Magi versus MAGA - January 6th Insurrection and Epiphany/Three Kings Day

 

Matthew 2:1-12

January 6th is traditionally celebrated by Christians the world over as Epiphany Day or Three Kings Day celebrating the Magi visiting the Christ child with three gifts which could have been one person or three people with each gift. 

Sadly, January 6 is also in remembrance for the horrible insurrection on January 6, 2021 when Trump provoked a violent insurrection against the nations Capital to try to prevent the certification by Congress of Joe Biden as president of the United States. 

The magi go off to a distant land in search of the King, born, King of the Jews.  It is not known whether the magi fully understood the deity and the kingship of Jesus Christ, the messiah, but they were searching for a king, something, someone, who would be the king above all kings and address the wars and suffering around the world in their time and time immemorial. 

Ironic, that the MAGA insurrectionists, not the Magi, on January 6, 2021 followed a false king, someone who desired/desires to be a king, dictator, worshiped ruler with power, to overthrow and stop a valid election.  Seeking an earthly king while claiming to follow Christ the King.  Not seeing the false god, false worship, idolatry, and destruction of life, liberty, property and ultimately any faith in the living Christ the king.

While the Magi may not fully understand the kingship, messiah, and salvation that Christ would bring to the world to bring about that peace now through the Holy Spirit, God's church, and God's return, they knew it to be something that was good.  The MAGA instead know and have heard the good news and claim to follow the good news, but instead uphold a false god in Trump that they seek not the good but as Trump says I am your retribution.  This is someone not seeking the good of the country but the good of his power and manipulating others so that hey doesn't have to face his crimes but to stay in power.  

The first part of this ad didn’t seem like a big deal. The takeoff of the classic Paul Harvey “God made a farmer” part is fine. But that bit in the middle—“a shepherd to mankind who won’t ever leave nor forsake them.” That is blasphemy and idolatry.

pic.twitter.com/bqPLXx1W4q

— Megan Basham (@megbasham) January 6, 2024

Trump gets asked another question about his christian faith:

Q - “How do you do this? Where do you draw your strength from? We’re talking about Faith …

Trump - “I have the highest poll numbers people have ever seen.” pic.twitter.com/hTU9bWAp68

— Ron Filipkowski (@RonFilipkowski) December 2, 2023

CCP, Computers and Christianity

(Silence by Wang Keping)

Two articles that came out this morning and I read:

China Touts Its Great Firewall in Push for Internet Control

Christianity is Growing in China and What the Government is Doing About it

The Chinese Communist Party again seeks to control everything that it can to keep its power and influence.  It uses it's power in different ways and at different levels.  With information through the internet and through the State Church China has sought to provide a "religion" and "resource" that it controls like a river and that causes no destruction to it's interest or waves. While this news is always a cause for concern, the Chinese party still has not been able to control the hearts and thoughts of it's people and nor can it control the Holy Spirit.  The Word absent the Spirit is not enough in itself.  Similarly the resources absent a critical mind to analyze it is just words.  The mind, our spirit, and the Holy Spirit intermingles together and this chaos and waves cannot be controlled even as the resources and institutions try to be controlled.  This is not to downplay the importance of God's word because it is essential and this also doesn't downplay resources as more information to make informed decisions and discuss topics in the marketplace of ideas is important.  Nevertheless, without the mind, the soul, and the Spirit it is then just words on a page, or screen, or data bit. It is the Holy Spirit and the heart of the people that make it come alive through action and creativity.

Pray for the people of China as your prayers can impact their hearts as the Holy Spirit works on the hearts of many in China and around the world.

Surprised by Hawking

Sitting down to watch A Theory of Everything I wasn't expecting much.  I had actually decided to watch it because one of my favorite theologians/philosophers, William Lane Craig, posted a video analysis of the science and philosophy of the film.  I wasn't surprised by Stephen Hawking's atheism or his theoretical analysis of the beginning of the universe using quantum mechanics. What I was surprised about is that his wife, Jane Hawking, was a Christian before marriage, during marriage and even more so today.  I was surprised the divorced (spoiler alert, oh I guess too late).  I was surprised that Stephens progressive atheism from agnosticism seemed to stem not only from his worldview, his research, but also from his relationship to his wife.   I saw it based on his views between A Brief History of Time to The Grand Design.  But I didn't know the underlying story.  I enjoyed the film.  I read that Jane thought there should be more emotion to the story to show their struggle together and Stephen thought there should have been more science, but both seemed to endorse it and show them both with warts and all.

Here is an interesting article on Jane Hawking and her book:

The Theory of Everything and the Faith of Jane Hawking

Finally here is the video and analysis from William Lane Craig:

Is Potential and Actual Violence a Lifestyle Choice?

