teaman

The writer of this article has not clue of the true meaning of scripture! Allow me to enlighten you as to what the true meaning(s) are, if you will accept it;

KEEP JESUS OUT OF YOUR SOCIALISM!!

From the words of Jesus and the New Testament, ministering to the poor and the needy among us is the work of Christian individuals and the church, not the secular government. Jesus said, "The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because He has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. . . ." Today's Religious Left wants to change that to, "He has anointed the federal government to preach good news to the poor."

The Christian gospel is a message of salvation, not a message of income redistribution and raising our neighbor's taxes. Jesus said that the way to serve the poor is by giving generously of our own resources. "But when you give a banquet," He said in Luke 14, "invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous."

The Religious Left is very generous -- with other people's money. In fact, I believe the founder of the Religious Left was none other than Judas Iscariot. When Mary, the sister of Lazarus, anointed Jesus with costly perfume just days before the crucifixion, Judas lectured her and said, "Why wasn't this perfume sold and the money given to the poor?"

Notice that Judas put on a show of caring for the poor -- even though the money was Mary's, not his! The motives of Judas, John 12:6 tells us, were corrupt and self-centered -- and Jesus responded with a stinging rebuke.

At least one of the Lord's disciples was a "social action Christian" in the Sojourners mold: Simon Zelotes (Simon the Zealot). Just as Sojourners president Jim Wallis was once president of the Michigan State chapter of the militant Students for a Democratic Society (SDS), Simon Zelotes was a young political radical who attached himself to Jesus because he thought Jesus would lead a revolt against the Roman Empire.

Simon saw Jesus as a political Messiah who would topple the powerful while lifting up the poor and oppressed. But Jesus was not a political Messiah. He didn't attack the Roman Empire. He did battle with the Evil Empire of Satan himself.

Jesus didn't tell the Roman government what its budget priorities should be. Why? Because His agenda was much larger than the agenda of Simon Zelotes or the Religious Left. His eyes were fixed on eternity. He said, "My kingdom is not of this world."

The Religious Left has missed the meaning of that statement. Yes, there is a place for Christian social action -- but that place is in a personal lifestyle of generosity and compassion to the poor. Jesus didn't tell the rich young ruler to become a political activist and affect public policy. He said, "Go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me."

It's true, there's poverty in America, and some of the poor can't lift themselves out of poverty without help. Some are physically or socially disadvantaged. Some are down on their luck. They need and deserve Christian compassion and the good news of the gospel.

But a huge number of people receiving government assistance are substance abusers, welfare cheats, or chronically lazy. Doesn't the Bible tell us, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat" (2 Thessalonians 3:10)? Why must the "makers" of society support the "takers" of society? That's not compassion. That's theft. Wouldn't it be more compassionate to encourage the takers to develop self-respect by becoming productive citizens?

Would Jesus endorse government policies that encourage and enable addiction, indolence, and welfare fraud? Certainly not. The Religious Left should read His parables, especially the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), the Parable of the Vineyards (Matthew 20:1-16), and the Parable of the Tenants (Matthew 21:33-46). In those parables, Jesus blesses hard work, personal responsibility, and the freedom to achieve.

Government programs can't separate the truly needy from the welfare cheats -- but private Christian charities can. Private charities are far more effective than government at meeting needs, changing lives, eliminating fraud and waste, and dispensing compassion. Our stance as Christians should be pro-compassion, not pro-bureaucracy.

The place for compassionate Christian social action is in the church, and in the lives of individual believers. When the church becomes a political pressure group, telling the government, "Confiscate more wealth from those who earned it and give it to those who have not," then the church has formed an unholy union with the kingdoms of this world.

Income redistribution is not Christianity. It's Marxism -- and mixing the two only pollutes the Gospel and betrays the Great Commission.

Boo_Boo Loc: Jellystone

You humble me. You know when I was young, I did not understand so many things and now that I grow old, I can comprehend some...I hope that I live long enough to deserve your kind words.

