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  • Evangelicals Open to Violence

    “White evangelical Americans are more willing to endorse political violence than their non-Christian counterparts, according to a new survey from the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI).”

    https://www.newsweek.com/evangelicals-political-violence-non-christians-1838384

    That is indeed “disturbing.” And considering the fact evangelicals have been known for being “heavenly minded” and for expressions like “this world is not my home,” that can also be surprising to other evangelicals who don’t seem to care about what’s going on in our world.

    But that’s not really surprising. As Donald Trump have risen to political power (he still wields power in the GOP) and have also fallen from it (particularly to those who acknowledge his defeat to President Joe Biden), so also many evangelicals have emotionally experienced both these highs and lows but are not willing to accept defeat. And that’s why evangelicals who “patriotically” support Trump are willing to do anything, including violent acts, or at least condone them to make America great again (MAGA).

    To hurt and kill others is not the way of Christ. Violence has no place in the Kingdom of God in which Christ Jesus is The Prince of Peace. And so it seems that some evangelicals have misunderstood the Christian faith—that to follow Christ is to follow the way of peace. But like Peter who did not understand the goal of Christ’s mission and the way to accomplish it, they are willing to draw the sword. Just as Christ rebuked Peter, these evangelical “sisters and brothers” also need our Lord’s rebuke!

    Why have some of our sisters and brothers in the larger Christian community become so radical that they are willing take up or support others who are ready to take up arms? My theory is that because they have become part of the MAGA kingdom and their thoughts and efforts have been focused on that. Thus, the Kingdom of Christ has become blurry and perhaps something that can only be enjoyed later. But for now, it’s the MAGA world that occupies them.

    What do we make of this MAGA evangelical phenomenon? I don’t want to make a judgment and say that faith in Christ may not really be there. But from my perspective, I think many evangelicals, not just the MAGA ones, have misunderstood the Christian faith. A rational Christian who knows how to interpret Scripture texts the way they should be interpreted would know that many evangelicals, when talking about their faith and the Bible, often misunderstand and thus misapply what they read.

    A case in point was a conversation I had with a Christian who supported Trump as a presidential candidate. He believed that Scriptures show that he was anointed by God, like he was a messiah. Trump himself being keen on what his supporters say and peddled around, picked up the idea and repeated them using Twitter, which was then called his “megaphone.”

    On November 2, 2020, I wrote the following;


    No one has expressed such grandiose view of Donald Trump more than Wayne Allyn Root, who described himself as a “Jew turned evangelical Christian.” Such praise had not escaped Trump’s attention. How could it? Wowed by a comment worthy of royalty…he tweets:

    “Thank you to Wayne Allyn Root for the very nice words. ‘President Trump is the greatest President for Jews and for Israel in the history of the world, not just America, he is the best President for Israel in the history of the world…and the Jewish people in Israel love him….

    “…like he’s the King of Israel. They love him like he is the second coming of God…But American Jews don’t know him or like him. They don’t even know what they’re doing or saying anymore. It makes no sense! But that’s OK, if he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’s good for….

    ….. all Jews, Blacks, Gays, everyone. And importantly, he’s good for everyone in America who wants a job.’ Wow!”

    Let me repeat the line that perhaps made Trump feel like a god: “They love (me) like the second coming of God.” And that might have reinforced his narcissism and explains why he does things the ways he does, like a god! And MAGA evangelicals, in turn, whose views about Trump has been reinforced by his words and actions that portrayed himself as a savior or messiah (a symptom of fascism), unconditionally commit themselves to him. Right or wrong, Trump is the savior of America and the world!

    Isn’t that idolatrous?

  • ‘After Death’ or ‘Near Death’?

    I hate to bring rain on my fellow Christians’ parade but ‘After Death’ is really not about AFTER death experiences but Near Death Experiences or NDEs–experiences by those who almost died but for some unexplainable reason “came back to life” or survived, which is undoubtedly an amazing thing that can happen to anyone. And yes “going to heaven” after they have supposedly died has been shown as an experience not exclusive to Christians. Thus Christians (and Christian moviemakers) cannot make the claim that it is only Christians who have pleasant NDEs as they supposedly went to heaven after they died for that would be misleading.

    Here’s one person who has watched a Netflix documentary on NDEs have to say:

    I just watched the series Surviving Death on Netflix.

    A lot of people who appeared aren’t born again Christians or even Christian at all. In fact some of them were hardcore atheists before their experience. But they all had positive experiences which profoundly affected and changed them, made them better people who lost their fear

    I grew up in the evangelical tradition and was taught that all non-believers (and even most believers who are not “born again”) will go straight to hell after death, while only born again believers go to paradise and have happy experiences.

