Politics, Culture, and Faith

Are The L.A. Fires ‘The Wrath of God’

Rick Tryon2 Comments

No doubt there are going to be those who claim that the current devastating wildfires in Los Angeles are God’s wrath being poured out on a sinful and wicked city and state.

And sadly, this kind of ‘hellfire and brimstone’ nonsense will be preached by so-called ‘Christians’ as it has been countless times when death and tragedy strikes a particular community or geographical area. No wonder people are abandoning traditional and Evangelical Christian churches in droves.

Let’s look at the answer Jesus gave to his questioners in Luke 13:1-5 when they asked him about Pilate slaughtering a group of Galileans:

“There were present at that season some that told him of the Galilaeans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.

And Jesus answering said unto them, Suppose ye that these Galilaeans were sinners above all the Galilaeans, because they suffered such things I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.

Or those eighteen, upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and slew them, think ye that they were sinners above all men that dwelt in Jerusalem? I tell you, Nay: but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish.“

Our Lord could not be more clear. Disaster, suffering, and death, natural or man-caused, are not meted out according to the level of sinfulness present in an area. Bad things don’t happen to bad people exclusively, and tragedy is NOT a sign of God’s judgement in this present age.

However, there is a time coming when God’s judgement and restoration will fall on the entire creation. The Apocalypse is real, but it is reserved for a future time, and those who have already accepted and covered themselves in the sacrifice of the Lamb are spared from that great and terrible day.

Farewell To Jimmy Carter

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Air Tragedies

There were two airplane disasters within days of each other during Christmas week.

A Jeju Air passenger jet crashed while landing at Muan International Airport in South Korea early Sunday morning – 179 fatalities out of 181 people on board. Two crew members survived.

Also there was a Christmas Day crash of an Azerbaijan Airlines plane, which resulted in 38 fatalities.

If there’s a God why does he allow this kind of death and suffering to happen? I heard a thought provoking reply to that question recently that went something like this – If there is no God then why are death and suffering considered bad?

I don’t necessarily think that’s a convincing or satisfying answer but it does deserve some thoughtful consideration, in my opinion. As an ongoing exercise on this blog we’ll be diving into the issue of why God allows evil , so stay tuned.

Former President Jimmy Carter passes away

Jimmy Carter, the 39th President of the United States and Nobel Peace Prize laureate, died at the age of 100 on Sunday. Carter was the longest-living former president in U.S. history.

Carter called himself a born again Christian and he certainly walked the talk during his long life. Regardless of what one thinks about his liberal politics, he was a great example of what service to country and community looks like.

A good man who will be missed by many. Rest In Peace, Jimmy.

Which Country Is The Smallest And Has A Lot Of Gossip?

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Photo via Julius Silvers, pexels.com

The smallest country in the world is…drumroll please…and the answer is – Vatican City, covering only 0.27 square miles.

Did you know that? I didn’t. But now we do.

Speaking of Vatican City, Pope Francis gave his annual Christmas address on Saturday at the Vatican, and as reported by the National Catholic Register, talked about a bit about Vatican City:
In a separate address to Vatican employees and their families, the Pope compared Vatican City to “a large beehive” bustling with activity in its streets, courtyards, corridors and offices. He thanked those working and unable to attend the gathering but made it possible.

The Pope also addressed gossip amongst Vatican employees and officials:

The Pope warned that gossip “damages social bonds, poisons hearts, and leads nowhere,” as he addressed cardinals and senior Vatican officials. He urged them to practice self-accusation rather than accusation of others, drawing on the teachings of early Christian spiritual masters.

The Apostle Paul agrees. In his second letter to the church at Corinth, 2 Corinthians 12:20, Paul admonishes the Corinthian believers: “For I fear, lest, when I come, I shall not find you such as I would, and that I shall be found unto you such as ye would not: lest there be debates, envyings, wraths, strifes, backbitings, whisperings, swellings, tumults”.

Sounds a bit like what goes on behind closed doors in the Biden White House or a recent meeting of the Democratic National Committee. I kid – kind of.

Is OpenAI A Liberal?

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I saw an interesting comment on ‘X’ recently referring back to a 2023 article in Forbes citing research showing that ChatGPT has a left leaning bias.

I use ChatGPT sometimes but never really paid much attention to its political/ideological tilt, but I think the following personal example of how AI can be skewed to one side or the other is interesting.

Here’s a post I put on my personal Facebook page on Monday, Christmas Eve Eve.

There were several comments from friends and followers on this post, but the one that stood out for me was the one below, which is an obvious analysis and summary by an AI robot cut and pasted by a FB friend and inserted in the comments.

I can’t say for sure which AI platform did this but it looks like an OpenAI ChatGPT summary. You can judge for yourself whether or not there’s an ideological bias in there.

“This passage is a humorous commentary on the trend of using more inclusive and politically correct language during the holiday season. The author pokes fun at the idea of trying to be overly sensitive and environmentally conscious in holiday greetings.

