Comments for Institute for Christian Culture http://christian-civilization.org Laying the Foundation for the Next Reformation Fri, 30 Jul 2010 17:43:57 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 Comment on Is Sarah Palin the New Deborah? by Angela Black http://christian-civilization.org/articles/is-sarah-palin-the-new-deborah/#comment-439 Angela Black Wed, 28 Jul 2010 15:52:30 +0000 http://christian-civilization.org/?p=139#comment-439 Pastor Abshire.....I realize I am two years late reading this article,but I would still like to comment. During the time of this article I happen to be praying a lot about life issues and the politics of this country. There are times that the Holy Spirit has no doubt lead me in to scriptures and this happened to me at the time. I was lead to read about Deborah and Barak and then reminded of it again last night...so I happen to google and found your article....which is a great read and wonderful insight! thank you. And then I am still questioning all my family and church who are blatantly against Barak and Sara because she is a female. ....an this is brought to my attention that in the New Testament there is no longer Jew or Greek, male or female, but we are one in Christ. God can use whomever He chooses, anywhere, in any circumstance. All things work together for Good for those who are in Christ. As for Barak....I am still questioning why the Holy Spirit has put this into me so deeply... could it be that he(Barak) is truly attempting to do Good for this country?? Pastor Abshire…..I realize I am two years late reading this article,but I would still like to comment. During the time of this article I happen to be praying a lot about life issues and the politics of this country. There are times that the Holy Spirit has no doubt lead me in to scriptures and this happened to me at the time. I was lead to read about Deborah and Barak and then reminded of it again last night…so I happen to google and found your article….which is a great read and wonderful insight! thank you. And then I am still questioning all my family and church who are blatantly against Barak and Sara because she is a female. ….an this is brought to my attention that in the New Testament there is no longer Jew or Greek, male or female, but we are one in Christ. God can use whomever He chooses, anywhere, in any circumstance. All things work together for Good for those who are in Christ. As for Barak….I am still questioning why the Holy Spirit has put this into me so deeply… could it be that he(Barak) is truly attempting to do Good for this country??

]]> Comment on The Proverbs 31 Woman and the Entrepreneurial Spirit by Lenora Hammond http://christian-civilization.org/articles/the-proverbs-31-woman-and-the-entrepreneurial-spirit/#comment-434 Lenora Hammond Sat, 15 May 2010 08:44:17 +0000 http://christian-civilization.org/?p=132#comment-434 Hi Brian! Wow, what an exposition! I really enjoyed this brainstretching read. I am currently working on putting together a message for a Christian Camp in Belgium, where Peter and I are the speakers. I am to deal with Biblical Womanhood. So thank you for your many insights.....I am blessed by enriching my own personal walk here, and hope to share some of my findings with the ladies. My only request to you would be to write more 'bite size' articles!!! The length of them makes it hard for me to get through the material in one sitting! Other than that, thank you, and God bless you in your ministry and calling. Gratefully, Lenora Hammond Hi Brian! Wow, what an exposition! I really enjoyed this brainstretching read. I am currently working on putting together a message for a Christian Camp in Belgium, where Peter and I are the speakers. I am to deal with Biblical Womanhood. So thank you for your many insights…..I am blessed by enriching my own personal walk here, and hope to share some of my findings with the ladies.

My only request to you would be to write more ‘bite size’ articles!!! The length of them makes it hard for me to get through the material in one sitting! Other than that, thank you, and God bless you in your ministry and calling.

Gratefully, Lenora Hammond

]]> Comment on How Authentic Is Occult Phenomenon? by Rev Brian Abshire http://christian-civilization.org/articles/how-authentic-is-occult-phenomenon/#comment-408 Rev Brian Abshire Thu, 22 Apr 2010 19:50:55 +0000 http://christian-civilization.org/?p=166#comment-408 Sarah! Well, now you CAN! It's right here on the front page! Dr. "B" Sarah!

Well, now you CAN! It’s right here on the front page!

Dr. “B”

]]> Comment on How Authentic Is Occult Phenomenon? by Sarah http://christian-civilization.org/articles/how-authentic-is-occult-phenomenon/#comment-407 Sarah Thu, 22 Apr 2010 18:47:44 +0000 http://christian-civilization.org/?p=166#comment-407 Thank you! I'd like to read the book, it sounds interesting! Thank you! I’d like to read the book, it sounds interesting!

