Josiah Concept Ministries

Okay, I don’t know if “tasteless” is the correct word for this little morsel of news, but it is certainly close. Apparently, an anatomically correct Jesus, sculpted by Cosimo Cavallaro, has been unveiled. Oh, yeah, and its made out of chocolate. This vulgar misuse of delicious chocolate is being reviled by Catholics, with its unveiling coming so close to Easter.

I guess art truly is a matter of… uh, taste. I think I’ll just let the utter ridiculousness of this news item speak for itself, before this post becomes a nonstop litany of chocolate-taste-art puns. I already count two.

**Edit:  HT to MattShizzle from RRS.  This grotesque display of Our Lord has been canceled.  Now, what are they going to do with all that chocolate?

Uber-Apologist James R. White of Alpha & Omega Ministries has finished his new book, From Toronto to Emmaus, which is a refutation of the Jesus Tomb controversy. Dr. White has written quite a bit about the controversy on his blog, and has spent quite a few sleepless nights–I imagine–putting this book together. It is available for pre-order here.

Rook Hawkins has posted his commentary on the Resurrection (3 months ago… nothing like covering current events!) over on his “Blog of a Critical Historian.”  I’m planning on reviewing that and writing a response to it.  Assuming that there’s anything to actually respond to.

Deludedgod has written an essay about morality in the absence of God, which I will also read and write a response to.  Look for those under the Articles tab soon.

Meanwhile, tomorrow I will begin work on the NIV Quiz that I’m so tired of KJV Onlyists passing around uncritically.  That should hopefully be up by the end of the week.

With the potential of receiving some donation money from church, I also need to work on a ministry outlook for the rest of the year so that I can figure out a budget.  It is really difficult to write, post in forums, work on management tasks, and also work at Burger King.  One might say that I have my hands full compared to others who just do this work full time and don’t have a day job!

On top of all that, I also need to spend time with my wife!  Naturally, this takes priority over everything else.  The sad part is, I don’t get to see her nearly often enough between my work schedule and ministry time.  I miss her. 

As for the one who is weak in faith, welcome him, but not to quarrel over opinions. One person believes he may eat anything, while the weak person eats only vegetables. Let not the one who eats despise the one who abstains, and let not the one who abstains pass judgment on the one who eats, for God has welcomed him. Who are you to pass judgment on the servant of another? It is before his own master that he stands or falls. And he will be upheld, for the Lord is able to make him stand.

There was a time in my life when I would have looked at this page and laughed so hard that I fell right out of my chair. Then I would have sent the link to all of my friends so that they could have a laugh too, and then we would continue on our merry way.

Knowing the reality of spiritual warfare and seeing the delusions that folks cling to working on the apologetic front lines the way I do, however, makes a page like that (even one with a ridiculous claim like that one) very difficult to ignore.

I sneer at the claim that ordinary playing cards could bring fatal illness to someone. I scoff at the notion that financial and spiritual discourse could be caused by an ordinary, $1.50 pack of cards. At least I did at first. Now, I’m beginning to rethink that reaction in light of Romans 14:1-4.

For me personally, a deck of cards causes no ill feelings, no discomfort, no spiritual strain. In the context of Romans 14, I’m the guy who believes I can eat anything. But, in the case of the person who is caused angst and torture by the presence of those very same cards, they are the person who eats only vegetables. Or, in that case, who should eat only vegetables. For that guy, the cards cause spiritual trauma and thus should be removed quickly from his life.

I have been there, though. I’ve clung to harmful things (such as the Buddy Christ icon or bitterness to a good friend), choosing rebellion against God over life in Christ. Letting go of that bitterness and deleting all of the Buddy Christ pictures, however, have boosted this ministry in ways that I hadn’t imagined that they could. I may be on my way to doing this full time within a few years, maybe less.

As verse 4 states, I have no room to pass judgment on the servant of another. If that particular servant is vexed by the presence of playing cards, then that person should get rid of them for good. And not only that, as his brother in Christ, I should be respectful enough to not laugh at him for doing so, and I should make sure that no one plays cards around him.

