Why you shouldn't look for God in "The Shack"

There is probably not one of us who has either seen the movie The Shack, or read the book, or at the very least, knows of someone who has, and thought The Shack was the best movie or book they have ever read.  Now, while I can believe such a book or film can be entertaining, and insightful; even plant seeds of faith in a non-believer; we have to be able to discern what is truth, and what is fiction.  The Shack is fiction, and dangerous fiction in that while it feels good on the surface, it has some false premises that can damage or even destroy ones relationship with Christ.  Below are just a couple of key points:

• In "The Shack", God the Father Himself comes to the shack...as a woman?  God has always referred to himself as masculine (sorry, ladies; but please stay, with me for a bit longer!) and never in the flesh.  That was Jesus's job, to be God in the flesh.  Jesus walked and talked with us on earth.  God the Father on earth could not be directly viewed by sinful man without dying (Exodus 33:20; Isaiah 6).   What The Shack does is recreate god in man's image; or, in other words, promote idolatry.

• What? No Hell?  The Shack implies through an underlying theme that all of mankind and even Satan and his fallen angels can and will be reconciled to God, enter Heaven, thus eliminate the need for Hell and the Lake of Fire.  Very appealing, but not very biblically Sound.  (Revelation 20:10-15)  Satan will not be let back into the heavenly realm, so he can try to overthrow God again.  Those who choose to reject God and his offer of love will not be forced to repent and be thrown into Heaven, as The Shack suggests.  That's not love, love respects freedom of choice.  (Ladies, you know that guy you had no interest in who kept pursuing you?  Would that be love if he forced you to love him??  God is not just a God of love, but a God of justice as well.

While The Shack can be treated as good, secular fiction, with a lot of biblical truths; one must be careful in regard to the half truths and falsehoods that are laced throughout the book and film.  This story paints a universal message, that all religions lead to God; while Jesus said He is the way, the truth and the life, and no one comes to the Father except through Him. (John 14:6)  So while all religions do lead to God, most lead to a God, sitting on a throne of judgment, seperating himself from those who chose not to have any relationship with Him while they were on earth.  The only place for an eternal human being to go who does not want fellowship with God is the lake of fire; the second death, that truly lasts for eternity.

Christianity is not a religion where you need to appease a god; it's about God's love for us, that He (Christ) died for us (Romans 5:8).  God has done all that needs to be done to reconcile the relationship between mankind and Himself, that will we have left to do is say, "Thank you, Lord Jesus", and spend time with Him; in prayer, in reading His word, the Bible, and sharing this good news with others.

Why does God allow suffering, injustice and oppression on Earth?

In having a conversation with an atheist some time ago, he cited all the reasons why he and others like him refuse to believe in any kind of a deity.  Most of them claim science will eventually be able to prove the universe was not created but evolved, but one of their "evidences" comes from the notion that God cannot be all that powerful; or if He is, he must not be all that good of a god since there are so many injustices in the world, so many diseases, so much oppression, pain, suffering and misery taking place.  A good god should not permit such things to happen.

Those of us in Christ know that God actually permits such evil to exist on the earth.  When Adam and Eve ate from the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, they chose not just to rebel from God, they chose to learn what good and evil truly are.  As a result, we live in a beautiful world that also has earthquakes, tornados, plagues, and a host of maladies the make life difficult at times.  God from the beginning cursed the ground for our sake (Genesis 3:17, NKJV). So we can enjoy the appearance and the fragrance of a rose, while getting pricked by its thorns.  Good and evil.

Albert Einstein described evil as a lack of good.  Just as cold is actually an absence of heat, and darkness is an absence of light.  And if every good thing comes from our creator God, then the absence of God is in effect, pure evil.  The realm of Lucifer, aka Satan.

We as humans get to choose whether or not to do good or evil; to ourselves as well as to one another.  The Bible gives us lessons on how to do good, as well as examples of doing evil.  It also gives consequences; good and bad, for doing either good or evil respectively.  And we get to choose whether or not we follow God's good rules; or our own rules, which by God's standards, are truly evil.

