Episode 10--Red Letters--What do they really mean?--My interview with Winfred burns

Episode intro:

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 25 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped into a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

 

Body of episode:

Well, this is it! The final episode of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast. I believe I did what I set out to do: everything I said in the intro of every episode.  

If you have not listened to all of the episodes yet, you have time. I will continue to pay the hosting fees to keep the podcast alive on my http://www.civillamorgan.com website.   

If you would like to make a financial contribution to help pay the monthly hosting fee of $15.00, feel free to deposit that or any dollar amount to PayPal at booksbycivillamorgan@gmail.com. Your contributions will keep the episodes live and available for others to listen to well into the future.  

The other way you can help is to share the episodes. Tell someone, anyone, everyone, about this podcast. Send them a link to your favorite episode, or an episode you believe might help them on their spiritual journey. It would be greatly appreciated! 

I would like to say a great big THANK YOU to Rob Conley for producing these 25 episodes. I could not have had a better podcast producer, guys. He impressed me from day one with his skills. I mean just listen to the episodes! You may reach Rob at Gcatproductions@gmail.com if you or someone you know is in need of a podcast producer.  

Thank you, Rob!

 

So I went back and listened to the intro episode and realized I said something about episode 25 that’s not exactly correct anymore. I had mentioned that the 25th episode would be on the subject of the book of Revelations. Well, as you can see, not exactly. I decided to discuss Revelations in episode 23.

I started this podcast with a list outline of 25 subject matters, but I gave myself permission to make changes as I went along; recognizing that things change and we do not know what the future holds. That’s a lesson for somebody.

And I did make changes along the way: Changes to episode topics, re-scheduling guests, and moving episodes around. I did tons of research on my monologue episodes to be sure each episode was done to the best of my ability. I hope it shows. 

 

So...I would like to read a few pieces of listener feedback if you don’t mind…? 

‘...I've thoroughly enjoyed your podcast. You have really refreshing takes on a lot of things, even some things I don't necessarily see the same way, you put your view in ways that make sense and allow me to think about them and challenge my opinions.’-Rob C.

‘Civilla, strangely in my busy day I came across an episode of your podcast. First, may I say I love the intro and closing music piece you've chosen. Good one Also, although I do not like to practice in ANY religious denomination and I have been exposed more than long enough to churches and congregations, I am a firm believer in light versus darkness and all that is associated with it. Keep doing what you are doing. Don't give up. Your message is very important. Keep being a light to others. Have a good rest of your day!'--Lilly V.

This is in regards to episode 22--Angels and Demons.

Great Biblical reminders about our responsibilities as Christians. I long to see the church operating in unity and being that "light" about which Christ spoke.'--M. Miller.

 

I really enjoyed reading feedback from listeners. It’s always nice to know that people are listening and that what you are saying is helpful and encouraging. It’s the coolest thing!

And just because I’m finished with the 25 episodes for this podcast does not mean you cannot continue to send feedback. I will read your feedback and post them in the show notes for this episode.  

So, I won’t keep you for much longer, but I want to go over four quick points with you, and I really want you to keep these points close to your heart. They are really important to your Christian walk. Well, at least the first three points are:  

 

• I really believe it is important to be prayed up at all times as we never know when we will be facing demonic activity. Episode 22.

 

  Remember, episode 22 was entitled Angels and Demons. We discussed the fact that both are real and that it is important that we protect our hearts and minds. Start your day with prayer. Pray daily, read your Bible daily, which by the way is really easy to do these days as the Bible is right there on your phone. You can now take it with you on your commute and read it on the bus or train. Or listen to it as you drive. You can pray wherever you are, all through the day.  Besides, starting your day with prayer sets your heart and mind off in a positive direction.

    

• Keeping your heart in the right place is important!  

Look, as you can clearly see if you listened to all of the episodes, no one is perfect. You heard about my car wash incident, right? See episode 10. The best we can do is learn from our mistakes and mess-ups, and commit less of them as we mature--emotionally and spiritually. Saying ‘that’s just how I am’ and not maturing or changing in your Christian journey is not a good excuse, and it’s not a good look. The world is watching and listening.  

At least not a good one. That means your growth is stunted and oh, by the way, everyone around you, not just the world but your family and friends; can see it. 

They see it in your reaction to problems, issues, how you deal with being mistreated, and how you treat others. Your actions and reactions just should not be the same as they were five years ago, 10 years ago, two years ago. Keep trying to do better.  Look, I’m speaking to myself too. We all have hot buttons. We’re never going to be perfect this side of Heaven, but we still have to strive toward perfection:   

‘For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.’--2 Peter 1:5-8. 

Keep a check on your heart at all times. It can easily go rogue.  You may say my heart is stronger than that. What do you mean by ‘easily’? Well, consider the fact that we are currently living in and through a pandemic. Everyone is tired and stressed out. Plus there are a lot of social justice issues going on right now, tons of mass killings. It can take a toll on anyone. We can find ourselves being short with family, friends, or strangers. We may have a level of fear we are not willing to verbalize, and honestly, we may not even realize it is fear because we have never had to deal with so much at once. I believe that especially in these times we should keep this in mind as we step out of our homes to go anywhere, morning, noon, or night. Wisdom could allow us to see our family at the end of the day. You know?    

If you keep your heart in the right place at all times, even when you put your foot in your mouth or react absolutely incorrectly to a situation; hang in there. Fix the situation if you can. And if you cannot, learn from your mistake. I truly believe the key to keeping your heart in the right place is to have a repentant heart, not a haughty ‘well they deserved it’ heart, even if they did deserve it. I really believe that when you check your heart, keep your heart in the right place, more issues will work out for the good than not.     

• Thirdly, never give up on your relationship with Jesus. You will have ups and downs. There will be times when you question His existence, His love for you; hey, even your love for Him. There may be times when you stop praying because a certain really important prayer was not answered. Trust me, I know. But know that He is always there. If you feel like He moved, check again, because it is not He who moved, but you. He just happens to know your beginning to your end, and your end to your beginning. 

‘I make known the end from the beginning, from ancient times, what is still to come.’--Isaiah 46:10.

He knows why and why not.  He knows what is still to come. We don’t. 

It doesn’t make things easier sometimes, but it’s good to know you can trust God with your heart.  

 

 

• Final point: It is OK to reach out to me even though the podcast is complete. You may reach me via email at religionandpoliticspod@gmail.com or follow me on Instagram @religionandpoliticspod. Just give me 24 to 48 hours to respond. 

 

 

Besides, I still want to hear from you on the question I ask in every episode: whether verbally or in the show notes: Who is God? 

It’s been a pleasure to be obedient to God’s command to create this podcast. I truly hope that through these episodes you have heard The Good News of who Jesus truly is.

 

Episode quote:

“The Lord bless you  and keep you; the Lord make his face shine on you  and be gracious to you; the Lord turn his face toward you and give you peace.”--Numbers 6:24-26.

 

Bye!

Podcast Producer: 

Rob Conley

Gcatproductions@gmail.com

 

 Links used for research:

https://www.openbible.info/topics/striving_for_perfection

Episode 10--Red Letters, What Do They Really Mean?

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/notjustanotherreligionandpoliticspod/Not_Another_Ep10_Final_8awrm.mp3

Episode 22--Angels and Demons:

https://traffic.libsyn.com/secure/notjustanotherreligionandpoliticspod/Not_Another_Ep22_FInalbd7hl.mp3

Episode Title: God’s Promises Revisited

Episode intro:

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 24 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped into a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

Body of episode:

I want to revisit God’s promises. If you remember, I first discussed God’s promises in episode 13. But I really wanted to bonus God’s promises especially in light of the mayhem we are all currently living through. 2020 has been tougher than many of us have had to endure, and unfortunately, although there is a little light at the end of the tunnel, 2021 has had its own challenges. I keep saying it: Many of us have never been down this path before. I know there are a few centenarians around, God bless them. I’m quite sure they’ve seen a lot. But for the rest of us, well whew!  

And in the midst of all of this, did you know God made us a really long list of promises? Crazy right? Through all of this sadness and grief, and death, and mass shootings, and hunger, and slavery, and human trafficking...and the list goes on. It sounds more like 49 AD or the 1200s than the 21st century.   

How can He make promises and how do we know they pertain to us when they were documented thousands of years ago? 

Well, He did not promise those things would not happen, in fact, He said: 

‘I have told you all this so that you may have peace in me. Here on earth, you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have overcome the world.”--John 16:33. 

See the last part of that verse, ‘...I have overcome the world’? It’s one of those things where we know how the story ends. We know because the Book of Revelations tells us so. 

But what about in the meantime? Because that is where we are, isn’t it? In the meantime. 

In the meantime, we need to know what His promises are and then remind ourselves of those promises in the middle of terrible times. Times like these. Because as long as we are on this earth, we will not be able to avoid terrible times, so we might as well learn how to deal with them. 

As human beings, we have many ways of coping or dealing with the bad things that come our way. The way we deal with things is typically based on our culture, on the way we have seen our elders deal, and our personalities.  Some of us tend to run away from trouble. Some of us walk away when maybe we should face the trouble. Some of us look for trouble where there isn’t any. And some of us are brave enough to face down trouble, terror, looking it directly in the eyes.

But I believe even the strongest of us need promises. Human beings tend to do better when we have something to rely on, right? When we can rely on the hope that promises, well, promise.    

So what is a promise? What are God’s promises? 

‘A promise is ‘a declaration or assurance that one will do a particular thing or that a particular thing will happen.’--Google.

‘A promise is an object that may produce a single value some time in the future: either a resolved value or a reason that it’s not resolved (e.g., a network error occurred).--Master the Javascript. I mean did you know a promise was part of Java code?

I don’t know about you, but I learn something new every day!

Before we review some of the many promises in the Bible, I would like to make a suggestion: Many years ago I read a devotional that suggested we not treat scripture verses like quotes from the inside of a candy bar wrapper. If I’m not mistaken they specified a Milky Way wrapper, but I’m sure it doesn’t matter what candy bar. The point is that the verse you read has more meaning, more definition, more texture, dare I say; if you read the verse before and sometimes the verse after. Here’s an example: Jeremiah 29:11 says: 

10‘This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’    

But look at verse 10? That is a promise most people skip over and go straight to verse 11, holding onto that verse with all their might. And that’s fine, it is a promise after all. But verse 10 is a specific promise to those that were being held in captivity--in Babylon. God promised the Israelites that after 70 years in captivity He would bring them back to their place, to their land. And then in verse 11, He says those famous words that we all hang onto with everything we have in us. 

Does verse 10 mean that verse 11 pertains only to the captives? I don’t believe so. But I do believe what the devotional I read years ago said about reading verses like they were candy wrapper quotes. We can claim God’s blessings just as He wants us to, but read the verses before and after for context. After all, as verse 10 shows, it's not always about us right?       

So promises...God’s promises...

‘The Lord is trustworthy in all he promises and faithful in all he does.’--Psalm 145:13.

“Blessed is she who has believed that the Lord would fulfill his promises to her!”--Luke 1:45.

I love this verse, and I’ve held it close to my heart for years, especially when I am working on a project like this 25 episode limited-edition podcast that I felt God prompted me to create. 

Although I know Jesus esteemed women and treated us as equals, there are not many verses in the Bible that specifically, genderally, I just made up another word; speaks to women, especially not like this one. So I use it as a promise to me. And it is. But look at the verse before: 

44 ‘As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.’   

Both of these verses are Elizabeth speaking to her cousin Mary. So remember, every verse is a verse unto itself, but the verses before and after add context.  

I mean I could feel a little out of sorts, aka, some type of way about verse 44 as I never had children.  I could be offended and decide that verse is not a promise for me. But I have decided not to be offended, and I have decided to continue to claim that verse. Look, there are times and situations where we are going to have to hang onto God’s promises with our fingernails. This is one of those verses for me. 