    But the stories told in this series flatly contradict that claim. It seems what you believe here isn’t important at all and that most people have profoundly positive NDEs regardless of their religious faith or lack of it. These experiences don’t “lead people to Christ” either, people who have great NDEs don’t suddenly get the conviction to convert to Christianity.

    How to explain this given what the Christian faith traditionally teaches about death? (And please don’t say all the positive non-Christian NDEs are just “demonic deceptions”, if that were really the case then nothing in life can be trusted.)*

    *https://www.reddit.com/r/Christianity/comments/om2f0u/nonchristian_near_death_experiences/?rdt=42805

  • ARE YOU IN LOVE WITH A WHO OR A WHAT?

    Let not that question confuse you. Here’s a little background on why I ask such question:

    Yesterday I preached on a passage in Romans that included the following verses:

    Romans 9:30-33
    New International Version

    30 What then shall we say? That the Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have obtained it, a righteousness that is by faith; 31 but the people of Israel, who pursued the law as the way of righteousness, have not attained their goal. 32 Why not? Because they pursued it not by faith but as if it were by works. They stumbled over the stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:

    “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall,
    and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”[a]

    Footnotes
    [a] Romans 9:33 Isaiah 8:14; 28:16

    Gentiles have obtained righteousness whereas the Jews have not. Why is that?

    The reason is because the Gentiles DID NOT PURSUE righteousness* through faith, that is, not through their own effort but God’s through Christ’s redeeming work.

    The Jews, however, PURSUED THE LAW as THE WAY of righteousness; and because that was (and is) NOT GOD’S WAY, they failed to obtain righteousness or justification.

    By the way, the statements above are generalizations about Gentiles and Jews. They do not state what appears to be already obvious: that not all Gentiles have obtained justification and that not all Jews are condemned. The truth is, not all Gentiles have responded to God’s grace through faith, and not all Jews have rejected God’s way of obtaining justification through faith.

    To some folks it’s a strange thing that people who did not work for it get it while those that did didn’t. And I guess that’s why they cannot accept justification through faith alone but somehow also work for their salvation as well. They do not admit that, but their words betray them.

    Now why is it that trying to obtain justification through the law does not work?

    One of the reasons people provide is that no one can fulfill the law 100% and thus through law justification is not obtainable. The implication of that, however, is that if the law can be fulfilled 100% then justification can be obtained.

    The problem with that idea is not that the law is useless because it is definitely not! Just imagine a busy city without laws or, at the least, no traffic rules. Chaotic, right?

    But observing the traffic rules because we don’t want to be fined and have a bad driving record, or worse, go to jail is not as good a reason as being careful in our driving so that we do not cause any accidents BECAUSE WE CARE about others; and we don’t want to hurt or cause anyone’s death.

    I think those that emphasize the law too much miss the point and might have forgotten that what we have as creatures is a love relationship with our Creator (I capitalize the first letter of the word as I don’t want you to think that I’m thinking of something else other than God); and that such relationship is not “just a piece of paper” (like the commandments written on the pages of the Bible).

    Indeed, if we believe in and love God, we show our love by doing God’s commands. But let’s be careful that in doing so our affection is not shifted from God to the Law of God for there seems to be a very thin line between them.

    It seems to me that some Christians who believe in the work of Christ have been out of focus because of their over-emphasis on God’s commandments instead of focusing on the One who gave those commandments.

    Every time I have a chat with some of them, or they post something on social media, they almost always talk about the strict observance of a literal Sabbath and other Jewish festivals, and the commandments and other things related to them.

    What these Christians and fellow believers are often saying is that Christ has not changed things, or something to that effect, especially when talking about Old Testament laws. Well, he has! If he has not, they’d probably still be offering animal sacrifices for the atonement of their sins! (But I won’t be surprised if some of them actually do.)

    The crux of the matter here is this: if we focus on God who loves us so much that he gave his only begotten son, Christ Jesus, as THE way for our redemption and in response to such wonderful grace believe, then we’re good! That’s because, using the Apostle Paul’s judicial parlance, we have been justified through faith.

    Let’s not be like the Jews who proudly walk on the way of the law being confident that they’d reach their destination. Thus, they do not see that there is “a rock” on their path that can make them stumble and fall. Rather, let’s be like the Gentiles who acknowledge their unworthiness and shame but clearly see and trust Christ for their redemption:

    “See, I lay in Zion a stone that causes people to stumble
    and a rock that makes them fall,
    and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame.”

