Persecution Update - Brother White

This week, my Christian brother Dr. James White has been under a particular load of persecution from Catholics, who have falsely accused him of various things via a number of Internet outlets such as blogs and chat forums.

It does not take a rocket scientist to figure out why they are attacking Dr. White: he has been a faithful witness to the truth against the Mordorian tower of the Vatican. What more needs to be said? Unable to attack the truth of what he has to say, they have made the issue personal, falsely accusing a Christian many of various character defects.

Take courage, brother White! God has chosen to bless your ministry with resistance by those who oppose the gospel. Call to mind Matthew 5:11-12. This opposition may same hard to bear at this time, but God will reward you in heaven. The brethren know that the accusations of these Catholic persecutors are false, and we recognize the reason why such weaponry is being employed.

Recall how it was employed also against Luther and the other Reformers before us! Has not one of your own Team Apologian recently been documenting various of the false accusations leveled against that prominent preacher?

If they did that then, should you be surprised if the spiritual heirs of the deniers of Sola Fida use similar tactics now? Let us give thanks that God has deprived Rome of the strength to inflict physical persecution on its enemies.

Even more, though, be encouraged to cast off your consideration of the vain babbling of those whose hatred of the truth carries over to hatred of those who preach the truth. If you can, redouble your diligence to shine the light of truth on the accreted darkness of Rome, so that perhaps some may be set free. God knows how many of the elect may be under the oppressive shadow of that regime, and how many true Christians may be deluded by the false claims of that apostate body.

You are part of the light of the world, but men prefer darkness to light. Do not be afraid of their cruelty, but rejoice in the truth, with me

Praising the Creator and Provider of All Things for the Good of the Elect,

-Turretinfan

Thanks Be to the Lord

For Coffee (recalling I Timothy 4:4-5 4For every creature of God is good, and nothing to be refused, if it be received with thanksgiving: 5For it is sanctified by the word of God and prayer.)

A quick comment, though - how many people who drink coffee for its caffeine drink only 8 ounces of coffee at a time?

Don't forget, however, that rest is a blessing from God:

Psalm 127:2 It is vain for you to rise up early, to sit up late, to eat the bread of sorrows: for so he giveth his beloved sleep.

And, should you use coffee, don't try to take away your friend's blessing:

Proverbs 27:14 He that blesseth his friend with a loud voice, rising early in the morning, it shall be counted a curse to him.

And don't use coffee simply for your own pleasure:

Isaiah 5:11 Woe unto them that rise up early in the morning, that they may follow strong drink; that continue until night, till wine inflame them!

-Turretinfan

The Love of God - White on TV

Here's an excellent off-the-cuff presentation in response to an audience question on British television by Reformed Baptists Elder James White (link). Note how shocked the audience member is to hear that God loves even those whom he creates for destruction.

To finish up Dr. White's point, God loves different people in different ways. As we know from other parts of Scripture, "Hate" is typically used to mean "Love less." God hated Esau, but yet God loved Esau: he blessed him with a family and a name that will be remembered. The nation of Edom has been cut off, but Esau had an enormous number of descendants, and many kings were his grandchildren. So, despite the audience member's incredulity, God can love someone and provide them with good things in this life and tolerate their sin for a season, and yet (by comparison) hate them in contrasted to (as Paul puts) the great love (πολλην αγαπην) with which God loved us before the foundation of the earth and consequently sacrificed His own Son for us.

Both are love, but by contrast the former is the hatred of God. Is that truly hard to understand?

-Turretinfan

This Blog's Rating

On a lark, I ran this blog through an automated blog rating program, one linked to by TeamPyro. The result surprised me: the present blog received an NC-17 rating. The apparent source of this rating was the high number of mentions of death, dying, and hell as well as (and perhaps especially) the use of a particular Latin preposition that has a very vulgar (and apparently completely unrelated) use in English.

To confirm, I ran the same analysis on the copy of the book of Isaiah, New Vulgate translation, from the Vatican's website: http://www.vatican.va/archive/bible/nova_vulgata/documents/nova-vulgata_vt_isaiae_lt.html

It received the same NC-17 rating. Depending on the sophistication of the rating engine (and I doubt it was very sophisticated at all), I've just further entrenched my rating by linking to such an "obscene" site as the book of Isaiah in the Latin tongue.

Perhaps this blog's new motto should be: "rated the same as a major prophet." In any event, it just goes to show the uselessness of automated mechanisms for making judgments with respect to obscenity.

Pax Dei vobiscum!

-Turretinfan

Persecution Update

Here's Doug Wilson's report (link) on the local persecution of the church in Moscow, Idaho. Incidentally, that is the kind of response one can expect to receive when one preaches loudly against sin in one's community. Wilson may be ignorant or confused regarding the higher level aspects of theology, but his fundamental opposition to sin and his fearless opposition to it are worthy of praise, even in the midst of chiding regarding his theological shortcomings.

Hopefully Wilson will be able to distinguish between those who persecute him for righteousness sake, and those brethren that seek to correct his errant doctrines as they relate to justification and the sacraments.

-Turretinfan