So,  what about this one...

‘For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him, the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.’--2 Corinthians 1:20.

“I am with you always, until the end of the age.”--Matthew 28:20.

“Don’t be afraid, because I’m with you; don’t be anxious, because I am your God.”--Isaiah 41:10.

“I am with you and will protect you wherever you go”.--Genesis 28:15.

These next few verses have stars next to them. I will tell you why in just a moment.  

‘The angel of the LORD encamps all around those who fear Him, And delivers them.’--Psalm 34:7.*

‘No weapon forged against you will prevail, and you will refute every tongue that accuses you. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD, and this is their vindication from me," declares the LORD.--Isaiah 54:17.*

‘Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.’--James 1:17.*

Those are some of my favorite verses. In fact, I incorporate them into my daily prayers.  What if you started memorizing promises that you feel bring calm to your heart, and then incorporated them into your daily prayers. I believe it would help in the midst of all the daily craziness we are dealing with.  Give it a try?  

In this next verse Joshua who took over leading the Israelites after Moses died, is now dying and he says: 

“Now I am about to go the way of all the earth. You know with all your heart and soul that not one of all the good promises the Lord your God gave you has failed. Every promise has been fulfilled; not one has failed.”--Joshua 23:14.

Even and especially in death, he can say that God fulfilled all of His promises.  Amazing and beautiful right? That’s a promise in itself. 

Well, as I mentioned, these are just a handful of the many verses in the Bible. There are hundreds more. Find the ones that pertain to you and repeat them daily. Hold them close to your heart and pray them over yourself and over your family and friends.    

 

Episode quote:

For no matter how many promises God has made, they are “Yes” in Christ. And so through him the “Amen” is spoken by us to the glory of God.’--2 Corinthians 1:20.

Closing commentary:

Don’t forget, I would love to hear from you on the question: 

‘Who is God?’ 

 

Episode outro:

Thank you for tuning in. Email me with feedback or questions. 

I would love to hear from you at religionandpoliticspod@gmail.com. Give me 24 to 48 hours to respond. And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time! 

Bye!

Scriptures mentioned:

 

• John 16:33. 

• Jeremiah 29:10-11

• Psalm 145:13

• Luke 1:44-45

• Joshua 21:5

• 2 Corinthians 1:20

• Matthew 28:20

• Isaiah 41:10

• Genesis 28:15

• James 1:17

• Isaiah 54:17

• Psalm 34:7

• Joshua 23:14

 

Research links: 

https://www.openbible.info/topics/joy

https://medium.com/javascript-scene/master-the-javascript-interview-what-is-a-promise-27fc71e77261

https://en.operando.org/gods-promises-for-your-every-need/?gclid=Cj0KCQiAhs79BRD0ARIsAC6XpaWE3AH5lwhc6wgMe9zBCmoDH7Dv0z_jb1GYI1k0tgT5nIYqoPCQ-VMaAh2iEALw_wcB

Episode intro:

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 23 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped into a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

Body of episode:

The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God [a]gave him to show unto his [b]servants, even the things which must shortly come to pass: and he sent and signified [c]it by his angel unto his servant John; 2 who bare witness of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, even of all things that he saw. 3 Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of the prophecy, and keep the things that are written therein: for the time is at hand.--Revelations 1:1.

The book of Revelations was written by John the Apostle. So in the intro above, aka verse one of Revelations chapter one, he is referring to himself. Why? According to research, all of the apostles wrote their contributions to the New Testament in the third person. Apparently, it was a thing. Maybe a way not to make their writings sound like it was all about them? A way to remain humble? 

According to my research: ‘The Book of Revelation was written sometime around 96 CE in Asia Minor. The author was probably a Christian from Ephesus known as "John the Elder." According to the Book, this John was on the island of Patmos, not far from the coast of Asia Minor, "because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus" (Rev. 1.10).’--Google.   

Now some of my research said the book was written in 95 AD. I mean we’re talking the difference of a year. 

As I did my research for this episode, I decided to rely on the Bible I keep on my nightstand. It’s a Bible I have had since April 26, 1985. Woah! That’s older than some of you right? And as I reached for my Bible, I decided to pick up another Bible I keep on my nightstand, my dad’s study Bible. I started scouring both Bibles for old notes, but the funny thing was there were more notes in my Bible than there were in my dad’s. And that’s when I remembered that this was definitely not his only Bible. And the notes in my Bible were from his teachings.  

As I peruse my notes throughout the book of Revelations, I wish I had dated them. There are underlines, margin notes, stars, even a map key I used to get me to better understand.   

The first note I see above chapter one is that ‘Jesus is the key focus of this book.’

Written next to verse four is ‘seven is God’s perfect number.’ 

Next to verse 12 which says ‘And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And having turned I saw seven golden [l]candlesticks…’ I wrote the word ‘churches.’ So the golden candlesticks were churches. More on that in a moment.     

Verse 16  ‘And he had in his right hand seven stars…’  Next to that verse, I had written ‘leaders of the church.’  I did the note-taking/margin writing through the entire book of Revelations.

In chapter 18 where the tribulation and pre-tribulation are discussed.  In chapter 19 I have a note in the margin that refers me back to 1 Thessalonians 5 where the second coming is referenced.  

I mean if you just picked up the Bible for the first time today and started reading Revelations you would be like ‘whaaat?’ That’s how I was until I got the breakdown.  The book of Revelations was like Greek to me, with all of the allegory and The Apostle John doing the best he could at describing things he had never seen before. 

Some theologians believe he was seeing the future and would not have known the correct names for some of the things he saw. And I guess God was like ‘you know what? I am not taking you out of your time and place, it’s just too much for you.’ So God left him within his time-space continuum. Where have you heard that before?  

Speaking of John, there is some back and forth that I found in my research, that there were apparently two men named John around that time period and there is some question as to which John wrote Revelations. I put a link here in the show notes to an article for the argument that the John who wrote Revelations is John the apostle. I am going with that as it has always been my understanding, and the timeline in this article tends to bear that out. Of course, I know that there are theologians out there who are way smarter than me. So if you are listening and you have input, I would love to hear it. 

So, what I would like to do in this episode is not to necessarily break down every single verse and chapter, because what I explained, in the beginning, will help you do just that. Here are the clues I gave you: 

• The book of Revelations is an allegory.
• John called or named some things based on the best word he could use for them. I will give you a specific example. 
• And he, John. spoke in the third person. 

Armed with this information, you are literally halfway to understanding the book of Revelations when you read it.  Allegory and all.    

But I would like to go through a few more things just to give you some more context: 

• In chapters two and three those churches I mentioned earlier are directly spoken to about their behavior: good, bad, and ugly. And including changes, some of them needed to make. 
• Chapters four through six there are descriptions of Heaven and some activities going on in Heaven.  The seven seals are also discussed. 
• Chapter seven talks about four powerful angels holding the corners of the earth. I also have in my margin notes ‘the saving of the odd-lot people that were left after the original rapture.’ 
• The chapters go on to discuss the ‘tribulation saints’, ‘the three sets of people: ‘The tribulation saints, the 144k, and people left on earth after Jesus has come and gone. 
• I find it interesting in chapter nine I wrote in the margin ‘lifespan of a locust is five months.' Remember I mentioned earlier that John was seeing the future and did not have the name or names to describe some of what he saw? Chapter nine, verse nine is the perfect example: those locusts he mentioned, some believe he may have been talking about airplanes or some other modern technology! No kidding!  
• In chapter nine verse 16: ‘and the number of the army of the horsemen were two hundred thousand thousand and I heard the number of them.’ My margin notes say ‘believed to be China since they have an army numbering the same.’
• Chapter 11 talks about the Millennial period beginning.      
• Chapter 14 talks about the end of times. In my margin notes, I have the words ‘what will happen to the wicked’, and ‘what will happen to the holy’.   
• In chapter 17 it is discussed that Rome will regain power, influence.  It is also discussed that some countries will turn their power over to the United Nations for a short period of time. The Millennial period is discussed again, in more detail.  
• Chapter 20 talks about an angel coming down from Heaven and subduing the devil. Then the thousand-year reign. And then in my margin notes by verse 11, ‘And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them.’ I put the word hide in between no and place. In the margins, I wrote ‘final judgment of God himself. The wicked will try to flee.’   
• In chapter, 21. The new heaven and the new earth are described. Verse four is our closing quote for this episode.     
• In chapter 22, the final chapter, above verse one I wrote ‘continuation of description from chapter 21.’   

 

The bottom line once again is this: 

The book of Revelations is mostly allegory. Some of it literal, like when God spoke to the seven churches, telling them about themselves. Almost all of it seems quite scary to be honest. And it is suggested that as Believers we try our very best to understand every portion of the Bible, otherwise, what’s the point. But if you need a sedative after reading Revelations here it is: We win. The devil loses. Bottom line.  

I hope this overview has helped you. I know it helped me all those years ago when my dad went through it line by line. I mean he broke it down. There are a few other passages that I will always remember him breaking down, like Ecclesiastes chapter 3.  Whew, it was as eye-opening to me although probably on a smaller scale, as the breakdown of Revelations was. I will put the chapter in the show notes for you.   

Episode quote:

‘And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away.’--Revelations 21:4. 

 

Episode outro:

Thank you so much for tuning in. Let me know if you have feedback. I would love to hear from you! You may email me at religionandpoliticspod@gmail.com. Please give me 24 to 48 hours to respond.  You may also follow us on Instagram @religionandpoliticspod or on our Facebook page. 

And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time! 

Remember, I would love to hear from you on the question: 

‘Who is God?’ 

 

Research links: 

https://digitalcommons.andrews.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1308&context=jams

https://christianity.stackexchange.com/questions/17428/who-wrote-the-book-of-revelation

https://www.greeka.com/dodecanese/patmos/book-revelation/

https://www.bibleref.com/Revelation/10/Revelation-10-4.html

 

Bonus content:

Ecclesiastes chapter 3:

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=ecclesiastes+3&version=NIV

Episode Title:  Angels and Demons--How the church feels about the unseen.

 

Episode intro:

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 22 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped into a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

Body of episode:

Soooo, I may lose some of you almost immediately. I really hope not, but well some of us opt not to partake in any aspect of the spirit world subject-matter. The moment someone brings up angels and or demons, which by the way is the title of this episode, folks opt out. And honestly, I get it. The whole thing can seem a little scary especially if you did not grow up hearing conversation about such matters. In some cases, it may even sound a little cultish the way it is discussed in some quarters. 

Some Believers toss around the words angels and demons the way non-believers toss around curse words. In both cases, making some listeners uncomfortable.

So I get it. But stick with me. 

There was a time in my life when I watched all things Dracula on TV or at the movies. And just about anything having to do with angels and demons. I was intrigued. There was a TV show a few years ago and I believe it was actually called Angels and Demons. There was always some type of hand-to-hand combat between a particular angel and demon. If I remember the premise correctly, the two of them were somehow related. 

But as I matured in my faith, and dare I say my gifts, more on that in a moment, I stopped watching said movies and shows. I felt like shows and movies having to do with this subject matter for lack of a better term, disrupted my spirit.  It felt like I was giving the devil an open door to my spirit and I DID NOT WANT THAT. 

So, I no longer watch anything that will disrupt my spirit. You may have felt a disruption in your spirit and not realized what it was. 

Let me give you an example: you watch a movie, a TV show, or you listen to a song or certain music, and afterward, you feel angry or upset, or even afraid. Maybe you listen to certain musical artists on a regular basis and you always feel angry, like always, after listening to them.

You probably never wondered why, not putting two and two together and realizing you get along with the world in general, but after your commute to or from work, and listening to these certain songs, you just felt angry with your co-workers, with people in traffic, etc.

