but at least we have stopped appologising for what the creator, Lord God of the universe, and of our Salvation, has said.
We are catching ourselves and repenting from sitting in judgement over Him and His word. What hutspa we have had. Now we are just splashing around in the wading pool,getting his word everywhere, all over us, and the walls, falling down in it and throwing it over each other and onto every situation we see. We are baptizing the next generation in this mindset, that is the best part. It is so good, chunky style chile. Its a shame we have to get out of the pool to let Rob put some more water back in. It is such a hoot!
If you are comfortable with a christianity that knows its place in polite company, then you will be asking us to keep it down. Fat chance! Ha! for we will rejoice before the the Lord...that your way may be known on the earth,Your salvation among the nations....The God of Israel who only does wonderous things...
I have an excerpt from Doug Wilsons column today, he touches on a number of points that we have been chewing on at Legacy. This is about last weeks tea parties.
....First, I take it as a given that in order for any lasting good to come out of this kind of thing it has to be, or become, explicitly Christian. This event was implicitly and informally Christian, but in times like these, that is not good enough. I was going to say that for two cents more this kind of event would become explicitly Christian, but it might be more accurate to say that they would do so for two trillion more. We cannot say this often enough. In order to be saved, we have to return to Christ our only possible Savior. It will not be enough to return to an Ozzie and Harriet America. First, that America is not here any more, and second, it couldn't save us if it were.
Second, this kind of event presents a really interesting test case scenario for Christians who understand the need for an explicitly Christian approach to the polis.....
And this leads to the final observation. The world is a messy place. Christians who want the lordship of Christ to be openly acknowledged have two options -- they can detach or engage. If they detach, they are following the anabaptist option -- in order to build the pure city out in the open spaces somewhere. But if they engage, then they are signing up to try to steer something, as opposed to building it from scratch. This means that those who want to engage have two choices again -- do you want to latch on to the liberals and try to steer them, or latch on to the conservatives and try to steer them? Given those options, you could look at both helplessly, and decide to go back to the Hutterites. If you try to steer the liberals, or the conservatives, the chances are better than even that you will be the one steered (and used). That has certainly the pattern over the last century or two. But a large part of this is explained by the practice of the Christians (who showed up to steer) agreeing to leave all their divinely inspired maps at home. That might account for the problems. But what if we brought our maps this time?
(My emphasis David:)
Read it all here No "Trick My Truck" Campaign Bus
Are you done filling the pool Rob?
I am so very thankful in what God is doing with it. But I rejoice even more with how God is bringing us more and more into the freedom and power of believing His word and what he has written for us......all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth...the word of the Lord is truth... the counsel of the Lord stands forever... we may not know how to apply it all correctly, but at least we have stopped appologising for what the creator, Lord God of the universe, and of our Salvation, has said.
We are catching ourselves and repenting from sitting in judgement over Him and His word. What hutspa we have had. Now we are just splashing around in the wading pool,getting his word everywhere, all over us, and the walls, falling down in it and throwing it over each other and onto every situation we see. We are baptizing the next generation in this mindset, that is the best part. It is so good, chunky style chile. Its a shame we have to get out of the pool to let Rob put some more water back in. It is such a hoot!
If you are comfortable with a christianity that knows its place in polite company, then you will be asking us to keep it down. Fat chance! Ha! for we will rejoice before the the Lord...that your way may be known on the earth,Your salvation among the nations....The God of Israel who only does wonderous things...
I have an excerpt from Doug Wilsons column today, he touches on a number of points that we have been chewing on at Legacy. This is about last weeks tea parties.
....First, I take it as a given that in order for any lasting good to come out of this kind of thing it has to be, or become, explicitly Christian. This event was implicitly and informally Christian, but in times like these, that is not good enough. I was going to say that for two cents more this kind of event would become explicitly Christian, but it might be more accurate to say that they would do so for two trillion more. We cannot say this often enough. In order to be saved, we have to return to Christ our only possible Savior. It will not be enough to return to an Ozzie and Harriet America. First, that America is not here any more, and second, it couldn't save us if it were.
Second, this kind of event presents a really interesting test case scenario for Christians who understand the need for an explicitly Christian approach to the polis.....
And this leads to the final observation. The world is a messy place. Christians who want the lordship of Christ to be openly acknowledged have two options -- they can detach or engage. If they detach, they are following the anabaptist option -- in order to build the pure city out in the open spaces somewhere. But if they engage, then they are signing up to try to steer something, as opposed to building it from scratch. This means that those who want to engage have two choices again -- do you want to latch on to the liberals and try to steer them, or latch on to the conservatives and try to steer them? Given those options, you could look at both helplessly, and decide to go back to the Hutterites. If you try to steer the liberals, or the conservatives, the chances are better than even that you will be the one steered (and used). That has certainly the pattern over the last century or two. But a large part of this is explained by the practice of the Christians (who showed up to steer) agreeing to leave all their divinely inspired maps at home. That might account for the problems. But what if we brought our maps this time?
(My emphasis David:)
Read it all here No "Trick My Truck" Campaign Bus
Are you done filling the pool Rob?
Sunday, April 19, 2009
To set one part of Scripture against another part of Scripture is to think like a pagan.
At Legacy Baptist we have been working through how to apply a lot of scripture, that we are not used to seeing acknowledged, let alone seeing it applied. Here Wilson adresses this in a manner that allows me to grasp it so much better. From 2005
Cookie Cutter Diversity By douglas Wilson
Radical application of the Scriptures does not consist of taking one set of verses and applying them like crazy, while leaving another set of verses entirely neglected . It can look radical, but that is because we tend to associate the words extreme and radical. Jesus said that if your hand causes you to sin, chop it off. For some the key word here is chop, when actually it is if. Those who absolutize one set of verses over the rest of Scripture may certainly look dedicated, but they are actually dedicated to their own ideas, with the illusion of biblicity provided by a Bible, scissors, and library paste.
