One of these is not like the other . . .

HT: Centurion :: :: HT: SFPulpit

Does God love everyone, or just those whom he has chosen? It is an intriguing question, and one that John MacArthur addresses very well, I think:

So an important distinction must be made. God loves believers with a particular
love. It is a family love, the ultimate love of an eternal Father for His
children. It is the consummate love of a Bridegroom for His bride. It is an
eternal love that guarantees their salvation from sin and its ghastly penalty.
That special love is reserved for believers alone.
However, limiting this
saving, everlasting love to His chosen ones does not render God’s compassion,
mercy, goodness, and love for the rest of mankind insincere or meaningless. When
God invites sinners to repent and receive forgiveness (Isa. 1:18; Matt.
11:28-30), His pleading is from a sincere heart of genuine love. “‘As I live!’
declares the Lord God, ‘I take no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but
rather that the wicked turn from his way and live. Turn back, turn back from
your evil ways! Why then will you die, O house of Israel?’” (Ezek. 33:11).
Clearly God does love even those who spurn His tender mercy, but it is a
different quality of love, and different in degree from His love for His own.

Read the entire post.

Judgment Day

That is, I hope the American people will exercise their judgment before the day of the next presidential election. First, he can't keep things straight with something as relatively trivial as whom to bring on board for bloggers, and now this:

Edwards: "Perhaps the Greatest Short-Term Threat to World Peace Is the Possibility That Israel Would Bomb Iran's Nuclear Facilities"

Hillary Spot reader Michael points out this little gem in Peter Bart's column on John Edwards' comments in Hollywood:

There are other emerging fissures, as well. The aggressively photogenic John Edwards was cruising along, detailing his litany of liberal causes last week until, during question time, he invoked the "I" word — Israel. Perhaps the greatest short-term threat to world peace, Edwards remarked, was the possibility that Israel would bomb Iran's nuclear facilities. As a chill descended on the gathering, the Edwards event was brought to a polite close.

Really? Israel is the biggest threat? Not Ahmedinijad? Not al-Qaeda? Not a coup attempt in Pakistan? Not a complete breakdown in Iraq drawing in the Saudis, Turks, and Iranians?

Or, you know, perhaps not.

Good job, Sen. Edwards. In typical Democrat fashion, missing the mark and out of touch with normal American values.

Dungy Puts His Faith Above His Race

Rush Limbaugh had some interesting things to say about the coaches of Superbowl LXI. I suspect this is stuff that won't be mentioned anywhere else. When I did a Google search of the words superbowl, 2007, coaches, christian the first 10 returns were Christian sites; interesting that not a single mainstream media outlet's reporting made it in that short list ("what media bias?").

Dungy Puts His Faith Above His Race

Last night, in front of the world, when handed the Vince Lombardi Trophy, Tony Dungy, the head coach of the Indianapolis Colts, offered one of the most important and inspiring statements ever made in such a context. Think about it. Listen to this. It was unique.

DUNGY: I'll tell you what. I'm proud to be representing African-American coaches, to be the first African-American to win this. That means an awful lot to our country. But again, more than anything -- I said it before -- Lovie Smith and I are not only the first two African-Americans, but Christian coaches showing that you can win and doing it the Lord's way. We're more proud of that.

RUSH: "More proud of that." One of the things I said last week: this Super Bowl had a lot of firsts in it. The first two black coaches and so forth, yes, but the first two confessing, witnessing Christians who were good friends in the Super Bowl. Dungy said he was proud to be a Christian coach, mentioning the strong faith of not only himself, but Lovie Smith, the coach of the Bears. They won the way the Lord asked them to. These remarks were, I think, the mark of a true person of faith, because for such people their religious identity transcends their race or their politics or their gender, every other distinguishing feature. It's clear from the way that Dungy lives his life and the kind of person he is that his distinguishing feature is indeed that he's a Christian . . .

And the Liberals Complain that we're Losing Our Rights, How, again?

Well, there they go again. While we have actual Islamists actually killing or plotting to kill innocents, our lovely misguided liberal friends are, once again, painting Christians as the enemy. uh huh . . . "hey, the house is burning down, but put out whatever's smoldering in the microwave!"

Unfortunately, we have someone who does not know how to read the Bible, how to interpret it properly, gaining widespread acceptance as someone who is knowledge about Christianity. And because of that, he's saying that Christians are the bogeyman in the closet, and we better not let them out!

Isn't multiculturalism grand?

Hope Rides Alone

h/t: LittleGreenFootballs

Wow.

Here's a hard-hitting piece that should be required reading for all those in the Democrat party. Written by Sgt Eddie Jeffers, serving in Iraq

I stare out into the darkness from my post, and I watch the city burn to the ground. I smell the familiar smells, I walk through the familiar rubble, and I look at the frightened faces that watch me pass down the streets of their neighborhoods. My nerves hardly rest; my hands are steady on a device that has been given to me from my government for the purpose of taking the lives of others.

I sweat, and I am tired. My back aches from the loads I carry. Young American boys look to me to direct them in a manner that will someday allow them to see their families again...and yet, I too, am just a boy....my age not but a few years more than that of the ones I lead. I am stressed, I am scared, and I am paranoid...because death is everywhere. It waits for me, it calls to me from around street corners and windows, and it is always there.

There are the demons that follow me, and tempt me into thoughts and actions that are not my own...but that are necessary for survival. I've made compromises with my humanity. And I am not alone in this. Miles from me are my brethren in this world, who walk in the same streets...who feel the same things, whether they admit to it or not.

And to think, I volunteered for this...

And I am ignorant to the rest of the world...or so I thought.