So, is the claim of the devil using playing cards as a point of contact in someone’s life ridiculous? Personally, I think that whole page is a little bit on the extreme side. I’m not going to give up playing cards; not that I play much, anyway–I really don’t like card games. The fact that most human beings with an ounce of reason in their being would read that particular page and completely dismiss it as a joke, or use it as evidence that Christians have lost their minds, however, is more of a reason for concern.

It is precisely the utterly ridiculous notion of playing cards being used as a demonic point of contact that makes them such an inconspicuous weapon for the enemy to use! I’ve said elsewhere that the two mistakes people commonly make regarding demons is to ascribe them too much power, and to not ascribe them enough power (demons are equally pleased with both errors). Trivializing their ability to creep into our lives in unexpected ways would be a grave error, and my initial reaction to this article as silly would be part of that error. In spiritual warfare, no stone can be left unturned when searching for demonic influence.

Is that insight relevant to just playing cards? I don’t think so!! The enemy could use any object in our houses to which we ascribe any sort of devotion.

Therefore, I will be reading more of Jocelyn’s content regarding cleaning our houses of points of contact. I’ll post some more thoughts on that front, as I also work on some new articles.

This is why I wanted to break away from the Buddy Christ icon most of all: the creed written by Bishop Pat Buckley that has become the statement of faith for the International Church of Buddy Christ. Bishop Buckley was consecrated a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church, but is not legally a bishop, so to speak. His ordination was valid, but unlawful since it lacked a papal mandate.

I thought I’d analyze the creed here.

I believe that in this world it is impossible to understand God.
I believe that God made this wonderful universe and all that exists.
I can find God in nature, in animals, in birds and the environment.
I believe that God made all men and women,
That He made them all equal,
And that He loves and cherishes them all equally.
I believe that the whole human race is the family of God.

We are good right up to “He cherishes them all equally.” See, the problem with this statement is that it denies simple truth of Holy Scripture. It is impossible to meaningfully interpret texts like “Jacob I loved, but Esau I hated” (Rom 9:13) if you believe that God loves all His creation equally. Same with believing that the whole human race is the family of God.

I believe that there may be intelligent life on other planets
And if so, they too are part of God’s family.

No comment.

I hold that religion and faith are two different things,
That religion can be both good and bad
And that it is spirituality that counts.

Good, good, bad. Spirituality fails to define what feeds the spirit, it leaves you open to find your own path. That helps Satan more than it helps God; for God very narrowly defined how to feed your spirit for a reason.

For me your religion is an accident of your birth
Or a gift of God’s great providential diversity.
There is no one true church.
All churches and all religions contain aspects of the truth.

I can’t believe that your religion is an accident, since God chose the place and time of your birth. He would have also known what religion you would be born into. This means that He intended that from the beginning for His glory. I don’t think that accidents and coincidences are part of God’s plan.

Not all religions contain aspects of the truth. Some are very dangerous.

But only God is truth.
No man is infallible.
A Buddhist or a good atheist is as acceptable to God as a good Catholic.

The problem is the Bible clearly states that there is no one that is good. No one seeks after God, we humans only do evil without the grace of God. So I disagree that there is anyone acceptable to God who is not in Christ.

“No man is infallible” certainly is true, but it puts Bishop Pat square out of the Catholic Church since the Pope is supposedly infallible.

I believe that sex is good and so is the body.

Of course sex is good. If you’re doing it right (as my wife and I are), it is more than good–it is great!!! However, the body we now possess is tainted by sin. The fact that this creed never seems to address sin, man’s fallen nature, or any sort of need for restoration to God’s grace means that the Holy Spirit doesn’t have to enter us and restore our original goodness. Obviously, this is a necessary step in sanctification that is glossed over by Bishop Pat.

The only sexual act that is sinful is the one that uses or abuses.