You are basically allowing these artists--musical, certain movies, videos, discussions, etc., to speak into your spirit. Chances are you are not even thinking that what they may be singing or saying is that bad. I mean it’s just a song, right? It’s just a movie? You are just letting it all in.

Look, the spirit world is real, whether you believe in it or not. And this is what I want to talk to you about today.       

‘A spiritual stronghold is a habitual pattern of thought, built into one's thought life. Satan and his minions want to capture the minds of people: the mind is the citadel of the soul. He who controls the mind controls a very strategic place!’--Pulling down Strongholds: Strategies from Ancient and Modern Israel, Messiah conference 2000.

‘For the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds; casting down imaginations, and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience to Messiah.’--2 Corinthians 10:4-5.  

‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.’--1 Peter 5:8.

‘When the servant of the man of God got up and went out early the next morning, an army with horses and chariots had surrounded the city. “Oh no, my lord! What shall we do?” the servant asked.

16 “Don’t be afraid,” the prophet answered. “Those who are with us are more than those who are with them.”

17 And Elisha prayed, “Open his eyes, Lord, so that he may see.” Then the Lord opened the servant’s eyes, and he looked and saw the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around Elisha.’--2 Kings 6:16-17.

‘For 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.’--Ephesians 6:12.

There is a spirit world. We can’t take everything for granted and at face value. 

The quote and the verses above, if you notice; make mention of angels, demons, and the spirit world. Things many people, even some Believers, do not believe in. 

Look, some Believers pick through the Bible choosing what they like and leaving what they do not like or cannot explain; like they’re at a buffet. 

The Bible is all you can eat, but you have to eat it all. Not in one sitting of course, but you get the idea. We are supposed to consume it in its entirety, as often as we can.  

But let’s be honest, It’s not an easy read.  Some portions of it have to be re-read, and even then, you need help understanding it. 

And ‘all of it’ is where many people, Christians, and non-Christians, get tripped up or confused. Because the next question is does consuming the entire Bible mean that we have to still believe in stoning entire families, that women have no voice, or that slavery is Biblical? 

These are just a few examples of where the Bible has been taken out of context for hundreds of years. 

Number one: And I am trying my very best not to go down a rabbit hole here. Cause you know I’m good for that.  Stoning people was a law of that time. It is not a law in the time in which we currently live. And of course, one would hope such a law would never be reimplemented. 

Number two: Women had a voice back then. Do you want to know how I knew this? Because Jesus spoke to them, healed them, protected them, encouraged them, wherever He went. It was the men and the laws they created and implemented that silenced women and treated them like chattel. Jesus NEVER mistreated women.  

This is another way for us ALL to know, that the way women were treated then, and even today, was and is man’s idea. They took certain commands from the Bible and completely twisted them into knots, for hundreds, thousands, of years. 

Number Three: see number two. And, slavery was a thing back then, and even in more recent times, as we all know; but Jesus never said it was right or good. The Bible talks about how to behave toward your master if you were enslaved, it never said slavery was good.

“For you have not received a spirit of slavery leading again to fear [of God’s judgment], but you have received the Spirit of adoption as sons [the Spirit producing sonship] by which we [joyfully] cry, “Abba! Father!”--Romans 8:15.

Remember, God made all of us. Every human, He created us.  Man decided it was OK for one man to enslave another. That was man’s doing, not God's.      

I heard this from Pastor Justin, one of the assistant pastors at my church, and whom by the way I interviewed for this podcast, link in the show notes;  in a recent sermon, and I thought it was the explanation I have been searching for the longest time. 

He said something to the effect that ‘the Bible doesn’t condone the behavior of these people. God uses people in the midst of their system.’ 

You see, this is what is so cool about the Bible, and the reason as I tried so hard to explain in episode 21, that it was written thousands of years ago, but is still relevant to this day. God, Jesus, never messed with the time-space continuum. He worked within the confines of it. Wow, I never thought I would use a Star Trek term in my podcast! Wow!    

Allow me to give just one more example before we move on: Do they do things now, in 2021, the way they were done in 1951? What are some things that are no longer done? What is being done now that would be frowned on in 1951? Do you get the idea? 

Oh, and please do not confuse the way things are done in certain time periods with the fundamentals, the foundation, of the Bible. The Bible, the Word, does not change based on when it is.  ‘For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.’--John 3:16. is a fundamental of the Bible. Fundamentals do not change whether it is 2021 or 49 AD. There is nothing Biblically fundamental about stoning entire families or treating women like chattel or enslaving another human being. I hope this makes sense.    

 

Angels and demons:

So, angels and demons. The spirit world. The unseen. The unknown, really. And what do angels and demons have to do with anything I just said? 

Well, there are some things in this world, that whether you believe in them or not, they are true. As I mentioned before. Chances are if you are listening to this podcast, you are intelligent enough to believe that America did go to the moon. The earth is round. There was a holocaust of the Jews. Millions of Africans were stolen from their homeland and endured more than 400 years of slavery.  

Unfortunately, there are people that are alive and well and comfortable right now, who do not believe some or any of these things. It’s really tragic.

And there are people as I mentioned earlier, who do not believe in angels or in demons.

There are Believers who choose to believe in some parts of the Bible while opting not to believe in other parts of the Bible. There are some Believers today who do not believe miracles still happen. There are some who do not believe there is a spirit world. 

I’ve put a link to an article from Christianity Today, titled ‘The Truth About Angels and Demons is Staring Us In The Face’. The author discusses a book by author and professor Michael Heiser. But here is a clip from the article that I believe pertains to this discussion:

‘In his 2018 book Angels: What the Bible Really Says About God’s Heavenly Host, Heiser explains that message-bearing (what the word angel means in Greek) marks only one of the many functions performed by the supernatural, non-physical beings that God created. Angels also act as ministers of God’s will, watchers who are ever vigilant, soldiers in God’s heavenly host (or army), interpreters to men of God’s messages, protectors of God’s holiness, executors of God’s divine judgment, and members of God’s council who participate in and bear witness to God’s sovereign decisions and decrees.’    

This explanation may make angels seem a little less woo-hoo than imagining beings floating around scaring people right? 

Remember, I believe in the whole Bible and did not want to end this podcast without discussing these beings, this subject matter.  

So, if you have read the Bible, and read any stories about angels, you have read about different visits angels made to humans right? And the angels we are most familiar with are Michael and Gabriel.     

 

NOTE:

‘Michael the Archangel, in the Bible and in the Qurʾān (as Mīkāl), one of the archangels. He is repeatedly depicted as the “great captain,” the leader of the heavenly hosts, and the warrior helping the children of Israel.’

  

More angel sightings:

Genesis 18--three men approached Abram as he sat in the doorway of his tent in the heat of the day according to Genesis 18:1. One was thought to be God in human form, the other two were believed to be angels. They told Abram that his wife Sara would have a baby ‘according to the time of life’, verse 10. Of course, as the story goes she laughed to herself as she was quite old. And although she was in another part of the tent, the angel knew she laughed. Woah! Be sure to read Genesis 18 if you are not familiar with the story.  

So, about Lucifer, the devil:   

The first time the devil appeared in the Bible? You guessed it: The book of Genesis, in the Garden of Eden. He appeared as the snake who tempted Eve.

 

Story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness:

Now, as far as the other side of things, there was the story in Luke 4:1-11, where the devil attempted to tempt Jesus so that he could ultimately control Jesus, but of course, Christ knew what the devil was up to, so each time Jesus responded to the devil’s temptations with a word from the Word!   

The devil wanted Jesus to turn stones into bread as Jesus was hungry after just coming off of a 40 day fast. Jesus responded that “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’[b]”--verse 4.

The devil then tempted him a second time, telling him to throw himself from a high mountain, even quoting scripture to Jesus! The devil knows scripture. Please know scripture as well so that you can respond properly. Anyway, Jesus’s response was:  “It is also written: ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’[d]”--verse 7.

And then the third and final time, the devil told Jesus that if he bowed to him he would give Jesus the entire earth. Really? But Jesus responded: ‘Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’[e]”--verse 10.

I mean, please know your scriptures so you know how to respond to negativity in all of its forms. 

The devil’s back story: 

So,  speaking of the devil here is a little bit about his back story:

‘Lucifer was a senior angel who rebelled against God and was ejected from his presence. He is more commonly known as Satan or the devil. Other angels joined his rebellion and suffered the same fate. The Bible has a few references to this confrontation.’--Christianity.org.uk.

Basically, when Lucifer fell, he took a third of the angels with him, those angels becoming demons. 

‘When Satan fell, he did not fall alone. Scripture tells us that he took one-third of the angels (see Revelation 12:4). Considering that the angelic host numbers more than 10,000 x 10,000 (see Revelation 5:11), that is a sizable group. They account for the fallen angels, or demons, that now do his bidding. As a result, Satan is a fallen, but powerful, spirit-being with a well-organized network of demon powers to help him accomplish his purposes. Those purposes, according to Jesus, are to “steal, kill, and destroy” (John 10:10).

That’s the bad news. The good news is that two-thirds of the angels are on our side! As the prophet Elisha said to his servant, “Don’t be afraid. Those who are with us are more than those who are with them” (2 Kings 6:16).’--Harvest.org.

So as you can see, the Bible discusses, talks about, angels and demons quite extensively. But of course, you would have to believe and believe in The Bible for its content to make sense. And I cannot convince you, I can only show you what the Bible, the unadulterated word of God says. You have to decide if what you are reading in the Bible is true.

 As you know by now, I believe it is true. I would also like to say that I believe in angels and in demons because the Bible discusses them and their work quite extensively. 

Recall earlier that I mentioned the term spiritual gifts in relation to why I stopped watching movies and TV shows with content related to angels and demons? Well, here is the scripture and the explanation:  

‘There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gift of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous power, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.’--1Corinthians 12:7-11.

Note: the spirit mentioned here is not a ghost, it is The Holy Spirit, you know, one of the three parts of the Holy Trinity.   

I am not of the belief that when you, for lack of a better word, possess any of these gifts that you should also be watching certain movies and shows. That’s what I meant when I said ‘disrupt my spirit.’ You can’t carry light and dark at the same time. Some things you have to choose between and this is one of those things. I made the choice to stop watching those shows and movies.

You know, I believe that no matter how strong we are in our Christian journey, and maybe despite the fact that we are strong, we have to exercise common sense. And this choice was me exercising my common sense. 

 

My story:

My dad was my pastor for the first 40 or so years of my life. Wow, that makes me sound old. Anyway, there was a time when there had been a rash of church burglaries, and we were having our mid-week Bible study upstairs in his office. I recall asking him before we went upstairs if I should lock the front door. He said no. I did not agree with that decision, but I said nothing. We all went upstairs and as we read the book he had asked us all to purchase and read along with the Bible, the door downstairs was opened. We all heard it because we all, except for my dad, looked at each other. 

Just then, I heard marching! I was like what in the world!? Then I saw them, walking two by two, they were dressed in light, spears in their right hands, laced up sandals, looking straight ahead. I could not believe what I was seeing! I looked around to see if anyone else in the Bible study was seeing what I was seeing but it did not appear so. My dad was talking, and everyone was looking in their books. Except me! I watched them walk right through our circle, walk past my dad’s left shoulder, and through the wall. And as they did that the marching subsided until I did not hear it anymore. 

No one ever came up the stairs. We finished our Bible study, and I asked my mom if she saw them. I told her what happened and she said no. She had not seen or heard anything. She said I should have told them. As I think back now, she probably wanted me to tell them so that their hearts would be put at ease because we had all heard the door open downstairs. I was in too much shock! 

I assumed that whoever opened the door downstairs probably heard the same thing. This is not the only incident I could tell of, but it is the only one I will tell here. 

You see, I believe in them. And I would believe even if I never saw them because I believe in The Bible. I just feel fortunate that I also got to see. I can’t mix the gifts and what I saw, with the movies and shows I used to watch. It would cause havoc in my spirit. Life is difficult enough without that.             