But even thousands of miles away, in Ramadi, Iraq, the cries and screams and complaints of the ungrateful reach me. In a year, I will be thrust back into society from a life and mentality that doesn't fit your average man. And then, I will be alone. And then, I will walk down the streets of America, and see the yellow ribbon stickers on the cars of the same people who compare our President to Hitler.

I will watch the television and watch the Cindy Sheehans, and the Al Frankens, and the rest of the ignorant sheep of America spout off their mouths about a subject they know nothing about. It is their right, however, and it is a right that is defended by hundreds of thousands of boys and girls scattered across the world, far from home. I use the word boys and girls, because that's what they are. In the Army, the average age of the infantryman is nineteen years old. The average rank of soldiers killed in action is Private First Class.

People like Cindy Sheehan are ignorant. Not just to this war, but to the results of their idiotic ramblings, or at least I hope they are. They don't realize its effects on this war. In this war, there are no Geneva Conventions, no cease fires. Medics and Chaplains are not spared from the enemy's brutality because it's against the rules. I can only imagine the horrors a military Chaplain would experience at the hands of the enemy. The enemy slinks in the shadows and fights a coward’s war against us. It is effective though, as many men and women have died since the start of this war. And the memory of their service to America is tainted by the inconsiderate remarks on our nation's news outlets. And every day, the enemy changes...only now, the enemy is becoming something new. The enemy is transitioning from the Muslim extremists to Americans. The enemy is becoming the very people whom we defend with our lives. And they do not realize it. But in denouncing our actions, denouncing our leaders, denouncing the war we live and fight, they are isolating the military from society...and they are becoming our enemy.

Democrats and peace activists like to toss the word "quagmire" around and compare this war to Vietnam. In a way they are right, this war is becoming like Vietnam. Not the actual war, but in the isolation of country and military. America is not a nation at war; they are a nation with its military at war. Like it or not, we are here, some of us for our second, or third times; some even for their fourth and so on. Americans are so concerned now with politics, that it is interfering with our war.

Terrorists cut the heads off of American citizens on the internet...and there is no outrage, but an American soldier kills an Iraqi in the midst of battle, and there are investigations, and sometimes soldiers are even jailed...for doing their job.

It is absolutely sickening to me to think our country has come to this. Why are we so obsessed with the bad news? Why will people stop at nothing to be against this war, no matter how much evidence of the good we've done is thrown in their face? When is the last time CNN or MSNBC or CBS reported the opening of schools and hospitals in Iraq? Or the leaders of terror cells being detained or killed? It's all happening, but people will not let up their hatred of President Bush. They will ignore the good news, because it just might show people that Bush was right.

America has lost its will to fight. It has lost its will to defend what is right and just in the world. The crazy thing of it all is that the American people have not even been asked to sacrifice a single thing. It’s not like World War II, where people rationed food and turned in cars to be made into metal for tanks. The American people have not been asked to sacrifice anything. Unless you are in the military or the family member of a servicemember, its life as usual...the war doesn't affect you.

But it affects us. And when it is over and the troops come home and they try to piece together what's left of them after their service...where will the detractors be then? Where will the Cindy Sheehans be to comfort and talk to soldiers and help them sort out the last couple years of their lives, most of which have been spent dodging death and wading through the deaths of their friends? They will be where they always are, somewhere far away, where the horrors of the world can't touch them. Somewhere where they can complain about things they will never experience in their lifetime; things that the young men and women of America have willingly taken upon their shoulders.

We are the hope of the Iraqi people. They want what everyone else wants in life: safety, security, somewhere to call home. They want a country that is safe to raise their children in. Not a place where their children will be abducted, raped and murdered if they do not comply with the terrorists demands. They want to live on, rebuild and prosper. And America has given them the opportunity, but only if we stay true to the cause and see it to its end. But the country must unite in this endeavor...we cannot place the burden on our military alone. We must all stand up and fight, whether in uniform or not. And supporting us is more than sticking yellow ribbon stickers on your cars. It's supporting our President, our troops and our cause.

Right now, the burden is all on the American soldiers. Right now, hope rides alone. But it can change, it must change. Because there is only failure and darkness ahead for us as a country, as a people, if it doesn't.

Let's stop all the political nonsense, let's stop all the bickering, let's stop all the bad news and let's stand and fight!
Isn't that what America is about anyway?

Cindy, are you listening? Cindy?

Is this why it sucks to be in the Anglican church?

Right, let's just forget what Christmas is about then, shall we?

In his "sermon," Archbishop Williams says, "...it was 'chilling' that neither Palestinians nor Israelis were hopeful of an imminent political settlement..."

Uh huh . . . and what is the solution that The Most Reverend and Right Honourable Archibishop offers?

Prayer, right?

Nope.

Psychobabble like "Defences do something terrible to us as well as to our real and imagined enemies. . ."

Okay, that's mentioned where in the Scriptures? Oh yeah . . . it's not there!

And many actually wonder why the Truro and Falls Church congregations have voted to leave the Communion . . .

Not enough time to post more substantively on this, but there you are.

Cartoon Wars

I have been observing the "cartoon wars" of late and have some observations, as well as questions, your answers to which I would be interested in reading.

• this Muslim "rage" appears to be in part, manufactured, or incited, by imams et al who are driving this.
• the responses on the part of Muslims appears to be very out of line with the cartoons which were published -- to wit: burning of embassies
• where did all the Danish flags come from, all of a sudden? I went to 3 businesses looking for flags from other countries and could not find a single one.
• the world is not Islamic. Nor is it Christian. It appears to be fundamentally unfair and unjust for Muslims to excoriate others (mostly non-Muslim) through op-ed cartoons while crying foul when they are subjected to similar treatment.

Your intelligent and non-ad hominem comments are appreciated.