    —

    • or ‘justification,’ a juridical term that applies to the guilty party being forgiven and thus acquitted of any violations committed

  • May Paglaum

    Nakita ko ang isa ka kahoy
    Nga puno sang mga bulak
    Galing kay daw nagapanaghoy
    Gani nanaog ako kag mangodak

    Nagyuhom gid s’ya dayon
    Kay nakita ko ang iya katahom
    Ang iya yuhom nagpadayon
    Kag nagbalik ang iya paglaum!

    There is Hope 

    I saw this tree—

    Full of flowers 

    But it looked like 

    it was lamenting 

    So I went down to 

    take photos of it 

    Immediately it smiled

    because I saw its beauty

    And it continued to smile 

    And hope returned!

  • BDNF: Know and don’t forget about it

    What’s BDNF? Well, it doesn’t stand for ‘Brain Damage Not Funny’ but it’s something related to that.

    I’m not going to just tell you or anyone who doesn’t know what BDNF is. And I’m not being selfish. I want you to do your own research and learn something new, TODAY! Doing so will already help increase the level of your BDNF!

    Tough thing to do research? Nope! Why not? Have you heard of Google?

    This morning I have already increased the level of my BDNF by drinking black coffee, exercising, and learning something new. And you would want to do something like that for yourself as well. And you don’t have to thank me for it. Just thank yourself later.

    What are you waiting for? Go! Google!

  • Blessed Felix, the Fortunate One

    Crabbing Happily 😀

    Good afternoon!

    I said, “Good afternoon” and you responded with the same. But is it really a good afternoon?

    Judging from the expressions on your faces, I’m not sure if it is.

    How does your face express a good afternoon? Let me see it.

    C’mon, everyone, let me see your face. (Pause to examine faces).

    Here’s what some of the faces here look like: (mimic the sourest faces). Yong iba d’yan parang kakahigop lang ng Datu Puti vinegar.

    Do you remember the old Datu Puti vinegar commercial? Mukhasim!

    Mukhasim

    Can you do the mukhasim look? Try it!

    There you go—you’re now laughing.

    Does it now feel like a really good afternoon?

    Yeah? Great!

    Life is lived on a day-to-day basis. So if we have more happy and meaningful days than sad and miserable ones, could we say that we’re living a good life?

    Kidding around with granddaughter, Maddy

    I think so!

    Since we’re here to remember Brother Felix, based on our experiences with him, could we say that he lived a good life?

    I believe so. I actually believe he lived a great life.

    Happy Couple

    The reason for me saying that is because as his name, Felix, suggests, he was a fortunate man. Felix means fortunate, lucky, or happy.

    And that’s why I titled this message ‘Blessed Felix, the Fortunate One.’

    People often associate fortune with material wealth, but what makes us happy has nothing to do with money.

    One of the wealthiest men in the world, Warren Buffet, is the one who actually said something like that. Buffet, ‘The Oracle of Omaha,’ says his life is ‘a vacation every day’ and that ‘it has nothing to do with money.

    He says that his financial success isn’t the root of his happiness but the fact that he enjoys his work and his loved ones.

    “I can’t buy time, I can’t buy love but I can do anything else with money, pretty much. And why do I get up every day and jump out of bed and I’m excited at 88? It’s because I love what I do and love the people I do it with,” Buffet said.

    Brother Felix was a guy who loved what he did, and the people he did it with.

    I don’t know everything about Brother Felix but I know at least a couple of things he loved to do:

    One, he loved to design his own outfit and I believe he was more than willing to design one for you if you had asked him. I hadn’t. That’s because I could not carry a flashy style like he did!

    Remember his black pants that he custom-tailored with shiny leather-looking pockets?

    Stylish St. Felix the Fortunate

    If I’d wear something like that, I’d probably look like a jester. But Brother Felix–with a matching shirt and a hat that were customized as well—he wore his outfit like a rock star!

    I wonder if any members of his family had worn any of his creations: anyone?

    Another thing Brother Felix loved to do was to travel. Long road trips were his thing.

    I still have to do one of his tips about how to stealth camp anywhere, including urban areas: get a big vehicle like a cargo van and just put a mattress in it!

    Brother Felix wasn’t merely talking—he had done it himself! He actually bought a Ford cargo van and put a mattress in it!

    Stealth Camper Van

    Those are at least two of the things he loved to do and with the people he loved.

    Who were the people he love?

    Definitely his family.

    With Loved Ones

    But that we are here today might mean that we too were loved by him.

    Brother Felix and I did not always see each other eye-to-eye, especially when I was his pastor. But we became good friends after I visited him at the hospital twice many years ago–in both cases he had a health condition that put his life at risk.

    At St Rose (Siena) Hospital with family members

    So I’d like to think that I’m one of the fortunate ones he loved as a friend. After all, my name’s meaning is similar to his—while his means ‘fortunate,’ mine means ‘fortune.’

