Eliot Spitzer & Big Government

How are we to think about the recent events which saw the shameful resignation of Governor Spitzer in in New York State?

Noting while we try to address this, how he only fits a long standing pattern of such behaviors which is only increasing over time. President Clinton & Monica Lewinsky; Presidential Candidate Gary Hart & Donna Rice; NJ Governor James McGreevy & his male aide; Congressman Wilber Mills & stripper Fanne Fox; Senator Bob Packwood - numerous cases of sexual harassment; Grover Cleveland fathered an illegitimate child before his Presidency; Congressman Gary Condit & Chandra Levy; Congressman Mel Richards & a 16 year old campaign worker; Oregon Governor Neil Goldschmidt & 14 year old babysitter; Senator Brock Adams - 8 counts of sexual harassment, sexual assault & rape; Congressman Mark Foley - sexual text messages to male Pages; Congressman Bob Livingston - extra-marital affair; Mayor Jim West of Spokane WA - molesting young boys; Senator Larry Craig - lewd conduct in an airport men’s room; Congressman Wayne Hays - put his mistress on the House payroll; Senator Ted Kennedy & Mary Jo Kopechne; Congressman Barney Frank & his male lover who ran  a male prostitute ring out of Frank’s home. And the list goes on and on.

Proverbs 28:2 reads:

When a land transgresses, it has many rulers,

but with a man of understanding and knowledge,

its stability will long continue.

An increase in government is a direct result of a nation which is moving away from God. Government must increase to try and make up for the lack of self-government. It is a vicious cycle. The less responsibility each person takes for themselves before God, the more imposition from the outside becomes necessary to keep chaos from taking over. The problem is that over time, the governmental structure becomes so inflated, it must collapse under its own weight. Fewer and fewer people take responsibility for themselves before God, and that corruption extends to the government since the government is but - people. Those trying to enforce the rules and regulations themselves have abandoned personal responsibility - and thus a self-imposed judgment is inevitable. Our men and women in leadership will continue to reflect the populace in general, and will grow more and more corrupt over time. Only the Holy Spirit reigning in the hearts of men can reverse such a state of affairs. No governmental system is capable. Sin can only be dealt with in Christ - not by any external structure.

Some Brief Thoughts on Proverbs 3:11-12

 

¹¹ My son, do not despise the Lord’s discipline

or be weary of his reproof,

¹² for the Lord reproves him whom he loves,

as a father the son in whom he delights.

This need to refrain either from despising (treating lightly) or wearying of the Lord’s discipline is true whether you are the subject of such loving discipline, or if you are in leadership and must be an agent in carrying it out, or, if you are part of a Body which engages actively in such outward love.

All three applications must be made.

a. The sinner, treats the Father’s discipline as though it is a light thing. Either that God does not discipline, or, that He does not take unrepentant sin in our lives very seriously. It is easy then too - if we DO live in the reality of His loving discipline, to grow weary of of it, as though we can do NOTHING right and want to just get away from every manifestation of it. Such need to be reminded this is love, and the product of His delight in us. To pay us the supreme compliment, that the Lord of the universe pays attention to the details of our lives.

b. Leadership can treat it lightly and thus neglect it. Or, being confronted with many needs to administer it in certain seasons, grow exceedingly weary in the process. But we are to be agents of God’s love - NOT His wrath. We must keep this focus and not let it cross over into something heavy and odious. We too must remember how the Father is delighting in sons and daughters, and that we are there to manifest His love, care and concern in His active involvement in their lives.

c. So too a congregation can begin to wonder if Church discipline is really all that necessary. After all, it is painful, uncomfortable. We naturally dislike it. As a people we can grow weary and just say - “lets’ let God handle it alone - why get ourselves all upset at people’s sins?” Then again, we must take up the banner of love and be sure we do not neglect to love in the hard places. To do what is uncomfortable, when it is best for the ones we are loving in Christ’s name.

DON’T FORGET THE UPCOMING ROCHESTER THEOLOGY CONFERENCE!!!!

Flynn’s “MASSIVE Calvin bomb”

After years of reading and research, Flynn has posted a MASSIVE amount of Calvin quotations on the Calvin and Calvinism blog that should transform opinion about the great Reformer!

This is a MUST read for anyone who has ever wrestled with getting a solid handle on disputed areas of Calvin’s theology - especially as regards the atonement. The data simply must be reckoned with regardless of where you stand on the issue, or where you end up on it.

DON’T FORGET THE ROCHESTER THEOLOGY CONFERENCE - INFORMATION HERE!!!!

Created to be his Help Meet - A Review (sort of).

DON’T FORGET THE ROCHESTER THEOLOGY CONFERENCE - INFORMATION HERE!!!!

 

I will begin by saying that I have no doubt that Debi Pearl’s heart is in the right place. The desire to help women assume their Biblical roles and love their husbands and families well is laudable and good.

And, there are some real nuggets of excellent counsel to be found in places within the pages of this book.

That being said, the nuggets are often (most often in my view) so buried beneath layer upon layer of Biblical misunderstanding and wrong reasoning as to make the book one I could not recommend to anyone. In many places it is truly a shame to read what has been written. And I feel most grievously for many of the women who have been guilted into a nonsensical and Biblically contrary approach to the marriage relationship by it, and worse, those who at present are living in the false manipulation I believe it teaches women to indulge in.

Rather than a summary critique, I have chosen here to simply make various citings, and then respond to those citings.

The ones I have chosen are only representative, and not exhaustive. One could find something on the vast majority of pages to object to Biblically.