Sorry this is a day late, but James MacDonald shares some great (and straightforward, as always) thoughts about Memorial Day on his blog:
Does God accept everyone? Can God accept everyone? Will God accept everyone?
No. If you were hoping for a different answer I am sorry. God will never look at you, smile, and say welcome to heaven, ever. He will not accept Mother Teresa, me, or my sweet old grandmother.
God only accepts one person, Jesus. Only on the merit of Jesus does God accept anyone and he isn’t really accepting us, but rather his Son on our behalf.
via God Does Not Accept Everyone | Southern Baptist Blogs – SBC Voices.
Mark Driscoll responds to the Newsweek cover story on the end of Christian America:
Newsweek missed the subtle — but vital — difference between Christian America and Christendom America.
Christian America is comprised of those people who have had a truly transforming experience with Jesus Christ and are living new lives as practicing Christians. Experts such as sociologist Bradford Wilcox at the University of Virginia have well documented the fact that those who practice Christian faith by reading their Bibles regularly, attending church, praying, and so forth are far less likely to engage in acts such as adultery, divorce, substance abuse, and the like.
Christendom America is comprised of those people who have not had a truly transforming experience with Jesus Christ and are living lives virtually indistinguishable from those who are non-Christians. The confusion is that it was common in Christendom for people who did not practice Christianity to profess Christianity.
via Has Christian America Come to an End? – FOX Fan – FOXNews.com.
I remain biblically uncomfortable with the insistence by many to qualify statements as to what the gospel is with what we must do. Are there requirements (imperatives, commands, etc.) for the Christian to live out? Absolutely. Must Christ Jesus be the Christian’s Lord? Without a doubt. Does the message of the gospel include what we need to do? No. We must never confuse consequences of the gospel with the gospel.
Mr. Obama went on to call for “Open hearts. Open minds. Fair-minded words.” In the end, the President’s comments were entirely about how Americans should discuss or debate abortion. There was no serious consideration of abortion itself. President Obama merely talked about talking about abortion.