This is what Heaven and Hell are all about.  Heaven is eternity with God; Hell, on the other hand, is eternity separated from God.  And everyone gets to choose where they spend eternity.  In this day and age, that choice is based on one's faith that Jesus Christ is their Lord and King; and because of that, we seek a complete, perfect relationship with Him.  (Prior to Christ, or for those who die without ever hearing this good news, those with the heart that seeks God will find him, and His eternal Salvation (Romans 1:20).)  I believe God's grace will give such a person a place in heaven.  But God will not send anyone to Hell; the individual chooses Hell because he or she wants to avoid having a relationship with God.

How do I know this?  Seriously, I'm not anyone's judge, jury and executioner.  I'm just a messenger; and as such, I may get the message wrong.  Yet, when asked the question, "If there became scientific evidence that removed any and all doubt that God is real, and that Jesus is real; would you become a Christian?", most atheists would either refuse to answer the question or flat out say, "No".  The honest ones who say no would state they like their lifestyle just as it is, and refuse to answer to any higher power.  Others would insist on debating the point further.

The bottom line is, God cannot make any of us love him.  As much as He loves His creation, we as individuals get to choose to love Him back.  And Heaven and Hell are the places we go; based on who we choose to love.

Keeping the Faith, Regardless of Your Politics

So, we have a new president. Not a politician, not a military general, but a wealthy, private citizen.  The kind of person our founding fathers in many ways wanted to have in government.  That private citizen who takes a few years out of his or her career to help guide and manage the affairs of this nation.  Not someone who makes a career out of managing said affairs.

Scary, isn't it?  Donald Trump is no politician.  You know where your views stand with him, be they for or against your .  And he doesn't play political correctness, either.  He'll take that political sacred cow and turn it into a pork chop every chance he gets; so all of us can be assured of being rubbed the wrong way more than once over the next four years.

He's going to tear down many idols we have developed in America.  Idols in the form of bureaucracies that appear to help but only hinder and enslave us.  Idols that create the illusion Governments are our hope and salvation, in place of Jesus.  And when this happens, those who are dependent on the government will have to rely on themselves, their families, and most important, their faith to carry them through.  This kind of strength has proven to help significantly reduce and eliminate many of the addictions so many people of the modern world are struggling with.  So by removing the safety net/ hammock so many depend on - a scary thought, no doubt - many of these formerly dependent people will find their way and become independent.

Please, encourage one another through this.  The country is so divided, half wanting to become more socialistic, the other half wanting to embrace micro-capitalism, the kind of biblical capitalism that encourages every one to enjoy the fruit of their labor, instead of the rich oligarchs who do earn their wealth on their hirelings, often in disproportionate fashion.

Two thousand years ago, another politically incorrect man walked the earth.  Ane while his speech and demeanor was calmer, more gentile, more loving, he did have his moments when he railed on the establishment of His day.  Now, Donald Trump is not Jesus Christ...if anything...he is more like the antichrist.  Then again, anyone who has sinned and fallen short of the glory of God is more like the antichrist, perhaps that is why Jesus said he "would deceive even the elect, if that were possible".

Overall, if God is the one in control (He is!), and he is the one who exhalts those whom He exhalts, and humbles those who He chooses to humble, then He is truly in control, even right now.  So enjoy the roller coaster ride, keep your eyes on the prize of Christ, and occupy until He comes.  And may the One who is able to keep you from the various trials of this life comfort, direct and make your crooked path straight during this challenging season.

Happy New Years resolutions!

My wish for everyone who reads these words to have a wonderful, prosperous 2017.  May all the riches you have increase, and your troubles decrease.  May your faith in Christ's imminent return be boldened, and may you be consoled through the bad times that God is in control, He has big plans for you, and His will will be done.

Of course, with a new year, come our new year's resolutions.  You know, things like eating healthier, exercising more and losing weight, those seem to be the big ones.  Maybe you want to work on being a better employee, a better parent, or a better spouse.  The point is, we make these resolutions, and for whatever reason, all too often we fail within the first few weeks, and we give up.