    I guess Fortune and Fortunate were both fortunate to have each other as a friend!

    Brother Felix and sister Lily attends service and my 60th birthday celebration at Oasis Church on New Year’s Day 2017

    In Hebrew, fortunate, can be rendered baruch which can be translated “blessed.”

    In Ecclesiastes 26:1 we read, “Blessed is the man that hath a virtuous wife, for the number of his days shall be doubled” (KJV). I believe that that Scripture verse tells the truth about Brother Felix.

    If I remember it right, brother Felix was born in poverty, was adopted, and did not have the opportunities privileged kids had. Because of hardship and the risk of living in the streets, his life could have ended when he was still a “barok,” a young man (in Ilocano language).

    But barok found a home and was gifted by God with a good wife: sister Lily.

    Brother Felix & Sister Lily’s Renewal of Vows

    He was a fortunate man because he was blessed with a wife who truly loved him. And thus, I believe, his life was prolonged; he lived twice as long.

    Last but definitely not least, Brother Felix believed in God and that’s why he was a fortunate man. He was blessed.

    Psalm 144:15 reads, “…blessed is the people whose God is the Lord” (NIV).

    Brother Felix was one of those people. That’s why he was blessed.

    Are you?

    Couple in Love

    ——

    *https://www.cnbc.com/2019/05/03/warren-buffett-the-key-to-his-happiness-isnt-money.html

    **Most of the photos were stolen from sister Lily’s Facebook account 😊

  • Daydreaming & Reminiscing

  • Daydreaming & Reminiscing

    One of the signs, they say, that you’re old is the fact that you do more reminiscing than daydreaming. Well, at 65, I still daydream. So I guess I’m not too old yet.

    John Lennon Memorial, Central Park

    My imaginings, however, are more realistic than, say, those that I dreamed when I was 18. Would they be considered ‘old people’s dreams’? I don’t know.

    It seems to be true though that as you get older, you do more reminiscing than daydreaming. But since I do it 50/50, I guess I’m not too old yet. (Palusot!)

    I take a certain kind of pleasure in looking back and thinking about where I lived and the things I did.

    This morning, as Ruth and I were observing one of the first rituals of the day—having coffee together—I recalled a summer stint working as interim registrar for an evangelical seminary in New York City.

    I lived and worked in the same building on West 72nd Street, New York City. So after work, I’d just take the elevator up to my apartment and did not have to worry about competing for space in some crowded subway train.

    West 72nd Street, NYC

    Who could afford to pay for an apartment in Manhattan, especially one that’s only about ten minutes by foot to Central Park? Definitely, not me. But housing was part of my salary package. So being a person who loved walking (still does), I frequented the park like it was my backyard. What a wonderful gift it was!

    Central Park

    My daily walks to the park, however, were interrupted when I started a graduate study program (PhD, Liturgical Studies) at Drew University in Madison, New Jersey, which was about two hours away by train from the city.

    Drew University Campus

    I told Ruth that one of these days I’d like to take her back to the East Coast and show her the places I’ve been, including “my kitchen downstairs” (a Chinese restaurant on West 72nd Street), the hotdog stand and bake shop (that boiled fresh bagels each day) just around the corner from my apartment/office building, and last, but definitely not least, the Italian restaurant in Madison that, though a mere hole in the wall, served what I believed to be the best eggplant parmesan in my culinary world.

    I just hope that the student-friendly Italian resto is still there. Thing is, I don’t remember its name or the street it was on. All I remember is that it was on my way to the train station and that particular mouthwatering dish.

    As I look back at these and other experiences, I am grateful to Divine Providence, the gift of an adventuresome spirit and, yes, the inspiration that comes from daydreaming and imagining. If I did not daydream when I was growing up—in some unknown Philippine rural town—I would probably not have experienced the seemingly impossible and wonderful experiences I’ve had.

    Central Park

    As John Lennon’s song, “Imagine,” made me hum its tune in my head whenever I entered Central Park—to walk on its paths and immerse myself in the gardens’ breathtaking beauty—so I encourage you to imagine. And wildly! Wild imaginings can lead to a future of happy reminiscing. (You’ve got to force yourself to wake up though and do something about your dreams if you want them to come true.) Daydreaming and reminiscing are like a pair of bookends—each depends on the other to support the storybooks in between.

  • IS MY YESTERDAY YOUR TODAY?

    When I was in my late 30s and studying in a graduate theological seminary in Metro Manila, I dreamed of pursuing an area of study. And I was dreaming of doing it not just in any school but in a prestigious institution that was known for their graduate program in homiletics: Princeton Theological Seminary in Princeton, NJ.