One man is a pacifist and absolutizes "Thou shalt not kill." Another wants to smite the Amalekite hip and thigh, and he can find his verses. But the right kind of biblical absolutist knows that he must deal with it all. Tota et sola Scriptura. Only Scripture, but also all of Scripture.
So what does this have to do with our response to the local attempts at diversity cleansing? As Christians we need to think through this business carefully. Some Christians think that we are not to resist evil, period. Go the second mile. Turn the other cheek. Overcome evil with good. As we respond to this, we cannot simply appeal to other verses that, for all intents and purposes, negate the practical application of these verses -- because these verses are in the Bible for a reason, and as Christians we ought to be pursuing opportunities to apply them genuinely, which is quite different from explaining them away. But we also hold them in balance with what the Bible teaches elsewhere. To set one part of Scripture against another part of Scripture is to think like a pagan...
Take the link,Read it all
Cookie Cutter Diversity By douglas Wilson
Radical application of the Scriptures does not consist of taking one set of verses and applying them like crazy, while leaving another set of verses entirely neglected . It can look radical, but that is because we tend to associate the words extreme and radical. Jesus said that if your hand causes you to sin, chop it off. For some the key word here is chop, when actually it is if. Those who absolutize one set of verses over the rest of Scripture may certainly look dedicated, but they are actually dedicated to their own ideas, with the illusion of biblicity provided by a Bible, scissors, and library paste.
One man is a pacifist and absolutizes "Thou shalt not kill." Another wants to smite the Amalekite hip and thigh, and he can find his verses. But the right kind of biblical absolutist knows that he must deal with it all. Tota et sola Scriptura. Only Scripture, but also all of Scripture.
So what does this have to do with our response to the local attempts at diversity cleansing? As Christians we need to think through this business carefully. Some Christians think that we are not to resist evil, period. Go the second mile. Turn the other cheek. Overcome evil with good. As we respond to this, we cannot simply appeal to other verses that, for all intents and purposes, negate the practical application of these verses -- because these verses are in the Bible for a reason, and as Christians we ought to be pursuing opportunities to apply them genuinely, which is quite different from explaining them away. But we also hold them in balance with what the Bible teaches elsewhere. To set one part of Scripture against another part of Scripture is to think like a pagan...
Take the link,Read it all
Thursday, April 16, 2009
We must be resolved, as Christians, to have absolutely no problem passages.
Douglas Wilson, again, take the link and read it all. Gods Grace for all of life!
The Coming Glory
With regard to the slavery fracas, I have said that the only issue is that of biblical absolutism. We must be resolved, as Christians, to have absolutely no problem passages. What this means is that, once the exegesis is done, and we know what the passage actually teaches, we will have no problem with it. Further, we must not flinch at the possible problems for us if the exegesis goes off in an unpalatable direction, and consequently take care to "steer" the exegesis in order to keep ourselves academically respectable. We may have a problem passage if what is meant by this is that we don't know what the passage teaches. But once we know, because we are Christians, we should simply accept the teaching of the Bible. All this is to reverse Mark Twain's famous dictum about the Bible -- it wasn't the parts he didn't understand that bothered him, it was the parts he did understand. Because we are Christians we should never be bothered with the parts we do understand.
But we sometimes struggle with this. Liberals are sometimes more to be trusted with the text than evangelicals are. This is because the liberal is not stuck with the results of his exegesis. He can say, for example, that the apostle Paul taught the doctrine of male headship, and "wasn't he silly?" But if the evangelical concludes that Paul in fact taught this, the evangelical has to go off and act as though he believes it. But if there are bad social consequences for him if he acts that way, then it is time for the old Greek word-study ploy. "The Greek word kephale, which is translated head, actually means 'one who fetches."...
The Coming Glory
With regard to the slavery fracas, I have said that the only issue is that of biblical absolutism. We must be resolved, as Christians, to have absolutely no problem passages. What this means is that, once the exegesis is done, and we know what the passage actually teaches, we will have no problem with it. Further, we must not flinch at the possible problems for us if the exegesis goes off in an unpalatable direction, and consequently take care to "steer" the exegesis in order to keep ourselves academically respectable. We may have a problem passage if what is meant by this is that we don't know what the passage teaches. But once we know, because we are Christians, we should simply accept the teaching of the Bible. All this is to reverse Mark Twain's famous dictum about the Bible -- it wasn't the parts he didn't understand that bothered him, it was the parts he did understand. Because we are Christians we should never be bothered with the parts we do understand.
But we sometimes struggle with this. Liberals are sometimes more to be trusted with the text than evangelicals are. This is because the liberal is not stuck with the results of his exegesis. He can say, for example, that the apostle Paul taught the doctrine of male headship, and "wasn't he silly?" But if the evangelical concludes that Paul in fact taught this, the evangelical has to go off and act as though he believes it. But if there are bad social consequences for him if he acts that way, then it is time for the old Greek word-study ploy. "The Greek word kephale, which is translated head, actually means 'one who fetches."...
They have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them?
I am just loving the OT these days, I am talking about Ex,Deut,Lev,Numbers. You cannot swing a dead cat by the tail in here without hitting Gods merciful loving kindness. That God may be glorified....
We have the entire book of proverbs exhorting us to get wisdom.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. Prov 4:6-9 (KJV)
11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. Prov 8:11 (KJV)
A lot of the book gives examples of wisdom from and for specific situations.