Loki Loc: Georgia

You are correct in one particular: Arguing the politics of Jesus is a waste of time. Your statement that he was mythological is a bit premature. I googled "historical proof of jesus outside the bible," and Jesus, (also referred to as "Yeshua," "Christus" and "Chrestus"), is mentioned by, among others, the historians Josephus, Tacitus, and Pliny the Younger. He is mentioned in the "Babylonian Talmud," a collection of Rabbinical writings from shortly after the crucifixion. (www.the thinking atheist.com and www.Probe Ministries.com) I could not get these two to post as clickable links. There are other references both pro and con, but the pros seem to outweigh the cons in believability. I make no claims of divinity, or anything else except the fact that there is more evidence of the existence of Jesus than there is of Alexander the Great, and no one questions his existence, even though most of the information we have on this historical character comes from Plutarch, who was far from his contemporary. There may be references from the writings of Aristotle, also, I haven't really looked. Yet.

Searching Loc: Rural Southwest VA

It's funny, isn't it, growing older, that for those of us who are lucky enough, to embrace the gift that comes from all those life experiences, to see things with so much more clarity than when we were younger. Some of us get it and the others, they just choose not to. They need to go back and take a remedial course. A close friend of mine, after we both passed the "50" mark made a comment one day after a particularly not-so-nice event occurred that by the time you reach 50, you either have done it, heard about it, or seen it, so you should not be surprised; however, it is important to be able to see "it" for what it really is. Oh, to know at 23 what we know today. Of course, the converse could be true (LOL) because some of us, if we had clairvoyance, might have just locked ourselves in our rooms and not come out!! Now, what fun would that have been??!!??

jay-are

If we are judged as a nation and the federal government becomes controlled by the liberal democrats, and our country is converted into a second Nazi regime, our nation will be judged as evil and bad. That is why conservatives and those of us who are morally upright, and ethical and honest must wrest control away from the liberal democrats.

We cannot do it together as one nation, because the liberal democrats want that nation to be socialist and controlled by a tyrannical, oppressive government, and the rest of us want that nation to be free with a government controlled by the people. There must be a struggle for how we will ultimately present ourselves to the rest of the world. We cannot be one nation if we are as divided as the above description indicates.

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

I agree. There are those on the right who are just as guilty. They serve only to stir up more rancor amongst all.

P.S. Thank you, A-G! Cavil (er) is my new word for the day! I am always interested in learning something new, especially in the field of vocabulary. :thumbup: :mrgreen:

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Just sayin', I find most of Ehrmans' books interesting! :wink:

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Rest your pretty little head, AuntiE...I answered your concerns in a PM. :mrgreen:

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

From this day forward, your tulips are safe from me! :shock:

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

She is a classy lady! :thumbup: :mrgreen:

As, are you, Searching! :wink:

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

Oh, Ginnyt, I read your posts, but only as I get to them.

I echo Searchings' comment, and had already done so, just minutes ago, before reading your "lament". :mrgreen:

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

There is, unfortunately, a lot of truth in your statement! :thumbup:

Searching Loc: Rural Southwest VA

Well now, is that a fact? Cherry picking the Bible to prove your reality, but I must say kudos to you for being more polite than some with your reflections. So, in the interest of objective discourse, what does Isaiah 32:1-4 say (I may go look) because I note from your Bible quote that in (5) it says the vile person shall be no more considered liberal. If God takes care to make a distinction between liberal and vile .. hmmm, just wondering .. and maybe puzzled. Which side of the fence ARE you actually sitting on? Let me know.

jay-are

Here is the New American Standard Bible translation

Isaiah 32:1-8
Behold, a king will reign righteously
And princes will rule justly.
2 Each will be like a refuge from the wind
And a shelter from the storm,
Like streams of water in a dry country,
Like the shade of a huge rock in a parched land.
3 Then the eyes of those who see will not be blinded,
And the ears of those who hear will listen.
4 The mind of the hasty will discern the truth,
And the tongue of the stammerers will hasten to speak clearly.
5 No longer will the fool be called noble,
Or the rogue be spoken of as generous.
6 For a fool speaks nonsense,
And his heart inclines toward wickedness:
To practice ungodliness and to speak error against the Lord,
To keep the hungry person unsatisfied
And to withhold drink from the thirsty.
7 As for a rogue, his weapons are evil;
He devises wicked schemes
To destroy the afflicted with slander,
Even though the needy one speaks what is right.
8 But the noble man devises noble plans;
And by noble plans he stands.

I don't think the word "liberal" in the KJV means what the political word liberal means.

This translation puts the word "noble" where the KJV puts the word "liberal"

slatten49 Loc: Lake Whitney, Texas

:thumbup: Good point, Jay-Are! Thanks.