Dr. Watson, this post illuminates how little effect, the Institutional Church has on the advancement of the KOG. The reason that Islam isn’t mocked is because of the fear of retribution by its adherents. There is little reverential fear of God Almighty by the modern day mainstream Western culture. Thus we have this type of mockery.
The Kingdom of God does not advance as a power over this world. The institutional church once controlled enormous lands and militaries, and for about one thousand years used its power to try to build a Kingdom of God in this world, to place a sinful human King of Jerusalem. The Holy One has now reduced those lands to a postage stamp, and will continue to take power from everyone who tries to coopt the Kingdom of God for this world.
I've spent the vast majority of my Christian life being mocked and ridiculed by various people. What stuns me about it is why such people CARE enough to do so. I have never sought to force my beliefs on them, so why do they fight back in such ways? My only conclusion is that Jesus gets under people's skins. As you point out, no one treats Muslims this way, so why Christians? Now, 10 years ago, I would've said they wouldn't treat Jews this way either. However, times have changed, unfortunately. I'm appalled to say that Christians are no longer the only ones who are treated reprehensibly by the mob.
As for the commercial: It looks like a very silly, weird, sort of wannabe horror flick to me. I'm with you, Dr. Watson - I can't even...
Have you advocated or encouraged lawsuit or legislation, to promote your beliefs against others? Then you indeed have sought to force your beliefs upon them. I was first born and raised a Jew, taken by Christ the Lord near my third decade in the world, and I can tell you most certainly, that the forcible behavior, by shaming, has been a dominant motivation among the unbelievers for a very long time. And as the Holy One of God depowers the quasichristian nationalists, the public unbelievers have more power to act, and the result is increasing fulfillment of that which Christ the Lord has said must occur. Remember, He has asked us to rejoice in this.
Jonathan - the mocking and ridicule I have experienced has been in private by those personally known to me. It has been grievous. This is not the forum to explain things further, but you will just have to trust me (or not) when I say that I have not, in any way, forced my beliefs on others.
I don’t know what it says about me that I found the commercial so strange and funny. For some reason it just didn’t hit the same bell with me as so many other things that are meant to mock our faith. Funny that I hadn’t seen it before now. What a strange piece of performance art. Fried chicken really is a fantastic dish.
I’m glad you’re preparing others to be mocked. It is coming. It is already here. It has been disappointing to see how few have a faith that can withstand mockery. The next generation will be stronger, as it will have had to stand against the mockery of a post-Christian generation.
The Lord says that we are to rejoice at this. When we learn to do this, we will learn to laugh at it, and we will so live with much more of the Holy Spirit of God.
For some reason, the posts where you highlight the delicacies of original American cuisine are the ones which resonate with me the most. 😆 Seriously, I enjoyed this and the connections you made between the 2nd century and our own. May we embrace greater spiritual discernment and awareness of the zeitgeist we’re up against.
Our mutual friend Keith McIlwain pointed me toward your post. I like the connection you offer between Alexamenos and the modern context. In the darkness of cultural chaos, the light of Christ shines brighter.
> If the Western world is less Christian than it once was, we know our assignment is to change this.
The Western world chainsawed out a few bits of Bible, omitted most of it, glued their favorite bits into new bindings sandwiched into their favorite pagan, Greek, and Roman purposes of this world, and declared this polyglot "Christian". Our assignment is not to bring back this thing which the Holy One of God has depowered. Our assignment is not to re"Christian"ize this world. Our assignment is to live the things that Christ the Lord Personally said, did, and discussed. Almost no resemblance!
Dr. Watson, this post illuminates how little effect, the Institutional Church has on the advancement of the KOG. The reason that Islam isn’t mocked is because of the fear of retribution by its adherents. There is little reverential fear of God Almighty by the modern day mainstream Western culture. Thus we have this type of mockery.
The Kingdom of God does not advance as a power over this world. The institutional church once controlled enormous lands and militaries, and for about one thousand years used its power to try to build a Kingdom of God in this world, to place a sinful human King of Jerusalem. The Holy One has now reduced those lands to a postage stamp, and will continue to take power from everyone who tries to coopt the Kingdom of God for this world.
I've spent the vast majority of my Christian life being mocked and ridiculed by various people. What stuns me about it is why such people CARE enough to do so. I have never sought to force my beliefs on them, so why do they fight back in such ways? My only conclusion is that Jesus gets under people's skins. As you point out, no one treats Muslims this way, so why Christians? Now, 10 years ago, I would've said they wouldn't treat Jews this way either. However, times have changed, unfortunately. I'm appalled to say that Christians are no longer the only ones who are treated reprehensibly by the mob.
As for the commercial: It looks like a very silly, weird, sort of wannabe horror flick to me. I'm with you, Dr. Watson - I can't even...
Have you advocated or encouraged lawsuit or legislation, to promote your beliefs against others? Then you indeed have sought to force your beliefs upon them. I was first born and raised a Jew, taken by Christ the Lord near my third decade in the world, and I can tell you most certainly, that the forcible behavior, by shaming, has been a dominant motivation among the unbelievers for a very long time. And as the Holy One of God depowers the quasichristian nationalists, the public unbelievers have more power to act, and the result is increasing fulfillment of that which Christ the Lord has said must occur. Remember, He has asked us to rejoice in this.
Jonathan - the mocking and ridicule I have experienced has been in private by those personally known to me. It has been grievous. This is not the forum to explain things further, but you will just have to trust me (or not) when I say that I have not, in any way, forced my beliefs on others.
I don’t know what it says about me that I found the commercial so strange and funny. For some reason it just didn’t hit the same bell with me as so many other things that are meant to mock our faith. Funny that I hadn’t seen it before now. What a strange piece of performance art. Fried chicken really is a fantastic dish.
I’m glad you’re preparing others to be mocked. It is coming. It is already here. It has been disappointing to see how few have a faith that can withstand mockery. The next generation will be stronger, as it will have had to stand against the mockery of a post-Christian generation.
The Lord says that we are to rejoice at this. When we learn to do this, we will learn to laugh at it, and we will so live with much more of the Holy Spirit of God.
For some reason, the posts where you highlight the delicacies of original American cuisine are the ones which resonate with me the most. 😆 Seriously, I enjoyed this and the connections you made between the 2nd century and our own. May we embrace greater spiritual discernment and awareness of the zeitgeist we’re up against.
Congratulations! Professor David Watson
Another great article. Will you still be writing when you take the position at Asbury? I hope so
Our mutual friend Keith McIlwain pointed me toward your post. I like the connection you offer between Alexamenos and the modern context. In the darkness of cultural chaos, the light of Christ shines brighter.
> If the Western world is less Christian than it once was, we know our assignment is to change this.
The Western world chainsawed out a few bits of Bible, omitted most of it, glued their favorite bits into new bindings sandwiched into their favorite pagan, Greek, and Roman purposes of this world, and declared this polyglot "Christian". Our assignment is not to bring back this thing which the Holy One of God has depowered. Our assignment is not to re"Christian"ize this world. Our assignment is to live the things that Christ the Lord Personally said, did, and discussed. Almost no resemblance!