Isaiah too exalts wisdom.
6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. Isaiah 33:5-6 (KJV)
So what can we focus on in a tangible manner to move us into understanding wisdom, grasping it, embracing it, to be able to meditate on it. Job asks too.
12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Job 28:11-12 (KJV)
20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? 21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. Job 28:20-21 (KJV)
Job knew where to start.
28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. Job 28:27-28 (KJV)
Proverbs and Psalms reinforces this first step.
33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. Prov 15:33 (KJV)
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. Psalms 111:10 (KJV)
But so far I can only find one place in the Word where God gives us something to specifically grasp, embrace, something to meditate on, the mother load as it were, so you could make those specific applications as Solomon does. Something that shows us how we should behave as a componant of having a fear of the Lord and where the Word says this is your wisdom….
deut4:6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
We have the entire book of proverbs exhorting us to get wisdom.
7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding. 8 Exalt her, and she shall promote thee: she shall bring thee to honour, when thou dost embrace her. 9 She shall give to thine head an ornament of grace: a crown of glory shall she deliver to thee. Prov 4:6-9 (KJV)
11 For wisdom is better than rubies; and all the things that may be desired are not to be compared to it. Prov 8:11 (KJV)
A lot of the book gives examples of wisdom from and for specific situations.
Isaiah too exalts wisdom.
6 And wisdom and knowledge shall be the stability of thy times, and strength of salvation: the fear of the LORD is his treasure. Isaiah 33:5-6 (KJV)
So what can we focus on in a tangible manner to move us into understanding wisdom, grasping it, embracing it, to be able to meditate on it. Job asks too.
12 But where shall wisdom be found? and where is the place of understanding? Job 28:11-12 (KJV)
20 Whence then cometh wisdom? and where is the place of understanding? 21 Seeing it is hid from the eyes of all living, and kept close from the fowls of the air. Job 28:20-21 (KJV)
Job knew where to start.
28 And unto man he said, Behold, the fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to depart from evil is understanding. Job 28:27-28 (KJV)
Proverbs and Psalms reinforces this first step.
33 The fear of the LORD is the instruction of wisdom; and before honour is humility. Prov 15:33 (KJV)
10 The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom: a good understanding have all they that do his commandments: his praise endureth for ever. Psalms 111:10 (KJV)
But so far I can only find one place in the Word where God gives us something to specifically grasp, embrace, something to meditate on, the mother load as it were, so you could make those specific applications as Solomon does. Something that shows us how we should behave as a componant of having a fear of the Lord and where the Word says this is your wisdom….
deut4:6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people.
Here it is in context...
1 Now therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statutes and unto the judgments, which I teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the land which the LORD God of your fathers giveth you. 2 Ye shall not add unto the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye may keep the commandments of the LORD your God which I command you. ….5 Behold, I have taught you statutes and judgments, even as the LORD my God commanded me, that ye should do so in the land whither ye go to possess it. 6 Keep therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this great nation is a wise and understanding people. 7 For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our God is in all things that we call upon him for? 8 And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? 9 Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy sons' sons; 10 Specially the day that thou stoodest before the LORD thy God in Horeb, when the LORD said unto me, Gather me the people together, and I will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they shall live upon the earth, and that they may teach their children. 11 And ye came near and stood under the mountain; and the mountain burned with fire unto the midst of heaven, with darkness, clouds, and thick darkness. 12 And the LORD spake unto you out of the midst of the fire: ye heard the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; only ye heard a voice. 13 And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. 14 And the LORD commanded me at that time to teach you statutes and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to possess it. Deut 4:1-14 (KJV)
9 The wise men are ashamed, they are dismayed and taken: lo, they have rejected the word of the LORD; and what wisdom is in them? Jer 8:8-9 (KJV)
Anyone know of different passage where God says... here, grab a hold of this, this is wisdom. (?!?)
As a Christian, you pay your taxes because God tells you to
From Doug Wilson,his tax day thoughts...hit the link, read the whole thing.
The Bear Went Over the Mountain
...As a Christian, you pay your taxes because God tells you to, and not because Caesar does (Rom. 13: 6-7). Caesar is not in charge of the operation, God is. Caesar wants to pretend that there is no court of appeal behind him, but there is. He is God's deacon, and we are paying him (according to God's Word) so that he might be in a position to reward the righteous and punish the evil doer. That's the theory.
Second, no human institution or government is absolute. Because all human authorities are susceptible to temptation and sin, another scenario becomes a scriptural possibility. Instead of rewarding the righteous and punishing the wrongdoer, the authorities might rebel against heaven and reverse this, seeking to punish the righteous and give nihilistic art grants to the evil ones. It is at this point that the biblical doctrine of civil disobedience comes in. Gideon was not threshing his crop in the wine vat because that is where the IRS had asked him to file...
...A good half of the American populace pays virtually no tax at all -- and many of them receive quite a few benefits. Those who do pay need to understand that they are not proposing simply to withhold funds from pointy-headed liberals in Washington. Those folks in Washington were shrewd enough to hook up a bunch of other people to the benefits, to butter their side of the bread, and so forth. If you go to one of these tea parties, realize that you are going to visit many of your fellow Americans in the hospital, and you are standing on their oxygen hose. Don't be surprised if you get a reaction.
The Bear Went Over the Mountain
...As a Christian, you pay your taxes because God tells you to, and not because Caesar does (Rom. 13: 6-7). Caesar is not in charge of the operation, God is. Caesar wants to pretend that there is no court of appeal behind him, but there is. He is God's deacon, and we are paying him (according to God's Word) so that he might be in a position to reward the righteous and punish the evil doer. That's the theory.
