The “Mark of the Beast”

This past week Sweden did something atrocious. It codified religious discrimination in employment. Pro-life nurses, those who believe that killing is immoral, cannot work as midwives in Sweden. There is no consideration for conscientious objections to the killing of human beings. Midwives, regardless of their Christian faith or their personal beliefs, must be willing to kill children to work in a field that specializes in bringing life into the world. If governments force people to kill against their will in order to be employed, is there any belief an individual can hold that is not trumped by progressive social policy. This is immoral. There is no correlation between a woman’s “right” to have an abortion and making all health care providers participate in abortion. This is about social control. The government decided that there is only one acceptable position, and that is what the government decrees. If you think that this is just a Swedish thing you need to be aware that “progressive” nurses in the US have voiced similar sentiments in the past. Some leading nurses have said that individuals who do not support abortion should not be allowed to become nurses.

Nursing is about health care. Health care is enhancing and preserving life. Pregnancy is not a disease state but the indication of a healthy functioning body. Killing human beings is not health care, it is the opposite. So why is it reasonable to force people, against their deepest held beliefs, to participate in what is not health care?

Many Christians are waiting for the “mark of the beast” from the book of Revelation in the Bible. The site of this mark is said to be on the forehead and on the hand. They expect an implantable chip, a cashless society or something similar. If you don’t have the mark you will not be able to buy or sell (find employment or participate in society). However, I believe that this is a misunderstanding which would only apply once to the end of the age. Rather I think that this is something that confronts every generation. The mark could just as easily mean, “what you think” and “what you do”. When society or government compels us to think correctly (in opposition to God’s teaching) and to do that which is immoral or unethical (in opposition to God’s law) we have entered that system. Our right as autonomous human beings has been abrogated. Christians and independent thinkers need to resist the totalitarian impulses of government and culture in every age lest we find ourselves assimilated by the borg.

This morning I was thinking about some articles I have recently read. In Belize which is ostensibly a very Christian nation (86%) it takes only a few moments to find people who practice or believe in some form of witchcraft or paganism. It also does not take too long to figure out that 86% reflects a cultural tradition in which most people identify as Christian whether they are practitioners or not. In America the percentage is 77.5 with some 25% identified as evangelical. Again it does not take long to figure out that perhaps 6-8% of the population consist of practicing evangelicals. As a result, things are a changing. You might enjoy this Dylan song that reflects the sentiment. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=90WD_ats6eE A large percent of millennials are now “nones” and some 63% seldom or never attend church. Therefore, the religious landscape of the US is going to continue to change. A recent article in the NYT notes that psychotherapist and others in the caring professions are going to have to learn about astrology, tarot cards and crystals as their clients are increasingly also consulting shamans and New Age teachings. https://www.nytimes.com/2019/08/28/style/therapy-psychology-astrology-tarot-ayahuasca.html.  In regard to that I recently I have had a couple of conversations with people who view the universe or earth as sentient and attach divine character to them. Why do I mention this? I mention it because as Christians we are the people that God has put in this time and place to represent the Kingdom of God. We need to share our faith (with words and deeds) with all those who might be open to hearing the message. We need to come out of our comfort zones and engage the culture with the Gospel. While we need to do this with love, sensitivity and compassion we must model a Christian Worldview as an alternative to what is now in the marketplace. That is why we are here.

I was sitting in an evening service wondering about whether anything that I had been doing had made any difference. Then in the course of the evening one couple shared about their prayer ministry and someone they had been inviting to church. Another person volunteered that they had asked their landlord to attend a service. And when I looked around I saw another who had been financially assisting some of the parishioners. Then it struck me that even though we have not been seeing any tangible numerical growth that individuals were beginning to use their gifts to make a difference in the world around us. And isn't that really what it is all about?
Lee

Recently I encountered some amazing storytellers. They were employing the art of Biblical Storytelling. As I watched the various stories being told I was amazed by the impact of the story telling and the things that I learned by hearing a story rather than reading the text. I would recommend that you look at the following websites and see of this is an area you might want to explore. I hope that our community will make use of storytelling in the future.

http://www.nbsint.org/watchastory

http://faithandwonder.com/

http://www.nbsint.org/

Lee.

I can remember reading a Jesus People USA newspaper in the 1970s and being impressed with the committed nature of the people involved. Years have passed but the message really has not. We all have had an opportunity to be exposed to the world that we live in. We have felt its demands and have navigated our way figuring out how to support a family, be successful in our chosen work and in general be a productive member of society. But somewhere in the midst of all of that we often got sidetracked. That is why it is so important to hear from voices like those of the early church or even from our own generation. As Christians we do not exist for ourselves. Paul while making a case for being completely sold out for Jesus states that those who are in Christ are a new creation. The old has gone and the new has come. When we look at our lives can that be said of us. Have we made that commitment to Christ? Are we willing to live entirely for him? Can we determine in our minds where that path diverges from our own lives and that of society at large. This is the task at hand. To learn to keep our eyes on the prize and run the race. We are participants, not observers. Disciples not church members. Let's be faithful to that calling. ---Lee

In the beginning...

Both Leslie and I will be using this blog to share our perspectives on faith. By virtue of our gifting I will share comments about world view, culture and scripture while Leslie will focus on spiritual formation, meditation and contemplation. She will also do some devotional writing. We will sign our posts so that it will not be confusing. 

I am a reluctant web person. I traditionally have little to do with Facebook, blogs or online media. I am instead more of a doer. I tend to be active either working with people medically or in regard to their faith. However, as I have looked around me and observed the general state of affairs over the last decade or so I have become aware of trends that are of concern to me and, I believe, to all of those who follow Christ and seek the Kingdom of God. Many of the changes were the result of secularism but many also were the result of the general decrease in Biblical knowledge and a loss of a Biblical world view. I want to take some time to look at the culture we live in and to examine it more carefully than is often done. What I am suggesting is that what we really believe does matter. I will be sharing brief articles that I hope will be an encouragement to those who seek a Biblical world view to carry them through the culture. As I enter this journey I hope to learn from each person that has opportunity to read and comment on my thoughts. Lee

I have a passion to see God's children, especially his daughters, come to know and experience the unconditional love and acceptance of God so that they can live the life that God intended them to live- to thrive, to be satisfied with who they are, and to fulfill their God-given destiny. What causes some people to change inwardly, to be transformed in Christ and why is it that others never really experience significant change at all? How are people transformed in Christ? These questions have encouraged me to read and learn more about neuroscience (study of the nervous system) and how we as humans have the ability to rewire our brains in order to live differently if we so desire- to live happy, fruitful lives in Christ. 

Stay tuned for more on this topic as it relates to spiritual formation. Leslie