# Key Points
1. *Humor*: The passage uses humor to highlight the complexity of modern holiday greetings.

2. *Inclusivity vs. Tradition*: The author balances the desire for inclusivity with the tradition and warmth of familiar holiday greetings.

3. *Tone*: The tone is lighthearted and playful, with a touch of satire.

# Reflection
This passage encourages readers to reflect on their own holiday traditions and greetings. It invites us to consider the importance of inclusivity, while also acknowledging the value of familiar and heartwarming expressions.

# Holiday Cheer
Ultimately, the passage concludes with a warm and traditional holiday greeting, emphasizing the importance of kindness, compassion, and connection during the holiday season.“

Anyway, tis the season to be jolly…Merry Christmas and Happy Hannukah.

Watchdog Alert: Is Legal Pot A Good Thing?

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Elton John says legalizing marijuana was a mistake

There’s an interesting news piece on CNN reporting on Elton John’s view of weed.

In an interview with Time magazine as part of their Icon of the Year coverage, the legendary singer shared his thoughts about the legalization of cannabis in parts of the US and Canada.
“I maintain that it’s addictive,” he said. “It leads to other drugs. And when you’re stoned—and I’ve been stoned—you don’t think normally.”
“Legalizing marijuana in America and Canada is one of the greatest mistakes of all time.”

This is a bigger deal than it appears at first blush. Sir Elton is a living legend with tons of influence globally, and his statement about marijuana addiction and it’s effect on one’s thinking abilities is worth noting. Is the cultural landscape as it relates to marijuana legalization shifting?

School shooting at Wisconsin private Christian school

What a brutal, sad, and tragic day on Monday. One student dead. A teacher dead. Teen shooter dead. Six more injured.

Fox News report and updates here.

There are lots of questions that come to mind about this horrible incident, but the obvious one is: Why does God allow this kind of evil to happen?

The world is a dark and broken place. Evil is real. It’s all too obvious that the ‘Christian’ designation on a school, or church, or person doesn’t provide an automatic exemption from the harm our spiritual adversary always seeks to inflict.

God can and does protect his people, but that requires an intentional applied faith through ever vigilant prayer on OUR part.

We are also advised to be wise as serpents. It is reported that the Wisconsin Christian school doesn’t have metal detectors or a school resource officer.

What’s The Latest From Various Denominations?

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Catholics

Well, according to the Catholic News Agency, in his Wednesday message at St. Peter’s Square Pope Francis said he wants preachers to keep their preachin’ to 10 minutes or less.

Here’s an excerpt from the recent CNA article which you can find here:

“Preachers must preach an idea, a feeling, and a call to action. Beyond eight minutes the preaching starts to fade, it is not understood,” Pope Francis said to applause from some pilgrims.

I kind of like that idea for the most part, because most of the sermons I’ve sat through in my life bored me to tears because they were too long. I can’t imagine someone telling Jesus to “wrap it up” after 10 minutes into the Sermon on the Mount, though. 😉

Evangelicals

There’s an interesting piece in First Things about Trump’s support among evangelical Christians:

Though evangelicals are theologically unified in certain respects, they can be divided sociologically into three categories: Jacksonians, who generally exhibit low social capital; Tocquevillians, who exhibit high social capital; and elites, who live at the heights of American culture. As in 2016 and 2020,  Trump carried the Jacksonians and Tocquevillians while losing the elites.

Hmmm, “elite evangelicals” should sound like an oxymoron but somehow it kind of doesn’t.

Mormons

From the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints news bulletin:

The Old Brewery Mission (OBM), one of Canada’s oldest and largest homeless shelters, recently inaugurated new living spaces at its men’s shelter due to a C$1 million donation (US$769,230) from The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. The renovation project was part of the OBM’s vision to phase out dormitories at its facilities, transforming them into semi-private rooms, or chambrettes in French.

Say what you want about the Mormons and those magic glasses J. Smith wore, the LDS Church walks the talk for the most part when it comes to giving.

Methodists

There are some ongoing debates and structural changes in the United Methodist Church:

  1. Disaffiliation Updates: After years of division over LGBTQ+ inclusion, approximately 7,500 UMC congregations have disaffiliated, often joining the conservative Global Methodist Church. New proposals aim to extend or revise the guidelines for disaffiliation to accommodate ongoing tensions. Some petitions suggest expanded reasons for disaffiliation and altered voting procedures, extending deadlines to 2027 or later ​Christian Post​The United Methodist Church.
  2. Structural Reforms: The UMC recently approved measures to restructure its global operations. While five out of eight reforms were passed, the remaining ones focus on the U.S. and are still under review. These changes aim to address the denomination’s governance amid ongoing debates over human sexuality and other theological issues ​RNS.

One has to wonder how close we are to our Savior’s return.