Second, no human institution or government is absolute. Because all human authorities are susceptible to temptation and sin, another scenario becomes a scriptural possibility. Instead of rewarding the righteous and punishing the wrongdoer, the authorities might rebel against heaven and reverse this, seeking to punish the righteous and give nihilistic art grants to the evil ones. It is at this point that the biblical doctrine of civil disobedience comes in. Gideon was not threshing his crop in the wine vat because that is where the IRS had asked him to file...
...A good half of the American populace pays virtually no tax at all -- and many of them receive quite a few benefits. Those who do pay need to understand that they are not proposing simply to withhold funds from pointy-headed liberals in Washington. Those folks in Washington were shrewd enough to hook up a bunch of other people to the benefits, to butter their side of the bread, and so forth. If you go to one of these tea parties, realize that you are going to visit many of your fellow Americans in the hospital, and you are standing on their oxygen hose. Don't be surprised if you get a reaction.
Men can only be free...if they are Christians who think like Christians
From Doug Wilson, the whole article is tasty meat.
This Era of Obummer
...Here is the reality. Big business likes regulation. Big business likes the state. Big business likes to aggrandize profits, influence, and congressmen. The reason that big business likes all these things is because it gives them access to the one thing that can effectively deal with the one pest of their existence, which is competition. Once they get fat enough to present opportunities to fresh competitors, they are also fat enough to buy congressmen, who will be their legislative hit men. A cozy relationship with the government gives them access to the coercive power of the state....
The interests of big business are therefore not the same as the interests of those who want to create and preserve free markets. In a regulated economy, each new failure (and there is always a new one coming along) is always treated as prima facie evidence for the absolute necessity of doing the next stupid thing. The proposed reform is almost always fixing the previous reform. In this last go round, government intervention (by both the Garble and the Teleprompter) was justified as a national security issue because these entities were "too big to fail." Oh? And how did they get that big? How did they get all swoll up to the point where they were too big to fail? That's right -- they grew to that size in a regulated economy...
And men can only be free if they are Christians. Scratch that. Men can only be free in this regard if they are Christians who think like Christians. Everything goes back to the gospel, and it always goes back to the gospel. But the gospel it goes back to is an expansive gospel, a gospel that gets out into the world and gets its hands dirty. Eventually this gospel will get into the economic assumptions of Christians, and it will teach them how to reject every form of coercion masquerading as compassion.
This Era of Obummer
...Here is the reality. Big business likes regulation. Big business likes the state. Big business likes to aggrandize profits, influence, and congressmen. The reason that big business likes all these things is because it gives them access to the one thing that can effectively deal with the one pest of their existence, which is competition. Once they get fat enough to present opportunities to fresh competitors, they are also fat enough to buy congressmen, who will be their legislative hit men. A cozy relationship with the government gives them access to the coercive power of the state....
The interests of big business are therefore not the same as the interests of those who want to create and preserve free markets. In a regulated economy, each new failure (and there is always a new one coming along) is always treated as prima facie evidence for the absolute necessity of doing the next stupid thing. The proposed reform is almost always fixing the previous reform. In this last go round, government intervention (by both the Garble and the Teleprompter) was justified as a national security issue because these entities were "too big to fail." Oh? And how did they get that big? How did they get all swoll up to the point where they were too big to fail? That's right -- they grew to that size in a regulated economy...
And men can only be free if they are Christians. Scratch that. Men can only be free in this regard if they are Christians who think like Christians. Everything goes back to the gospel, and it always goes back to the gospel. But the gospel it goes back to is an expansive gospel, a gospel that gets out into the world and gets its hands dirty. Eventually this gospel will get into the economic assumptions of Christians, and it will teach them how to reject every form of coercion masquerading as compassion.
Who are we worried about offending?
Georgetown Says It Covered Over Name of Jesus to Comply With White House Request
(CNSNews.com) - Georgetown University says it covered over the monogram “IHS”--symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ—because it was inscribed on a pediment on the stage where President Obama spoke at the university on Tuesday and the White House had asked Georgetown to cover up all signs and symbols there. As of Wednesday afternoon, the “IHS” monogram that had previously adorned the stage at Georgetown’s Gaston Hall was still covered up--when the pediment where it had appeared was photographed by CNSNews.com.
President Obama is greeted by Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia as he arrives to deliver remarks on the economy, April 14, 2009, at Georgetown University. Georgetown had covered the symbol "IHS" on the pediment above and behind the two men. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)
“In coordinating the logistical arrangements for yesterday’s event, Georgetown honored the White House staff’s request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind Gaston Hall stage,” Julie Green Bataille, associate vice president for communications at Georgetown, told CNSNews.com.
Tuesday, April 14, 2009
Main Stream Media Can now See It
Fed’s Flood May Leave Democracy Needing Bailout: Kevin Hassett
...But Congress is unwilling to appropriate enough money, so Treasury and the Fed have cooked up a work-around: the Fed buys the assets instead. Since the Fed exists outside of the normal budget process, no permission from elected officials is required.
Here’s a sketch of how it works. Many financial institutions have reserve accounts with the Fed. If one of them shows up with an asset it wants to ditch, the Fed takes it and ratchets up the balance in the reserve account. This means that the Fed is effectively summoning cash out of thin air to purchase the assets.
In isolation, such a move might be inconsequential. But the scale of this end-around is enormous. The Fed’s balance sheet is closing in on $2 trillion and stands ready to skyrocket above that. Last month, for example, the Fed committed to buy more than $1 trillion in mortgage-backed securities.
Printing Cash
This means that the Fed is printing cash at a rate that, while not threatening historic records set in Weimar Germany, promises to create substantial inflationary pressures once the economy revives...
