Independence Hall, Philadelphia, PA, Author Rdsmith4, (CC BY-SA 1.5 Generic)
As those of you familiar with this blog know, I write regularly about Christian Legal Clinics of Philadelphia (CLCP) https://clcphila.org/, a faith based legal clinic whose predecessor I had a hand in founding. There are now several locations in the city. The clinics provide free legal services to the poor, while partnering with host organizations which serve their needs for food, clothing, shelter, etc.
Over the summer, CLCP held its fifth prayer walk in the city. Below is an account of that walk by Brendon Sylvester, CLCP’s Administrator.
“The mission for the prayer walk was straightforward: start from a location that hosts a clinic, and walk through the surrounding neighborhood while praying for it.
Pastor Tony led my group on our prayer walk, and I’m glad he did – he prayed with more zeal than anyone I’ve ever met. He would start with enthusiasm, then scale up to a shout, and scale up from there until his voice cracked as he cried out for God to liberate those captive to addiction, or redeem places that, in the past, had seen gang violence.
The location where we walked…was where Pastor Tony had led a Salvation Army for fifteen years.
…About a hundred yards into walking, he [Pastor Tony] stopped us and said, ‘XX years ago, a young man was shot here.’ That was the place we prayed for peace from violence in the city. About two hundred yards further, he stopped us again. ‘This corner used to be the most high-traffic drug market in the country,’ he said, ‘we need to pray for the souls of the people.’
And we continued that way for about two hours, covering only about two miles because we stopped so often. Sometimes we stopped for specific places – he asked me to pray for students and teachers at an elementary school (I teach in my spare time) – and sometimes for people.
One young lady we met was so visibly troubled I think I would have hesitated to approach her had I been by myself. She wept when we offered to pray for her, and thanked us again and again – we prayed for a long time, and Pastor Tony and Laverna figured out that they knew the pastors of the church her parents attended. They encouraged her to go the next day, and got her mom’s phone number.
The walk as a whole was a reminder of the difference our physical presence in the city makes to its spiritual landscape. When it’s possible to work in one state while living in another by online synchronization, or video-call your family from across the country, it’s tempting [simply] to pray from home, too.
But if we had, we wouldn’t have been able to pray for the particular streets and schools we serve, or pray for Marilyn by name. And the adjoining blocks would have missed on hearing Pastor Tony’s prayers echoing from where we walked.”
Please, add your prayers to these for the poor of Philadelphia, the nation, and the world.
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Map of the exclusion of Jews from Europe (1100 AD – 1600 AD), Source Expulsión_judíos.svg, Author Expulsión_judíos.svg: Ecelan, (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported, 2.5 Generic, 2.0 Generic, and 1.0 Generic)
In the context of religious and economic tensions, Jews – who had lived in England since Roman and Anglo-Saxon times – were forcibly exiled from England during the Middle Ages [1][2].
The royal Edict of Expulsion was issued by Edward I on July 18, 1290 AD, Tisha B’Av, a holy day commemorating the destruction of Jerusalem and other disasters that have befallen the Jewish people. Expulsions of the Jews from France and Spain followed.
It now appears another Jewish exodus from England and greater Europe is not far off.
Government Supported Antisemitism
“Without a dramatic change of course by Britain’s political leadership, I see no future for Jewish life in England.”
–Israeli Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli [3]
A senior Israeli official, Diaspora Minister Amichai Chikli, has urged British Jews to move to Israel, citing the increasingly antisemitic atmosphere in Britain, and the governing Labor Party’s contribution to hostile sentiment against the Jews. Chikli suggests that the anti-Israel actions by the Labor Party are driven by electoral arithmetic, i.e. the increasing number of Muslims in Britain.
Muslim Influx
Over a decade ago, an adviser to British Labor leaders admitted that the government had deliberately set out to open the United Kingdom to mass migration [4A]. Such immigration was viewed as the way the government could make the UK multicultural.
A major purpose of Brexit was to allow the UK to reclaim control over its own borders [4B]. However, the unacknowledged secret was that the establishment did not want such control [4C]. The UK immediately outsourced its border security to France. Now, the British blame the French for problems with immigration. The French blame the Italians or the Greeks, and they then blame the Israelis [4D].
Some 157,000 migrants have entered the UK illegally in the last 7 years [4E][17]. The influx is not happening despite governmental efforts, but precisely because it suits the agenda for the transformation of the UK [4F].
This is not meant to suggest that these migrants (Muslim or otherwise) are all terrorists. It does highlight the changing demographics in Britain, along with a changing set of beliefs and values. Sharia Law, for instance, is now frequently used in Muslim communities in England to settle disputes [5].
