One Reason that Abuse Accusations are as Few as They are ...

... is this approach to addressing them. The article calls him a "former ... priest" and "ex-priest," but that's not really possible. He's presumably not serving in his capacity as priest, however. Apparently, he will be in jail for the next 15 years. The full story of his abuse and the Roman hierarchy's actions in response to him have been well documented (link).

One interesting aspect of the story:

Fiala, who was born and raised in Omaha, was drawn to the Catholic Church in the seventh grade, when he met a priest who wrote a letter of recommendation for him to enter the seminary.

The priest, Daniel Herek, later became an infamous convicted child sex offender in Nebraska.

Meanwhile, John "Black Sheep Dog" Corapi has disappeared.

-TurretinFan

Don't Mention God's Law, Because It's About the Gospel!

True antinomians would simply deny that God's law has any force. Homiletic antinomians would make a comment like the title of this post. Those who have been influenced by a Lutheran division between "Law" and "Gospel" may even go so far as to suggest that preaching God's law is actually detrimental to preaching the gospel.

At least, that's the sense I got from a recent post at the Confessional Outhouse. According to the author, "Zrim," preaching a sermon against abortion (a rather heinous violation of the sixth of God's ten commandments) "goes a fair distance to alienate people from the gospel" (emphasis mine).

Yes, Zrim, people may not want to follow a God who has a law like God's law. People may be turned off by God's commandments. They don't love God's law, they hate it. Preaching repentance and faith is harder than just preaching faith. We get it.

But the gospel that Christ preached was a gospel of repentance and faith. If we want to preach the gospel Christ preached, we are going to have to preach against sin, even if that alienates people. Sorry if that bothers you, but that's how it is.

I know, I know. I've dealt with Zrim before. His response is that he just meant that we shouldn't bring politics into church. But Zrim has it backwards. We shouldn't identify something like abortion primarily as political, but as moral. It is first moral and afterwards political. In America today (unlike America 100 years ago) it is a matter that has become politicized. But just because something has become politicized doesn't mean preachers can't or shouldn't preach about it.

Indeed, the politicization of an issue may coincide with an increased need to preach on that very issue! The fact that people may be unhappy to hear the preaching is simply the cost of standing up for what is right. The Bible never tells us to avoid preaching about sins that are well-loved in a community or society. Quite the contrary: in the midst of a society full of fornication, John preached that fornicators have their place in the lake of fire.

And moreover if a particular political party chooses to support what the Bible teaches, and another particular political party chooses to reject what the Bible teaches, that does not make the Bible's teachings fundamentally "political." If one political party caters to evangelicals, that doesn't make evangelicalism fundamentally "political," even though it may make it a political issue.

The issue of abortion is fundamentally a moral issue. It's not like the difference between a Chevy or a Ford or the Yankees and the rest of major league baseball (I realize that some people may disagree with me about whether the New York Yankees are a moral issue). It's not simply a popularity contest. Political candidates may appeal to that issue, but fundamentally the issue is a moral issue. It is right for ministers to preach about it, and frankly in a society full of that abomination, it is hard to understand how ministers could properly perform their role without preaching about it (they will have to answer to God, not me, about that).

I would agree with Zrim if his point is that a church shouldn't hang banners supporting the New York Yankees up in a church in Boston, because it will alienate people without a good reason. One's sports allegiance is less important than the Truth. But preaching God's law regarding abortion isn't like rooting for the Yankees in Boston. Preaching God's law is a duty of Gospel ministers. Men, like the Bayly brothers, who preach against abortion should be praised, not criticized, for doing so.

-TurretinFan

Just as Expected ...

I wish this were only a April 1st hoax, but sadly Muslims have killed completely innocent men in retaliation for the burning of a Koran on another continent (link). And, of course, Muslims were the first to burn the Koran (apparently), as explained in the following video which, though a little tongue-in-cheek, also has a serious point:



-TurretinFan

Kermit Gosnell

Apparently Dr. Gosnell has been charged with murder on the basis that 7 of the children he was paid to kill were born before he killed them (link to story). As far as I know, the mothers of the children have not been charged.

World's Worst Serial Killer

No one really knows who the world's worst serial killer is, and one normally thinks of murderers as being mostly male, but this lady would certainly receive my vote as the most prolific serial killer (link to story).