Disagree. God defined sexual morality the way He did for a very important reason, and we should obey His rules. They aren’t mean or spiteful, they are there for our protection.

I believe in people, especially suffering people.
I believe in the power of weakness.
I believe that all men and women will be saved.
I believe in a packed Heaven and an empty Hell.
And even Satan might get another chance.

Where do we begin on the errors in this section? Well, for starters, any casual reading of the Bible, with a little bit of common sense, would indicate that not everyone is going to get saved. God never intended that. How could He grant us free will unless there was a way to make a bad choice?

Packed Heaven and empty Hell? I think Bishop Pat got it backwards. Jesus Himself said as much (Mt 7:14).

Satan won’t accept another chance; his pride is too overpowering for that. He needs only to believe on Jesus as the Savior, but he won’t do that.

I believe in the freedom of God’s sons and daughters.

To do what, exactly? Could this statement be more vague?

I believe that dogma is often evil.

Loaded statement.

I believe that life is a journey towards God
And that no one has the right to insist that you go a certain road.

Not even God? He has insisted that we travel a certain path: “I am the way, the truth the life. No one comes to the Father except by Me” (Jn 14:6). God insists that we must believe in Jesus as Lord and that He rose again from the dead in order to complete the journey to Him (Rom 10:9)!

I believe that God and reality are too big for my poor words.
I believe therefore that I am only at a beginning.
Only knocking at a door.
And I believe that the best is yet to come.

I agree, but I’m not so sure that Bishop Pat will get anything better than this life. But, I guess I can’t judge a man’s heart, that is only for God.

Although the “Buddy Christ” icon is humorous, I have decided to break away from it. First and foremost, it is copyrighted, so I doubt that if I were take this ministry to a national level, incorporate it as a non-profit organization, and loan its name and resources to other ministries and mission funds that I would be able to use the Buddy Christ icon as my logo without paying substantial fees. I also desire to be taken seriously in ministry, and I don’t think that using an icon from a movie that no one could take seriously is a way in which to do that. While my words may be powerful and my articles biblically sound, the icon just takes away from all of that, reducing me to a parody site.

Perhaps the most compelling reason to distance myself from the Buddy Christ icon is the terrible theology that it represents. There is an organization called the Church of Buddy Christ which embraces a creed written by the apostate Bishop Pat Buckley. This simple creed is horrendously unbiblical in from its belief in extraterrestrial life to its belief in universalism.

As humans, we are meant to serve God. We are meant to be the instruments by which His will is done and His glory is shown. In other words, He is the Potter and we are only the clay. We do not participate in the process of molding; we cannot pick for which use we are made. The theology of the Buddy Christ is that God is your pal; Jesus is your homeboy (yes, I’ve seen the T-shirt).

That is total crap! Nothing could be further from the clear teaching of Scripture. I serve God, I don’t go out to the bar, have some brewskis and shoot pool with Jesus. He is not glorified by a message that preaches that, and unfortunately, this message is becoming more and more common.

It is sad that so much is being taken out of the gospel these days. The call for service to God, discipleship, and sin, just to name a few essentials. No one wants to be in total submission or service, or owe anyone anything in our Western culture. That is why the message of owing God our existence and presenting our bodies as a living sacrifice to Him each day is downplayed. The thought of the priesthood of all believers, making you responsible to teach the gospel to those that God puts in your life, is a lot of work. It requires not just knowing the gospel, but living it too! And no one wants to be told how to live in our society, either. There’s another message downplayed. Finally, no one wants to have to admit that he is living his life completely wrong, i.e. sinning, and so the message of sin and redemption is downplayed.

You’re left with another gospel. Paul writes to the Galatians that anyone who preaches another gospel will be accursed! Then he tells the Corinthians that if they hear another gospel, they put up with it readily enough. That is also true of us today.