“Hypostasis”, image of Jesus Christ by Gladys Torres de Pirela, Author Gladys Torres de Pirelaa (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
Though they may not agree in all respects, proponents of postmodernism generally align themselves with feminism, multiculturalism, and postcolonialism [1][2]. While none of these concepts is by itself evil, they have become idols Progressives worship.
Progressive Christianity markets itself as accepting of all, in the supposed name of Christ [3][4]. Diversity and inclusivity are touted, as are political issues like voter rights [5][6]. The United Methodist Church illustrates this, prompting a schism with its approval of same sex marriage and the ordination of openly gay clergy. Of course, not even Progressive congregations necessarily remain united [7].
It must not be overlooked that many people who have turned to Progressive Christianity or left the church entirely (including many who consider themselves homosexual or transgender) have done so because of the hypocrisy, lack of compassion, or genuine abuse they have experienced within the church.
Their pain has not been adequately addressed; their doubts have not been adequately answered. The blame for this falls on the church. Self-righteousness and legalism are as sinful on our part is they were on the part of the Pharisees. Read more…
5th Century Christian sarcophagus depicting Christ and the Apostles, Museum of Fine Arts, Lyon, France, Author Vassil (PD)
Progressive Christians take the position that early Christianity was widely diverse theologically, so much so that it is impossible to know what Christ actually taught or His closest followers first believed. This is simply false, and can readily be refuted by the early creeds incorporated into Scripture [1][2A].
Early Creeds
These creeds long predate the Apostles and Nicene Creeds. Some date as early as 18 months after Christ’s death, if not before [2B][3][4]. Creeds, it should be noted, are identified by scholars through grammar, linguistic cues, and writing style among other things.
What is considered among the earliest is the statement that Jesus is Lord (Matt. 28: 18; Acts 2: 36 and 10: 36; Rom. 10: 9-13; 1 Cor. 12: 3; Phil. 2: 11; Rev. 17: 14). The title “Lord” used here is the personal name for God in the Old Testament.
Another early creed can be found at 1 Cor. 15: 3-5:
“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures, and that He was seen by Cephas, then by the twelve.”
This supports the substitutionary death of Christ, i.e. His death for our sins (a fundamental tenet of Christianity denied by Progressives) and His bodily Resurrection (another tenet many Progressives deny) both with trustworthy lines of Scriptural and real life evidence.
Yet a third early creed can be found at Rom. 1: 3-4:
“concerning His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, who was born of the seed of David according to the flesh, and declared to be the Son of God with power according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead.”
Moreover, scholars date the canonical Gospels to between 65 AD and 95 AD, within the time limits of reliable memory [7A]. This is coupled with the fact they contain highly accurate information as to geography, personal names, botanical terms, financial norms, local language and customs – details which mediate against compilation at a later date by strangers to the events described [7B].
Divinity
Christ was more than a messenger, more than a good man, more than a moral example. He was and is the Incarnate Son of God, both fully God and fully man. He rose bodily, physically, literally – not just metaphorically – from the dead. Read more…
Much as we may protest, we are living in a postmodern era [1A][2A]. Across a variety of fields, postmodernism translates into a conviction that previous ways of depicting the world are no longer reliable [1B].
The scholar Hans Bertens describes postmodernism as a deeply felt loss of confidence in mankind’s ability to represent the real at all [1C]. This has resulted in a critical re-examination of established institutions and social norms [1D][2B]. Objectivity is considered an illusion [2C]. Vision supersedes hard data like historic facts [2D].
It is essential that this be understood, if Christians are to reach a lost generation.
Questioning Tradition
Deconstruction, in any context, involves the following [2E]:
- Avoiding absolute statements.
- Denying the legitimacy of dichotomies, such as good and evil.
- Finding the exception to any generalization, and pushing it to the limit.
- Interpreting arguments in their most extreme form.
- Writing obscurely, so as to allow for the most possible interpretations.
Faith deconstruction is a postmodern process of rethinking Christian faith without regarding Scripture as a standard [3].
Tragically, faith deconstruction is a sincere but misguided effort to find the truth without reference to the most reliable source of truth, i.e. Scripture. Progressive Christianity is the form this takes [4A]. Read more…
Model of Second Temple (Temple of Herod), Israel Museum, Author Ariely (Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported)
“The great masses of the people… will more easily fall victim to a big lie than to a small one…”
–Adolf Hitler, “Mein Kampf” [1A]
“If you tell a lie big enough and keep repeating it, people will eventually come to believe it.”