Responding to Paul Hoffer on Morality and the Gospel

In response to anonymous comments on a previous post, Paul Hoffer wrote:

Dear Anonymous, the reason that Dr. Tiller's murder was intrinsically wrong is because he was deprived of the chance of repenting of the evil that he had done on this earth and truly coming to know the saving grace of Our Lord, Jesus Christ as opposed to merely going to church on Sundays. Since he is now a martyr for the abortion rights advocates, the evil that Dr. Tiller perpetrated gets to continue on.

Another thing that gave me pause was the fact that this man was killed within a Lutheran Church, so called, and dared to call himself a Christian. Obviously he was not familiar with the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great Lutheran theologian who was killed opposing the Nazis, who wrote about the difference between true grace that comes from Christ Jesus and that which deludes men in his book "The Cost of Discipleship." He wrote:

[It] is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession. Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate." pg. 30.

Cheap grace which appears to be preached at Tiller's church is truly horrific because it justifies one's sins without achieving the justification or sanctification of the sinner. Whether one is Catholic or Protestant, we all can decry the kind of Gospel that must be preached there.

I answer, going section by section:

"Dear Anonymous, the reason that Dr. Tiller's murder was intrinsically wrong is because he was deprived of the chance of repenting of the evil that he had done on this earth and truly coming to know the saving grace of Our Lord, Jesus Christ as opposed to merely going to church on Sundays."

Uh ... no. The reason that Dr. Tiller's murder was intrinsically wrong is because men are created in God's image and their lives cannot lawfully be intentionally ended by their fellow men without God's authority.

Uzzah was killed instantly for his sin, without the chance to repent. Furthermore, in general, capital punishment is prescribed by God's word as the appropriate punishment for numerous crimes (as I've laid out elsewhere). The issue is not the fact that death takes away the ability to repent, but that to lawfully kill another person intentionally, one must have divine warrant.

"Since he is now a martyr for the abortion rights advocates, the evil that Dr. Tiller perpetrated gets to continue on."

He is treated as a martyr by some, to be sure. However, his death will actually discourage other young doctors from taking the path of becoming professional murderers. So, it's really hard to guage whether his murder will have positive or negative consequences. Consequentialism, however, is a flawed ethic.

"Another thing that gave me pause was the fact that this man was killed within a Lutheran Church, so called, and dared to call himself a Christian."

Many call themselves Christians who are not Christians.

"Obviously he was not familiar with the writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, the great Lutheran theologian who was killed opposing the Nazis, who wrote about the difference between true grace that comes from Christ Jesus and that which deludes men in his book 'The Cost of Discipleship.'"

I don't have any way of knowing whether he was familiar with those writings or not. I assume this is just a bit of rhetorical flourish by Mr. Hoffer.

"[It] is the preaching of forgiveness without requiring repentance, baptism without church discipline, Communion without confession, absolution without personal confession."

I wonder whether Mr. Hoffer is willing to direct Bonheoffer's cannon Rome-ward? How often are we reminded of the fact that church discipline in the Roman church is largely lacking!

"Cheap grace is grace without discipleship, grace without the cross, grace without Jesus Christ, living and incarnate."

The concept of "cheap grace" is one error into which one can fall. It is the error of the libertines. But there is an equally dangerous error: the error of grace cheapend by purchase. The error of legalism that supposes that one's own works contribute to one's justification in the sight of God, or that somehow one's personal righteousness is the basis of or the maintenance of a right relationship before God. Mr. Hoffer is locked on one error, but has he forgotten the other?

"Cheap grace which appears to be preached at Tiller's church is truly horrific because it justifies one's sins without achieving the justification or sanctification of the sinner."

An antinomian gospel purports to justify sinners, just as a legalist gospel purports to justify "righteous" folks. Both are serious errors, for justification is by faith alone - but a true faith is one that comes out of a love of Christ - one that will consequently be accompanied by fruits of that love of Christ. Mr. Hoffer seems to be good at straking the other ditch for its errors - but we invite him to come out of the opposite ditch and join us on the straight and narrow road provided by Christ.

"Whether one is Catholic or Protestant, we all can decry the kind of Gospel that must be preached there."

Yes, both the legalist and the orthodox can decry the antinomian. Nevertheless, it would be a false ecuminism to suggest that because we both reject the false gospel of antinomianism (live as you please) we are of one mind.

-TurretinFan

Murder Update - Tiller Receives Justice

Apparently George Tiller, a notorious murderer of children, was himself murdered by an unknown assailant. It was wrong of the assailant to do this, and yet I rejoice that this killer of children has received substantive (though not procedural) justice that he would not have received under the laws of the place where he was.

