While passing out Gospel tracts at the Farmer's Market, I was reminded of what Jesus says in Matthew 24:40, "Two men will be in the field, one will be taken and the other left." It always there will always be groups who don't want anyone else to get a Gospel tract but then usually one person in that group will take one. If one person spoke for everyone I used to just accept it and move on, but I realized that we can't let one person speak for the whole group. So, with this, I want to encourage you when passing out Gospel tracts if you go up to a group ask everyone in the group if they would like one, even if one of them tries to speak for the whole group by saying, "No!" You just never know how the Lord will use that one tract...

ALL our righteous acts are like FILTHY rags

The book of Isaiah was written at a time when the Israelites were experiencing spiritual decline and moral decay. The prophet Isaiah spoke on behalf of the people, acknowledging their sins and shortcomings before God.

BSB, Is 64:

5 You welcome those who gladly do right, who remember Your ways.

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Some did right at times.

Surely You were angry, for we sinned. How can we be saved if we remain in our sins?

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The Israelites could not save themselves.

6 Each of us has become like something unclean, and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags

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or like a stained menstrual garment.

If God sees our good works as filthy rags, what's the point of doing them at all?

Isaiah used hyperbole to address his time of moral corruption. Today, Jesus and the Spirit dwell in us. God welcomes righteous acts done in faith.

we all wither like a leaf, and our iniquities carry us away like the wind.

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7 No one calls on Your name

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another hyperbole

or strives to take hold of You. For You have hidden Your face from us and delivered us into the hand of our iniquity.

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Isaiah pointed out the inadequacy of the Israelites' efforts to achieve righteousness on their own. Today, in Christ, we are accepted and righteous before God. This understanding frees us from striving to earn God's favor and allows us to rest in the grace freely given to us (Ephesians 2:8-9) so that we can faithfully work for God.

I am taking wagers here. This OP is NOT about whether some people will be resurrected to the Purgatory to be healed before entering paradise. I'm assuming you think some will. This post focuses on wagering on what you believe.

Let proposition P1 = Some people will be resurrected to the Purgatory to be healed before entering paradise.

P2 = not P1.

Between 0 and 10, how much weight do you put on each of the above propositions? The stronger your belief in a proposition, the higher the weight. Your weighting scheme will determine the betting odds.

I loved everything he did.

I saw this on Facebook. It Looks interesting. $49 for subscription. I almost pushed the button but not yet.

HYDERABAD, India — Worship services at a church in a village in central India’s Madhya Pradesh state have been suspended since Hindu extremists attacked the congregation on June 1, sources said.

The mob of about 20 villagers led by members of the Hindu extremist Bajrang Dal intruded into the house of Pastor Madia Damor in Thuvadara village, Jabua District, disrupting the worship service and beating the 50 people gathered for fasting prayer, including women and children.

The assailants arrived at about 4 p.m., seized Bibles from children and began beating male and female members, Pastor Damor said.


“There was all chaos,” he told Morning Star News. “The children and women were crying, shouting, asking them to stop, but they forcefully dragged them out of my house,” Pastor Damor told Morning Star News. “When I tried to stop the mob from attacking the women and children, they pushed me off and threatened me that they would kill me if I conducted church prayers in the village again.”

Continued below.

The New York Times spots a religion ghost and runs away from a serious discussion​

I don’t have solid poll data backing me up on the following.

But, in my experience, if you walk up to church-going, scripture-quoting evangelical Protestants and Pentecostals and say that you are trying to think of a Bible verse defined by “6:11” many, if not most, will say, “You mean Ephesians 6:11?”

That would be the following (and I have included verses 12-13, as well):

Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. 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. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand.

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There is no mention, however, of brave believers shaking their fists and shouting, “Fight! Fight! Fight!”

That said, glance through these Google search results — “Trump,” “assassination,” “Ephesians”— and read some of the chatter about Americans who truly believe they saw the hand of God in this dramatic event. Needless to say, connections of this kind showed up in this week’s “Crossroads” podcast.

Yes, the term “conspiracy theory” pops up in that Google search. I guess that’s what happens when people believe God has the ability to affect what happens in real life.

Here is one statement of this thesis. A veteran, and very media-savvy, evangelical pastor that I know (from a blue zip code) sent me an email after my Rational Sheep post about the assassination attempt on former President Donald Trump and the niche-news business models that shaped the news coverage. This pastor responded with:

Last Saturday, 6:11 PM. What happened?
To really know what happened, read Ephesians 6:11.

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Continued below.