I received a text at 1:30AM in the morning, but I didn't see it until later that morning at 10:00AM.  The text read something to the fact that her fiance had choked her and threw her around.  A close friend of mine who was dating a guy I was already skeptical about had just attacked her during an argument and violently choked her and violently threw her around.  This was only a week ago.  She is rare as she is one of the few who got away and is currently safe and away from him.  Someone who had been verbally abusive and now took it to a level of physical abuse.

The picture above shows a screen capture of the recent release by TMZ of the elevator camera showing Ray Rice punching his then fiance twice and her falling and hitting her head on the rail and was knocked out cold. The whole ferver of what he did, his fiances defense of her abuser (while seeming to blame herself), the criticism of the NFL, and the commissioner seems to be overlooking a lot of the calls I seem to hear in sports radio and talk radio of guys defending Ray Rice.  It sickens me.  Ray Rices' fiance's defense of her abuser, later marriage of her abuser, and hiding the evidence of the abuse sickens me as well (but I know it is common place).

This made me think that it is possible and without knowing it the culture is both rebuking domestic violence and promoting films like Fifty Shades of Grey which promote sexual violence in a relationship as something that is ok and acceptable.  Outside of the American pop cultural hypocrisy, there seems to be an underlying current that domestic violence is a lifestyle choice and what happens behind close doors of two consenting adults is none of our business.  Even if it is abuse.  Some women take on a slave to master relationship which on some level seems to have restrictions on physical harm or being directed to do anything criminal, but even then the lines seem blurred in these shades of grey.

The linked article points to a Journal of Women's Health study, points out that women who read 50 Shades of Grey are more likely to have abusive partners who are abusive beyond what the book describes.  

While Christianity's recent past and English Common law has a history of allowing and even institutionalizing abuse against women as twisting the marriage relationship and scripture to allow a man to be "Lord" of his house and marriage.  While there is much more to be written on that subject, it is clear to understand that the role of the man to be like Christ and the woman to be like the church is not an abusive love but a love of self-sacrifice.  Again much can also be written on this subject and the Theology of Marriage but that isn't my main focus in this blog post.  What my concern is that there is at some level an acceptance and a popularization of abuse in relationships that seems innocent and "exciting" on a sexual level, but leaves huge blurred lines allowing abuse to be dismissed, hidden, popular, excused, deemed a "lifestyle," and given cultural relevance as an accepted form of a healthy relationship.  It seems that the psychosis in abused women to excuse, love their abuser to the end, and defend him was bad enough, but to now give moral and legal/lifestyle/cultural relevance seems to harken to a time when twisted scripture and courts gave the same moral and legal/cultural relevance of abuse then.  

I happened to run by this video today and I thought it was ironic in terms of all that seems to have happened in my life recently and with the national conversation on domestic abuse.

 

What Happens When Laughter Isn't The Best Medicine?

There are and there will be millions of words written and said about Robin Williams.  Words of praise, sorrow and some of scorn or even indifference.  To start out, I was a fan of Williams for the most part. Enjoyed his films both comedy and drama.  Even if I didn't agree with everything he said or stood for, I appreciated his comedic and acting talent.  I also can't say I know much about his mental condition specifically.  I can't speak to his mindset.  Nobody can really.  At least not specifically up to the point where he took a very real step of suicide. This isn't a post to condemn him or analyze him specifically.

What I've noticed on the news coverage is the praise of his talent and his ability to deal with his depression with comedy.  This is what it appears many comics do and probably many people who are not by profession a comedian.  However, nobody seems to point out that the comedy may have dealt with or covered his depression, but it ultimately did not save him from himself.  

This is not some criticism of comedy like some curmudgeon monk like in The Name of the Rose who tries to destroy Aristotle's' Book on Comedy. I think one of God's attributes is that of humor and one attribute rarely examined. However, even if God and scripture uses humor, it is not God's primary way of either expressing himself or saving mankind.  Love, faithfulness, grace, mercy, patience, forgiveness and sacrifice are ways in which God seeks to save humanity. 

So then a few questions:  What good is comedy to humanity and the Christian?  Could faith and God save those who suffer from depression from taking their lives?

As Bob Deffinbaugh answers in the article/question titled, "Does God Have a Sense of Humor?", comedy is a tool used by God (and used as a literary and teaching device in scripture). Thus, since God created things to be funny, God must have a sense of humor.  Comedy is good for people generally and Christians specifically to be used as a tool in life and teaching.  Comedy is disarming and disarms skeptical people who would otherwise ignore anything anyone says no matter how logical or inspired. Comedy has physical benefits of the body and mind which are the temple of the Holy Spirit.  Comedy is helpful in drawing close family and friends and building the community and Body of Christ.  These are just some of the many benefits of comedy.  However, it is only a tool toward a greater goal of the ongoing salvation of man which include things such as unity, community, and taking care of the body and life God has given us.  

