Cerulean Sanctum

The Coming Religion

2008-11-20T03:49:59Z

As I noted a few posts ago, my church is going through The Truth Project, a series from Focus on the Family that outlines a Christian worldview. I have enjoyed the series so far, and I think it is excellent. But I have a problem with the third lesson, which asks the question, “What is Man?”

The lesson contains an excellent outline of the case of biblical anthropology against an anthropological theory that many would immediately recognize as that of atheism or secularism. You know, the favorite bogeyman of those enmeshed in the culture wars.

My thoughts? I absolutely agree that the secularized worldview portrayed in the lesson (as epitomized by Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, with its pinnacle of self-actualization) is definitely a problem. What troubles me is that I don’t feel that a secular worldview is the threat against genuine Christianity that the lesson makes of it. Atheism? Secularism? That’s so…well, 1990.

Fact is, if you look around the world, people are not rushing to atheism and secularism. Sure, in some places they’re buying the books, but not in the majority of the world. With the exception of small pockets of atheism and secularism in Western nations, the actual trend is toward a more progressive spirituality, a spirituality that may not—at least from undiscerning human eyes—appear to enthrone self, as does secularism. In fact, some people might even call it a new fundamentalism, a return to what are ultimately superstitious or flawed religious beliefs. Ask an African what is sweeping Africa, and he’ll not reply atheism, but Islam.

Though atheists and dim-bulb “brights” claim antisupernaturalism is on the rise, that is anything but the case. Witness the mass euphoria over the so-called Lakeland revival. The supposed supernatural displays on center stage had people transfixed. Rational people who never would have entertained supernaturalism otherwise flocked to Florida, hoping for a miracle. Many spent thousands of dollars to fly in from around the globe to bask in the overhyped glow of the Bentley miracle show. People who believe in nothing outside the material world don’t do that.

Remember this:

For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been cut short, no human being would be saved. But for the sake of the elect those days will be cut short. Then if anyone says to you, ‘Look, here is the Christ!’ or ‘There he is!’ do not believe it. For false christs and false prophets will arise and perform great signs and wonders, so as to lead astray, if possible, even the elect. See, I have told you beforehand. So, if they say to you, ‘Look, he is in the wilderness,’ do not go out. If they say, ‘Look, he is in the inner rooms,’ do not believe it.
—Matthew 24:21-26

Does Jesus Himself predict that secularism will reign at the end? Hardly. If anything, it will be a time of people desperately seeking spiritual nourishment, seekers who latch onto one magician after another.

Jesus’ warning should shake us all because the genuine lie isn’t going to be as obvious as secularism or atheism. That’s bush-league deception. That will only fool the completely gullible.

What should sober us is that the coming lie will look so much like truth that even the elect will be perplexed by it. Brother doesn’t hand over brother because of secularism, but because of fundamentalistic religious beliefs that sound exhilirating yet are at odds with genuine Christianity. It’s the form of godliness we shoud be alarmed by, not the form of godlessness.

Lee Grady, the editor of Charisma magazine, claims a pastor he knows insists that many charismatics will follow the antichrist because of their devotion to supernatural signs. I think that pastor nails it. The deception that is coming is less obvious. It’s subtle. It’s sorta-Christianity, with a veneer of powerful wonders. It will have many of the trappings of what Western Christians have come to accept as Christianity but will actually be a complete lie. In some ways, we Western Christians have been test subjects. We’re just too drowsy to see it.

To the man buried in an avalanche, the entire world is snow. But the man standing at the top of the mountain knows better. With the world moving in a more religious direction, not a lesser one, the ultimate snowjob may be just around the corner.

This feed is from Cerulean Sanctum (http://ceruleansanctum.com), a blog by Dan Edelen that covers issues facing the American Church.

The Coming Religion

Tags: Antichrist, Charismatics, End Times, Form of Godliness, Godlessness, Religion, Religious, Secularism, Signs and Wonders, Spirituality, World Religion

In Need of a Good Home…

2008-11-19T01:58:37Z

An appeal:

Back before illness hit our family hard, we decided to take the plunge and become dog owners by adopting a puppy someone had abandoned on our property. We named her Rosebud.

