Free Republic

I bought a house in Lexington in ‘06 and have not regretted it at all. One brother moved down here. And then another son of mine did. Lexington County is great.

Thanks for posting this. This is nothing new in Nigeria. We lived in Nigeria for eleven years.If you want to find out how it is to live under sharia law go to the north where the Muslims are the vast majority. If you want to learn where this all comes from read the Koran and ask an imam. If you want to learn that it is not just Boko Haram or any other such group alone that does this murdering, just see how the whole Fulani tribe treats Christians. In 2015 there were more Christians killed in Nigeria than in all the rest of the world. Pray for this most populous country in Africa

It is good to bring this up for prayer and action. It was not just Boko that showed the cruelty of Islam. In northern Nigeria it is not just the rivalry of the Muslim cattlemen and the Christian farmers who have their crops trampled by the cattle. Go deeper and see how when Islam is dominant as it is in the northern states of Nigeria how things go from bad to worse for Christians. Read Bat Yeor on Dhimmitude and see how it plays out there. We lived in Nigeria for over ten years. We read reports of how two dozen Christian Churches would be torched. As to any tit for tat policy by the Christians, it just was not the case. When a couple dozen Christian churches were torched, maybe one mosque would be set on fire. And for those who think Sharia law is fine. Try to live in the northern states where Sharia law is in effect. It is very hard for Christians. And then there are the mullahs who interpret the Sharia with even worse results. Pres.(General) Buhari has some good qualities but he is not going to tackle the longstanding tragedy in the northern states. The Hausa/Fulani axis is too strong. Pray for the Christians in the north and that they reach out in love to their enemies as Christ taught.

And unless one has lived in sub-Saharan Africa tribalism and its incessant atrocities through history is overlooked. Man is not basically good but sinful from inception and in need of redemption. What a joy to contemplate the Redeemer’s birth today.

Well, I wasn’t ashamed of my country until Obama became president.

Modi has a number of shortcomings,one of which is with historical inaccuracies.India did fight in WWI, and in one of the engagements, Battle of Tanga, in German East Africa(Tanzania)the Indian brigades of the Indian Army were disastrously defeated by the Schuetztruppe of von Lettow-Vorbeck.

I assure you that the article is valid in its observations.
I have been going to India as a Lutheran pastor for over forty years and lived there for seven of those years. In the villages there are persecutions that go on. In present day Odisha State (formerly Orissa) there was a horrible persecution some years back with the murder of even pastors and the forceful conversions. Now the people of that area have peace and some who were threatened and converted have returned to the Christian churches. The RSS and other Hindu radical groups are involved in this. Investigate what they say about Hindutva, India for the Hindus. There is no question that politics and nationalism also interplay with persecution of Christians.
It is true that Hinduism has been an amorphous thing absorbing down through the centuries the village gods. But India is a large and populous country with many things going on at the same time.

May Sen. Landrieu go down to a deserved defeat as our black, conservative, Christian Senator Tim Scott coasts to victory. This from South Carolina.

This is a very fine presentation about the battlefield of hermeneutics. As a Lutheran pastor who has worked stateside and in Africa and India, I have used what this author writes of with Christ at the center and people see that we are in the Scriptures very clearly. When our Lord said, You search the Scriptures, because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness to me...Jn. 5:39, they only had the Old Testament. Our Lord Jesus is at the heart and center of the Old Testament as well as the new. And on literal and figurative interpretation, we take the literal interpretation unless the context or other passages indicate it is figurative language. Scripture interprets Scripture. As the author points up, God is the author and this must not be undermined in any way.

God bless Hanson for pointing out one of many values to good hard physical work. Arbeit macht das Leben sues.

ELCA has lost any “deep rootedness in Scripture” with their positions on abortion, homosexuality, social gospel, ‘sinning in grace’ and on and on it goes. People should get out and stop condoning all of the false teachings. Mark those that cause divisions and offenses contrary to the doctrine you have learned and avoid...Rom. 16:17

“What Forrest did at Fort Pillow” Don’t go by the congressional testimony way back then or the myths that have grown up around that. It was a tangled mess at Fort Pillow that was not an intentional genocide of blacks by Forrest like the NAACP and others contend.

From that guy who knows since he was/is there.

The idea that this independence for Darfur is playing into Osama’s hands by Scheuer is really tainted with a false political position. Under Sudan’s Muslim rule the Christians and blacks in that country have suffered enormously. There was no way that there could be justice under that government. This is another clear sign we are in a worldwide struggle with Islam. Clooney and Jolie should not be faulted for their clearly humanitarian concerns for the downtrodden in Darfur. If the election goes for independence that would be a great blessing. The argument by Scheuer basically was that the camel should continue to bury his head in the sand and get kicked in the rump. The oil production in the region would go to the new country and that could help them maintain themselves. We are going to continue to have to do things that anger the radical Muslims and that has to be for the alternative is dhimmitude.