Could faith in Christ have saved Robin Williams or anyone suffering from depression?  Well it all depends on how you define "saved."  Could faith in Christ save anyone suffering from depression?  Absolutely if that saving means salvation from ultimately spiritual death. However, there are Christians who suffer from depression and have killed themselves.  Without getting into the debate about suicide, sin and salvation, I will say that faith and salvation in Christ will not necessarily heal everyone of their physical and mental maladies.  While God can and does heal people physically and mentally, it is never a guarantee that God will restore us whole this side of heaven or His second coming.  As Paul can testify, physical maladies may even come after one comes to faith in Christ and salvation through Him.  We will still struggle with certain temptations, certain thoughts, certain pains, and certain mental conditions.  Many times these conditions will also be tools and teaching aids God uses to teach and guide us and/or others.  It is a tool towards salvation.  Many times it is difficult to see how a malady or condition will ultimately lead toward salvation, but God uses everything in His time and His way if we believe he uses all things for our good who are in Him (Romans 8:28).

It seems like Robin Williams even said it himself that comedy can be a front not only to deal with pain and depression, but as a wall keep people away or not reveal the true person who is in pain.  This would seem to show that comedy was at times counter-productive.  If you make someone laugh maybe that person will not ask what made you cry. 

An additional and very insightful article: Robin Williams's Laughter Masked A Deadly Disease  

  

Ana, Mia, & North Korea (revisited)

A friend of mine wanted to read this blog post I posted many moons ago.  So here it is:

This is what I get for surfing through xanga.  I was just looking at some of my blogrings Books, Books,&More Books and I checked out one of the blogs that seemed interesting called "Tear in ur eyes".  I was looking through her blogrings and I saw an interesting blogring called "Korean Anas."  Ok, I'm not a complete idiot, but I seriously didn't know what this blogring was about for like the first 5 minutes.  Then a word kept coming up in names and descriptions: "skinny."  Then it dawned on me and I was a little sickened.  I was sad just as I am always sad when I come upon a woman/girls blog specifically accounting their desire to be skinny and readily affirming their Anorexiaand/or Bulimia.  I was aware of the nick name Ana, but Mia was a new one to me.  What cute ways of describing such a sick act to afflict upon ones self.  As I looked through a few of the blogs and commented on one of them I started to think about this issue.

My ex g/f is Korean-American.  She was a very skinny girl at one time, but through college she did take on some weight.  I remember she would tell me how her Korean mother would say such rude remarks concerning her weight that would hurt her feelings deeply.  She struggled with her weight and body image issues, but it was never something that concerned me and my attraction to her.  She was not fat, but she was not skinny.  I would do my best to help her in that area and encourage her.  My primary concern was that she was "healthy" and the weight issue is secondary.  They are not necessarily the same thing.  A person can eat very well,  not go to the gym, and be "healthy."  Health is something that when you lose it, it is very difficult or impossible to gain back.  Weight can come and go. 

It also made me think of this western culture.  We create some of the worse food to eat that causes so much weight and then we worship thin.  It is a self-deprecation and self-worship to the point of uber-narcissim.  We love our "bad eating habits" and we "love being thin."  The sad part is we are exporting not only our bad eating habits, but our western narcissism to the East. 

The picture on the right above is from this article:

http://www.com.cuhk.edu.hk/varsity/9603/eat.htm Hong Kong

Also these articles:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/south_asia/2978216.stm Inidia

Anorexia Growing in Asia

For me, my main concern has been about the plight of North Koreans and specifically those starving in North Korea.  The picture on the left and especially the one picture in the middle shows a starving North Korean woman and her emaciated body.  This is in stark contrast to the picture on the right where we in the West can "chose" to emaciate ourselves for body image reasons (no matter the health problems later or then).  I don't have to point out the irony. 

The brain is a powerful thing.  I should know as someone who once struggled with anxiety attacks.  If you tell yourself something and believe it to a certian extent it is a huge struggle to confront those "natural thoughts" with logic that contradicts your way of thinking.  There are people who have a fear of many things that are irrational, but it is rational in their mind.  It is a process of unhinging that.  But on top of confronting your irrational thoughts, you need rational thoughts to replace them.  Faith (although some will say another irrational thought) in Christ helped me overcome my anxiety attacks by seeing a true prespective of who I am in Christ and what I can confront in Him.  I pray for these girls that put themselves through such horrible things, but really how far are any of us from them?

Originally posted January 29, 2008