...But Congress is unwilling to appropriate enough money, so Treasury and the Fed have cooked up a work-around: the Fed buys the assets instead. Since the Fed exists outside of the normal budget process, no permission from elected officials is required.
Here’s a sketch of how it works. Many financial institutions have reserve accounts with the Fed. If one of them shows up with an asset it wants to ditch, the Fed takes it and ratchets up the balance in the reserve account. This means that the Fed is effectively summoning cash out of thin air to purchase the assets.
In isolation, such a move might be inconsequential. But the scale of this end-around is enormous. The Fed’s balance sheet is closing in on $2 trillion and stands ready to skyrocket above that. Last month, for example, the Fed committed to buy more than $1 trillion in mortgage-backed securities.
Printing Cash
This means that the Fed is printing cash at a rate that, while not threatening historic records set in Weimar Germany, promises to create substantial inflationary pressures once the economy revives...
Friday, April 3, 2009
A Great Primer on Inflation from Mises
I like this. When a stock splits ,say two share's for one , you have twice as many shares but they are only worth 1/2 of what they used to be. The supply of money, I believe has been doubled by the Fed. This is a hidden theft, the money in your pocket will eventualy be worth less than it was. But because Its all sitting in big banks and not being loaned out....yet. The inpact is not being felt...yet. This article is also avail as a mp3 download. This article shows the steps to hyperinflation, at the end he illustrates that it was a German government,German political partys that just kept pressing forward and destroyed their money and their economy. Your silver has become dross....
There Will Be (Hyper)Inflation
Mises Daily by Thorsten Polleit
...A rise in the money stock necessarily reduces the marginal utility of a money unit — and therefore its value — from the viewpoint of the individual; likewise, the marginal utility of a money unit — and therefore its value — would increase if the money stock declines.
Changes in the value individuals assign to a money unit are reflected in prices for vendible items. For instance, if the money stock in the hands of an individual rises, he may wish to increase his holdings of other goods. As he exchanges money against vendible items, the prices of the latter are bid up.
In that sense, the change in the money stock is what must be called inflation, while changes in the prices for goods and services are just symptoms of the underlying cause, which is the change in the stock of money.
What the rise in base money has done so far is prevent prices of banks' security holdings to decline to free-market levels. In other words, the money injection helps to keep asset prices at artificially elevated levels, thereby preventing prices in financial markets, credit markets in particular, from adjusting...
Alternatively, the central bank could print additional money, distributing it to households and firms as a transfer payment.[2]Under a fiat-money regime, this can be done at any time and without limit, as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke made unmistakably clear in a notorious speech in 2002:
"[T]he U.S. government has a technology, called a printing press (or, today, its electronic equivalent), that allows it to produce as many U.S. dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost. By increasing the number of U.S. dollars in circulation, or even by credibly threatening to do so, the U.S. government can also reduce the value of a dollar in terms of goods and services, which is equivalent to raising the prices in dollars of those goods and services. We conclude that, under a paper-money system, a determined government can always generate higher spending and hence positive inflation."[3]....
Government-controlled fiat money is fraudulent money. It is money that is created out of thin air, in violation of property rights: fiat-money production doesn't require any of the wealth-producing activities characteristic of the free market. It is and will always be, by construction, fraudulent money....
There Will Be (Hyper)Inflation
Mises Daily by Thorsten Polleit
...A rise in the money stock necessarily reduces the marginal utility of a money unit — and therefore its value — from the viewpoint of the individual; likewise, the marginal utility of a money unit — and therefore its value — would increase if the money stock declines.
Changes in the value individuals assign to a money unit are reflected in prices for vendible items. For instance, if the money stock in the hands of an individual rises, he may wish to increase his holdings of other goods. As he exchanges money against vendible items, the prices of the latter are bid up.
In that sense, the change in the money stock is what must be called inflation, while changes in the prices for goods and services are just symptoms of the underlying cause, which is the change in the stock of money.
What the rise in base money has done so far is prevent prices of banks' security holdings to decline to free-market levels. In other words, the money injection helps to keep asset prices at artificially elevated levels, thereby preventing prices in financial markets, credit markets in particular, from adjusting...
Alternatively, the central bank could print additional money, distributing it to households and firms as a transfer payment.[2]Under a fiat-money regime, this can be done at any time and without limit, as Federal Reserve Chairman Ben S. Bernanke made unmistakably clear in a notorious speech in 2002:
"[T]he U.S. government has a technology, called a printing press (or, today, its electronic equivalent), that allows it to produce as many U.S. dollars as it wishes at essentially no cost. By increasing the number of U.S. dollars in circulation, or even by credibly threatening to do so, the U.S. government can also reduce the value of a dollar in terms of goods and services, which is equivalent to raising the prices in dollars of those goods and services. We conclude that, under a paper-money system, a determined government can always generate higher spending and hence positive inflation."[3]....
Government-controlled fiat money is fraudulent money. It is money that is created out of thin air, in violation of property rights: fiat-money production doesn't require any of the wealth-producing activities characteristic of the free market. It is and will always be, by construction, fraudulent money....
The G20 Summit
From Gary north,his member side Specific Answers Speaking of the G20 meeting that just ended..... As Paul told the Greeks..."I see that you are religous in every way..."
....FAITH!
In response to this laundry list of political promises, stock markets around the world increased by 2 to 4%. This indicates that stock market investors are committed to the political salvation that Keynesianism promises. They are committed to the idea that taxation, monetary inflation, regulation, and foreign aid to banana republics will heal the world of its $50 trillion losses, and lead to a Green Nirvana.