]]> Comment on How Authentic Is Occult Phenomenon? by Rev Brian Abshire http://christian-civilization.org/articles/how-authentic-is-occult-phenomenon/#comment-403 Rev Brian Abshire Mon, 19 Apr 2010 18:43:56 +0000 http://christian-civilization.org/?p=166#comment-403 Sarah, Thank you for taking the time to read and interact with "How Authentic is Occult Phenomenon." To do your post justice would require writing another essay! In fact I did so in a book with Peter Hammoned, soon to be published, called "The War Against God." In my sections I tried to honestly deal with the very complex issue of "how" demons actually work, in the world today. In fact, I will post on the main site a draft of some of my chapters. However, the short answer to your question is that in my understanding, the Bible clearly teaches that there are demonic forces in the world, that they have an effect on us and are not to be trifled with. The problem I was trying to address in the essay was the gullibility of so many of the brethren who insist on blaming every problem on some sort of demon. The reason why I spent so much time debunking occult claims is because God highly values truth - since it is one of His communicable attributes. Untruth, no matter how sincerely or piously held, does not honor Him or advance His kingdom. But never for a moment do I want to suggest that the demonic is not real - and dangerous. Have a read through "The War Against God" for a fuller development. And please keep in mind, this book is intended for laymen, without sophisticated theological understanding. Thanks again for commenting: Dr. "B" Sarah,

Thank you for taking the time to read and interact with “How Authentic is Occult Phenomenon.” To do your post justice would require writing another essay!

In fact I did so in a book with Peter Hammoned, soon to be published, called “The War Against God.” In my sections I tried to honestly deal with the very complex issue of “how” demons actually work, in the world today.

In fact, I will post on the main site a draft of some of my chapters.

However, the short answer to your question is that in my understanding, the Bible clearly teaches that there are demonic forces in the world, that they have an effect on us and are not to be trifled with. The problem I was trying to address in the essay was the gullibility of so many of the brethren who insist on blaming every problem on some sort of demon.

The reason why I spent so much time debunking occult claims is because God highly values truth - since it is one of His communicable attributes. Untruth, no matter how sincerely or piously held, does not honor Him or advance His kingdom. But never for a moment do I want to suggest that the demonic is not real - and dangerous.

Have a read through “The War Against God” for a fuller development. And please keep in mind, this book is intended for laymen, without sophisticated theological understanding.

Thanks again for commenting:

Dr. “B”

]]> Comment on How Authentic Is Occult Phenomenon? by Sarah http://christian-civilization.org/articles/how-authentic-is-occult-phenomenon/#comment-402 Sarah Mon, 19 Apr 2010 17:50:03 +0000 http://christian-civilization.org/?p=166#comment-402 I really enjoyed this article. I came upon it by accident while Google-ing varying Christian opinions on (Christian) faith healings, so it wasn't really what I was looking for, but it struck a chord nonetheless. As a Christian about to graduate with a degree in psychology I'm glad you addressed some of these issues. I spend time around some Christians who seem to think of the occult in the way you discuss, and I didn't really know how to address it, so I'm glad you did. I'm also a religion minor and have had courses on the philosophy of religion/constructive theology etc, and the issues of evil/the demonic are some of the most difficult topics for me to clearly understand and form coherent beliefs about, for many reasons. You pointed out that 99.9% of the time, things that we think are demonic aren't (in so many words,) because they either have 1) medical explanations 2) have psychological/physiological explanations or 3) are tricks played by other people. My question is this...What evidence then are we to point to that shows that demonic (Satan etc) powers exist and are actively causing things to happen in our world today? I feel like a dumb/bad Christian for asking that, because the obvious correct answer is that the Bible tells us that Satan exists and has some power of some kind. But this is something that has really been nagging at me over the past several weeks. I feel like you basically just made a case for the fact that Satan doesn't really act in the way that the Bible seems to say that he does. I do NOT think you made a case for the fact that Satan doesn't exist at all, as deception and confusion (a la the Garden of Eden) are some of his tactics--these are easy to see in everyday life. But I'm left with the question of what exactly CAN or should we deduce about demonic possession in the Bible, (or the case of Job, for example)? CAN we actually draw distinct, literal, parallels to present day situations based on these Biblical instances? Your article makes me think this is highly unlikely. Maybe I'm off the mark or I didn't understand something clearly in the article. At any rate, this is something that really interests me and I've been trying to learn more about lately, so if you would be interested in commenting on this comment...I'd appreciate it :-) I really enjoyed this article. I came upon it by accident while Google-ing varying Christian opinions on (Christian) faith healings, so it wasn’t really what I was looking for, but it struck a chord nonetheless. As a Christian about to graduate with a degree in psychology I’m glad you addressed some of these issues. I spend time around some Christians who seem to think of the occult in the way you discuss, and I didn’t really know how to address it, so I’m glad you did. I’m also a religion minor and have had courses on the philosophy of religion/constructive theology etc, and the issues of evil/the demonic are some of the most difficult topics for me to clearly understand and form coherent beliefs about, for many reasons.