What can we do? Well, study the Scriptures each day prayerfully. That way, we know what the Scriptures say and we can be ready for these false gospels. Falsehoods can be identified by and refuted with Scripture. Second, pray each day, and without ceasing. Create a compartment in your mind where you always stay aware of the presence of the Holy Spirit, and endeavor to follow where He leads. He should sound an alarm bell if you hear a false gospel, but it will take some practice to hear His voice speaking to you. Above all, seek the company of fellow Christians. I’m not suggesting that we cut ourselves off from the world completely, merely that we keep in close contact with another, and hold each other accountable to God’s standard in His word. This will solidify what we learn in Scripture, so we can be the salt and light to the world that Jesus calls us to be.

This article scares me beyond words.

It’s scary because I know that it is true.  No one wants to be told that he is a sinner: that we humans just are not nice creatures by nature.  But that statement is not only 100% true, it is absolutely necessary for one’s own salvation to admit this, if only to yourself and God.

First, we must understand that when Adam took the fruit of the forbidden tree, he became like God in his understanding of good and evil.  This necessitated punishment, as God had ordered that this tree be left alone.  Eating this fruit gave knowledge of good and evil; and of course, evil is much more attractive to creatures such as ourselves with our decidedly self-serving natures.  The attractiveness of doing evil, the desire to be like God, and master of own destiny has been passed from Adam down through the generations.  This sinful nature is what prompts us to do evil, and without Christ, we shall always do that evil.

By this sinful nature, this flesh, we are separated from God.  Our only hope for unity with Him again is Jesus Christ.  As a just and holy God, God cannot simply ignore the sins that we continue to commit each and every day.  He must require punishment.  It is Christ who took that punishment willingly in our stead when He died upon that cross, rending the curtain that separates the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple and granting us personal access to God the Father, our Creator.  Jesus took the punishment that should have been ours.

In order to understand the gravity of that sacrifice, and the substitutionary atonement that He undertook on our behalf, we must first realize that we are sinners and that this punishment was necessary in the first place.

Does being called a sinner offend your sensibilities?  It does mine!  The nerve of that song about God’s grace, saying that it “saved a wretch like me.”  I’m not a wretch!

Except that I am.  I am no better than a liar, cheater, adulterer, murderer, idolater, or any other sinner in the world.  I sin, too.  And so do you, dear reader.  If you are reading this, then you sin too.

The message of the cross is supposed to offend; to convict.  The preachers that are mentioned in the above article, Joel Osteen, Ken Copeland, Jerry Bakker’s son, and others are doing the gospel of Our Lord a great disservice by eliminating the message of human sinfulness.  God is, and should always be, the focus of the gospel and of our very lives that we owe to Him.  But to completely eliminate human sin from the message so as not to offend or to promote “easy-believism” is wrong.

Those who water down the gospel message are false teachers, and they will have much to answer for in the next life.  Ironically, I have few followers but I attempt to communicate a message as true to the gospel as I understand it.  These men have droves of followers and are communicating a message that will not save anyone.

End times delusion, anyone????

This is the official list of upcoming articles for this site:

• King James Onlyism
• Open Theism
• Part III of Response to Discovery Channel’s Jesus Tomb Documentary
• Resurrection/Empty Tomb evidence
• Update of In Defense of Trinity
• Updates and additions to The Significance of Water
• Shifting Writely Articles over to this server to maintain a consistent look and feel

No, I’m not going to write an article with that last title.  I’m actually going to do that. Just thought I’d clear that one up for the hyper-literalists in the group.

Yeah, I joined the message boards at the Rational Response Squad. I must be a glutton for punishment, since Christians are the minority over there and no one over there is even remotely interested in a coherent Christian argument about anything. But, we shall see if God has a purpose in putting me over there and I pray that He uses me to show His truth to some of the lost souls over there.

Let’s face it: Atheists are still seekers, they are still missing something. They know that they are missing something, but they refuse to admit that they are missing it. In truth, they are replacing God with their own mind, their own powers of reason. Making them see this is the challenge, and the greater challenge is to make them see that they need reconciliation with God; that is only provided by Jesus Christ’s redemptive sacrifice.

I’m sure that there are some lost elect souls over there.

