I revisit the Ukraine-Russia war with some thoughts. We also ponder the sudden shift of Leftists and other Democrats to the side of opposing tariffs. Welcome to free trade, supply-side economics! We also visit Leftist hero Cesar Chavez's favorite subject: beating up illegal immigrants. Unions have historically loved tariffs (protectionism) and hates mass immigration (increased competition in the labor markets). Next thing you know Democrats will be opposing the minimum wage! Nah... but we can hope!

Christmas is for Israel:
https://youtu.be/qvCj-Zw7KwU

I talk a little about my music projects and then move on the significance (or lack of significance) to the reopening of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. Once again we have to remind people of their stated beliefs (on all sides). #theology

Video Version contains all the references and notes if needed:
https://youtu.be/If6MlszavvM

We look at Catholic Popes and Councils and their utterly clear statements on the necessity of Catholic baptism, weekly mass attendance, and good standing in the bosom of the Catholic Church at the time of death. No ifs, ands or buts. No nuancing. Utterly clear! We then look at other Popes and the current catechism which completely contradict them.

And the super serious Catholics who reject all popes since Pius XII have the additional problem of arguing that the College of Cardinals infallibly appointed by Pius XI and Pius XII somehow were not infallible when they chose John XXIII. Quite the poser! But at least they see the contradictions mentioned above. So, in a weird way, the super duper Catholics agree with me!

A recent survey revealed that 77% of professing Catholics do not attend weekly mass (almost certainly fewer attend all the Holy Days of Obligation). Well, since we're pretty sure they don't all have great excuses every single week, according to codified RC doctrine, they're on their way to eternal fiery torment upon death. We look at those related RCC doctrines. We ask again, if you don't fear their warnings of eternal fiery torment, why do you believe their promises of heaven?

Hey, I don't hates 'em, I just quotes 'em!

What we chat about today are doctrines held bay various people and groups that take the name "Christian." Any individual is free to take any name he wants and claim any beliefs he wants. But when he does so, we ask that he remain consistent. We briefly discuss beliefs such as "Holy Days of Obligation," Purgatory," "Salvation" on the one had and the "claiming" of verses from anywhere in any context in another.

Social media has again provided us with a couple or example of the latter.

Along the way, we note the sad passing of HotAir.com contributor Jazz Shaw and ask Ed Morrissey if he did his duty.

We talk a little more about death and then look at David’s Song of Deliverance in 2 Samuel 22. What can we learn about prayer from comparing our experiences to David's? Right away we should understand that we do not have David's calling nor his promises, yet we are justified by grace as he was. When we look at the life of David we can see areas that do directly teach us, but we most definitely see things that have nothing to do with the current calling and cannot be equated with our promises in the current dispensation. We most assuredly are called on to pray in our day, but what should be expect from the Lord and how do our expectations differ from other families of God? What is the nature of answered prayer in the dispensation of the grace of God with a heavenly hope before us?

I recently experienced a medical scare and the real possibility of death. Thankfully all worked out and through a series of events I was able to undergo the treatment I needed. Could I claim Romans 8:28 ("all things work together for good" etc.) as some would suggest? As I recovered I saw a social media post claiming Romans 8:31 ("if God be for us, who can be against us?") on behalf of Donald Trump and his followers. Well, that didn't seem to work in 2020 (or in almost any national election around the globe now and for centuries. So we look at these and surrounded verses in context again and remind ourselves of the ultimate hope and victory: resurrection.

We explore another verse regularly ripped from its context and continue to apply a right division of the Word (2 Tim 2:15). There are likely countless people who become discouraged and many more who may even mock the faith when believers rip promises for Israel from their contexts and try to wiggle themselves into them in the current age. #theology #gospel #christiandoctrine

As believers all over the West and on Social Media quote verse after verse claiming God's protection and even His vengeance against their enemies, we look around us (and at the history of believers for two centuries) and what we see is suffering, persecution, and death. What are we to do with these realities. As usual, a right division of scripture and an understanding of God in this age (separating the different hopes in the Bible) helps us see the truth. #theology #christianity #israel #heaven

You must be born again? Passed from death unto life? In Christ are all made alive? For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish? Wonderful truths, but have we must the true focus and hope because of tradition and mythology? We exalt the finished work of Christ and we exalt the victory that was the lack of decay in the tomb and the glorious resurrection. #theology #christianity #salvation

We look at a popular verse in Jeremiah chapter 17 and do what we always do: look at the context! All of scripture is profitable. We can learn about the nature of God without having to apply every verse to ourselves directly!

Jeremiah 17:7 ("Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, and whose hope is the Lord") is quoted often, and for good reason. There is much to gleaned from this verse. But unless we rightly divide the chapter, we might actually miss the blessings God has in store for those of us called in this age to the current calling of God. #theology ology #prophecy #israel #christiandoctrine #christianity