Focus on the Family Misses it and More...

The Christian ministry, Focus on the Family, has been on a downgrade for years. I have decided to bring attention to this destructive trend in so-called Christianity in which they are a strong voice. Their programs air multiple times a day on the radio here in Colorado so it is hard to miss them.

A while back Jim Daly interviewed Bono and with raised eyebrow I listened as he said things like, Bono is not your conventional Christian or something to that effect and that he had colorful language. Colorful indeed!! Bono is a hardcore anti-Christian man who thinks anyone who adheres to historical, Biblical Christianity is a Pharisee. He mocks us, in fact. But FOTF is willing to overlook that because he does so much good in the world...but not in the name of the Christ of the Bible, so why did they even give him an interview? It should also be noted that FOTF has been trending toward Catholicism for quite some time, which also includes Contemplative Spirituality, if they aren't already fully embracing the Catholic religion. That's another story for another time.

I think the final straw for me was the article on www.christianpost.com HERE where Jim Daly, the President of FOTF, defended his ministry reviewing the movie, Fifty Shades of Grey, by stating that it was necessary to warn the Christian public about it's evils...of course, to see for themselves just how evil it was, their reviewer, Paul Asay, of their "Plugged In" movie review SITE mentioned that it was his job to expose the dark by bringing a bit of light to this movie. As if the secular reviews weren't explicit enough he found it necessary to go see for himself. Huh?? I can remain silent no more!! What is further causing my blood to boil is his condescending response to someone who sent him an email that said, "....and I am troubled at the thought of sending one of your employees to go see it.” Asay responds, "I love this email. I so appreciate that he, and many other readers, worry about us over here. And pray for us, too. The sentiment and supplication both mean a lot." Uh-huh, I wonder if that would be his response to someone like me who says he is a hypocrite and how dare he present himself as being pious by watching the movie; a movie by the way, where if a Christian unknowingly (not likely) attended, within a very short amount of time, I'm guessing, would up and leave in protest, but not this fella, no, he was going to give a detailed account of the vile stuff. Shame, shame on him! At the end of his review he writes, "...It’s not very bright, this little light of mine. But in the darkness, every little bit helps. And I hope that my tiny light of a movie review might lead others to a better, brighter one." I think the verse in Luke 11:35 fits nicely, "Take heed therefore that the light which is in thee be not darkness."

I wrote a response (some slight changes) to Paul Asay's defense on the Plugged In site..we'll see if my comment gets published, as well as on Christian Post in response to Jim Daly's article which was published. Here it is:

My blood boils when a Christian ministry defends an action that is clearly outside the bounds of Christian duty. It is the duty of the Christian to avoid any semblance of evil and the fact that Jim Daly is making excuses as to why their ministry went to the movie is unconscionable!! You should be ashamed of yourself! You are a hypocrite.

But then this is the ministry that defended interviewing Bono who happens to be a scoffer of the Bible. He twists scripture and mocks true, historical Christianity calling it Pharisaical. He has a trash mouth as well, but FOTF defends this man because he does so much in the name of philanthropy. Focus, you are a legalistic organization which puts the actions of people over and above their belief system. You are not promoting the interests of Christ but the interests of people who want a watered down version of the Gospel. The fact that you defend actually going to and seeing the movie merely for review purposes implies voyeurism and titillation. How dare you defend this, but one thing is for sure...you have shown your true colors.

What Shall it Profit a Man if He Gain the Whole World....

An article written by an atheist:) If I firmly believed as millions say they do, that the knowledge and practice of religion in this life influences destiny in another, then religion would mean everything to me. I would cast away earthly enjoyments as dross, earthly cares as follies, and earthly thoughts and feelings as vanity. Religion would be my first waking thought and my last image before sleep. I should labor in its cause alone. I would take thought for the morrow of eternity alone. I would esteem one soul gained for heaven worth a life suffering. Earthly consequences would never stay my hand or seal my lips. Earth, its joys and its griefs would occupy no moment of my thoughts. I would strive to look upon Eternity alone and on the immortal souls around me, soon to be everlastingly happy or everlastingly miserable. I would sow forth to the world and preach to it in season and out of season and my text would be “what shall it profit a man if he gain the whole world and lose his own soul?"