Remember, I am not trying to convince you that angels and demons exist. I just want you to know that the Bible says they do.  You know, angels are mentioned 273 times in the Bible.’ That’s a lot not to believe. 

Remember in episode 21 where I tried my best to explain to you why I believe the Bible is real and is NOT a book of fairy tales? I found this C.S. Lewis quote that sums it up nicely: Why I believe the Bible is real, and thus why Angels are real. Because really why would you want to believe in a book that is real but not believe in some of the contents. That in my opinion would be an absolute waste of time. 

Anyway, here’s that quote:

‘I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.’--C.S. Lewis.

By the sun you see everything else.  By the sun you see the light.  By the Bible, you will see the light.   

 

Episode Research Links:

https://www.lifeway.com/en/articles/are-you-fighting-a-spiritual-war-priscilla-shirer-armor-of-god

 

https://www.biola.edu/blogs/good-book-blog/2020/spiritual-warfare-in-a-pandemic

 

https://cbcalbany.com/new-blog/2020/5/25/spiritual-warfaresatan-demons-and-angels

 

https://considerthegospel.org/2012/09/23/why-did-god-create-a-devil/?gclid=CjwKCAiA9vOABhBfEiwATCi7GCs4fxBPwUViqxie4kXEw1GAlLFARog2QK1i-CqRVzdgfSBhWLiDKhoCregQAvD_BwE

 

https://www.neverthirsty.org/bible-qa/qa-archives/question/is-there-a-gap-between-the-first-and-second-verse-in-the-first-chapter-of-genesis/

https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/don_stewart/don_stewart_8.cfm

 

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/june-web-only/michael-heiser-angels-demons-unseen-realm.html

 

https://christianity.org.uk/article/do-angels-exist

 

https://harvest.org/know-god-article/the-origin-and-fall-of-the-devil/

 

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=1+Corinthians+12&version=KJV

https://www.christianity.com/christian-life/what-are-spiritual-gifts-understanding-the-types-and-discovering-yours.html

 

According to the Blue Letter Bible, the word ‘ "angels"--occurs 94 times in 92 verses in the KJV, including 92 exact phrases…’ Blueletterbible.org

 

Another search, Google, says that ‘Angels are mentioned 273 times in the Bible.’--Jul 2, 2020.

Episode Takeaways:

 

https://notjustanotherreligionandpoliticspod.podbean.com/e/episode-8-doubt-is-it-a-sin-my-interview-with-pastor-justin-mcneil/

 

https://notjustanotherreligionandpoliticspod.podbean.com/e/episode-21-is-the-bible-real-or-is-it-a-book-of-fairy-tales/

 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-gye6a-dcbf2e

 

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-faiw7-f86eea

 

https://www.gracechapel.cc/sermons/spiritual-warfare?gclid=Cj0KCQiAmfmABhCHARIsACwPRAD75O3BnIBslPgGBW5ygmT-CJ7gV9Ynkh1u1dzGaqNVdYkZvZmgwWsaAs5zEALw_wcB

Closing commentary:

 

Don’t forget, I would love to hear from you on the question: 

 

‘Who is God?’ 

 

Episode outro:

 

Well, thank you for tuning in. Let me know via social media https://www.facebook.com/relpolpod, @relpolpod on Instagram; or by email, if you have feedback. I would love to hear from you! 

You may email me at religionandpoliticspod@gmail.com. Please give me 24to 48 hours to respond. 

And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time! 

 

Episode quote:

 

‘I believe in Christianity as I believe that the sun has risen: not only because I see it, but because by it I see everything else.’--C.S. Lewis.

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 21 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped foot in a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

Body of episode:

In today’s episode, I’m going to discuss the Bible. Is it real, is it a book of fairy tales as some belief, who wrote it, how long did it take to write the Bible? All of that and more will be discussed in this episode. 

So, look, we all know there are people who do not believe in God. That’s not really what this episode is about, technically. What I mean is that some people believe the Bible was written a long time ago and that it is a book of stories that were written to help us deal with our own issues, you know, like a self-help book.

Some believe there is a higher being, but they don’t believe he is an actual god or even our creator, he’s just a ‘higher power’. And the Bible, well, no way so many different people wrote it over the course of so many years. More on that in a moment.  

 

Bottom line, there are many beliefs, opinions, thoughts, etc., on the Bible and what it is really all about. 

Speaking from a Christian standpoint, I can tell you the Bible is real because of my relationship with God. 

Let me explain: in two words, things jive.

What? OK, here’s the thing. 

1. The Bible has been around for thousands of years, and it is still relevant today. How? Well, the way God told us to live, via the Bible, still makes sense today. He told us to love our neighbors. ‘The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’[g] There is no commandment greater than these.”--Mark 12:31. We are still taught from the time we are toddlers, to treat others as we would like to be treated right.  They call it the golden rule, don’t they? Well, The Golden Rule comes straight out of the Bible.    

 

1.  Here’s another example. And some may have a problem with this because it comes from the Old Testament. Some people don’t like the Old Testament because they really feel it’s not relevant because of the book of Leviticus where all of the rules and regulations are. I mean from the very first chapter there are rules and regulations, and some of them are downright scary.  So the questions are asked, well what kind of loving God has rules and regulations like that? How could He be a God of love and allow for entire families to be stoned to death? I always wondered why He allowed Tamar to be raped by her own brother and then to have to live in seclusion for the rest of her life. THAT is not fair! 

Note: There are two Tamar’s in the Bible. The one who fought her father in law for her rights (Genesis 38) Yes, we women have been fighting for our rights for thousands of years. And the Tamar I am referring to, King David’s daughter. 

But we sure love those promises though! That new song The Blessing by Elevation Worship, link in the show notes, is awesome, isn’t it? Well, the scripture, I mean the literal words, from that song, is from the Old Testament. 

‘“The Lord bless you

    and keep you;

the Lord make his face shine on you

    and be gracious to you;

the Lord turn his face toward you

    and give you peace.”--Numbers 6:24-26.  I have always loved this blessing. It has always made me feel safe in God’s arms. I hope it makes you feel the same way. 

 

The fact is that we will probably never understand all of God’s decisions and the things He allowed to happen or take place. But I do know that back to the New Testament for a moment, ‘And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who[a] have been called according to his purpose.’--Romans 8:28.

 

It doesn’t feel good while we are going through whatever it is we are having to deal with. We have all been through great difficulties in our lives. No one escapes this life without some type of grief. ‘Life is not for the faint of heart’, is what I always say. And the Bible does not go into any further detail about Tamar. I put a link to an article in the show notes on the rape of Tamar. The author did a powerful job with this article. I have never quite heard the story discussed like this before.

 

Well, I can tell you that many of us as Believers have prayers that were never answered. At least not in the way we wanted or expected. We have been through some very unfair, traumatic experiences. But we still trust and Believe in God. The One we believe created everything we see on this planet and in the skies above. Why?

• Because when we pray we believe He hears us. 
• When we are in relationship with Him, we feel a heart connection. 
• When He answers our prayers He always goes above and beyond what we could ever expect.  
• When our hearts are broken over a life issue or over an unanswered prayer, He is still there, in the mix, and in the midst. And the only way to explain it is to say that we just know. We can feel His presence. You ever feel like someone is looking at you and you look up and sure enough, you catch someone’s eye. It’s a feeling right? And then you get confirmation when you catch them looking at you.  Well, imagine that feeling 10 times over, and from deep within your heart.  And know that it is only for good. Always only for good even in the bad times.

   

So, the Bible, is it real? When was it written? Please know that I will try my very best to make the timelines make sense, but it can be a little confusing…OK, a little more than a little confusing. 

I was going to say ‘let’s start from the beginning’, but, well, you’ll see what I mean.

The Christian Bible has two sections, the Old Testament and the New Testament. The Old Testament is the original Hebrew Bible, the sacred scriptures of the Jewish faith, written at different times between about 1200 and 165 BC. The New Testament books were written by Christians in the first century AD. Jul 12, 2011

 

Bible #1. The oldest surviving full text of the New Testament is the beautifully written Codex Sinaiticus, which was “discovered” at the St Catherine monastery at the base of Mt Sinai in Egypt in the 1840s and 1850s. Dating from circa 325-360 CE, it is not known where it was scribed – perhaps Rome or Egypt. Aug 30, 2018

 

According to both Jewish and Christian Dogma, the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy (the first five books of the Bible and the entirety of the Torah) were all written by Moses in about 1,300 B.C. There are a few issues with this, however, such as the lack of evidence that Moses ever existed ...Feb 22, 2018

 

Anywhoo...

How many years after Jesus died was the Bible written?

forty years

Written over the course of almost a century after Jesus' death, the four gospels of the New Testament, though they tell the same story, reflect very different ideas and concerns. A period of forty years separates the death of Jesus from the writing of the first gospel. 

 

So 40 years after Jesus died different authors started writing the contributions to the Bible, and although there were different authors over the course of many, many years, the Bible is still coherent, cohesive, written logically, and clearly. I mean clearly and logically as in it makes sense.

 

 

 

 

 

 https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/whats-a-christian-worldview/ 

Bonus:

This is what I listened to as I worked on episodes 20 and 21:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yw5OZiMB-Z8

Episode Takeaways:

https://www.focusonthefamily.com/faith/whats-a-christian-worldview/

 

How do we know the Bible is 100% Accurate?

http://bit.ly/3avdIXK

https://www.compellingtruth.org/write-the-Bible.html

 

www.biblegateway.com

 

The Blessing

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zp6aygmvzM4

 

https://www.christiancentury.org/article/critical-essay/read-rape-tamar-and-pay-attention-verbs

Closing commentary:

 

Don’t forget, I would love to hear from you on the question: 

‘Who is God?’ 

 

Episode outro:

 

Well, thank you for tuning in. Let me know via social media or by email, if you have feedback. I would love to hear from you! You may email me at religionandpoliticspod@gmail.com. Please give me 24to 48 hours to respond. And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time! 

 

Episode quote:

‘All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the servant of God[a] may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.’--2 Timothy 3:16-17.

The State of the Church in 2020

 

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 20 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped foot in a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

 

Body of episode:

Much of the research for this episode came from Barna Research. There is enough content to last days and months. And I wanted to start my research with how non-Christians felt about Christians. It’s one of my favorite pet peeves: the way we allow the world to see us, to view us. The way we behave in the world. And the way the Bible says we should behave in the world.

 

Lest I sound holier than thou, let me explain. The Bible is filled with commands on how we should live as Believers. 

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. --Matthew 7:1-2.

 

'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."--Mark 12:31.

 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.’--Matthew 5:38-40.

 

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’--Matthew 5:13-16.

 

Those are just a few, and as you can probably see, at least one of them is not exactly easy to do. Which do you think it is? No one that I know of would say that being a Christian, a Believer, is easy. It’s just not. Why do we do it?    We do it because when we say yes to Jesus, He changes our hearts and minds. We couldn’t, shouldn’t remain the same once we become Believers. Instead, we are supposed to grow, to mature. Now everyone matures at different rates. But we should not be in the same spot in our Christian walk five, 10, 20, 30 years later. Keep that in mind as you make your way through your Christian journey.

 

In their article, ‘What non-Christians want from faith conversations’, the numbers say:

• Nearly all non-Christians (identify with a faith other than Christianity or no faith at all) and lapsed Christians (identify as Christian but have not attended church within the past month)
• have a friend or family member who practices and prioritizes Christianity—but these believers may not be their ideal conversation partners when it comes to faith. 
• For instance, more than six in 10 non-Christians and lapsed Christians (62%) say they would be open to talking about faith matters with someone who listens without judgment—the top quality they value—but only one-third (34%) sees this trait in the Christians they know personally.’