    I studied well and did everything else to be able to compete for a full scholarship (tuition and other fees plus board and lodging). And it happened. Thank God!

    After Princeton, however, I wasn’t really prepared to handle some unplanned and other things that came my way—these are things that they do not teach you at school.

    I wish there was someone who took my hand and guided me as I navigated the tough life of doing further study and ministry at the same time. If you are seen by others as a confident young person, you might not get the help that you need. In that case, take the initiative.

    Seek out someone, particularly an older and wiser person. And, perhaps despite your educational attainment or how smart you think you are, have the humility to open up and ask for help. I should have done that myself. But my yesterday is gone. Yours, however, may not be.

  • DONALD TRUMP’S ACQUITTAL DOES NOT MEAN HE IS INNOCENT OF THE CHARGE BUT THAT TRUMP REMAINS A THREAT TO AMERICAN DEMOCRACY


    Some of Donald Trump’s supporters have expressed their delight that Trump was acquitted and that he is “not guilty” as charged. As someone braggingly puts it on a Facebook post, “I told you guys (sic) Trump is innocent.”

    Apparently, they do not understand that Trump was acquitted not because he was not guilty but simply because the number of votes to convict Trump did not meet the minimum requirement.
    Despite that, however, the number of guilty votes (57) was more than the number of acquittal votes (43). And those that voted to acquit Trump did not do so because he was not guilty but because they do not believe the Senate had jurisdiction (despite the fact that the Senate agreed, in a bipartisan way, that it was constitutional and thus proceeded with the trial) to impeach Trump who is no longer president (thanks but no thanks to Mitch McConnel for delaying the impeachment trial).


    To prove the point, after the trial and Trump’s acquittal, ‘tuso’ (cunning) Minority Leader Mitch McConnel said, “President Trump is still liable for everything he did while he was in office as an ordinary citizen,” McConnell said. “He didn’t get away with anything. Yet… We have a criminal justice system in this country. We have civil litigation. And former presidents are not immune from being accountable by either one,” he also said. Other senators who voted to acquit Trump also expressed something similar.


    What the acquittal means, among others, is that Trump remains a threat to American democracy. After his acquittal, he declared that the MAGA movement “has just begun.” While others take that as a weak political threat, the fact that “almost 75 million” voted for Trump (a number he continually boasts about, even though Joe Biden got 6 million more votes than he did) is more of a promise than a threat. Why? Because when an opportunity presents itself, that number of people is more than enough to start another insurrection!


    Should he run for president again, Trump could win, especially if the situation will change for the worse, or he could paint a false situation and his cult following believe his words like they are divinely inspired utterances. But even if Trump does not win, worse things could happen–he could incite a bigger mob and succeed! Unless of course, before that could happen, he is tried in criminal courts for his crimes, found guilty, and put in prison for life, and thus such grim possibility is removed.


    Remember Adolf Hitler? He lost the election, nonetheless, he became Germany’s Führer. Even if one believes that ‘such a thing could not happen in the United States,’ Americans should not let their guard down–opportunists like Donald Trump would do anything to accomplish their personal ambition.
    And what is Trump’s ambition? What he said in praise of Chinese President Xi Jinping after the Communist Party made his tenure indefinite gives us a clear picture of Trump’s political vision: “He’s now president for life, president for life. And he’s great… And look, he was able to do that. I think it’s great. Maybe we’ll have to give that a shot someday….”


    Donald Trump, after the failed insurrection and his acquittal today, might just give “president for life” another shot.

  • WISDOM: What you need but don’t ask for

    It’s there again today

    It’s the ‘Verse of the Day’

    How many times have you read it?

    And how many times have you ignored it?

    Unwise statements abound like a swarm of crazy bees in flight

    And some of the worst come from the political right

    That they think they’re always right is no surprise

    But what could be so unwise?

    Why do I say so?

    You continue to believe the lies, and I tell you so

    But you insist Biden’s inauguration wasn’t the end of the story–

    That DJT will come back in March to stay!

    Really?! Why, oh why?

    Why is illusion’s temptation as irresistible as poop to a fly?

    Perhaps the answer could be found if you scroll down the chapter, maybe twice:

    “…they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed.”*

    I’m sure you’d protest that like hell

    Perhaps you’d say, How could it be so evil?—

    Trump’s return to power means the death of abortion and support for Israel!

    And you say that as COVID continues to ravage and kill!

    It’s not that I don’t care about unborn babies, or its corresponding theology

    Neither do I ignore Israel’s place in salvation history

    But when you do not have a good sense of priority

    Clearly, wisdom is something I do not see!

