Monthly Archives: September 2008

Sarah Palin is the female Bill Clinton

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Not since, Bill Cinton have I seen a politician so adept at lying.

Let me count a few of the ways:

- She lied about the Bridge to Nowhere. She actually supported it.

- She lied about getting her ex-brother in law fired. She did it out of revenge for her sister. (Which is almost excuseable, because she was defending her sister. But just tell the truth already)

- She lied about not accepting earmarks. (She's accepted more federal money than almost any other Governor in the U.S.)

The list goes on and on. Andrew Sullivan is documenting the atrocities.

But guess what, since she believes in Jesus, the Evangelicals don't care. And it is becoming increasingly clear to me that Evangelical Politics isn't about right and wrong, it's about power. 

So let me say this clearly, "Just because you believe in Jesus, that doesn't necessarily make you a moral competent leader."

My five years at City Bible Church and the last eight years of President Bush have taught me that.

America Didn’t Tithe Enough, Part III

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This is going to be a ten part series for those who are interested. 

As is evidenced by the 500 point drop in the Dow today, our economy is in some serious trouble. I'm not going to assign blame, other than to say, America has been living beyond it's means, and now it is time to pay that debt back.  

I'm also going to be very curious to see how this economic downturn affects our many "Business Churches" around the country. Because if these pastors/ceo's actually ran their churches like a business, then I suspect we're going to see some "church" bankruptcies as well.

Should be interesting.  

Owl City

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Here is a relatively new Christian Artist, Adam Young, who is actually really good. Well it's good, if you like Electronica. Which I do. 
 
He goes by:Owl City
 
If Postal Service ever releases a second album, I hope it sounds as good this guys. 
 
And for you Seattle residents, he has a nice song called Hello Seattle.   

Worship Invasion

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A reader writes: 


Have you heard of the Worship Invasion group? They showed up out of the blue tonight at my school, Simon Fraser University near Vancouver and rocked for Jesus for 3 hours. My brother and I walked past the venue a few times over the course of a couple hours and they had a variety of styles going, people waving banners, there was even some kind of line dance going on stage, or so it seemed. It looked very goofy in that lovable goofy Pentecostal way, and very fun depending on what mood you're in.

I checked out their website and it it's worth a look for giggles. It's not that I want to mock what they're doing; I think it's a great idea…it's just their presentation is, well, you'll see:

http://www.worshipinvasion.com/WI_2nd_page2.htm

Check out this page for their mission statement, especially the part about "Raw and Uncut praise." It is not a joke: http://www.worshipinvasion.com/Mission.htm

I enjoy reading the blog from time to time. Keep up the good work.


When I was in college, the Christian Group I was involved with held an on-campus event we called, "Worship Explosion". We were mocked by the entire student body. And rightfully so. It was a good Worship event and I'm glad we did it. But the name was pretty ridiculous. 

No Manipulation Here

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Reformer, This comment you made was so dead on I thought it deserved more attention and so I am posting it again. The letter that Frank sent out about the Lasit's church plant was so full of manipulation…it was hilariously ridiculous. Thank you, Reformer, for pointing out exactly what Frank Damazio was trying to say: 

Pastor Frank Damazio says: If God speaks to you about being a part of this church plant team, we have learned from experience that it is better for everyone involved that you talk to your district pastor or an executive pastor first before talking to them. We are asking you to follow this process so that we can all be confident we are discovering God’s will in this together. We will not start this procedure until February so we can let emotions settle before plans are made. It would be wise not to assume who will go on this team and not to give your assumptions to others.

Are you kidding me? I just love this stuff. His actions make writing in this blog so easy. What he meant to say was:

“We have learned from experience that if we announce that a very popular youth pastor is leaving (a la Wendel Smith, Steve Carpenter, Bob McGregor, Eric Knox, etc.) that a huge majority of are tithing faithful will want to leave with them. Because this hurts our ability to throw big conferences, lease more needless buildings, buy new suits and drive luxury cars, it’s important that you tell us of your intention to leave so that we can talk you out of it by means of guilt and manipulation. We are waiting until February so that we have enough time to prep all of our district and executive pastors on how to do this. Please do not share you knowledge with others about who is leaving because we don’t want it to get out that some very popular families are tagging along, since that would mean others might decide to join. Trust us, we know what God’s plan is for your life. So please continue to sit in our pews, write checks to the order of CBC, and remain silent.”

God’s Love

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The author of Basic Instinct and Showgirls writes:


Seven years ago, I sat down on a curb near my home, sobbing, and asked God to help me.

I had just had surgery for throat cancer. I still had a trache in my throat. I had been told that if I didn't stop smoking and drinking immediately, I'd die. I desperately didn't want to die. I adored my wife and children.

But I knew I couldn't stop. I'd started smoking when I was twelve and drinking when I was 14. I was now 57 years old.

I cried and begged God to help me . . . and He did. I hadn't prayed since I was a boy. I had made fun of God and those who loved God in my writings. And now, through my sobs, I heard myself asking God to help me . . . and from the moment I asked, He did.

I didn't at first understand why He did. I didn't deserve His help, I thought. I was unworthy. I ignore Him for forty years and then suddenly I ask Him to help me and He does? It took me some time to understand that God helped me because He loves me. Because even though we don't deserve God's love, God loves us – all of us.

It's an excellent testimony. And I challenge you to read the whole thing.

Good bye Lasits?

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So…rumor has it that Doug & Donna Lasit will be moving to Denver to start thier own church.

 A friend of mine mentioned that and said "It had to be Denver. With all the scriptures in the Bible that talk about rivers and mountains there really isn't much choice".

Which really is funny. I ran a quick Biblegateway search and its amazing how many "confirming scriptures there are" (i.e. Genesis 22:14 "On the mountain of the LORD it will be provided.")

Personally, I think this is a big loss for City Bible Church. A lot of people really like Doug and Donna and I think CBC's image takes a hit when they leave. I mean really, if I'm going to be honest, I'd have to say that even I like Doug, we may not agree on much, but from a strictly social standard I've always like Doug and he has always treated me well. I don't know Donna from a Prophetic Violin so I can't speak to that, but I like Doug.

Of course, this may not be true…after all…how many CBC rumors are actually false…oh thats right…none.

Well Doug/Donna… happy trails.

This of course begs the question: Who's next in line to take over the great big hype maching that is Generation Unleashed?

America Did Not Tithe Enough, Part II

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In an unprecdented move, the U.S. Government has decided to put Fannie and Freddie in Conservatorship.

Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac's primary function is to provide liquidity to the housing market (basically buy loans from banks, so that the banks can then loan more money to people looking to purchase homes). This duty was clearly in question the last couple of months, and the government has decided to take over Fannie and Freddie to ensure they will still be able to buy loans. It will likely double America's national debt and is just another sign that the "Housing Crisis" isn't over yet.

The tie in to this blog, is that all the properties that the City Church and City Bible purchased over the last couple of years are likely to continue to drop in value. And the church's ability to refinance those loans is going to remain limited. So you know, perhaps the City Church shouldn't have spent 1.4 million on a home in DC and perhaps City Bible Church shouldn't have leased an Ice Hockey Rink in Vancouver. Not the best use of Finances. 

Anyway, the real reason I'm writing this is to share with you this great YouTube video mocking the whole thing. 

Because everyone hates a bailout:

Take A Load off Fannie