-TurretinFan

Thanks to Ms. La Shawn Barber for pointing out both this murder and another murder that happened about the same time (link). In the second case, however, the murdered person did not receive substantive justice - he was not himself guilty of a crime worthy of death (as far as we can tell).

The Editor-in-chief of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano said it, so it must be true

The Editor-in-chief of the Vatican newspaper, L’Osservatore Romano has claimed that President Barack Husein Obama "is not a pro-abortion president." (link) If this is where Benedict XVI is getting his information about the American president (and I'm sure folks will assure me that the pope has other sources than the Vatican newspaper), then it would explain why he did nothing as a nominally Roman Catholic school called "Notre Dame" honored the most pro-abortion president that America has ever had. One really has to read the entire article for oneself (and, as one of my pseudonymous readers likes to point out, just because it is in a news article doesn't mean its true). The article is from the "Catholic News Agency."

-TurretinFan

Archbishop Rino Fisichella and Excommunication for Abortion

In a letter that certainly surprised me, Roman Catholic Archbishop Rino Fisichella criticized the equal application of his own church's law in the case of a young Brazilian girl who received an abortion (link to story about letter). Apparently, Mr. Fisichella believes that excommunication should not be automatic, since he believes that the murder of the girls unborn twins was necessary to save her "innocent life."
Remarkably, the article doesn't identify the odd double-standard of excommunicating the doctors and the girl's mother, but not excommunicating the man who incestuously raped his nine-year-old step-daughter, placing the mother in the dilemma of killing her grandchildren or risking the life of her daughter.
-TurretinFan

Death of a Non-Martyr

There is some very deplorable and evil violence taking place in India. Non-Christians are attacking and killing people and institutions that they believe are Christian. Some time ago I had mentioned that simply being a nun didn't make one a Christian, and that consequently I would not automatically consider a nun who was apparently killed simply because she was wearing a habit to be a martyr without further investigation. I think some people who read what I wrote had trouble wrapping their heads around the concept.

Perhaps this further sad story of the wicked actions of evil men will help those who had trouble with the nun non-martyrdom issue to see the bigger picture (link) (warning - somewhat graphic description of the persecution). In this case, the woman degraded and killed was actually a Hindu woman who simply happened to work at a Roman Catholic institution.

There is a sense in which she was killed for the faith (since she was killed by Hindus trying to oppose Christianity), but she certainly wasn't killed for her faith.

For reference, my earlier post in which the nun issue was raised in the comment box can be found here (link) and an earlier post I wrote providing evidence of the lack of faith of one of the most famous Roman Catholics in India is here (link).

-TurretinFan

Challenge to Pro-Choice Folks

Consider watching Rhology's video at Rhoblogy and leaving him a comment (link to video post). Warning, not for the weak of stomach. Abortion is murder, and from Rhology's description, photos of the victims of the murder are shown in the video. I myself am not willing to watch the video - but then again I am pro-life.

If you honestly believe that a fetus is simply part of a woman's body ...

Shame on you.

-TurretinFan

Response to Victor Reppert on 1 Samuel 15

Victor Reppert wrote (not to me ... but it is also relevant to me):

How can you be so strongly pro-life on abortion and also defend killing "babes in arms" as enjoined by I Samuel 15?

I answer:
a) Killing is ordinarily a lawful and just part of warfare; and
b) More particularly, Israel's genocide of the Canaanites was specifically authorized by God as a punishment on the idolatry, necromancy, etc. of the nations of Canaan; but
c) Killing is not ordinarily a lawful and just part of life; and
d) More particularly, killing of unborn infants (at any stage of development) is not ordinarily authorized by God.

-TurretinFan

September 11 - Remembered

History:

Today, many Americans will remember the infamous attack on the World Trade Centers and the Pentagon, and the attempted attack on the White House, that took place seven years ago. One year ago, the leader of that attack reminded the world of that event, suggested that the continued warfare against Al Qaeda in Iraq and Afghanistan is against American interests, and offered a long term truce. As usual, the transcript of Bin Ladin's comments will not be linked or republished. What Bin Ladin and his gang did was very sinful, and killed thousands of innocent people.

Theodicy:

BL's mass murder of about 3000 people raised the issue of theodicy. How could a good God permit such an evil thing?

The answer may simply be found in the fact that this was in accordance with God's plan for this world. God was glorified even in this wicked act of men.