–Nazi Propaganda Minister Joseph Goebbels [1B]
The Big Lie is the term for a propaganda technique which involves repetition of a known falsehood as if it were self-evidently true [1C]. The goal behind this technique is to shift an argument so that the Big Lie is taken for granted, rather than questioned critically or ignored entirely.
Nazi Antisemitism
As a general rule, for a Big Lie to be effective it must appeal to the bias of listeners, yet be stated in a bland and matter of fact manner [1D]. The Big Lie Adolf Hitler employed in Nazi propaganda, for instance, was the false claim – rooted in antisemitism – that Jews were responsible for all of Germany’s ills.
Temple Denial
Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948 and particularly since the Six-Day War in 1967, the Arab world has increasingly supported the contention that no Jewish temple ever stood on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem [2][3]. The First and Second Temples, if they existed at all, supposedly stood in the city of Nablus on the West Bank, in Yemen, or elsewhere.
The purpose of this particular Big Lie, known as temple denial, is to undermine the legitimate claim by Jews to the Temple Mount, Jerusalem, and the Holy Land, itself.
History and Archaeology
To anyone at all familiar with history or archaeology, this lie is so obvious as to be laughable. Read more…
Credit card terminal with a Visa credit card inserted, Author Basile Morin, (CC BY-SA 4.0 International)
There was a time not long ago when the poor were criticized for taking out credit cards in their children’s names. Desperate people do desperate things. Nonetheless, this was considered identity theft, and viewed as despicable [1].
By contrast, wealthier parents are now urged to add their young children – even toddlers – as authorized users on their credit and debit cards [2][3]. This is being marketed as a way to teach children the value of money, and develop a strong credit score for them early on.
Bank of America, Chase, and TD Bank are among the financial institutions that allow parents to add children as authorized users on parental credit card accounts. Several such banks (including the three named) have no minimum age requirement.
Theoretically, parents who give their children access to credit will closely monitor their children’s spending and, also, teach their children to repay the money borrowed [4][5][6]. However, this is by no means guaranteed.
Approximately 70% of American adults carry some form of debt. That includes credit card debt, mortgages, auto loans, and student loans [7A]. Nearly 48% of credit card holders report carrying a credit card balance from month to month [7B].
A Debtor Class
Though young children do not understand money, they can be trained to spend it. A two year old will happily swipe a credit card while her mother cheers her on. Read more…
“Old Woman Singing” by Gerard van Honthorst (1620s), National Museum in Warsaw (Accession No. Rys.Ob.d.834/1), Source/Photographer cyfrowe.mnw.art.pl, (PD)
In Greek mythology, the Hyperboreans were thought to be a people who lived in a state of constant happiness, youth, and vitality – immune to disease and aging [1][2]. This is still the goal of many today.
There is a serious debate underway among scientists and ethicists as to the potential of anti-aging therapies, and their social consequences [3A].
Thanks to modern medicine, sanitation, and improved food supplies, those in the developed world can expect to live much longer than their ancestors [3B]. However, the Human Genome Project identified new targets for pharmaceuticals that could slow aging or prevent age-related diseases [3C].
- Some researchers are, for instance, attempting to use the enzyme telomerase to overcome the inherent number of times somatic (non-reproductive) cells can divide [3D].
- Others are searching for substances that can mimic the effects of caloric restriction (something that has extended the lifespan of mice by up to 30% in the laboratory) [3E].
Cryogenics remains under active investigation [4]. An increasing number aspire to live on after physical death by building a virtual identity in the Metaverse, and transferring their consciousness to that avatar [5].
While not all of us are obsessed with living longer, there is a clearly a fascination with health, fitness, and the appearance of youth in our culture. The millions spent on plastic surgery annually attest to that.
Much of this effort is driven by the fear of death, and a belief mankind can create a Paradise on earth through science and technology. That, of course, ignores the “sin nature” of mankind and the moral perils posed.
The pressure on natural resources would undoubtedly increase, if lives were extended indefinitely. Moves to limit the allowable number of births, and euthanize the elderly and disabled (already nascent) would likely follow [6]. Read more…
ISIS fighter, Somalia, Image courtesy of Washington Institute https://www.washingtoninstitute.org/policy-analysis/somalia-new-frontline-islamic-states-global-expansion
WARNING: Graphic Images
Tradition has it that the evangelist Mark first brought Christianity to Alexandria, Egypt in 60 AD [1]. Islam reached Africa in the 7th Century through Arab conquests [2]. European missionary efforts in West Africa began in the late 15th Century [1B][3].