    But I assume that lately you haven’t asked God for wisdom

    For if you have, your comments wouldn’t be so dumb

    Even as Trump is going down as one of, if not the, worst in history

    You still wouldn’t do what the Wisest One of all say

    _____________________

    *1:14

  • 1 CORINTHIANS 10:13: A verse we probably (incorrectly) think we know

    While enjoying my freshly brewed poured-over coffee this morning, I read Bible Gateway’s Verse of the Day. It is 1 Corinthians 10:13, a Scripture verse that every Christian probably thinks she or he knows very well. And that includes me.

    The verse is so familiar because it is often quoted. To put that in Filipino or Tagalog, ‘Gasgas na!’ And so it is a verse that I suppose many would like to think they have already nailed down. Again, the many  includes me.

    But as I read the verse for the millionth time (I’m exaggerating of course), the very last phrase has caught my exegete eye in a way that it has not before: “…he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.”

    When “a way out” is provided, it seems natural to think that the hardship and struggle in dealing with the temptation is removed so that the one who is tempted can now easily and quickly get out of the tempted state, like ‘No sweat!’ But it doesn’t appear to be that way.

    The “way out” God provides, whatever that might be,” does not lead to a situation in which the one being tempted is passively led out from a spiritually perilous situation, like being swooped up and out by Wonder Woman and immediately taken to a safe place. But a way out is provided so that “you can endure it (the temptation).”

    From the looks of it, when a way out is provided, the spiritual battle and struggle against temptation has just actually begun! But thank God, because of a way out that has been provided, “you (and I) can endure it” (emphasis mine)!

    The struggle may be long—and longer if the temptation is something that we’ve been badly craving to do—but, thanks be to God who provides us a  way out—we can endure it!

    The question, however, is, Am I willing to use the way out that God provides? Are you?

  • THANKSGIVING: What to thank God for (and what not to thank God for)

    Today is Thanksgiving Day.

    Everyone knows that. What makes this Thanksgiving different is that we are celebrating it in a pandemic. Everyone knows that too! The challenge, however, might be finding things that we can be thankful for today.

    Despite the COVID deaths, lack of money and scarcity of food for many, as well as the risk of catching the deadly virus, there are things that we can be thankful for.

    For one, we can be thankful for the confident assurance already shown by the incoming administration in dealing with the health crisis and, consequently, the stalled economy. We should rejoice in the fact that the pandemic will now be tackled in a scientific, clear, and comprehensive way. And that without the unnecessary drama!

    For us believers, Thanksgiving is a great opportunity to thank God for what we have because of our faith in Christ. While some Christians see their faith and the things they believe in as an escape from this world and its troubles, we should see it differently.

    While we too believe in the hereafter, faith has to be lived out in the here and now. Thus, the following message should be taken as a guide for how we should live our lives now in view of what we have in Christ.

    What are we to thank God for? To answer that question, let us consider 1 Corinthians 1:4-9:

    Thanksgiving

    4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.

    That the Corinthian Christians are a spiritually gifted bunch—they “do not lack any spiritual gift” (v.7)—may have been a great help in the ministry of building the church, at least at the start. However, as of Paul’s writing this letter, their giftedness is obviously not serving them well.

    The Corinthians are divided (vs. 10-17) and some of them “have become arrogant” (4:18) apparently because they “already have all (they) want…[and] have become rich!” (v. 8). Paul’s words of thanks for the Corinthians must therefore be understood within the context of their division and personal arrogance, among other weaknesses.

    The way Paul does it is quite subtle. And yet, if the Corinthians, who may have boasted for being wise (which 1:26-31 seems to imply), read his letter very carefully, they would not miss Paul’s unmistakable message.

    Paul begins by letting the Corinthians know that he “always thank[s]…God for [them]” (v. 4). Yes, despite their immaturity—being still “mere infants in Christ” (3:1) and pride. Paul’s thanksgiving for the Corinthians serves as an ego-shrinking message. How is that?

    Clearly, the Corinthians could not boast about their gifts or whatever spiritual riches they might think they have. They did not create their giftedness on their own: “grace is given [them] in Christ Jesus” (v. 4).  

    And although they might be tempted to trust in themselves for gaining God’s favor (perhaps because of their being gifted and big ego), Paul was thankful that their future in Christ is secure, not because of them or their ability, but because of  God who “will also keep [them] firm to the end, so that [they] will be blameless [despite their sins] on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ,” and because “God is faithful” (verses 8-9).

    In other words, there is no basis for Corinthians’ boasting—everything they have have been given to them by God!