We hesitate to be more specific. Perhaps God was judging NYC and the Pentagon or the USA with this calamity. Perhaps God was simply awakening Christianity to the spread of Islam. Whatever the primary reason, God knows best. America, the Pentagon, and NYC were all in need of judgment for their many sins. Furthermore, Christianity needs to wake up to the fact that Islam is spreading throughout the world.

Psalm 2:4 He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision.

The Muslims who planned this attack and the additional connected terrorism have set themselves against not primarily against America and capitalism, but against Christianity. They attack those who follow the Messiah, and heap up for themselves judgment.

Psalm 37:13 The Lord shall laugh at him: for he seeth that his day is coming.

The days of Al Qaeda are numbered. Already, in the past year, the coalition forces in Iraq together with the Iraqi people have seriously crippled the forces of Al Qaeda in Iraq. Bin Ladin is hiding and no country openly shelters him.

Psalm 52:6 The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him:

Let Bin Ladin's defeat be an example to others not to oppose God. One may flourish for a time, even a long time, but God will not permit his enemies to escape his righteous judgment.

There is only one escape:

Psalm 2:12 Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed are all they that put their trust in him.

Worship Jesus Christ as the Lord, the Son of God. Turn from your sins, repent of them, confess them to God, and beg him for forgiveness. Prostrate yourself before the throne of the Lamb and take up the confession:

Revelation 7:10 And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb.

For as Ethan says:

Psalm 89:1 I will sing of the mercies of the LORD for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations.

As also we sing:

Psalm 33:18 Behold, the eye of the LORD is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy;

So then, fear the Lamb of God (Jesus Christ) and trust in Him, and you will be fed and comforted in the life to come.

Revelation 7:17 For the Lamb which is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes.

-TurretinFan

Chaldean Catholics take a Stand Against the Bible and Historic Catholicism

Chaldean Catholics (a non-Latin "rite" of Roman Catholicism) have condemned the death sentence for the murderer of their late archbishop.

From the mouth of their Auxiliary Bishop Shlemon Warduni:

“Monsignor Rahho, would not have accepted the sentence. Christian principles say it is not allowed to sentence someone to death, and instead it invites us to forgiveness, reconciliation and justice.”

Warduni is clearly wrong. One immediately recalls both the Old Testament law for Israel, which included the death penalty, as well as the historical practice of the Roman Catholic church for many years of advocating for the use of capital punishment (both in situtations in which we would deem proper, and in situations that we would deem improper). For those that need an example, consider the account of the trial of Giordino Bruno (link to Vatican's own reproduction of the account on the Vatican website)

For those who prefer Scripture, it is written:

Genesis 9:6 Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man.

The death sentence for murderers is Biblical justice - and failure (by the king) to execute justice is not pleasing to God:

Deuteronomy 19:13 Thine eye shall not pity him, but thou shalt put away the guilt of innocent blood from Israel, that it may go well with thee.

Christians are called to personal forgiveness, but it is still the duty of government to put away the guilt of innocent blood from the land by executing God's justice on murderers. That has not changed in the New Testament. For that reason Paul writes that:

Romans 13:4 For he is the minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is the minister of God, a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil.

May God have mercy on us, who deserve such justice from Him,

-Turretinfan

Thanks to Bill Cork of Oak Leaves for pointing out this article.

Thoughts on Abortion

By abortion I mean intentional unjustified termination of the life of an unborn child.

Abortion is wrong. It is a sin, and a violation of the 6th commandment. It is a particularly heinous sin when committed by a child's father or mother. It ought to be crime, and governments who refuse to treat it as a crime risk God's judgment for failing to act justly.

Abortion is properly classifed as murder, because an unborn child is a person. An unborn child is a human being. An unborn child has a separate physical existence from its parents, even though it is totally reliant on its mother for nutrition, support, protection, and so forth.

That the child's father committed rape or incest is not ordinarily a justification for termination of the life of the child, whether or not the child was conceived as a result of that sinful action by the child's father.

That a child's mother committed a capital offense (and rape or incest might qualify as such an offense) may justify the termination of the life of the child, as collateral to the just judgment of death on the mother.

That a child is going to kill its mother may be a justification for terminating the life of the child, under a self-defense principle. That is to say, a mother (or a father acting as head of the family) may be justified in killing her child if the child is going to kill her, and if killing the child is the only way (back to the wall limitation) to stop the child from killing her.