   

So basically:

•  we are judgemental in our conversations with non-Christians or ‘backsliders’.  
• And we do not appear to be welcoming or inviting to the conversations that would be Christians or backsliders would like to have.  This sounds like we either do not want to evangelize, thinking it is our pastor’s job to do or are afraid of being rejected if we initiate the conversation? May I suggest that we remain open to having the conversation with anyone, not just our circle of friends, which will increase the dare I say odds, of having the conversation?  

Online services:

The next thing I checked into was online church. It’s quite pertinent as this episode is being recorded at the end of 2020, the year of the pandemic. Many of us are not attending church in person although more churches have re-opened for in-person service. I have opted to continue watching online to help protect my dad from COVID. So as I researched online service I found an interesting article on Pew Research, one of my favorite research platforms. 

Where I thought they would simply discuss online church in the midst of a pandemic, the article actually talks about online church and people of color.  You see, as everyone knows by now, people of color have been hardest hit by this pandemic because we tend to be the ones on the front line, and the ones with pre-existing conditions. Both are low hanging fruit for the virus. Here are the numbers:

• ‘Nearly three-quarters of white adults who report that they regularly attend religious services (72%) say they are “very” or “somewhat” confident they could safely attend in-person services right now at their regular house of worship without spreading or catching the coronavirus.’ 
• ‘...around half of Black (49%) and Hispanic (51%) Americans who are similarly observant express such confidence. 

 

This is because people of color know the numbers. We hear the numbers every day. We see the families of affected people on our television screens every evening. We are just not willing to take the risk. I know I’m not. 

See below for the link to the entire article. It’s a good article. 

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/08/07/amid-pandemic-black-and-hispanic-worshippers-more-concerned-about-safety-of-in-person-religious-services/

The church and social justice:

On the church and social justice, I found an essay that really pinpointed how the church should be involved, or not, in social justice. Here is a snippet:    

‘The primary work of the institutional church is not to promote social justice, it is to warn people of divine justice. Its primary business is not to call society to be more righteous but to tell persons of the righteousness of God in Jesus Christ. Its primary work is not to tell us who to elect to public office, it is to tell those in every nation of the One who elected many for eternal life. The primary work of the institutional church is to open and close the kingdom of God and to nurture the Christian faith. This it does primarily through the pure preaching of the gospel, the pure administration of the sacraments, and the exercise of church discipline.’--Calvin P. Van Reken. 

The link to the entire essay is in the show notes. I think this is the closest I’ve come to my research if finding something that matches my feelings on the church's involvement in social justice. Check it out!

 

https://www.calvin.edu/library/database/crcpi/fulltext/ctj/68491.pdf

 

There is also an intriguing article by tabletmag.com that talks about how church--Christian and Catholic, as well as synagogue attendance is falling off almost precipitously as the article says in part: 

‘ For one thing, young Americans have different habits. Rather than join institutions, millennials, argued Wade Clark Roof, author of the book Spiritual Marketplace, are indulging in a kind of “grazing,” finding their spiritual fixes in various different places rather than anyone organized church. As sociologists Robert Putnam and David Campbell explained, those in this age group “reject conventional religious affiliation, while not entirely giving up their religious feelings.” 

The article also says that in addition to the young finding their religion through grazing, the church is under attack by the political left, assisted by the media. This is not new, but it seems to be a resurgence of the church trying to fit in so it is not attacked by these two entities. 

Here’s the bottom line: we are going to have to read our Bibles and not just read them, but understand them. And we cannot rely on just what we hear on Sunday mornings. We should be reading daily, and we should use an assistive device such as a study Bible and or a commentary.

I use the Matthew Henry Commentary, Strong’s Dictionary, and Smith’s Bible Dictionary, among other research products. 

But what does all of that have to do with the decline in church attendance? Well, if you are not a part of the decline, then you are still attending church. But hopefully, you are not attending just to attend, but because you want to be in relationship with God. And to be in relationship with God it is best to understand His heart. 

His heart is for us as His creation. He does not hate anyone, although that narrative is what many non-Believers embrace to allow them to move through life in a dismissive way toward organized Religion: I.e. Christianity, Judaism, Catholicism. So I’m telling you that if you want to continue to walk with Jesus, go to church, and live the way the Bible says to live, you will not agree with everything the Left believes. And if you are truly living the way the Bible says to live, you will not believe or behave in the way the Right does either. You are going to live the Bible. You are going to show love to and for all of God’s creation.  You may not agree with their decisions or lifestyles, but you will lead with love. It’s really simple, but as mentioned earlier, the presumption is that if you do not agree with everything the left believes in they think you have them. And if you do not behave in the unrecognizable way the Right is behaving, then you hate God. 

We may find ourselves caught in the middle of a really ugly fight. But we can only continue trusting God that He sees and hears our prayers. He will protect us as we journey with Him.                  

See the link in the show notes for the entire article.

https://www.tabletmag.com/sections/news/articles/social-justice-is-killing-synagogues

Single in the church in 2020:

Now, last but not least, I want to discuss being single in church. I could also talk about being married in the church, but I won’t distinguish separately as I believe discussing being single in the church will in fact highlight being married in church. You’ll see.

I found a great article, or blog, written by Sarah Thebarge. It’s an old blog, but I found it quite relevant. She starts out by saying that the blog is not a church bashing session, She talks about how ‘Marriage is treated as the benchmark for maturity and adulthood’, or how ‘Single people are often disqualified from, or not even considered for,  ministry positions because they're not married.’  

I really liked her reminder on how Paul said that elders should be "the husband of one wife." and the church took that and ran with it, basically relegating single people to second class citizens who are not allowed a place in ministry, but Paul and Jesus were single! Hello!

It’s a great article, check it out. Link in the show notes.    

There is also another article with the link in the show notes called ‘is the church letting down single Christians.’Similar premise, reminding anyone who would listen, that singles do not need to be fixed. What a concept right?!

 

https://www.sarahthebarge.com/blog/2015/01/7-reasons-why-its-hard-to-be-single-in-the-church

 

https://www.beliefnet.com/love-family/is-the-church-letting-down-single-christians.aspx

Well, I know the state of the church may seem a little depressing. I mean the precipitous fall off of church attendance, one political party thinking that we hate them because we may not agree with everything they say and do while the other party is giving the world cause to wonder what in the world happened to the church!  

Things can seem out of control and leaving you wondering if you should continue on with the church. Or maybe you have decided to follow Jesus no matter what but wonder how to get the word out that although you are a Believer, a Jesus follower, that you do not hate.  Well, the best way to get the word out is to live your belief. Just live it out. It will not always be easy, but keep living it and trust God to direct you on your journey. 

 

Percentage of professing Christians in 2020 vs 10 years ago:

•  Both Protestantism and Catholicism are experiencing losses of population share. Currently, 43% of U.S. adults identify with Protestantism, down from 51% in 2009. 
• And one-in-five adults (20%) are Catholic, down from 23% in 2009. 
• Meanwhile, all subsets of the religiously unaffiliated population – a group also known as religious “nones” – have seen their numbers swell. Self-described atheists now account for 4% of U.S. adults, up modestly but significantly from 2% in 2009; 
• agnostics make up 5% of U.S. adults, up from 3% a decade ago; 
• and 17% of Americans now describe their religion as “nothing in particular,” up from 12% in 2009. Members of non-Christian religions also have grown modestly as a share of the adult population.

Closing commentary:

 

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. --Matthew 7:1-2.

 

'Love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no commandment greater than these."--Mark 12:31.

 

“You have heard that it was said, ‘Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.’[a] But I tell you, do not resist an evil person. If anyone slaps you on the right cheek, turn to them the other cheek also. And if anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, hand over your coat as well.’--Matthew 5:38-40.

 

“You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.’--Matthew 5:13-16.

Don’t forget, I would love to hear from you on the question: 

‘Who is God?’ 

 

Episode outro:

 

Well, thank you for tuning in. Let me know via social media or by email if you have feedback. I would love to hear from you! You may email me at religionandpoliticspod@gmail.com. Please give me 24 to 48 hours to respond. And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time! 

Research links/Episode Takeaways:

 

https://www.barna.com/research/state-of-the-church-2020/

 

https://www.christianitytoday.com/edstetzer/2016/september/state-of-american-church-when-numbers-point-to-new-reality.html

 

https://www.barna.com/research/churchpulse-weekly-conversations-mark-sayers-faith-crisis/

 

https://www.pewforum.org/religious-landscape-study/

 

https://www.pewforum.org/2019/10/17/in-u-s-decline-of-christianity-continues-at-rapid-pace/

 

Episode 12--Grace and Mercy

https://www.podbean.com/ew/pb-cp3rt-e63e5f

Episode intro:

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 19 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped into a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

 

Body of episode:

 

“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.” (Galatians 5:22-23).

 

• Are the fruits of the spirit pieces of one fruit, like the pieces of an orange, or are they different fruits, like a bowl of various fruit? 
• What are the fruit of the spirit exactly? (Galatians 5:22-23).
• Why are the fruit of the spirit so important, why an entire episode on them? 
• Are there rotten fruit? (Galatians 5:19-21).

 I always thought they were different fruits, any fruit. You know, a bowl of fruit. But in a recent YouVersion devotional, I read that the fruit are not nine different fruits, it’s more like an orange with nine pieces. Could this belief be backed up by this quote from crosswalk.com, 

‘The Greek word is singular, showing that “fruit” is a unified whole, not independent characteristics. As we grow, all the characteristics of Christ will be manifested in our lives.’   

So are the fruit of the spirit pieces of one fruit? Does it matter? 

I even found an article someone wrote about the different fruit they believed represented the fruit of the spirit based on the color of the fruit or the utility of the fruit. What fruit do you think represents love? What fruit do you think the coconut represents? Interesting right? Link in the show notes. 

So I asked my dad, you know, my trusted theologian, if the fruit of the spirit were a fruit bowl full of different fruit, or if it were one fruit, like an orange. His answer: what does the Bible say? The answer is in the Bible. That’s his usual response. 

Not to belabor the point, but the verse says ...‘the fruit of the Spirit is…’  ‘is’ is singular isn’t it? Matthew Henry’s Commentary says ‘the fruits of the spirit’. Am I reading too much into it?

 

Well, however you look at it, the fruit of the spirit is, are:

Love:  ‘Love chooses to set aside one’s own preferences, desires, and sometimes even needs to put the other person first.’ (Philippians 2:1-3).-Crosswalk.com. It’s easy to do when you love the person. But what about when you don’t love the person. What about when you don’t even know the person? These fruit are not easy to eat sometimes, but they are definitely nourishing...to the spirit and to the soul. 

Joy:  ‘Joy sweeps out the temporary feelings of happiness, sadness, fear, anger, etc., and replaces those temporary good and bad feelings with a more permanent, beautifully settled, acceptance.’ --Civilla Morgan. (talk about my pecha kucha speech.)  This is a quote from a five minute speech I did at a podcasting convention. The type of speech was a pecha kucha. They give you five minutes broken up into 20 seconds per slide. The slides advanced whether the speaker was finished or not. Needless to say, I put a lot of practice into my speech so that the slides did not leave me behind. 

At any rate, as I wrote my speech about joy versus happiness, I felt the true meaning of joy. I have felt the meaning ever since. Do I always feel joyful? No, but I know what it is. And I did not know what it was until I started writing the speech. As we go through these fruits, I hope you will come to know each fruit the way I came to know joy, how it literally settled into a place in my heart like a piece I did not know was missing until it settled there. 

Peace: There’s nothing like it in the world. I’m not talking about world peace, although that would be great. But we’ve been striving for world peace since the beginning of time right? No, I’m talking about the kind of peace we can feel even if surrounded by rampant chaos.  Living in Florida, I have witnessed my fair share of hurricanes. One of the things I know about hurricanes, and you have probably heard it mentioned as the meteorologist walked us through the hurricane process, are the bands. 