    Today, we too might be tempted to thank God for me when we ought to thank God for him and his grace. We might be tempted to thank God for me because…

    I am not like those sinners who, for example, belong to a political party of ‘baby murderers’,

    I faithfully give 10% of my income to my church (well, most of the time),

    I am more obedient to God than those, say, who do not observe Old Testament festivals, rituals, and commandments,

    and I am more deserving of the ‘heavenly crowns (plural)’ than others who, in my estimation, are really fake Christians who I don’t expect to see ‘in the air’ or ‘in the clouds’ at rapture as they will be left behind in a chaotic world and suffer the wrath of an angry God.

    When we tend to thank God for me rather than him and his grace, it might help us overcome the temptation if we read again and again (yes, even if we have already done so many times before) the parable of Jesus in Luke 18:9-14 :

    The Parable of the Pharisee and the Tax Collector

    9 To some who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else, Jesus told this parable: 10 “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee stood by himself and prayed: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other people—robbers, evildoers, adulterers—or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week and give a tenth of all I get.

    13 “But the tax collector stood at a distance. He would not even look up to heaven, but beat his breast and said, ‘God, have mercy on me, a sinner.’

    14 “I tell you that this man, rather than the other, went home justified before God (italics added). For all those who exalt themselves will be humbled, and those who humble themselves will be exalted.”

  • Got Animal Instincts?

    Got Animal Instincts?

    The horse apparently understands it is being helped. Sometimes humans do not have the same commendable instincts–they think you’re there to put them down. So they try to knock you down with a beastly kick.

    And some Christians are no different. When they see you not having the same bright red color–‘the color of the righteous’–they conclude you have the ‘devil’s color’: blue. Yes, even if you’re not ‘blue’ at all and your only motive is to bring the light of truth to dispel the darkness of lies.

    Today, I read 1 Thessalonians 5 and I wondered how I might apply verse 11 and not be misunderstood: “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.”

  • IS TRUMP THE ANTICHRIST? An open letter to my Christian friends who believe in and support Donald Trump

    “I am the chosen one.”
     THE WASHINGTON POST/GETTY IMAGES

    Dear friends,

    Thank you for sharing your thoughts through the comments you made on my Facebook posts as well as the messages and links you sent through Messenger. To me, that means you are concerned, as I am, about the current affairs.

    I also appreciate the attempts you have made to defend Donald Trump and the efforts to try to show that you are right, and I am wrong, about him. The time you invested in conversing with me must mean that you care about me and that you’re worried that I ‘get it wrong’. I feel that strongly from those of you who claim that Trump is ‘God’s chosen one.’

    But why would I believe Donald Trump has been chosen by God to lead this country and the world? Should I believe simply because someone says he is? Or, because he himself claimed “I am the chosen one”? On the contrary, I should not believe Trump especially because he claims he is!

    Who would believe Donald Trump? According to his own niece, a clinical psychologist, he uses lying “as a power play”? If you are honest to yourself, you cannot deny that he lies all the time! But of course, you wouldn’t really know that if your sources of information are only Fox News and those that Trump recommends or whose stories align with the ‘neo-Republican’ narrative.

    Ted Cruz on Donald Trump: “This man is a pathological liar.”
    Still is. It has not changed.

    You have not said it directly, but I have a feeling that some of you think I am lost. In the course of arguing for the idea that Donald Trump is the candidate to support (because, citing Christian author, Eric Metaxas, “US President Donald Trump’s thoughts and values have evolved over the years to ones that align with a Christian worldview“, which is really a big joke), one of you asked me, point blank, “How did you get radicalized?”

    After a brief shock (“What?”), I said, “…If facts and truth make me a radical, so be it. Jesus was too!” That is why the Lord was crucified (that’s aside from the theological answer, which I assume you know).

    But let us just forget everything I’ve said. Let us take it for granted that you are right, and I am wrong. Let us see how that would go.

    If I remember it right, most of you have claimed, in one way or another, that Donald Trump is ‘God’s chosen one.’ So, he’s more than just an ‘abrasive individual’ who is like Nebuchadnezzar, as some of you have said. He is the anointed one, ‘the king’ who has already come!

    No one has expressed such grandiose view of Donald Trump more than Wayne Allyn Root, who described himself as a “Jew turned evangelical Christian.” Such praise had not escaped Trump’s attention. How could it? Wowed by a comment worthy of royalty—no, a god!—he tweets:

    “Thank you to Wayne Allyn Root for the very nice words. ‘President Trump is the greatest President for Jews and for Israel in the history of the world, not just America, he is the best President for Israel in the history of the world…and the Jewish people in Israel love him….[sic].