Criminal law is not the sphere of authority of every government. Some politcal structures, like America or the European Union, have many spheres of authority. While it is the duty of the magistrate generally to protect life, it may not be, for example, for either the highest or lowest spheres of government to be enacing criminalization of abortion laws, if such laws do not fall within the proper scope of their authority.

Likewise, it is not the Christian's duty to become abortion vigilantes, hunting down and executing justice on those who commit unjustified abortions.

That a child is very small is not a justification for killing a child.
That a child is not likely to have an enjoyable life is not justification for killing a child.
That a child is very ill is not a justification for killing a child.
That a child might endanger the life of its mother is not a justification for killing a child.

All have sinned and come short of the glory of God. The point of this post is not to judge sinners. Judgment is the responsibility of God and the kings of the earth. Nor is the point of this post to judge kings who are sinners.

Instead, the point of this post is to entreat the kings and rulers of this world to enact just laws that protect the lives of innocent children, and justly punish those who take their lives.

May God bless this world with more nations that protect the lives of the unborn,

-Turretinfan

Murder Update: An Overlooked Detail

I'm sure most of my readers already know that at least two professing Christian groups in Colorado were targeted by a shooter (perhaps the same guy), resulting the deaths of several people.

I was surprised to learn the detail that did not show up in many of the news articles, but is provided by Vox Populi (link). I'm not familiar with that much of what VP writes, but the point he makes (that it is a good thing that the church had someone there with a gun) is a valid point (and seems to be repeated here).

God uses means to protect the innocent. Don't forget about that.

-Turretinfan

Update: Here's Carla's very different take on the subject (link).
Further Update: The guard turns out to be a heroine (link).
Yet more: TheoJunkie weighs in on the matter (link) (and in the combox of this post), as has Ben Witherington (link).

Murder Update

God saves a child from the murderous intent of his mother and her doctors - twice!

(link)

Praise be to the Lord!

-Turretinfan

Persecution Update

A martyr in Gaza (link) tortured and killed by those who, if they do not repent, will receive far worse in the life to come. It is a subjectively fearful thing to face torture for Christ, but it is objectively a far more fearful thing to torture someone who is Christ's.

Nevertheless, Saul of Tarsus received mercy, and perhaps the Gazites who did this may yet be turned to the Lord.

May God be Praised!

-Turretinfan

Murder Update

So, Texas plans to execute just judgment on a man convicted of two capital offenses (two murders, under particularly heinous circumstances - a factor that matters under Texas law). The former governor of Texas, and now president of the U.S. wants to prevent this execution, because he claims it will harm U.S. interests abroad. (source)

This may seem strange. After all the "Black and Whites" gang has less international sympathy than Al Quaeda, yet the president has sent troops abroad to kill members of the latter murderous group.

What's the problem? Texas police apparently failed to assist the criminal by telling him that he could seek the help of the Mexican consulate. The "International Court of Justice" a body with no jurisdiction in the U.S. (and with whose interpretation of the relevant treaty, the president disagrees), has decided that the execution would be improper.

Let us pray that justice will prevail, and that Texas will do what is right.

Let us also pray for this young man who has given strong indication of need for salvation.

-Turretinfan

Human Rights?

The true head of the Roman Catholic Church (unless you ask a sedavacantist RC) recently stated (source):

"It was in Europe that the notion of human rights was first formulated. The fundamental human right, the presupposition of every other right, is the right to life itself."

This is interesting on several levels.

1) It is interesting because it affirms the RCC's continued opposition to intentional abortions.

2) It is even more interesting because it implicitly acknowledges that human rights are not a Biblical or Christian concept. After all, the Middle East where the Old Testament and much of the New Testament were written, where the apostles were trained, and where Jesus taught, is not in Europe.

3) The Bible emphasizes human responsibilities, not human rights. Murder is wrong, because man is responsible to preserve life, and is forbidden from taking human life - not because men have a "right" to live. Abortion is wrong because it is the intentional taking of a human life: abortions shed human blood.

4) It is yet more interesting when we reflect on the number of people who were deprived of life by virtue of the edicts, decrees, agents, and associates of previous popes.

5) Finally, it is interesting to see that it is this admittedly innovative concept of "human rights" that places the modern RCC in conflict with the government's use of capital punishment to execute judgment on deserving wrong-doers.

None of the above should be taken to suggest that the concept of "human rights" is not a useful concept, or that it was not used to good effect to limit the power of governments in the past.

God gives and God takes away, blessed be the name of God!

-Turretinfan