Unfortunately, those health issues have forced us to re-evaluate keeping Rosebud. Though I do not wish to give her up, I need to find her a new home.

I had found her a place to live, but the ones who were going to take her were asked by another to take in an old greyhound, ex of the dog-racing circuit. So now they can’t take Rosebud as planned. This has put us in something of a bind, especially with colder weather coming on.

Rosebud has all her shots and has been spayed, so all the costly upfront issues have been handled by us. She’s about a year old, so she still has a puppy’s demeanor. She loves being around people and is very sociable. We think she has some spitz in her, but she’s not a purebred by any means. Rosebud weighs about 25 pounds and is a manageable size. She has been an outdoor dog, but we think she will adapt to indoors in time. She loves to run and is blazingly fast, so a large yard would probably be good for her.

If you have a place for Rosebud, please drop me an email or leave a comment. Since we live in the Greater Cincinnati area, it would be best if someone from the area contact us (unless you are willing to travel here to pick her up).

If you are interested, let us know quickly as we need to make a decision aboout her future home in the next week or two.

If you are a southwestern Ohio blogger who may not be able to take Rosebud yet you maintain a decent readership, a link to this post would be greatly appreciated, too.

Thank you.

This feed is from Cerulean Sanctum (http://ceruleansanctum.com), a blog by Dan Edelen that covers issues facing the American Church.

In Need of a Good Home…

Tags: Dog, Needs a Home, Puppy

Updated Comments…

2008-11-17T14:34:12Z

Folks,

In anticipation of the release of WordPress 2.7, I went searching for info on how its new threaded comments feature will work. This is important to me because I have been using Brian’s Threaded Comments for years to give this blog the nice threaded comment look that makes interactions here so much easier to follow.

I did not find whether or not WordPress 2.7 will import the structure created by Brian’s Threaded Comments, but I did find that Brian’s plugin has been updated many times in the last year. I did not realize that WordPress’s feature that follows plugin updates was not tracking updates to Brian’s plugin, so my installed version here was hopelessly outdated.

The latest update adds new features like Gravatar support and trackback/pingbacks grouped at the end of the comment section.

So if you don’t have a Gravatar, please consider posting one at their site. They were bought by the company that produces WordPress, so Gravatars gel well with most sites.

Also, if you find any wackiness with comments under the latest Brian’s Threaded Comments update here, please let me know. And if anyone has any clue how to import the thread structure from Brian’s plugin to WordPress 2.7, I’d love to know about that, too!

This feed is from Cerulean Sanctum (http://ceruleansanctum.com), a blog by Dan Edelen that covers issues facing the American Church.

Updated Comments…

Tags: Blog, Blogging, Brian's Threaded Comments, WordPress, WordPress 2.7

Misty Monday Morning Musings

2008-11-17T03:52:15Z

Random thoughts running through my head…

***

Though we’ve flirted with it in the past, this is the first year that I can say without hesitation that we Americans bypassed Thanksgiving entirely and went straight to Christmas. Boy, doesn’t that say it all.

***

I don’t see many leftover Obama/Biden signs. You’d think the pair lost considering how quickly their signs vanished. On the other hand, McCain/Palin signs remain rooted in yards like oaks. I guess some people still believe.

***

I predicted this years ago, but few heeded the call. What does it say that we are caught flatfooted again?

***

My indulgent snack of choice are Frito Lay Cheetos. I got the last two 10-ounce bags at my local grocery store. The new bags are 8.5 ounces. Sigh.

***

The truly countercultural Christians? Those who are making a vow to pray daily for the new president-elect rather than grind their teeth over his election while plotting his overthrow.

***

Charismatics—a group with which I am closely associated, if only as being seen by some as an insider contrarian and quintessential wet blanket—blew it on Lakeland. Then they blew it on the 2008 election. Somewhere on this planet, rational, God-fearing charismatics still exist. I’m beginning to think they are an endangered species, though. Blame it on a reckless inability to test prophetic revelation against Scripture and a misunderstanding of the basic message of those same Scriptures. Add in a complete fascination with using politics to usher in the Kingdom of Heaven while ignoring the Great Commission altogether and you’ve summarized the entire state of far too many charismatic leaders, churches, and followers. God help us if we don’t wise up.

