NAACP calls for the passage of the Jubilee Act

Check out this press release from the NAACP about the Jubilee Act. It says in part:

For every dollar received in grant aid, low-income countries pay back $2.30 in debt service, preventing fulfilling crucial needs such as health care, housing, education and necessary infrastructure development.

My interest in this bill is because it is based on the biblical principle of Jubilee in Leviticus 25:8-55. God did not want some Israelites to be filthy rich and other Israelites to permanently lose their possession and become permanently poor because He had redeemed them.

This legislation is being sponsored by Senators Robert Casey(PA), Richard Lugar (IN), and Chris Dodd (CT) and Rep Maxine Waters (CA). It is HR 2634 /S 2166, the Jubilee Act, which calls for the U.S. Treasury to support 100% tax relief to poor countries that need it most.

Tough Questions

Here is an interesting letter of questions about Christianity:

http://geoffsurratt.typepad.com/inner_revolution/2008/02/tough-questions.html

I did put in my two cents. Her big question was on why God would send a good sincere Moslem to hell. Here is part of my response:

Here is my quick answer to her question about going to hell because you believe in the wrong religion. Jesus warned that following the path that everyone else is following is never the right idea. So following american culture gets you to the same place as following Muslim culture. Religion has no ability to usher in God’s kingdom. A careful reading of the gospels, and Jesus’s hatred of the religious leaders of his day, makes this abundantly clear.

Ergo – it simply doesn’t matter if you believe in the wrong religion because religion does not save.

So what does? Carefully read the book of Romans in the new testament. Here is my outline of the first 3 chapters:

1. A righteousness from God has been revealed – in the Gospel (1:1-16)

2. God is upset with every kind of wickedness of the non-religious (1:18-31)

3. God is even more upset with the religious because they are hypocrites who do the same things the non-religious do (chapter 2) In fact, sometimes the non-religious do the right thing even though they don’t go to church.

4. Actually, no one is righteous. Religious or Not religious. American or Iraq. No one. Not even Mother Theresa. (Rom 3). There is no difference between religious people and non-religious people (Rom 3:22 right before the famous Rom 3:23)

Anyway – I believe that the New Testament is talking much more about how to have Jesus be boyfriend #1 rather than another “do this and don’t do that” religious system. I would encourage an intense study of this theme in the Bible – maybe starting with Romans, but one of the gospels would do just as well.

Experiencing the Song of Solomon with Denzel Washington

 

The award winning audio book – the Bible Experience- is an audio book of the Bible with a cast of hundreds and high production values.

The Song of Solomon is performed with Denzel Washington being Solomon and Pauletta Washington, Denzel’s  wife of twenty five years being the beloved. This is one of Denzel’s best performances ever. Washington’s priorities in life are God, his family, and his work, in that order.

Download the first two chapters here

If you want to buy this from itunes store:

1. Select the iTunes Store from itunes

2. Enter “Ecclesiastes Bible Experience” in search itunes store

3. You will see “Ecclesiastes – Song of Songs:…

4. Press “Buy Book” button. It costs $3.95

5. Once you have downloaded it, Song of Solomon starts on minute 40:00 with Pauletta saying “Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth— for your love is more delightful than wine.”

Happy Valentines day!

A difference between Jesus Christ and George W. Bush: pardoning prisoners

One hallmark of Jesus’s ministry was to proclaim freedom to prisoners and to set them free, yet George Bush has one of the worst Presidential Pardon rates of United States presidents since WWII. He has only pardoned 113 people. His dad is the only one with even a worse pardon rate. George H. Bush only pardoned 74 people.  FDR was the most “Christ-like” in this regard pardoning 2819 people. Here are some of the other numbers:

• Truman……………1913
• Eisenhower………1110
• Kennedy…………..472
• Johnson…………….960
• Nixon………………..863
• Ford…………………..382 (including Nixon)
• Carter………………..534
• Reagan……………….393
• Clinton………………..396

The power for presidents to pardon is enshrined the US Constitution in Article II, Section 2

source: 2008 Scott’s Miscellany, p 304

A Deliberate Plan for 2008

Here is a deliberate plan to read the entire Bible in 2008

I also recommend listening to this plan using the Daily Audio Bible podcast.

Dust #2 – The Blessed Curse

This graphic book is available as a free download here.

Papau New Guinea – “Lead, follow, or get out of the way”

The United States  just made a u-turn at the Bali, Indonesia Conference and  agreed to accept an agreement for a quantifiable global emissions standards to reduce carbon emissions. At first they refused:

US: I have to say that the formulation that, you know, has been given forward, we cannot accept.

(boos)

but then the Papua New Guinea spokesman, Kevin Conrad, representing one of the smallest and poorest country’s represented at the conference, made this short speech: 

PAPUA NEW GUINEAU – There is an old saying “Lead, follow, or get out of the way” And I would ask the United States, we ask for your leadership, we seek your leadership, but if for some reason you are not willing to lead, then please, leave it to the rest of us,  please get out of the way.”

The United States makes a 180 degree turn because of this speech.

United States: We will go forward and join consensus in this today.

It has becoming increasingly obvious that humans are responsible for global warming. You would think that this would influence world leaders to help reduce the carbon emissions that could mess up our world that, as the Bible teaches, we are stewards of. That is why conferences such as the Bali conference this week are so important. 

http://www.cnn.com/2007/WORLD/asiapcf/12/15/bali.agreement/?iref=mpstoryview#cnnSTCVideo

The Lord’s Prayer in Hebrew

http://www.hebrew4christians.com/Prayers/The_Lord_s_Prayer_7/the_lord_s_prayer_7.html

4 year old girl reciting Psalm 23

11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand (Eph 6:11 KJV)

Facts about modern interceptor body armor:

• More effective than traditional bulletproof vests
• Designed by DARPA  – the central R & D organization of the Department of Defense (DoD) which has a $3.2 billion dollar annual budget
• The Outer Tactical Vest (OTV) and the small arm Protective Inserts (SAPI)  can stop most bullets going slower than 1525 ft/s
• The vest covers both the front and the back
• It is unisex. Men and Women have the same standard issue
• The vest has removable parts to protect the neck, throat, shoulders and groin
• The entire armor system weighs 16.4 pounds, down from the previous armor system which weighed 25.1 pounds
• There is a trade-off between loss of mobility and comfort and weight v. Protection. This is a strategic problem in Iraq when  lightly equipped  insurgents V. a fully protected American soldier  with weapons, ammunition, armor, food, water, and other equimpment  has 60 lbs of gear.
• You must wear the standard gear
• The complete Interceptor system costs $1585

http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/interceptor.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Interceptor_body_armor

http://manual.americasarmy.com/index.php/U.S._Army_Equipment

10Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.

 11Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.

 12For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.

 13Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

 14Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness;

 15And your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace;

 16Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked.

 17And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God:

18Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watching thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints;