Wow. A startling confession from the president that he is a Christian. We've been waiting for some kind of confirmation that Obama was who he said he was since his presidency began, namely a Christian. Two weeks ago he went to church with his family. Congratulations. Now, he's giving testimonies of faith. Progress.
Cynics are saying this is poll-driven faith-noise - and it may well be. But I'm willing to accept a teleprompter free statement - almost any statement - from this president supporting Christianity because it gives us a moral point of reference to address. For example, what do the "precepts" of Jesus tell us about the sanctity of life? Then why do you, Mr. President, support legal measures which terminate the lives of the unborn? What does the Savior have to say about marriage and homosexuality? Then why do you, Mr. President, support homosexual marriage and for all legal purposes, extending equal rights of homosexuals with heterosexuals? If the precepts of Jesus have any meaning at all, they have a moral point of reference.
Having a moral point of reference in the first place locates moral norms and provides people with a appeal to reason on controversial issues. After all, how can we dialogue if I don't know where you're coming from? Were it not for the Law of Moses, the Pharisees might not have been able to place a charge against Jesus. So now, at least the president says he is a Christian by choice and the Savior died for him, too. OK. I can work with that.
Now we can begin the critical dialogue with the president's liberal Christianity on a national stage. This is better than nothing. I just couldn't take another presidential Sunday filled with golf and basketball while the president's wife and daughters are - yet again - starved of the nourishment of the faith dad claims he has while there's no Church, no Communion, no mention of Christ, ever, in the first family's lives.
MARANATHA!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
1 comment:
Shalom!
My name is Anders and I found your blog today.
I would like to comment about who the Jewis Messiah was.
Lets compare their beliefs to what is taught in the Hebrew Bible (which Christians call the OT).
Let’s study the prophecy of Yeshayahu – ‘Isaiah’ – 7- 9:
“It’s essential to understand that this passage was originally interpreted in its historical setting. That understanding remained unchanged for nearly a millennium and Scripture informs us that ha-Sheim [the Creator] doesn’t change. The original meaning is the only true understanding.
The prophet Yeshayahu [Isaiah] wrote this passage ca. BCE 720 relative to the king Âkhâz (7.1). The child Yeshayahu [Isaiah] names in 9.5 prophesies a wonderful and righteous son of the disappointing and evil Akhaz: the king Khizqiyâh (see Melâkhim Beit [“2 Book of Kings]18.3-8; 20.2ff; Divrei ha-Yâmim Beit [2:nd chronicles] 31.1-4). Nor was Yeshayahu the only Nâvi -prophet – prophesying about the blasphemous rule of Âkhâz and the cleansing of Israel by his son, the king Khizqiyâh [“Hiskia”]. the prophet Hosheia (see 1.1ff) and the prophet Mikhah (see 1.1ff) were proclaiming parallel prophecies.“
If you read the prophecy in Isaiah 7-9 in Hebrew and related verses of the Hebrew Bible you will see that king Hizkiah was a partial fulfilment of that prophecy and he was a human, and not divine, nor a ‘Saviour’, nor a ’Christ’. Thus, neither the Messiah would be a ‘Christ’ as you state. The historical Messiah called Ribi [Jewish first century leader in Israel] Yeshua taught his followers to pray to the Creator, not to pray to Jesus. One is forbidden to pray to any human according to Torah; and one is forbidden to pray to or worship Jesus.
More information on www.netzarim.co.il about the Messianic prophecies and how they read in Hebrew [see History Museum (left menu); Mashiakh-section [top menu]].
If you truly want to follow the historical Rabbi Y’hoshua then you must start to live as he lived - i.e. start doing your utmost to keep the commandments of Torah non-selectively; which is required in order to relate to the Creator, which is immensely meaningful.
Post a Comment