    “…like he’s the King of Israel. They love him like he is the second coming of God…But American Jews don’t know him or like him. They don’t even know what they’re doing or saying anymore. It makes no sense! But that’s OK, if he keeps doing what he’s doing, he’s good for…..[sic].

    …..[sic] all Jews, Blacks, Gays, everyone. And importantly, he’s good for everyone in America who wants a job.’ Wow!”

    “They love him like the second coming of God”? Wow!”

    It is no secret that many conservative Christians think highly of President Trump. He has consistently maintained high approval ratings from white evangelicals since he won the majority of white evangelicals and white Catholics in the 2016 election.

    That statement seems to correlate with one message I received that goes:

    “We are in the last days, almost at the time of Christ’s second coming, I’m sure.

    “Did you notice that the first horseman in the Apocalypse (Book of Revelation; Chapter 6, verse 2) is about a rider wearing a crown (corona), and it came out conquering?

    “As far as I know, this “corona” virus has conquered all humankind into fear, death, and stagnation of the world economy.”

    Intrigued, I looked up Revelation 6:2 and read it closely: “And I saw, and behold a white horse: and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him: and he went forth conquering, and to conquer” (KJV).

    Trump “was given ‘corona ‘virus’”

    What my friend, who supports Trump, perhaps missed is that “a crown (which he interprets as “‘corona’ virus”) was given unto him”. Since we are taking it for granted that he is—and all my friends, for that matter are—right, who comes out as the one who was given the corona virus?

    You got it: Donald Trump!

    I spent many years in seminary studying and exegeting Bible passages, but I must confess I am not a Revelation expert. So for now, I leave it to those who are and trust their conclusion: most scholars agree that the horseman of Revelation 6:2 who was given the crown is the Antichrist.

    Hilton Sutton, who fundamentalist Christians regard as “was one of the world’s foremost authorities on the prophetic Scriptures, with a special love for the majestic book of Revelation,” believes that the rider on this white horse is the man destined to become the Antichrist. “Sutton refers to Daniel 9:24-27 for a description of how this Antichrist will come to power. He will make a covenant of peace between Israel and its adversaries for a seven-year period, referred to as ‘one week’.”

    So if my friend is right, and the experts’ interpretation that the horseman is the Antichrist, who then fits the role today?

    You are right: Donald Trump!

    Note that the white horse rider carries a bow, a weapon of war, but no arrows!

    Strangely, John makes no mention of arrows or a quiver, although we may infer the former, since a bow is nearly worthless without arrows. (Then again, the lack of arrows may suggest war fought, not with blood-letting weapons, but with words or ideas (italics mine); see Psalm 11:2; 64:2-4; Jeremiah 9:8; Ephesians 6:16.) A bow is a purely offensive weapon, even more so than a sword, and is highly effective from long range…. Thus, the foremost idea behind this biblical symbol is powerful, penetrating, deadly accuracy with an intimation of distance (emphasis added).

    Who fits the picture of a man who fights not with a sword but with words?

    Right: Donald Trump!

    What if Donald Trump is indeed ‘the chosen one’ but chosen not by God but by the evil one?

    What if he is the Antichrist, the trump or “little horn” that Daniel 7:8 that “spoke boastfully”? (See also Donald Trump ― 666 Fifth Avenue Mark of the Beast, Born on a Blood Moon! Is Donald Trump the Anti-Christ?…).

    What if the Seventh Day Adventists are right?

    “…the little horn of Daniel 7 is none other than Donald J. Trump. There has never been a United States president like him; of him could the prophet accurately say, ‘After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones’….

    “It is significant that when the prophet saw the little horn in vision, he notes his mouth. Trump’s bragging, pouting mouth is his most frequently caricatured feature.”

    What if my former New Testament professor is right? In a message he sent to me, he wrote, “He is unquestionably one of a long line of Antichrists in history. The Republican party is the second Beast of Revelation 13. Christians who vote for him are marking themselves with 666.”

    What if you are right about Donald Trump being the chosen one, but not by God?

    What if Donald Trump is an anti-Christ, if not the Antichrist?

    What if your support of him will result in him winning the election?

    And what if, because of victory, he would begin to believe that he is not just a mere man–that he is divine and the “the second coming of God”?

    Just imagine what Donald Trump might do if he is emboldened by your vote of confidence and faith in him. The tremendous surge of power and invincibility, I am afraid, would inspire in Trump a deeper level of narcissism and a new and more grandiose image of himself. The “little horn” might just believe he is the Messiah, albeit a false one, and one who would bring more chaos to the world.

    “I am your president of law and order!”

    It’s up to you, my friends. But think about it.

    May God give you wisdom and a clear mind.

    Sincerely in Christ,

    Ed Fernandez