The history of Islamic-Christian relations in Africa is complex and nuanced, with periods both of conflict and peaceful co-existence [4A]. But there is widespread Islamic persecution of Christians in Africa today [5A]. This can be found in the Central African Republic, Ethiopia, Nigeria, Sudan, Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, Cameroon, Kenya, Somalia, Mozambique, and elsewhere [5B][6]. Victims may be tortured and mutilated, before they are killed. Millions have been displaced.
Rape as a Weapon
“…[T]he violence interrupts their ability to eat and sleep…They suffer from nightmares and panic attacks. They may be unable to perform basic tasks at work or home. They may struggle to parent their children, who are themselves often victims of the same incidents. They may struggle to attend church or even talk with others. These effects – especially if not cared for appropriately – can last for years.”
–Cole Richards, Pres. of Voice of the Martyrs [7]
Though a number of verses in the Quran call for treating Christians and Jews with respect, many Muslims find it difficult not to see Christians as polytheists because of the doctrine of the Trinity [4B]. Sexual violence is used as a tactic of terror by radical Islamists [5C]. Women and girls are captured, enslaved, and systematically raped. This is religiously justified as treatment of the “infidel”.
Where Is God?
Suffering so severe is shattering. It interrupts core aspects of healthy living. Where then is God in such suffering? Read more…
Gnostic Mass Temple (2011), New Orleans, Author Alombrados (CC BY-SA 3.0 Unported)
We examine this week the attraction of the heresy of Gnosticism for the modern world [1A][2]. Ecclesia Gnostica, for example, has parishes across the United States, including Austin, Portland, and Los Angeles [3].
False Authenticity
Many have accepted as fact the false claim by author Dan Brown in his best-selling novel, The Da Vinci Code, that the Gnostic gospels were supposedly earlier and more accurate than the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John, but were suppressed by the Emperor Constantine [4A][5A]. They mistake the current Gnostic revival for reform, based on texts supposedly more valid than the original canon.
Those unfamiliar with Scripture and history may even mistake Gnosticism for fresh revelation.
Sin Excused
“One part of Gnosticism that appeals to people is that it reduces sin to a necessary function of the material body, which is in any case ‘not the real me’. It provides a convenient way to escape the reality and the guilt of sin…” [4B].
Gnostic ideas are expressed in Rosicrucianism and Scientology [5B]. Scientologists, for instance, do not view humanity as fundamentally sinful, or in need of Salvation through atonement and grace.
The psychoanalyst Carl Jung, also, drew on ancient Gnostic teaching in his work [5C]. Jung felt the traditional catalog of sins was simplistic [6]. He did acknowledge a “shadow” within the psyche, but considered this a negative aspect of personality that needed to be integrated.
Elitism
“By assuring its adherents that they are specially enlightened people, Gnosticism panders to human pride. The appeal of being part of an elite must not be underestimated…Gnosticism, with its teaching of salvation by secret knowledge, appealed to the same desires as the ancient mystery cults… The Gnostic could look down his nose at…ordinary Christians…” [4C].
The same is true today.
Escape
“This world, it [Gnosticism] tells its adherents, is a mistake; it ought not to be. I should not be in this world, the Gnostic says, and the real me is a fragment of divinity” [4D].
The Gnostic belief that the physical world is innately evil holds special appeal to those wounded by this fallen world [7]. In reality, the Gnostic heresy offers only superficial relief for despair, alienation, and fear. Christ alone can comfort and heal us.
Sexuality
“Therefore God also gave them up to uncleanness, in the lusts of their hearts, to dishonor their bodies among themselves, who exchanged the truth of God for the lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator…” (Rom. 1: 24-25).
And Gnostic thought is at the root of the modern debate about sexuality [8][12A].
Gnostics view the male-female distinction as part of the evil creation order, therefore, something to be rejected [12B]. Androgeny is the ideal [12C]. Since the “real you” is presumed to be inside, what is felt overrides all external factors, including biological reality [12D].
Gnostic thought promotes feminine characteristics, such as love and nurture, as positive “spiritual” traits in contrast to masculine “physical” qualities such as aggression and strength [5D]. Mary Magdalene is often an important figure in Gnostic thought [5E].
By contrast, in keeping with Gnostic contempt for the body, the so called Gospel of Thomas states, “For every woman who makes herself male will enter the Kingdom of Heaven [5F].” This holds great appeal for those in the Transgender Movement suffering from gender dysphoria.
We have already discussed the Gnostic underpinning for homosexuality.
Again, one can clearly sees Satan’s hand in this. Satan seeks to undermine the natural order God established, and destroy the image of God in mankind by leading us into sin [13]. But God made us male and female (Gen. 1: 27; Matt. 19: 4-5).
A Lawyer's Prayers 