 

A hurricane could be roaring above us but in between the bands of hurricane chaos is calm, sometimes even sunshine. It’s a kind of cool, weird feeling. You know another band of hurricane chaos is coming, the meteorologist can even tell you when the next band is coming, but in the meantime, calm. Well, imagine feeling that kind of peace in your life no matter what is going on around you? Jesus said ‘Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.’--John 14: 27. 

I suggest you make peace a priority in your life no matter what is going on. Even if you wake up 10 or 15 minutes before your day begins just to breathe. 

I am a die-hard introvert. I am always in search of peace, quiet, and alone time. But I also know it is quite important to spend the first part of my day doing my daily devotions. That’s what we called it growing up, devotions.  I feel like that time at the beginning of my day is what I need to get me through the rest of the day. Peace, no matter what the day holds.  

And if you want peace you have to exhibit peace, you have to have a spirit of peace. I truly believe that peace is worth its weight in gold. So not only should you seek peace, you should also be peace. 

Forbearance: Also known as patience, not one of my strengths. It’s something I have to work on continually. And honestly, I am much better at it now than in my younger days. But it is something I definitely have to be intentional about. And come to think of it, isn't intentional, not to be confused with intention, the key to all of these fruit? I think so. 

Just like any other aspect of our lives where we want to see growth and positivity. Don’t we have to be intentional about contributing to our retirement plans, to our exercise regimen, to keeping up with the oil change schedule in our vehicles? You get the point. 

Depending on our strengths and weaknesses, we may need to be more or less intentional in one fruit over the other. But the key is to know which fruit requires intentionality and then work on that fruit daily, not ignoring the other fruit, but definitely knowing our fruit's strengths and weaknesses. 

Patience. If patience is one of your fruit weaknesses, where does your lack of patience show up? Mine shows up in traffic. I have had a toll road transponder in almost every vehicle I have owned. I can’t stand traffic and will pay extra just to get on the toll road and away from the traffic lights. 

But what about patience with ourselves? That is very important. We can tend to lack self patience, can’t we? We say the craziest things to ourselves when we mess up. Things no one else would be allowed to say to us. When working on your patience fruit, remember to be patient with yourself. God loves you and He wants you to succeed at dealing with the fruit and with every other aspect of your life. Learn to say positive things to yourself, and learn to be patient with yourself.  

Kindness: What do you think about when you hear the word kindness? 

Do you think of the pushover? The person that can easily be talked into something or the person that can be hoodwinked? Wow, when is the last time you heard that word right? OK, hoodwinked means to cheat or dupe someone. Not very nice. 

I read a book written by a woman judge many years ago. I wish I could remember the title of the book. I got a lot of great suggestions and wisdom nuggets out of that book. But one thing I remember her saying was that we needed to work with people using an iron fist inside a velvet glove. 

At first, I thought that was a harsh way of dealing with people, but I thought about that suggestion, allowing it to roll around in my mind for a very long time. I mean, it is still something I think about. I think of it as similar to the scripture verse ‘Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and harmless as doves.’--Matthew 10:16 NKJV.   

Serpents aren’t exactly the kindest creatures are they?  The bottom line here is that kindness is key, but being kind also includes and involves wisdom. If you are the kindest person in the world but wisdom is not your forte, admit it, and then ask God to give you wisdom because, without the wisdom component, kindness alone can keep you from God’s best for you. 

But kindness is a fruit for a reason: it is an important aspect of Christian life, which I believe is the point of these fruit.  Working on these fruit daily matures us not only as Christians, as Believers, but as human beings interacting with other human beings. So kindness is not weakness, it just requires wisdom. God can give you tons of wisdom, just ask Him for it. I ask for it daily!   

Goodness:  ‘Goodness is action; it's not something we do only for the sake of being virtuous. When we strive to be “good” only for our own benefit, it is not truly goodness that we possess. In Greek, the word goodness, “agathosune,” means “an uprightness of heart and life”-- (Thayer & Strong, 1995). Some believe that goodness and kindness are similar enough to put them together in discussion of fruits of the spirit. I don’t agree. As I mentioned during the kindness discussion, kindness goes together with wisdom. I believe goodness is the act of kindness. It is the act of doing something good. 

‘The key difference between kindness and goodness is that kindness mainly involves being generous and considerate, and helping others whereas goodness involves righteousness in action or doing what is right. Kindness and goodness are two virtues you should cultivate in your life.’--Jan 15, 2019 

Faithfulness: When I think about faithfulness I think about the person who can be relied on, that dependable person. I’m sure you know at least one person like that. They are almost always available to help, to pitch in. Imagine that level of faithfulness relationship between the Believer and Jesus. 

Flakiness, let’s say the opposite of faithfulness I believe is that habitual cancel, or whining without suggestions for a fix, or even unfaithfulness. Maybe unfaithfulness is going a bit far. I almost feel like calling someone unfaithful is judging their Christianity, their relationship with Jesus, with God. So I don’t want to use that word, but you know what I mean right? Flakiness is the opposite of faithfulness. 

At any rate, if you find your personality does not tend to lend toward faithfulness, then work on it. Like I have to work on patience, or someone else would have to work on gentleness, the next fruit we will discuss. Admitting your fruit weakness is the first step to becoming strong in the fruit of the spirit. 

Gentleness: So, gentleness. Most people equate gentleness with weakness. I think that whenever we want to think of someone as weak, when they are being gentle, the best thing to do is plug Jesus into the place where that person is. 

For example, you have a friend or co-worker who tends not to allow themselves to be set off by someone who is obviously trying to press their buttons. But your friend is not taking the bait. And not only are they not taking the bait, they also feel sorry for the antagonizer. 

It doesn’t mean they are weak for feeling for the antagonizer, they are probably putting themselves in the shoes of the antagonizer. There’s a lot of plugging in going on right? 

I believe gentleness is a mental and spiritual strengthener.

Self-control: Ah yes, self-control. Whew! The first thing that came to my mind was chocolate. But we also know that self-control does not just mean considering the foods we eat, which is important of course. But self-control in all of the other aspects of our lives. This can become quite personal, but you can’t lie to yourself. At least you shouldn’t. 

If self-control is a fruit you need to work on, and I am of the belief we all need to work on this one for one reason or another, make a list of the places in your life where you lack self-control, and then pray, talk to God about this list every day. Trust me, no matter how small or how big the issue, He hears you and He can help you.    

So, are the fruits of the spirit orange slices or multiple fruit in a fruit bowl? I don’t know, I feel like they could be both at different times. But more importantly, understanding and working on each fruit in our daily lives is a process. A process that will take an entire lifetime to master in most of our cases.  

But the key is to be vigilant on a daily basis, to exercise each fruit. Especially the ones that are more difficult for you.  Remember, everyone will struggle with different fruit. Don’t judge, help. 

Mastering the fruit strengthens your spiritual life of course, but it will also strengthen you in dealing with other personalities. All types of personalities.    

Before we end today, I want to take a moment to discuss something else. No doubt you would agree with Newton’s Third Law of Physics--

‘For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.’

The statement means that in every interaction, there is a pair of forces acting on the two interacting objects. The size of the forces on the first object equals the size of the force on the second object.’ 

OK, maybe this does not quite fit, but the point I am trying to make is this: Galatians 5:19-22.

‘The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity, and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.’

 

These are what I like to call the rotten fruit.  Imagine a bowl full of rotten, inedible fruit. Or if you are the person who thinks the fruit of the spirit is one orange, imagine a really rotten orange. I mean, almost to the level of you can’t make out what type of fruit it is, it is so rotten. Now I am not condemning you if you struggle with rotten fruit. Romans 8:1 says ‘Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus…’   

So once you become a Believer, that is where the work of renewing your mind begins. Renewing your mind from the rotten fruit in verses 19-22 to the beautiful and perfecting fruit in verse 22. It will take time. There will be missteps. There will be two steps forward and maybe a step or two backward. But the key as I said earlier, is to work on the fruit of the spirit daily. Each day you work on perfecting your mind, body, and spirit in the fruit of the spirit is each day you move further away from the rotten fruit. 

I couldn’t in good conscience mention the good fruit without mentioning the rotten ones. I mean they do exist. 

So here is the bottom line:

• Exercise the good fruit daily. 
• Listen for God’s voice. He will speak to your heart when you are not maintaining your fruits properly. 
• Relationship with God keeps your fruit from becoming rotten. 
• If you happen upon a rotten fruit in your basket, Repeat Romans 8:1 and then ask God to help you remove the rotten fruit. You know what they say, one bad apple...     

 

Research:

https://www.theodysseyonline.com/fruits-spirit-actual-fruits

 

https://www.crosswalk.com/faith/spiritual-life/what-are-the-fruit-of-the-spirit.html

 

https://biblehub.com/matthew/10-16.htm

 

Matthew Henry’s Commentary

Scriptures mentioned:

• Galatians 5:19-21

• Galatians 5:20-23

• Matthew 10:16

• Romans 8:1

• Philippians 2:1-3

Episode Takeaways:

‘Admitting your fruit weakness is the first step to becoming strong in the fruit of the spirit. ‘--Civilla

Closing commentary:

Don’t forget, I would love to hear from you on the question: 

‘Who is God?’ 

Episode quote:

‘If the light that is on you is brighter than the light that is in you, the light that is on you will destroy you.’--Christine Caine. 

 

Episode outro:

Well, thank you for tuning in. Let me know via social media or by email if you have feedback. I would love to hear from you! You may email me at religionandpoliticspod@gmail.com. Please give me 24 to 48 hours to respond. And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time! 

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 18 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped into a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me.

I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

Body of episode:

 

Down through the years, dare I say the centuries, religious leaders have gotten a bad rap, coming from decisions such as involving themselves in religious wars of the middle ages. You know, those wars where they conquered lands and people in the name of God. 

 

Today’s church leaders have suffered the same bad rap due to decisions of the flesh. You know, like getting caught in or being accused of compromising situations and acts. 

   

Here’s the thing, and this is in no way to make excuses, but no matter how long a human being lives on this earth, religious leader or not, he or she will suffer from the human condition. No matter how long someone has been a Believer, he will have to pray for God’s forgiveness because he will always say, do, or think, something ungodly. As we mature in our relationship with Jesus, with God, though, it is hoped that we will do and say these things less often. 

We will learn to think before we talk. We will learn not to judge lest we be judged. We will learn to have mercy on others because we have not walked their journey. And we will learn to show grace to those who have done us a small or a large wrong. It comes with time.    

But wait, who, what, exactly is a religious leader? Well, generally speaking, a religious leader is typically the pastor of a congregation, a bishop, an elder. Someone in leadership of a church or a church organization. This leader is typically installed by or voted in, by the church organization or church board. In many cases though, churches are started by someone who felt called.   

     

But back to the question I posed earlier, what is a church leader? What makes someone a church leader? It’s usually one of two reasons. When I first heard this reason, the hopeless romantic in me, the moral, ethical, ‘do the right things for the right reason’ person in me was shocked. Some people become church leaders for the money! Others become church leaders because they feel a calling. What is a calling? It is a prompting that you feel in your heart. It’s like any prompting you feel that you must do something. No matter how you try to ignore the prompting it keeps showing up. It keeps speaking to you. 

 

You can feel a prompting for anything. You can feel a prompting to attend a certain school when maybe you had a different school in mind altogether. Maybe you feel a prompt to become a doctor when everyone in your family is in law.  It’s that thing in your heart that you cannot ignore no matter how hard you try.

 Yet for some, they are indeed going into the family business.      

I could never understand it. The first time my dad told me about the calling versus leading a church for the money, or even just to keep the church in the family, I was shocked!  Maybe I’m naive, but I wonder where those who were not called, get their sermons and their stamina. How does one stand in the pulpit Sunday after Sunday, giving the Word, but not really feeling it? 