This means, in the immortal words that were never uttered by P. T. Barnum, "there' a sucker born every minute." Of course, the Keynesian suckers are not born every minute. But every June several million of them graduate from American universities, where they were trained by Keynesian economists and social scientists to believe that government spending and government regulation are the source of long-term economic growth. The suckers are not born every minute. The suckers are sent to college by their parents, who go into debt anywhere from $40,000-$200,000, in order that their children might be trained in the logic of Keynesian economics.
The fundamental practical question of all economics is this one: "Who wins and who pays?" This is also the fundamental question of all politics. Keynesian economists create sophisticated mathematical models to keep students from finding a clear answer to these two crucial questions.
The Keynesians' goal is to train students to believe that money spent by the government is productive, while money spent by investors and capitalist enterprises is wasteful. They teach the students to believe that the expansion of money by the central bank is productive, while increased savings by the public leads to the Keynesians call the paradox of thrift. Somehow, thrift creates economic recessions. Somehow, increased saving to make available capital goods is a threat to the financial stability of free markets.
The trouble is, the theory is wrongheaded. The source of productivity is creativity that is financed by voluntary saving. It is possible to have creative ideas that never flourish, because these ideas never receive funding from investors. It is also possible to have investments that go sour because the investments rested on false premises. But in the long run, voluntary thrift, meaning a reduction of current consumption, is the most important technical factor in any economy that experiences is long-term economic growth....
The problem is this: the policies that governments adopt to establish economic growth will reduce economic growth. They transfer assets from the private capital markets to the markets for government debt. Then the money is spent by one set of government bureaucrats to fund the projects of another group of bureaucrats. There is no profit and loss system to assure the planners that they are in fact meeting the needs of consumers. The money meets the needs of incumbent politicians. Why this should lead to economic growth is a mystery, but Keynesian economics teaches that it will.
....FAITH!
In response to this laundry list of political promises, stock markets around the world increased by 2 to 4%. This indicates that stock market investors are committed to the political salvation that Keynesianism promises. They are committed to the idea that taxation, monetary inflation, regulation, and foreign aid to banana republics will heal the world of its $50 trillion losses, and lead to a Green Nirvana.
This means, in the immortal words that were never uttered by P. T. Barnum, "there' a sucker born every minute." Of course, the Keynesian suckers are not born every minute. But every June several million of them graduate from American universities, where they were trained by Keynesian economists and social scientists to believe that government spending and government regulation are the source of long-term economic growth. The suckers are not born every minute. The suckers are sent to college by their parents, who go into debt anywhere from $40,000-$200,000, in order that their children might be trained in the logic of Keynesian economics.
The fundamental practical question of all economics is this one: "Who wins and who pays?" This is also the fundamental question of all politics. Keynesian economists create sophisticated mathematical models to keep students from finding a clear answer to these two crucial questions.
The Keynesians' goal is to train students to believe that money spent by the government is productive, while money spent by investors and capitalist enterprises is wasteful. They teach the students to believe that the expansion of money by the central bank is productive, while increased savings by the public leads to the Keynesians call the paradox of thrift. Somehow, thrift creates economic recessions. Somehow, increased saving to make available capital goods is a threat to the financial stability of free markets.
The trouble is, the theory is wrongheaded. The source of productivity is creativity that is financed by voluntary saving. It is possible to have creative ideas that never flourish, because these ideas never receive funding from investors. It is also possible to have investments that go sour because the investments rested on false premises. But in the long run, voluntary thrift, meaning a reduction of current consumption, is the most important technical factor in any economy that experiences is long-term economic growth....
The problem is this: the policies that governments adopt to establish economic growth will reduce economic growth. They transfer assets from the private capital markets to the markets for government debt. Then the money is spent by one set of government bureaucrats to fund the projects of another group of bureaucrats. There is no profit and loss system to assure the planners that they are in fact meeting the needs of consumers. The money meets the needs of incumbent politicians. Why this should lead to economic growth is a mystery, but Keynesian economics teaches that it will.
Thursday, April 2, 2009
The Third Commandment V
Your commandments are exceedingly broad...
...American states, the name of God is removed from oaths of office and from the swearing in of witnesses. This means that, when a man is sworn into office, he is not bound by God to fulfil the constitutional requirements of the office or the law; the man solemnly swears by himself; if it is agreeable to him to alter the law, if he regards his own ideas as superior, then he can move to circumvent the law. The major changes in the American consitiution have occurred over a period of time when no fundamental changes have been made in the U.S. Constitution. The reason is that the letter and the spirit of the law now have very little meaning as against the political wills of men and parties.
If a witness is asked to swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth without any reference to god, truth then can be and is commonly redefined in terms of himself. The oath in God’s name is “legal recongnition of God” as the source of all things and the only true ground of all being. It establishes the state under god and under his law. The removal of God from oaths, ad the light and dishonest us of oaths, is a declaration of independence from Him, and it is warfare against God in the name of the new gods, apostate man and his totalitarian state.
The modern American oath, which omits all reference to God, is set in the context of a pragmatic philosophy, a faith taught in the schools and upheld by the state and federal governments. Truth in terms of pragmatism is what works.
...American states, the name of God is removed from oaths of office and from the swearing in of witnesses. This means that, when a man is sworn into office, he is not bound by God to fulfil the constitutional requirements of the office or the law; the man solemnly swears by himself; if it is agreeable to him to alter the law, if he regards his own ideas as superior, then he can move to circumvent the law. The major changes in the American consitiution have occurred over a period of time when no fundamental changes have been made in the U.S. Constitution. The reason is that the letter and the spirit of the law now have very little meaning as against the political wills of men and parties.