What does this mean for the site? Well, I’m still searching for basic information on patina evidence for the third and final part of my response to the Discovery Channel’s documentary on the Lost Tomb of Jesus. Once that has been posted, I can put the finishing touches on editing the final draft (complete with introduction and conclusion plus a theological considerations section–though that may prove to be unnecessary with the news of this whole thing being proven a hoax now). Considering the new, powerful evidence refuting the Jesus Tomb, the book on the way from James White, and the lack of encouragement/comments/reader enthusiasm, I do not believe that I will be attempting to sell an e-book at this time.

Meanwhile, with the site potentially exposed to increased atheist traffic, I will need to add more “milk” and less “solid food” to the Articles section. This means that I will do a series on the basic historicity of Christ, the Resurrection, and the Liar/Lord/Lunatic trilemma. As time permits, I may throw my hat into the pagan copycat arena and tackle the subject of 16 crucified saviors before Christ.

This will also mean more material for the Debate section is coming soon, as I foresee debate potential in joining that site.

That is how my plans stand as of now. We shall see how they evolve (for lack of a better term) over time.

Okay, I haven’t been feeling well these past few days.  I won’t go into gory details; suffice it to say that I feel better now and will continue to work on my response to the nonsense that is the Jesus Family Tomb.

Next on that front is an article on the patina evidence that links the James ossuary with the actual tomb.  The problem that I’m facing there is twofold: 1) I don’t have the book, and that is where the bulk of this material is located; and 2)  I know next to nothing about patinas in the first place.  My plan to remedy this is to visit my local library branch and read some Archeology 101 primers that have information about patinas and patina evidence so that I can have at least a rudimentary knowledge of what I’m supposed to be seeing in regard to that.  Then, I can take a look at what information I can find about the patina evidence that they’ve collected.

From what I understand, the dimensions on the James ossuary do not match the dimensions of the ossuary missing from this tomb, which of course makes it very doubtful that this is the genuine article.  Of course, I’ll have more on this later in the week, hopefully by about Friday or Saturday.

In closing, I wanted to comment on this article.  Since starting this blog, I’ve become a bit more conservative where gay rights are concerned.  I think that, as Christians, we should be more accepting of the people, but not of the sin.  General Peter Pace has given us a perfect example of exactly what I’m talking about.  Why should we tolerate amoral sexual behavior?  I’m a sinner, but I don’t flaunt it for all the world to see.  It is a private hell for me; I know it’s wrong but I can’t stop.  And I hate myself for it.  I don’t want everyone to know about it, I don’t want everyone to see my shame.  But the thing I want to do the least with my sin is create a rubber justification for it and the flaunt it for all the world to see, to wear armbands, to have parades for it, to create civil rights groups to protect my right to sin!  No, I want to pray to almighty God to come inside my heart, my hardened, sinning heart, and to regenerate it and make it in His image, so that I please Him.

But gay people don’t want to do that.  They want to flaunt their sinful behavior.  They take pride in their sin.  They want everyone to know that they live in rebellion against their Creator!  And worse than that, they want hide behind the law and use the law to silence anyone who would dare speak out against what they do!

Well, I would like to offer Gen. Pace a hearty congratulations for having the courage to tell it like it is.  All of the flack that he has gotten over this is more proof that God is giving people over to their sins, and sending them a powerful delusion to justify rebellion against Him.  He certainly seems to be hardening more people than He’s saving these days, and I say thank God that He chose me to save.  Obviously, I don’t merit saving.  But I’m glad that He called me nonetheless.

It just makes the fact that I still do sin all the more reprehensible to me.  I need to pray harder for the guidance of His Holy Spirit, that I may walk away from temptation and live in His truth.

It’s especially sad that more people don’t think like that.  “God has a plan, and that’s all nice, but we can do it better.”  What all sin boils down to is that mentality.  Isn’t that what Original Sin itself was?  “God said not to eat that fruit, but we know better.”  How arrogant that we think we know better than Him that created us.