***

I simply don’t understand why the online prices of some retail stores are often lower than their own brick-and-mortar incarnations. Case in point, why does it cost so much more to buy a book at a physical Barnes & Noble location than from their online store? I mean, how dumb does it sound for me to ask a store clerk, “Uh, your price online is 20 percent less for this. Will you match your own online price?”

Another killer: I need a digital voice recorder for my work now that my old microcassette recorder flaked out on me at an inopportune time. And I need it now. So I walk into a half dozen brick-and-mortar stores; they all have the same price on the model I was considering, $100. What kills me is the average online store is selling the same model for $20-25 less. I’m sorry, but that’s a big, deal-breaking difference. You feel robbed if you buy it from the brick-and-mortar. So I didn’t. I guess I’ll have to make do with flaky and pray really hard. I find it inexplicable that the big box brick-and-mortars, all things considered, can’t get within $10 of the online price at Joe Bob’s Gizmo Shack.

The fact that I’m worrying about the cost of a digital voice recorder when people are living in squalor in much of the world troubles me. I just don’t know what to do about it.

***

Children do grow up fast. Especially when you don’t see a particular kid day in and day out. One day they’re teething and the next they’re texting.

***

Spotted: $1.69/gal. for gas. It’s like 2005 all over again—except without the hurricanes.

***

Am I the only one who thinks that Russia is looking scarier and more unhinged every day?

***

I heard on a radio program discussing the economy that China needs to create 24 million new jobs each year to prevent its economy from collapsing. Get this: Employment in China is in a freefall. Say it with me: “Uh-oh.”

***

My son asked for one toy for Christmas. One. This weekend only, every discount store cut the price of that toy from $25 to $10. And you guessed it, every store I visited had a gaping hole on its shelf where that toy would have sat. As much as I really hate consumerism, there’s something about that gaping hole that makes one feel like a lousy parent.

***

Is it just me or are Lego construction kits the greatest toys ever created for boys?

***

Apart from Lego, my son doesn’t seem to like any of the toys I liked as a kid. That would send most dads into a shopping black hole, I think. It’s worse for my wife; she grew up with two sisters and no brothers.

On that same note, my son just started Cub Scouts and my wife drew me aside to ask if the level of mayhem that often ensues at meetings is common with boys under the age of 10—to which I gave the classic “Jack Benny stares into the camera knowingly” pose.

BTW, thank you to all who contributed their comments to my “About a Boy” post. I appreciate the insights.

***

One of the greatest American success stories of the last 50 years: Frozen pizzas are W-A-A-A-Y better than they used to be.

***

Hey, I know some of you have your own businesses. A few weeks back, I offered to help you promote your business free of charge by increasing your links through my Employ the Body! page. Since Google loves backlinks, here’s your chance to ramp up the visibility of your business’s site, so check out the link.

***

My church held its annual Thanksgiving feast yesterday. Due to enormous containers of food stretching over a dozen full-length folding tables, no one left hungry. The hall was warm and filled with healthy people. No state police broke in and arrested anyone while we prayed. Father God, thank you so very much.

This feed is from Cerulean Sanctum (http://ceruleansanctum.com), a blog by Dan Edelen that covers issues facing the American Church.

Misty Monday Morning Musings

Tags: Blah, Boys, Children, Economy, Musings, Mutterings, Not Quite Will Rogers, Politics, Shopping, Thoughts

Moths, Rust

2008-11-13T05:19:42Z

Overheard countless times in the last two months: “I am concerned about the poor performance of my investments and savings.”

Not heard even one time in the last two decades: “I am concerned about my poor performance in laying up treasure in heaven.”

{Image from reader Ronni Hall and Cory Jamison. Thanks!}

This feed is from Cerulean Sanctum (http://ceruleansanctum.com), a blog by Dan Edelen that covers issues facing the American Church.

Moths, Rust

Tags: Heaven, Moths, Priorities, Rust, Savings, Treasure

Cerulean Sanctum

The Coming Religion

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