If a witness is asked to swear to tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth without any reference to god, truth then can be and is commonly redefined in terms of himself. The oath in God’s name is “legal recongnition of God” as the source of all things and the only true ground of all being. It establishes the state under god and under his law. The removal of God from oaths, ad the light and dishonest us of oaths, is a declaration of independence from Him, and it is warfare against God in the name of the new gods, apostate man and his totalitarian state.
The modern American oath, which omits all reference to God, is set in the context of a pragmatic philosophy, a faith taught in the schools and upheld by the state and federal governments. Truth in terms of pragmatism is what works.
The Third Commandment IV
...Your commandments are exceedingly broad...
More serious than the act of stealing, or of murder even, is the false oath. Theft grabs a single man, and murder takes the life of a single man or perhaps a group of men, but a false oath is an assault on the life of an entire society.
More serious than the act of stealing, or of murder even, is the false oath. Theft grabs a single man, and murder takes the life of a single man or perhaps a group of men, but a false oath is an assault on the life of an entire society.
The Third commandment III
...your commandments are exceedingly broad ...
The Bible, on the other hand, extends a limited tolerance to other social orders. The only true order is founded on Biblical law. All law is religious in nature, and every non-Biblical law-order represents an anti-Christian religion. But the key to remedying the situation is not revolution, nor any kind of resistance that works to subvert law and order. The New Testament abounds in warnings against disobedience and in summons to peace. The key is regeneration, propagation of the gospel, and the conversion of men and nations to God’s law-word. Meanwhile, the existing law-order must be respected, and neighboring law-orders must be respected as far as is possible without offense to one’s own faith. The pagan law-order represents the faith and religion of the people; it is better then anarachy, and it does provide a God-given framework of existence under which God’s work can be furthered.
The Bible, on the other hand, extends a limited tolerance to other social orders. The only true order is founded on Biblical law. All law is religious in nature, and every non-Biblical law-order represents an anti-Christian religion. But the key to remedying the situation is not revolution, nor any kind of resistance that works to subvert law and order. The New Testament abounds in warnings against disobedience and in summons to peace. The key is regeneration, propagation of the gospel, and the conversion of men and nations to God’s law-word. Meanwhile, the existing law-order must be respected, and neighboring law-orders must be respected as far as is possible without offense to one’s own faith. The pagan law-order represents the faith and religion of the people; it is better then anarachy, and it does provide a God-given framework of existence under which God’s work can be furthered.
The Third Commandment II
Again from the section on the third commandment. The bible at one point say's .."your commandments are exceedingly broad..." But the modern church has pretty much gagged much of God's commandments
…Even as the state controls over medicine have increased, and doctors today are in constant danger of lawsuits. American medical skill and surgery have never been better, nor the legal complaints greater. This points up a curious fact: the state has taken over the basic policing power from the medical profession, but the state, instead of assuming responsibility, has increased the culpability of the doctors. A federal agency approves a drug, but the doctor pays the penalty if there are bad reactions.
When the law of the state assumes a positive function in protecting the health and general welfare of its people, it then does not assume the liability. The people are absolved of responsibility, but the medical profession (or business firms, property owners, and the like) assume total liability. The steps towards total liability are gradual, but they are inevitable with a welfare economy…
…Even as the state controls over medicine have increased, and doctors today are in constant danger of lawsuits. American medical skill and surgery have never been better, nor the legal complaints greater. This points up a curious fact: the state has taken over the basic policing power from the medical profession, but the state, instead of assuming responsibility, has increased the culpability of the doctors. A federal agency approves a drug, but the doctor pays the penalty if there are bad reactions.
When the law of the state assumes a positive function in protecting the health and general welfare of its people, it then does not assume the liability. The people are absolved of responsibility, but the medical profession (or business firms, property owners, and the like) assume total liability. The steps towards total liability are gradual, but they are inevitable with a welfare economy…
The Third Commandment
Im going to be placing some of the things that have stood out to me while Reading Rushdoony's "The Institutes of Biblical Law." These are from the section of the book on third commandment. I will run a series of them. Just to help some of it stick with me.
The first one deals with how most of the ten commandments are negative commandments,Doony points out modern man dislikes very much being told, do not... Here he shows Gods wisdom and how negative commandments limit governments. This is so current.
….A negative statement thus deals with a particular evil directly and plainly: it prohibits it, makes it illegal. The law thus has a modest function; the law is limited, and therefore the state is limited. The state, as the enforcing agency, is limited to dealing with evil, not controlling all men.
Second, and directly related to this first point, a negative concept of law insures liberty: except for the prohibited areas, all of man’s life is beyond the law, and the law is of necessity indifferent to it. If the commandment says, “Thou shalt not steal,” it means that the law can only govern theft: it cannot govern or control honestly acquired property. When the law prohibits blasphemy and false witness, it guarantees that all other forms of speech have their liberty. The negativity of the law is the preservation of the positive life and freedom of man.
But, if the law is positive in its function, and if the health of the people is the highest law, then the state has total jurisdiction to compel the total health of the people. The immediate consequence is a double penalty on the people. First, an Omni competent state is posited, and a totalitarian state results. Everything becomes a part of the states jurisdiction, because everything can potentially contribute to the health or the destruction of the people. Because the law is unlimited, the state is unlimited. It becomes the business of the state, not to control evil, but to control all men. Basic to every totalitarian regime is a positive concept of the function of law….
The first one deals with how most of the ten commandments are negative commandments,Doony points out modern man dislikes very much being told, do not... Here he shows Gods wisdom and how negative commandments limit governments. This is so current.