Give up?  Why???  Is it because the challenge we place upon ourselves is too great, or so daring, that when life gets in the way just a little bit we throw in the towel and quit?  What does this say about any of us who take on a new challenge, pledge or yes; even a resolution; that as soon as we fail in perfection we simply give up!

Most of us reading this are forgiven sinners.  So if we are forgiven in our sins through Christ, why quit in our endeavors to improve our lives, our health and our relationship with others?  Do we give up in our (albeit futile) efforts to refrain from sin all because of one sin?  Of course not!

Several years ago, after a binge session of sinning, I came back to Christ and begged for forgiveness. I knew I had sinned a horrible sin; repeatedly, and while I knew in my mind I was forgiven, my heart continued to wrestle with this.   Until I heard the Holy Spirit speak to me, "Stop it!  Get up, dust yourself off, and get back in the fight!  You are much to valuable to be feeling sorry for yourself and wallowing in pity!!!"

Since then, one of my continuous resolutions is to continue to press on towards the goal.  Sure, I stumble and fall, but I get right back up and keep on going.  And THAT resolution should be the FIRST resolution you take on! This way, when life gets in the way, and you fail at your other resolutions, you have another one in place to get you back on track!

So, get back up, dust yourself off, and get back onto your resolution.  Don't quit, keep pressing onward, upward and forward.  Your life, your health and your relationships are much too important to those around you to give up; including God and Christ!

Oh yea, and one more resolution we should always have?  That is to put Christ first!  It too, gives this whole resolution thing the staying power it needs!

The Persecution of Christianity in America

Christian persecution in America is becoming a greater and greater issue.  Now, for followers in Christ living in Africa, the Middle East, or China, they have to be thinking “Persecution?  You call this persecution??  Americans have no idea what persecution is!!!”

Fortunately for us in the United States, they would be correct by a huge margin.  In America, we don’t imprison Christians simply because they preach the gospel on our streets (though some have been cited or even arrested for street preaching in some cities), nor set on fire entire towns of Christians nor crucify Christians because they won't submit to Islam.  Persecution of this magnitude does not happen, and I believe it’s mainly because of the Constitution and Bill of Rights, founded by a mostly Christian body almost 230 years ago, makes such actions illegal.  Even the state and local governments cannot “prohibit the free exercise of any religion”

The problem has been, for over 50 years, Christianity has been under attack, and the Christian body in the US has been strangely silent.  Christians have been told so many times that “this world is not our home”, Christians have not only stopped voting, we have stopped participating in the government process.  As a result, us Christians, in the name of tolerance, are allowing ourselves to be overrun in society by anti God, atheistic principles that want nothing to do with God or Christ, and want to silence any believer in Christ by any means possible, including accusing them of being “intolerant”. Go figure.

To date, Christian organizations wanting to achieve non profit status are being delayed or even denied such status by the IRS.  Liberal, anti Christian organizations get rapid approval.  Conservative, Christian individuals starting such groups are being investigated, harassed and intimidated into withdrawing their applications for non profit status by these government agencies.  But that is about to end.

There is a “new Sheriff” in Washington DC.  Put in place by many people in America who are fed up with the status quo being shoved down our throats by a few elitists, Donald Trump may be a man, put in place by God, to lead us out of our mediocrity and encourage us to put God first in the way we live, work and govern ourselves.  (I say this with caution: he may also be just another bully and tyrant; only time will tell)

As Christians in the United States, we need to stand up to these “bullies”.  We need to proclaim to all that the United States of America was in fact founded by Christians, to be a Christian nation, showing no prejudice against any religion including islam and atheism.  The challenge is, that followers of these other religions need to know and understand this; that if they want to live in the freest society on earth, they need to live within these Judeo - Christian rules, and assimilate into this culture.  This has not been happening over the last 50 years, all in the names of tolerance, equality, multiculturalism and for the benefit of the global community.  Anything short of this will result in a one world, global communistic dictatorship.  A dictatorship the rest of the world seems to desire.