I guess it happens in other lines of work too. Remember those doctors and lawyers for example? Some doctors and lawyers are only in that line of work because their parents were, or it is what their parents wanted them to do. They're not feeling the call in their hearts. 

But is being a pastor still different than being a doctor or lawyer? Maybe from my vantage point, my lens;  growing up in church, as a pastor’s kid, I just can’t see someone just going through the motions in an ‘industry’ where you kinda have to have conversations with God on a regular basis, hearing from Him on a regular basis. How do you preach, run a church organization without that personal relationship with Jesus, with God? I know, naive. 

Maybe I have a tiny bit of insight though. You see, as a Believer, I sometimes don’t feel called. I have some prayers that I have prayed for years, that have not been answered. Sometimes I feel ignored, as my prayers go unanswered. Did God hear me? Why did he never answer? Why continue trusting and believing in Him as I continue not to see or hear an answer? 

What must it feel like to just be going through the motions, your heart not really in it, for financial gain, or to keep the ‘business’ in the family? 

2 Timothy 1:3-5 says ‘ This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come.

2 For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy,

3 Without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good,

4 Traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God;

5 Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away.’

But really, this has been going on for thousands of years right?  

Well, regardless of the reason someone becomes a church leader: a pastor, a priest, a worship leader, an elder; God has a mandate: 

 

Psalm 2: 10-11 says ‘Therefore, you kings, be wise;  be warned, you rulers of the earth. Serve the Lord with fear and celebrate his rule with trembling.’

 

And 1 Timothy 5:17 says: 

The elders who direct the affairs of the church well are worthy of double honor, especially those whose work is preaching and teaching.’ 

 

So we as followers must respect our leaders. And the leaders must lead with a heart for God and for God’s people. 

‘Pay careful attention to yourselves and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to care for the church of God,] which he obtained with his own blood.’--Acts 20:28.

 

Woe be unto the pastors that destroy and scatter the sheep of my pasture! saith the Lord.--Jeremiah 23:1.

 

God is not playing with His leaders. He loves them. He knows they carry a heavy burden, so He’s not going to zap them with a lightning bolt when they mess up. Remember, we are all human. But I believe He watches the heart of the leader, as He watches all of our hearts. It is the heart He will judge. 

 

If you look at the way God spoke to his prophets, priests, and kings, particularly in the Old Testament, He was firm, He was kind. He did not veer away from what He commanded them to do, but He did not zap Jonah when he went in the opposite direction in which he was supposed to go. He called David a man after his own heart, but He punished David when He had to. 

There was a story where God asked David if he wanted to be judged by God himself, or by man. And David was quite clear he would prefer to be judged by God.

 ‘Then Satan attacked Israel by inciting David to enumerate a census of Israel. 2 David ordered Joab and the commanders of the army,[a] “Go take a census of Israel from Beer-sheba to Dan, and bring me a report so I can be aware of the total number.”

3 But Joab replied, “May the Lord increase the population of his people a hundredfold! Your majesty,[b] all of them are your majesty’s servants, aren’t they? So why should your majesty demand this? Why should he bring guilt to Israel?”

4 But the king’s order overruled Joab, so Joab left, traveled throughout all of Israel, and then returned to Jerusalem 5 to report the total population count to David. Throughout all of Israel, there were 1,100,000 men trained for war.[c] In Judah there were 470,000 men trained for war. 6 Levi and Benjamin were not included in the census because what the king had commanded was unethical to Joab.

David Chooses His Punishment

7 God considered this behavior[d] to be evil, so he attacked Israel. 8 David responded to God, “I sinned greatly by behaving this way. But now I am asking you, please remove the guilt of your servant, since I have acted very foolishly.”

9 So the Lord responded through Gad, David’s seer. 10 “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the Lord says: “I’m holding three choices out for you: pick one of them for yourself, and I will do it to you.”’”[e]

11 Gad went to David and told him, “This is what the Lord says: ‘Make a choice for yourself: 12 Either three years of famine, or three months of reversals[f] as you are swept away by your enemies while the sword of your enemies overtakes you, or three days with the sword of the Lord, consisting of pestilence infecting the land, with the angel of the Lord wreaking destruction from border to border throughout all[g] of Israel.’ Decide right now what I am to answer to the one who sent me.”

13 So David replied to Gad, “This is a very bad choice for me to make! Let me now please fall into the hand of the Lord, because his mercy is very great, but may I never fall into human hands!”--1 Chronicles 21:1-13.

David knew all about human nature. And don’t we all?

 

I did some research on the word pastor. In Hebrew, the definition of the word pastor is ‘to tend a flock. To rule by extens, to associate with (as a friend) make friendship with, a herdsman…’ Sounds nice right? Normal, friendly.  

 That’s what a pastor should be. A leader, a tender of his flock, right. To tend the flock what type of heart should he have? Can you lead and tend the flock with a wrong heart?  

I’m sure it’s possible. Look, Jeremiah 17:9 says ‘The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately sick;  who can understand it?’  Church leader, pastor, priest, or regular Joe or Jill, our hearts can go to some very dark places. We have to maintain that relationship with Jesus, with God. We have to let God guard and speak to our hearts, to keep our hearts in the right place...at all times. It is very easy to allow the darkness to take over when we are dealing with everyday issues, and life, and death, and being wronged, and sudden reversals on our life’s journey. Life is not easy for anyone, especially not for pastors. But growth and maturity are strong legs to stand on. 

 

It is very important that we pray for our pastors in particular, and church leaders in general.  But there is one thing I want to ask you not to forget. It will help you if you come across a dreaded news story where you hear that yet another pastor has fallen or made a decision God would not be pleased with:

 Put your hope in God, and not in man. 

Psalm 119:114--’...I have put my hope in your word.’ 

This is the bottom line. We must put our hope in God, in His Word. We pray for our church leaders. We support them. We rally around them when they are in their valley moments, and we rejoice with them when they have their mountaintop moments.  

Do not be flakey about the support you give your pastor, whether you work directly with him or her, or not. 

But at the end of the day, know that God will never fall, and He will never fail. He has called certain people here on earth to lead his flock, those of us who are Believers. And hey, you might even say God is in the family business because He is a part of the Holy Trinity. But that is one family business that is called, from the beginning of time.    

 

Scriptures mentioned:

• 1 Timothy 5:17
• Psalm 2:10-11
• Acts 20:28

Episode Takeaways:

https://notjustanotherreligionandpoliticspod.podbean.com/e/episode-3-church-hurt/

 

https://notjustanotherreligionandpoliticspod.podbean.com/e/episode-15-navigating-christianity-while-witnessing-a-fall/

Research:

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/what-did-jesus-mean-by-many-are-called-but-few-are-chosen/

 

Strong’s Dictionary

 

https://www.biblegateway.com/

Closing commentary:

 

Don’t forget, I would love to hear from you on the question: 

‘Who is God?’ 

 

Episode outro:

Well, thank you for tuning in. Let me know via social media or by email if you have feedback. I would love to hear from you! You may email me at religionandpoliticspod@gmail.com. Please give me 24 to 48 hours to respond. And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time! 

 

 

Episode intro:

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 17 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped into a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

 

Body of episode:

As soon as I started research for this episode I came across ‘Christian’ sites that were calling left-leaning beliefs on racial equality ‘critical race theory’. I will put all links in the show notes. 

 

IF you know me or follow me on social media, you have heard me say or post about the lens we humans use to see and judge the world. We look through that lens, outward,  but we are using the results and residue of our life experiences, those experiences we keep buried in our brains and our hearts; to make decisions. Most of these decisions are split second. 

 

Others use a little more time to consider. But either way, that decision is based on our experiences or the experiences we learn from our elders, our cultural upbringing, what we believe about what we see on TV.    

Here’s the thing. What I am about to say will be said through the lens of a three dimensional, or maybe multidimensional human being who is a woman, a black woman, a black woman raised in America, a black woman raised in America but of Caribbean extraction. A black woman raised in America of Caribbean extraction who recognizes that every day split-second decisions or assumptions are being made about her. And hey, maybe she, I, am making split decisions and judgments about others, about you, as well, right? Everything I just listed about myself, the things that make me Civilla, can also be considered lenses. My lenses. The lenses I view you through. The lenses I view the world through.

 

What are your lenses? Do you lead with your lenses? Do you make decisions with your lenses? Would you call your lenses biases? If you are a Christian, do you lead with your lenses or with what the Word says? What does the Word say about race? What does race have to do with voting? Should Christians vote? What is critical theory? What is critical race theory?  Is being a single-issue voter a copout? Is there really such a thing as a single-issue voter? How do you vote when we are of the opinion that both candidates have really bad ideas, policies, personalities?

 

I have to admit, I was upset when I started my research and the first thing I happened on was articles about critical race theory. I was like here we go again, weaponizing my skin color is not cool. I don’t think that is what God had in mind when he created me. When he created any of us. Why are humans so small-minded? Yes, I was upset. My skin color has been debated since the beginning of time. Why? 

As far as I’m concerned, Jesus’ take on critical race theory was to remind us that he created us all. He ate and drank with us all: regardless of race, creed, color, or sin. That was His take on critical race theory, not to be critical of races.  Yet here we are. One article talked about critical race theory infiltrating the church! I dug around for anything I could find on critical theory and critical race theory. There was so much to read, but then I asked Google what he thought, and this is what I found on critical theory:

 

Critical theory is a social theory oriented toward critiquing and changing society as a whole. ... Critical theories aim to dig beneath the surface of social life and uncover the assumptions that keep human beings from a full and true understanding of how the world works. Oct 15, 2019.

 

And here is the definition of critical race theory, in a nutshell: 

 

Critical Race Theory rejects all potential alternatives, like colorblindness, as forms of racism. Critical Race Theory is completely against the common-sense idea that race becomes less socially relevant and racism is therefore diminished by not focusing on race all the time. Jun 12, 2020. 

 

Well, while I agree we should stop focusing on race so much, the fact is it is one of the first things we see about each other when we see each other. 

I mean that’s why we have eyes.  It is the decisions we make, you know those split-second decisions, judgments, that come next, that make all the difference in the world. It’s what we do next. And what has been done next for hundreds of years is why we are here today. 

 

In fact, if we look back a couple of hundred years, or 50, we will find that the focus on race is what caused some to think it was OK for one race to treat another as subhuman. And furthermore, to use the Bible to make slavery legitimate. If we twist anything into a pretzel we can make it believable, we can make it work; and that is what slave owners did with The Word of God. We do the craziest things and then use the Bible to make it ‘true’. 

 

‘God does not call us to execute judgment on others. Citing Noah’s curse to justify the slavery of African people is abusing a Bible text for your own advantage. The fact that European Christians have done this, is a terrible stain upon European church history.’--Biblword.net.

 

Notably, this story is “the mark of Cain” narrative that has served (in tandem with the “curse of Ham” story) as the most prominent theological justification of white supremacy. When Cain complains that his punishment is too harsh and that he will be killed if he is driven from his homeland, God agrees to mark him in some way as a visible sign of God’s protection, even while he remains under the curse. For generations, white Christians have interpreted this passage to describe the origins of dark-skinned humans, whom they understood as a race created not from the nobility of divine breath but from human acts of jealousy, murder, and deception.’--Baptist News.

 

What does this have to do with Christians and Government? Well, the United States spent the summer of 2020 in a time of racial reckoning. Those marching in the streets were protesting for change, systemic change. Unfortunately, those in the seat of governmental power and some in church leadership were calling those cries for justice and equality ‘radical left’, socialist, extremist, liberal, even dare I say progressive.  Using all of the above in their thoughts on so-called critical race theory, never really asking their darker-skinned brothers and sisters how they felt about wanting the same freedoms as anyone else without being used as agenda items. 