….A negative statement thus deals with a particular evil directly and plainly: it prohibits it, makes it illegal. The law thus has a modest function; the law is limited, and therefore the state is limited. The state, as the enforcing agency, is limited to dealing with evil, not controlling all men.
Second, and directly related to this first point, a negative concept of law insures liberty: except for the prohibited areas, all of man’s life is beyond the law, and the law is of necessity indifferent to it. If the commandment says, “Thou shalt not steal,” it means that the law can only govern theft: it cannot govern or control honestly acquired property. When the law prohibits blasphemy and false witness, it guarantees that all other forms of speech have their liberty. The negativity of the law is the preservation of the positive life and freedom of man.
But, if the law is positive in its function, and if the health of the people is the highest law, then the state has total jurisdiction to compel the total health of the people. The immediate consequence is a double penalty on the people. First, an Omni competent state is posited, and a totalitarian state results. Everything becomes a part of the states jurisdiction, because everything can potentially contribute to the health or the destruction of the people. Because the law is unlimited, the state is unlimited. It becomes the business of the state, not to control evil, but to control all men. Basic to every totalitarian regime is a positive concept of the function of law….
It was snowing yesterday in Washington,On April 1st!
God likes a good joke! HA Ha by Douglas Wilson
In Like a Lion, Out Like a Bear
I would take a photo out my window of the snow storm that is pounding us here, but enemies of the gospel of global cooling would think I had photoshopped it. This is a crisis. We clearly need to hand over unlimited power now to government bureaucrats and regulators, not to mention faceless international functionaries, so that they can save us all, lest we perish and die! Whenever there is a crisis, and this clearly is one, the only entity that knows how to turn a profit on said crisis is the government. They always make hay out of these things. And if it is not a crisis to have a snow storm laying us low in white-out humiliation on the same spring day that residents of Washington are required to get their studded tires off the road, I don't know what is one...
In Like a Lion, Out Like a Bear
I would take a photo out my window of the snow storm that is pounding us here, but enemies of the gospel of global cooling would think I had photoshopped it. This is a crisis. We clearly need to hand over unlimited power now to government bureaucrats and regulators, not to mention faceless international functionaries, so that they can save us all, lest we perish and die! Whenever there is a crisis, and this clearly is one, the only entity that knows how to turn a profit on said crisis is the government. They always make hay out of these things. And if it is not a crisis to have a snow storm laying us low in white-out humiliation on the same spring day that residents of Washington are required to get their studded tires off the road, I don't know what is one...
Why it wont work
Destination Collapse
by Michael S. Rozeff
...Since government rulers and bureaucrats have chosen to make careers in government, it is logical that they believe in government. It is logical, even if incorrect, that they blame the free-market for shocks to the economy that emanate from government; and it is logical, even if incorrect, that they overvalue government and undervalue markets. They are ordinarily loathe to admit that virtually all the bounty, welfare, and wealth we have comes from free-market activity. Their actions, despite their occasional free-market rhetoric, belie such a belief. They are all too ready to blame the free market and praise government...
Government and the FED are institutions that generate economic shocks, after which they claim that they have the means, and only they have the means, to ameliorate their effects. This is more than ignorance. It is a lie. And because these two institutions have unique powers that affect the entire economy, they generate large and pervasive shocks...
When distortions in economic activity become painfully obvious to large numbers of persons in the economy and to those in government and the FED, and when the repercussions of these distortions affect the political futures of the rulers and the banks that the FED supports, then the boom’s days are numbered. A government can underwrite the laying of railroad tracks indefinitely, but when it becomes clear tracks are being laid to nowhere, then even the government understands that it is not getting a political return on its investment. It will do better for itself to subsidize some activity that buys more votes. Investors will realize that the railroads have amassed large debts and that the traffic on roads to nowhere will not generate enough cash flow to pay off these debts. The railroad boom will falter...
A government stimulus program is an effort to thwart the recession. This sounds good, but it is bad, when we remember that a recession is what happens when the private actors in the economy attempt to abandon uneconomic activities and restore sound ones. A government stimulus program is an effort to thwart the private economy’s adjustment back to a normal economy....
by Michael S. Rozeff
...Since government rulers and bureaucrats have chosen to make careers in government, it is logical that they believe in government. It is logical, even if incorrect, that they blame the free-market for shocks to the economy that emanate from government; and it is logical, even if incorrect, that they overvalue government and undervalue markets. They are ordinarily loathe to admit that virtually all the bounty, welfare, and wealth we have comes from free-market activity. Their actions, despite their occasional free-market rhetoric, belie such a belief. They are all too ready to blame the free market and praise government...
Government and the FED are institutions that generate economic shocks, after which they claim that they have the means, and only they have the means, to ameliorate their effects. This is more than ignorance. It is a lie. And because these two institutions have unique powers that affect the entire economy, they generate large and pervasive shocks...
When distortions in economic activity become painfully obvious to large numbers of persons in the economy and to those in government and the FED, and when the repercussions of these distortions affect the political futures of the rulers and the banks that the FED supports, then the boom’s days are numbered. A government can underwrite the laying of railroad tracks indefinitely, but when it becomes clear tracks are being laid to nowhere, then even the government understands that it is not getting a political return on its investment. It will do better for itself to subsidize some activity that buys more votes. Investors will realize that the railroads have amassed large debts and that the traffic on roads to nowhere will not generate enough cash flow to pay off these debts. The railroad boom will falter...
A government stimulus program is an effort to thwart the recession. This sounds good, but it is bad, when we remember that a recession is what happens when the private actors in the economy attempt to abandon uneconomic activities and restore sound ones. A government stimulus program is an effort to thwart the private economy’s adjustment back to a normal economy....
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