You pointed out that 99.9% of the time, things that we think are demonic aren’t (in so many words,) because they either have 1) medical explanations 2) have psychological/physiological explanations or 3) are tricks played by other people. My question is this…What evidence then are we to point to that shows that demonic (Satan etc) powers exist and are actively causing things to happen in our world today? I feel like a dumb/bad Christian for asking that, because the obvious correct answer is that the Bible tells us that Satan exists and has some power of some kind. But this is something that has really been nagging at me over the past several weeks. I feel like you basically just made a case for the fact that Satan doesn’t really act in the way that the Bible seems to say that he does.

I do NOT think you made a case for the fact that Satan doesn’t exist at all, as deception and confusion (a la the Garden of Eden) are some of his tactics–these are easy to see in everyday life. But I’m left with the question of what exactly CAN or should we deduce about demonic possession in the Bible, (or the case of Job, for example)? CAN we actually draw distinct, literal, parallels to present day situations based on these Biblical instances? Your article makes me think this is highly unlikely. Maybe I’m off the mark or I didn’t understand something clearly in the article.

At any rate, this is something that really interests me and I’ve been trying to learn more about lately, so if you would be interested in commenting on this comment…I’d appreciate it :-)

]]> Comment on Christian Eschatology: The Irrelevance of the Modern Nation State of Israel to Biblical Prophecy by Randy L. Farmer http://christian-civilization.org/articles/christian-eschatology-the-irrelevance-of-the-modern-nation-state-of-israel-to-biblical-prophecy/#comment-392 Randy L. Farmer Sun, 28 Mar 2010 22:55:08 +0000 http://christian-civilization.org/?p=137#comment-392 I have in recent years lost through illness a lot of mental acuity and am at a very low level of concentration. Though I am a born-again believer in God's Son, Jesus Christ, I have never been that faithful to eschaetological views of any camp of believers. I am very perplexed with the manner of political moves being made by our current leaders of our U.S.A. Are there any concise statements or reliable websites that take the current political moves with a sincere attempt to analyze them biblically? I do not do well searching hundreds of pages of junk without finding any thing near to your article as written here. Do you have any such article? I am not perplexed with the destiny of the U.S.A. or Israel and other nations, but simply wish to be in the vicinity of the people that God wishes to bless and not in cahoots with those Jehovah has predetermined to reap trouble by direct rebellion of His Laws of Love. I appreciate the research and involvement displayed in this article to present the truth. After dealing with death face to face three times in 2009, truth is more important to me by far than political, denominational, or any form of human correctness. I just desire to be as biblically correct as I can be when asked questions about the current state of affairs of my native country, U.S.A., and our other true democratic nations. For me the only truth is that truth that is carefully documented both biblically and historically. I cannot with any such documentation dispute your research. I will try, however, to read your resources and follow your biblical (proofs)relationships that formulate your theory. Your particular biases are easily found in your formulations as are the biases of any who view The Divine Light, with our human eyes. Form me perfect understanding of God and His Ways, is a novel idea but not humanly possible. The Light Himself is levels beyond pure. Our glimpses, of His Will, His Truth, are ever evolving as we allow the Holy Spirit to purify us in His Presence. I desire to be still evolving, till He thinks it is time for me to be transformed into grace given immortality, that alone can view His Fullness. Your little blue links to any such site will be helpful. May the Lord continue to persuade you by His Eternal Rightness, as you prepare to guide others to biblical truth. I have in recent years lost through illness a lot of mental acuity and am at a very low level of concentration. Though I am a born-again believer in God’s Son, Jesus Christ, I have never been that faithful to eschaetological views of any camp of believers. I am very perplexed with the manner of political moves being made by our current leaders of our U.S.A.
Are there any concise statements or reliable websites that take the current political moves with a sincere attempt to analyze them biblically? I do not do well searching hundreds of pages of junk without finding any thing near to your article as written here. Do you have any such article? I am not perplexed with the destiny of the U.S.A. or Israel and other nations, but simply wish to be in the vicinity of the people that God wishes to bless and not in cahoots with those Jehovah has predetermined to reap trouble by direct rebellion of His Laws of Love.
I appreciate the research and involvement displayed in this article to present the truth. After dealing with death face to face three times in 2009, truth is more important to me by far than political, denominational, or any form of human correctness. I just desire to be as biblically correct as I can be when asked questions about the current state of affairs of my native country, U.S.A., and our other true democratic nations. For me the only truth is that truth that is carefully documented both biblically and historically. I cannot with any such documentation dispute your research. I will try, however, to read your resources and follow your biblical (proofs)relationships that formulate your theory. Your particular biases are easily found in your formulations as are the biases of any who view The Divine Light, with our human eyes. Form me perfect understanding of God and His Ways, is a novel idea but not humanly possible. The Light Himself is levels beyond pure. Our glimpses, of His Will, His Truth, are ever evolving as we allow the Holy Spirit to purify us in His Presence. I desire to be still evolving, till He thinks it is time for me to be transformed into grace given immortality, that alone can view His Fullness.
Your little blue links to any such site will be helpful.
May the Lord continue to persuade you by His Eternal Rightness, as you prepare to guide others to biblical truth.