Black people never asked to be an agenda item. We are asking to be treated like human beings.   

 

‘Want to make the Bible say welfare policies are bad? Find a proverb on laziness leading to poverty (Prov. 10:4). Want to say the opposite? Find another calling people to “defend the rights of the poor and needy” (Prov. 31:8–9).

The point is not that Proverbs contradicts itself. All these passages say something true. But we lack clear rules for knowing how any one of them should guide today’s public policy. Further, we too often witness people and parties exploiting the Bible for their purposes.’--Christianity Today, see link in the show notes.

I read an article in research for this episode. It upset me, but I read it to the end, hoping to ask some questions of the author. Unfortunately, they had not allowed for comments. I wonder why? The link to that article is in the show notes.

Before I get into voting, I want to talk about the Biblical worldview and World View.  

‘A worldview is how you look at the world, how you think it operates, why things happen the way they do, what your purpose is. ... For example, a worldview of atheism, which is a belief that God does not exist, explains the creation of the universe and of life as randomness acting over a very long time.’

AKA The Big Bang Theory? 

‘Christian worldview affirms that God is the sovereign and almighty Lord of all existence. Such an affirmation rejects any form of dualism, that matter has eternally existed, or that matter must, therefore, be evil since it is in principle opposed to God, the Source of all good.’

Dualism by the way is ‘the division of something conceptually into two opposed or contrasted aspects or the state of being so divided.’

Now I’m not going to get too deep in the weeds in this, but it is probably obvious to most of you that World view veers towards the Big Bang Theory while the Christian Worldview has us relying completely on God for everything from how we got here when we got here, and what will happen to us, i.e. where we’re going.

I’m bringing these views up because they help some people, usually, Believers, decide how and whom to vote for.  So it is something to consider no matter which view you hold.

Now, as a Christian, I completely believe and trust, that there is a God. I believe he created us and all of the natural things we see around us. The trees, the skies, the planets, outer space, the universe, the solar systems, etc. It says so in the Bible, and I trust the Bible. But I do not think the Bible tells us everything. It does not answer all of our questions. Did I say that out loud? I believe the Bible is doing what it was created to do. It was created to tell us who our Creator is, to bring us into relationship with our Creator, and to teach us to trust our Creator. The Bible does not veer off-topic to tell us about dinosaurs, Tyrannosaurus Rex, etc, etc, etc. It just doesn't. But God gave us the wisdom and knowledge to recognize these animals existed and in fact how long ago they existed.  

Now we have really smart scientists, astronomers, astrophysicists to tell us about outer space, black holes, light years, the Kuiper Belt, the heliosphere, the event horizon.  I mean they do exist. And there are scriptures as I said earlier, that makes attribution to the heavens and the stars, etc. But God told us through the Bible what he thought we needed to know. I believe the rest of the information will come when we see Him face to face. 

That in a nutshell is my take on the whole world view and Christian worldview.   

VOTING     

• Single issues voter--there will probably be a lot of this going on and the subject matter will usually be abortion rights, Roe v. Wade.  Some will overlook everything else on a candidate's agenda, good or bad; and vote for the candidate that is for or against this one issue.  
• The abortion vote-Speaking of abortion? Why is there a divide amongst Christians about the abortion issue? Why are some Christians OK with abortion if the conception was based on rape or if the abortion is very early in the pregnancy?  Why do some Christians believe that even contraception is bad? Why aren’t all Christians on the same page with the entire abortion issue? Psalm 139:13, ‘You formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb.’ Jeremiah 1:4-5 says ‘Then the word of The Lord came to me saying “before you were born I knew you…’   

In our current voting cycle, some are voting against a possible second civil war while others are voting against someone who says he is a practicing Catholic but believes in a woman’s right to manage her own body.  These are difficult choices for those who are not single-issue voters. But would we have this dilemma as Christians, if we were praying the right prayers all along, instead of praying our agendas?  What if Christians were on the same page with who to vote for, on the same page with praying for our president no matter what he looked like or what policies he held? If we prayed like that, like the Bible said to pray, we might not be in the dilemma we are now.  Remember, what I am saying right now does not pertain to the single-issue voter. That person has already made up his or her mind. I’m talking to the person who is weighing multiple issues and policies to see who to vote for. This person is currently or has prayed and asked for God’s help in advising them who to vote for. Remember, if we had all been praying to God instead of praying past Him, agenda in hand; we might not have candidates that some of us find it hard to choose between.  

Look, I can go on about the multiple issues that each candidate has on their own agenda. We can talk about Black Lives Matter, Defunding the Police, The Voting Rights Act, which I continue to wonder why it is still an issue. Why does the voting rights act have to be voted on and renewed every so often? Why is it not permanent? Anyway, the list goes on. And everything on the list is important to someone or some group. And remember when I mentioned being three-dimensional earlier? Well, as much as our society tends to like to put everyone in a neat little box, that’s not how it works. Humans are too three dimensional to fit into a neat little box.  If you are a white man listening to this episode, you may find certain items on the agenda more or less important, and I, as a black woman, may find different things important.  But what if we are both Believers? We should have more in common as Believers than we do not right? The Bible says ‘Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new.;--2 Corinthians 5:17. 

• Who to vote for? So, who do we vote for? I would never suggest to anyone who they should vote for. I believe the vote is deeply personal. That is also the reason I would not tell anyone who I am voting for. And beware, never assume you know who someone is voting for. I’ll leave that right there. 

So, I’ve said a lot. Quite a bit. I did not come here to convince you one way or the other. I came to give you information and ask you to think. To pray on your vote. To remember that just because people talk about who they will vote for does not mean that is who they are going to vote for. The bottom line is this, what kind of country do you want to live in? Do you want to be afraid of your neighbor? Do you want to mistrust people who are a different color and race than you? Do you like the tribalism that you see right now? Do you like the mistrust of the government and governmental agencies? How does it feel to live divided in a country rich with beautiful diversity? Diversity of thought, of people, of skin colors, of foods, of so much! The unborn baby's life matters. My life matters. Your life matters. Life matters.  

Maybe as Christians, we should be praying like the Bible says to pray. I mentioned that earlier. Maybe we should pray like all life matters so we can vote that way.         

Scriptures mentioned:

• ‘Choose for your tribes wise, understanding, and experienced men, and I will appoint them as your heads.’--Deuteronomy 1:13.

 

• Put not your trust in princes, in a son of man, in whom there is no salvation. When his breath departs, he returns to the earth; on that very day his plans perish. Blessed is he whose help is the God of Jacob, whose hope is in the Lord his God, who made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, who keeps faith forever; who executes justice for the oppressed, who gives food to the hungry. The Lord sets the prisoners free; …--Psalm 146:3-10.

Episode Takeaways:

Maybe we should pray like all life matters so we can vote that way.         

 

Links used for research:

 

https://www.drjamesdobson.org/

 

https://www.ligonier.org/blog/christians-and-government/

 

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/topics/g/government/

 

https://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2020/march/tremper-longman-bible-ballot-politics.html

 

https://www.openbible.info/topics/voting

 

https://www.biblword.net/why-did-noah-curse-his-son-ham/?gclid=Cj0KCQjwwuD7BRDBARIsAK_5YhXDFPPemalE4YyNJ3egBCWefylDdjhXneRFLFohl2iXfa3pIEyUVB8aAvsbEALw_wcB

 

https://answersingenesis.org/racism/critical-race-theory-church/

 

https://kingdomeducationministries.com/2018/10/the-key-component-of-a-biblical-worldview/

 

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/incompatibility-critical-theory-christianity/

 

https://www.religion-online.org/article/the-morality-of-single-issue-voting/

 

https://baptistnews.com/article/we-are-cain-owning-up-to-the-reality-of-racism-in-america/#.X4pAEtBKjIU

Closing commentary:

 

Don’t forget, I would love to hear from you on the question: 

‘Who is God?’ 

 

Episode outro:

 

Well, thank you for tuning in. Let me know via social media or by email if you have feedback. I would love to hear from you! You may email me at religionandpoliticspod@gmail.com. Please give me 24to 48 hours to respond. And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time! 

Episode quote:

“With malice toward none; with charity for all; with firmness in the right, as God gives us to see the right, let us strive on to finish the work we are in; to bind up the nation's wounds; to care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his orphan—to do all which may achieve and cherish a just and lasting peace, among ourselves, and with all nations."--Abraham Lincoln.

Episode intro:

Hello, Civilla Morgan here! Welcome to episode 16 of the Not Just Another Religion and Politics Podcast! Thank you for tuning in! So here’s the deal: 

I want this podcast to speak to people, not yell at people. Whether you are a Believer or not, a Christian or not, I want this podcast to be so plain in its language, that even if you have never stepped foot in a church, you will get this. You will get who Jesus is, and you will get what relationship with Him could be like, despite what people--Christians and non-Christians, try to do to get you to turn your back. Come along with me. I promise it will be a really cool experience! 

 

Guest intro: 

I first saw our guest on a CNN interview, link in the show notes. And  I watched in awe as she said what I thought. I found myself yelling at the TV ‘Yes! That’s what I've been saying all along!’  What was really cool was that my parents took us to see her world-famous grandfather many years ago. If I remember correctly, we were living in CT at the time. If it wasn’t CT, it was MA, where I grew up. Talk about a full-circle moment. 

It would be many months after that CNN interview that this limited edition, 25 episode podcast was laid on my heart. I started thinking about the handful of episodes that I wanted to have as guest episodes. I started thinking ‘what if?’, ‘could I?’, ‘dare I?” and then I did. 

Our guest was one of those handfuls of people that came to mind. Jerushah Duford is a speaker and author. She is currently finishing her Masters in Clinical Mental Health, she is married to the love of her life, and they are raising their kids in South Carolina.  Mrs. Jerushah Duford, welcome and thank you so much for agreeing to have this conversation! It’s such an honor! 

      

Body of episode:

• Let’s jump right in!  Tell us about your book, ‘Thank you, Billy Graham’? 

 

• What did your grandfather think of the book? 

 

• I know that although you had a grandfather who told an entire planet how to have eternal life, taught us the love of Jesus, and was truly obedient to God’s calling on his life, I’m sure the Graham family had many valley moments as well as mountain top moments just like any other family. And of course we know how the story ends, Revelations tells us so. But where do you think the family of America ends up, can we ever get back to where we were?

 

• When you said: 

‘My president does not have to be a Christian, I just don't want him held up as the poster boy for Christian evangelicals because he doesn’t represent most of us.’--Jerushah Armfield (Duford).

That's when you came onto my radar because it really is OK if our president is not a Christian. Isn’t it? Nowhere in the constitution does it say our president has to be Christian. I feel like the Christians who are all in for our current president feel that God needs our help to get His agenda through. Like they feel God has an agenda and the Religious Right feels it is their duty to help God even if it means looking the other way when our current president does and says things far from the heart of God. What do you think?

 

•  Besides praying, do you have suggestions, a final word for Christians and non-Christians, as we navigate the times in which we find ourselves?

  

Episode Takeaways:

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1D9hogyCixk

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rAgFlDWE8Mc

 

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Thank_You_Billy_Graham/G-_KAgAAQBAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&printsec=frontcover

 

Episode 11--They Think We're Hypocrites 

https://www.podbean.com/eu/pb-mhn4i-e275d0

Closing commentary:

Don’t forget, I would love to hear from you on the question: 

‘Who is God?’ 

Episode outro:

Well, thank you for tuning in. Let me know via social media or by email if you have feedback. I would love to hear from you! You may email me at religionandpoliticspod@gmail.com. Please give me 24 to 48 hours to respond. And don’t forget to check the show notes for the sources used for this episode. Until next time! 

 

Episode quote:

‘My president doesn't have to be Christian, I just don't want him held up as the poster boy for Christians evangelicals because he doesn’t represent most of us.’--Jerushah Armfield (Duford).