Lord, it is my prayer that you will help me to live like this....

The Incredible Christian by A.W. Tozer

Tozer speaks truth here. Worth the read....

INCREDIBLE CHRISTIAN!
by A.W. Tozer

The cross stands in bold opposition to the natural man. Its philosophy
runs contrary to the processes of the unregenerate mind, so that
Paul could say bluntly that the preaching of the cross is to them
that perish foolishness. To try to find a common ground between
the message of the cross and man's fallen reason is to try the
impossible, and if persisted in must result in an impaired reason,
a meaningless cross and a powerless Christianity.

But let us bring the whole matter down from the uplands of theory
and simply observe the true Christian as he puts into practice the
teachings of Christ and His apostles. Note the contradictions:

The Christian believes that in Christ he has died, yet he is more
alive than before and he fully expects to live forever. He walks on
earth while seated in heaven and though born on earth he finds
that after his conversion he is not at home here. Like the nighthawk,
which in the air is the essence of grace and beauty but on the
ground is awkward and ugly, so the Christian appears at his best
in the heavenly places but does not fit well into the ways of the
very society into which he was born.

The Christian soon learns that if he would be victorious as a son
of heaven among men on earth he must not follow the common
pattern of mankind, but rather the contrary. That he may be safe
he puts himself in jeopardy; he loses his life to save it and is in
danger of losing it if he attempts to preserve it. He goes down to
get up. If he refuses to go down he is already down, but when he
starts down he is on his way up.

He is strongest when he is weakest and weakest when he is
strong. Though poor he has the power to make others rich, but
when he becomes rich his ability to enrich others vanishes. He
has most after he has given most away and has least when he
possesses most.

He may be and often is highest when he feels lowest and most
sinless when he is most conscious of sin. He is wisest when he
knows that he knows not and knows least when he has acquired
the greatest amount of knowledge. He sometimes does most by
doing nothing and goes furthest when standing still. In heaviness
he manages to rejoice and keeps his heart glad even in sorrow.

The paradoxical character of the Christian is revealed constantly.
For instance, he believes that he is saved now, nevertheless he
expects to be saved later and looks forward joyfully to future
salvation. He fears God but is not afraid of Him. In God's presence
he feels overwhelmed and undone, yet there is nowhere he would
rather be than in that presence. He knows that he has been
cleansed from his sin, yet he is painfully conscious that in his
flesh dwells no good thing.

He loves supremely One whom he has never seen, and though
himself poor and lowly he talks familiarly with One who is King of
all kings and Lord of all lords, and is aware of no incongruity in so
doing. He feels that he is in his own right altogether less than
nothing, yet he believes without question that he is the apple of
God's eye and that for him the Eternal Son became flesh and
died on the cross of shame.

The Christian is a citizen of heaven and to that sacred citizenship
he acknowledges first allegiance; yet he may love his earthly
country with that intensity of devotion that caused John Knox to
pray "O God, give me Scotland or I die."

He cheerfully expects before long to enter that bright world above,
but he is in no hurry to leave this world and is quite willing to await
the summons of his Heavenly Father. And he is unable to under-
stand why the critical unbeliever should condemn him for this; it
all seems so natural and right in the circumstances that he sees
nothing inconsistent about it.

The cross-carrying Christian, furthermore, is both a confirmed
pessimist and an optimist the like of which is to be found nowhere
else on earth.

When he looks at the cross he is a pessimist, for he knows that
the same judgment that fell on the Lord of glory condemns in that
one act all nature and all the world of men. He rejects every human
hope out of Christ because he knows that man's noblest effort is
only dust building on dust.

Yet he is calmly, restfully optimistic. If the cross condemns the
world the resurrection of Christ guarantees the ultimate triumph
of good throughout the universe. Through Christ all will be well
at last and the Christian waits the consummation. Incredible Christian!