]]> Comment on Christian Eschatology: The Irrelevance of the Modern Nation State of Israel to Biblical Prophecy by JJ http://christian-civilization.org/articles/christian-eschatology-the-irrelevance-of-the-modern-nation-state-of-israel-to-biblical-prophecy/#comment-387 JJ Thu, 18 Feb 2010 06:31:59 +0000 http://christian-civilization.org/?p=137#comment-387 Amen, Doug. Amen, Doug.

]]> Comment on Is Arminianism A False Gospel? by TulipBee DaisyBee - Page 3 - Christian Forums http://christian-civilization.org/articles/is-arminianism-a-false-gospel/#comment-386 TulipBee DaisyBee - Page 3 - Christian Forums Mon, 01 Feb 2010 16:19:25 +0000 http://localhost/christian-civilization.org/?p=113#comment-386 [...] and Errors of Arminianism Argument on the Arminian Controversy. Is Arminianism A False Gospel? Institute for Christian Culture | Is Arminianism A False Gospel? THE ARMINIAN HERESIE NIPT IN THE BUD The Arminian Heresy Nipped in the Bud. Arminian Heresy [...] [...] and Errors of Arminianism Argument on the Arminian Controversy. Is Arminianism A False Gospel? Institute for Christian Culture | Is Arminianism A False Gospel? THE ARMINIAN HERESIE NIPT IN THE BUD The Arminian Heresy Nipped in the Bud. Arminian Heresy [...]

]]> Comment on The Bible and Ghosts by Bruce http://christian-civilization.org/articles/the-bible-and-ghosts-2/#comment-384 Bruce Wed, 06 Jan 2010 19:18:38 +0000 http://christian-civilization.org/?p=168#comment-384 Have enjoyed reading your articles on various topics and found them to be well reasoned and biblically sound. I would take some issue with the first paragraph in your conclusion on The Bible and Ghosts, however. First, while there is no ritual for exorcism in the New Testament, there are certainly examples. Secondly, as a believer from Kenya pointed out to me many years ago, the spread of Christianity doesn't eliminate demonic activity, it simply changes it. The tactics of the Enemy are all designed to keep people in bondage to deception. Overt demonstrations of power such as occur in many settings dominated by false religions and philosophies, if utilized in gospel saturated cultures, would spark revival. We may not have to cast out demons, but we certainly need to "resist the devil" and take our stand against his schemes. Have enjoyed reading your articles on various topics and found them to be well reasoned and biblically sound. I would take some issue with the first paragraph in your conclusion on The Bible and Ghosts, however. First, while there is no ritual for exorcism in the New Testament, there are certainly examples. Secondly, as a believer from Kenya pointed out to me many years ago, the spread of Christianity doesn’t eliminate demonic activity, it simply changes it. The tactics of the Enemy are all designed to keep people in bondage to deception. Overt demonstrations of power such as occur in many settings dominated by false religions and philosophies, if utilized in gospel saturated cultures, would spark revival. We may not have to cast out demons, but we certainly need to “resist the devil” and take our stand against his schemes.

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