I’d offer another choice for those leaving the ELCA. The Church of the Lutheran Confession stands firmly on what the Word says, no more and no less. Writing as a pastor in this synod, we move forward to do His work with the Word alone as our guide source.

A very important passage on the priesthood of all believers is 1 Pet. 2:9 “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God’s own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.” Each of us has direct access to our Lord and bound in love to say what a gracious and merciful Lord He is and this to those within and without the church that they might also join us in worship of Him. As Lutherans we let the Scriptures interpret the Scriptures and proclaim that clear Word. From a Lutheran missionary overseas in celebration of Reformation Day.

I think Rev. 11:1-14 is a picture of the church on earth in the time of testing, while in vv.15-19 it is the church in heaven in victory. To look at the Temple picture it shows that this is not in heaven, but symbolically dealing with the visible church on earth. This ‘visible’ church has both true believers in the sanctuary and in the ‘outer court’ hypocrites.
The 42 months in v. 2 = the 1260 days in v.3 = 3 1/2 years. It is used again in 12:14 as ‘a time(1), times (2) and half a time.’ In Dan. 7:25 and 12:7 we have this numerology also, and there for the time of the enemy of God operating from the 4th kingsom. Here it is the time of the church in the New Testament era, the whole New Testament age. It can be viewed as 3 1/2 for the Old Testament time and 3 1/2 for the New Testament time. Seven is the perfect or whole time. This time is portrayed here as a time of judgment and testing. It is through many tribulations we enter the kingdom. Testing of faith produces strong faith and spiritual blessings come forth.
With the two witnesses you can’t help but think of Moses and Elijah with the water turning to blood and the rain withheld. The Word is a sharp two-edged Sword of the Spirit. It comes forth from Jesus mouth, 1:16, 2:12. As everthing should be confirmed by two or three witnesses, so here these two witnesses confirm the truth of God in His Word. In v. 4 the two witnesses are called the ‘two olive trees and the two lampstands.’ The ‘olive trees’ comes from Zech. 4:1-7 and of course the lampstand goes back to chap. 2 with the image of the seven golden lampstands as the church. The olive trees supply the lamps with oil. And so it is the Spirit who works with our spirit to testify that we are the children of God.
The wicked world which opposes the truth of God’s Word is here referred to with ‘Sodom and Egypt’ and in chap. 17 as Babylon, easily recognized as previous enemies of God’s people but now in symbolic use. This world is that great city where our Lord was crucified, He who came from heaven. Later the heavenly city is portrayed in all its glory as our eternal home. When the two witnesses are killed representing the persecution of the church in this evil world, their bodies remain in the street for three and 1/2 days. In v.9 we see that for a relatively short time the enemy gloats. This reminds us of the short time in Matt. 22:14 and Rev. 20:3. But the witnesses revive and ascend, as there will be victory. Judgments fall(to bring people to repentance)and in the end it will be this Word that they refused that will condemn them. ‘...that very word which I spoke will condemn him at the last day.’ Jn. 12:48 But don’t forget that the scene shifts with the 7th trumpet to the great victory in heaven.

It is not only Baptists who do not believe this. I am a Lutheran pastor and do not believe this. The teaching as it shows in the article has evolved. “...all men, both Jews and Greeks, are under the power of sin.” Rom. 3:9 Mary herself acknowledged this in her ‘low estate’ and completely points to the holiness of God her Savior and not to any holiness in her.Lk. 146-56

I am proud to reside in SC and have a governor like Sanford. He not only says what is right, but seeks to do what is right. The problem is the legislature, even so-called Republicans there, who just don’t always get it.

Peralta’s mother was told long ago that the process had been done and her son was recommended for the Medal of Honor. All that was needed was for the highest office to OK it. Now Gates seems to contradict what those on the ground have said all along. And the grenade was plumb under the man and couldn’t have gotten there other than he pulled it under. He did not fall on it when wounded.
As to Rafael being from Mexico. If ever we were to thank God for an immigrant(legal or illegal), it was this young man. Check back and see what he had on the walls of his bedroom, he was a patriot and appreciated what he was getting in the USA and I don’t mean money. To join the Corps the moment he got his green card says a lot. Check out also what his friends said of him and drop any denigration of his background. He was one with us.
I say the President should override Gates’ numb sense and award the medal.