prisonchaplain

I can meet you half way. Regardless of how much Heavenly Father forgives us, we need JAG. 😌

I've got a witness!

This from Christianity.com: The point is not to get fixed on a specific number, checklist, or scorecard as Peter was doing. The phrase “seventy times seven,” which we first encounter in Genesis 4:24, is a certain number used to signal an uncertain, nearly indescribable amount. According to R.C. Sproul, when Peter asked Jesus how many times he should forgive, Jesus essentially told him, “As many times as it takes”

I couldn't do what I do unless I believed in free will--even very late in the game (of life). "Whosoever will may come." All who are hungry or thirsty or both are welcome. Death bed conversions are real. The thief on the cross was real. The prodigal son--was all of us. Perhaps the greatest evidence of free will is Judas. Jesus knew this disciple would betray him. Jesus even said it would have been better for him if he had never been born. So, where's the free will? Jesus still chose him. Jesus still washed his feet. Jesus suffered and died so that folks like him could repent. Jesus may have known that Judas would not repent, but the invitation and possiblity was always there. There are secular scholars who argue that God's foreknowledge negates free will. I disagree. Often, we know what our children will do. We recognize their patterns (often because we did likewise at their age). Nevertheless, we let them make their mistakes. Most of the time we see the errors well in advance. Once in a while they surprise us and don't do what we fear they will. Regardless, the mistakes or wise choices are theirs. God, being all-knowing, is always correct in what He knows. Nevertheless, the choices are ours. We are free. BTW, is free will not core to LDS teaching. My understanding is that free agency is even stronger (more advanced) than free will, and that it is crucial to LDS theology.

In reviewing my last post, I realized that I got to preaching. Occupational hazard, I guess. 😉

This is the gist of the Replacement Theology argument: The Jewish people broke the "If my people..." conditions and so inherited the "If my people do not ..." warnings. Thus, God replaced the Jews with the Christian church. My difficulty with this approach is that we have all failed God. Jesus forgives 70X7. The cycle throughout the Old Testament was of sin (whoring after false gods--not just corrupt Judaism, but full-on Paganism), repentance, forgiveness, blessing, and gradual drifting away. Every time they came back, God forgave them. His covenant remains. Every time I repent, likewise, God embraces his prodigal son. We need the Old Testament largely because it reminds us that as undependable as we are, God remains true to His word.

There is no official Evangelical view on this, though the end times movies I've seen tend to show ancient biblical prophets resurrected to fulfill this role. One of the more interesting takes on the 144,000 was that they were Jews with special power to call out an individual's sins and ask them to repent. The sins were accurate--revealed by the Holy Spirit--but most just got angry and stormed away. Seemed pretty accurate to me.

Actually, based upon the teachings of both of our churches, this is proof that God is. 😉

It's so sad to me that so many adults--especially men--and too often ministers--fall prey to sexual temptation. My own fellowship had a terrible season in the late 1980s with the two Jimmies. More recently, Christian apologist Ravi Zacharias had terrible revelations about him immediately following his death. It's terrible when adults abuse adults--even worse when they abuse children. I really have nothing to add. It's all so sad. I believe redemption is possible--even from these crimes. It's why I do what I do. Nevertheless, this stuff is so heart wrenching. 😢

The facts seem to favor Israel in the current conflict. "The other side started it," would usually work when explaining to the yard duty at the elementary school playground why fighting took place--if it could be proven. In this case, the Palestinians admit to starting the conflict. Those taking their side claim that the hostilities were decades in coming but admit that their side threw the first punch in the current conflict. Evangelicals favor Israel for another reason. Many of us see Israel and modern Jews as pivotal to end-times prophesy. We believe God will bring a revival at the end of time and that many/most Jews will come to accept Jesus as their Messiah. We continue to believe that the Jews are God's special people. We reject "replacement theology," which suggests that the Christian church has inherited God's promises to Abraham and the Jewish people. So, while some criticism of the Israeli government may come from our corner, for the most part we are inclined to favor Israel in these conflicts. Further, every time hostilities break out, we renew our passion for the Lord's return. Are their similar feelings among the saints or are beliefs about the end times quite different?

Some of us chose the former president because we hoped he'd pick SCOTUS judges to make correct yet stunning, courageous decisions. So, I'd argue that Republicans--some anyway--had a hand in bringing this decision about.

This would have been a wild-eyed "never could happen here" example, what a month ago? Now? 🤷‍♂️

I'm torn on this one. It's true that many Democrats--and yes, many independents--are pro-abortion. However, many social conservatives engage in politics primarily to slow down or stop abortion. They generally think politics are dirty, but are willing to fight to save the lives of the unborn. Many other Republicans see this issue as a loser and just want it to go away. I enjoy the Wall Street Journal, but this newspaper is an example. It's not exactly prochoice, but it sees the issue as a loser for conservatives. I partially agree that it's a tough issue to sell. On the other hand, if I have to die on a hill saving baby's lives is worth fighting and even losing for.

Angels on Assignment was popular in the late 1970s. In the 2010s there was a locally published book called Heaven is So Real. A local Korean American lady, who had married an American soldier, had angelic visitations that she wrote about. My sense is that her experiences were authentic, though I agree that I would not have formed new doctrinal beliefs by reading the book. There was a book written over 120 years ago that forever caused me to be cautious about such writings. In it the person described seeing heaven. What she wrote seemed so right and so faith-affirming. Towards the end she said that God had the races living separately in heaven because He knew we would be more comfortable. That ruined it for me. I realized that what she wrote was her opinion baptized in the language of one who had angelic visitations. Can accounts of people having visions of heaven (or encounters with angels) be real? Of course. BUT, we read them to affirm scripture truths. We do not bestow on such writers/speakers a prophetic mantle. At least not without God clearly affirming such. Usually, those who write these accounts do not claim to be prophets, or even teachers. The authentic ones usually just had a great experience with God that they want to share.

The headline is half right. Republicans tend to overrate themselves. Further, the former U.S. president grossly overrates himself. On the other hand, conservatism is underrated. Perhaps the former president's greatest intellectual flaw is just how much he underrates conservatism.

To be clear, I was suggesting that the devil is behind the shift, not Angel Studios. Further, I would argue that standard time is God's answer to the devil's innovation--daylight time. 😁

If I am not mistaken, at least according to the trailer, Satan is behind it.

If I am not mistaken, Angel Studios is the producer. So, while it may not be an LDS film, it should be neutral to positive for church members. I'm more interested in seeing the upcoming movie, The Shift.

Gen Z to Boomer: I have some concerns about the church. Boomer to Gen Z: Really? Let me tell you some French/Spanish jokes. That's all you have to say? I think this thread has

I tried to understand. I read and reread, but I'm so lost. Can someone help me understand? Perhaps if you do as the following suggests:

I was told that a used Toyota Rav4 Hybrid is $44K. I paid $13K for my non-hybrid and felt like I was being an earth-friendly super hero.

I thought I was saving the earth by switching from my Chevy Impala to a 2013 Rav4 (16 -> 25 MPG). 😉

Funny...different story, but funny. Of course, that miracle wine was literally glorified grape juice. Unfertilized wine had about a 4% alcohol content after typical dilution--about 1/3rd of today's variety. 😉

Still...the context of the story is that the 12 baskets of leftovers was a miracle not a commentary on the over-simplicity of the meal. 😉

I was responding to the text she quoted--the Original Post. @zil2 is correct.