1Co 15:

42 So is it with the resurrection of the dead. What is sown is perishable; what is raised is imperishable. 43 It is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory. It is sown in weakness; it is raised in power.

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The imperishable bodies will be glorious and powerful. Paul was talking about believers.

54 When the perishable puts on the imperishable, and the mortal puts on immortality, then shall come to pass the saying that is written: “Death is swallowed up in victory.”

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Death does not have power over the imperishable bodies.
Re 20:

13 The sea gave up the dead who were in it, Death and Hades gave up the dead who were in them, and they were judged, each one of them, according to what they had done. 14 Then Death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. This is the second death, the lake of fire. 15 And if anyone’s name was not found written in the book of life, he was thrown into the lake of fire.

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Unbelievers will be resurrected to some kind of perishable body to suffer the second death.
When Jesus returns, will the dead, believers and unbelievers, be resurrected and receive imperishable bodies?
Believers will be resurrected to imperishable bodies; unbelievers, to perishable ones.
See also Does the Bible teach conscious torment over an infinite period of time?

If anything can rightly be said about St. Mary Magdalene, it is that she remains a mysterious and oftentimes elusive figure. Over the centuries, her identity has been debated and disputed endlessly, with the result that today many Catholics are left feeling very confused. What exactly do we know about her on the basis of the Gospels? And was she a reformed prostitute?

Thus we know that Mary Magdalene had seven demons cast out of her (see Mk 16:9; Lk 8:2); she helped to fund Jesus’s ministry (see Lk 8:2); she remained with Him at the foot of the cross (see Mt 27:56; Mk 15:40; Lk 23:49; Jn 19:25); and was the first person He publicly appeared to following His Resurrection (see Jn 20:11-18). For the Eastern Fathers, this is all that we can know about Mary Magdalene.

In the West, a rather different understanding of the Magdalene began to emerge in the earliest days of the Church. Beginning with figures like Tertullian (c. 155 - 220) and gaining traction under St. Augustine (354 - 430), a near-unanimous consensus arose in Western Christianity which continued largely unchallenged right up until the twentieth century.

According to this Western perspective, “Magdalene” is simply another title for Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus, whom today we tend to call Mary of Bethany. Strikingly, this Magdalene figure was also understood by the Western Church to be the sinful woman who comes to anoint the feet of the Lord in the seventh chapter of Luke’s Gospel. On this traditional Western Catholic understanding, therefore, three female New Testament characters are identified as one: Mary Magdalene, Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus, and the anonymous sinful woman from Luke 7.

This may sound like a bold claim, but it was the position adopted by many of the Church’s greatest saints, mystics, and doctors. To name some examples, Gregory the Great, Bede the Venerable, Anselm of Canterbury, Thomas Aquinas, Catherine of Siena, Thomas More, John Fisher, Teresa of Ávila, John of the Cross, Francis de Sales, Mary of Ágreda, Anne Catherine Emmerich, John Henry Newman, Thérèse of Lisieux, and Elizabeth of the Trinity all believed that Mary Magdalene is the same person as Mary the sister of Martha and Lazarus, and the same person as the anonymous sinful woman in Luke 7.

Continued below.

Acts 15:9 (RSV) and he made no distinction between us and them [the Gentiles], but cleansed their hearts by faith. [similar: Weymouth, ESV]

Protestantism formally separated sanctification from justification in a way contrary to the Bible. Justification saves through faith alone, according to their view. Sanctification and good works, on the other hand, are definitely encouraged and regarded as necessary in the Christian life, but are not a cause of either justification or salvation; only God’s grace and our faith accomplish that. This is the classic Protestant “faith alone” doctrine, or sola fide in Latin, and one of the two “pillars” of the so-called Reformation, along with sola Scriptura (“Bible alone”).

The above passage contradicts this understanding, by directly tying sanctification to faith. The fact that one is sanctified by having faith in Jesus (having a “cleansed” heart) makes it impossible to separate sanctification and justification in a neat little package with a bow. They’re intrinsically connected. Therefore, sanctification does have something to do with both justification and salvation. The faith was precisely the means by which their hearts were cleansed and they were sanctified.

Continued below.

Bhutan​

Pray for a Release International partner as he oversees the only theological seminary in Bhutan. His focus is to offer discipleship and biblical training in order to see a new generation of Christian leaders equipped to serve the church.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Bhutan​

Though small numbers of Bibles are allowed into the nation legally, the Government continues to restrict widespread distribution. Most copies must be smuggled in. Pray for successful Bible distributions.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Bhutan​

Converts to Christianity endure threats and pressures from local community leaders and Buddhist religious leaders. Christians have lost jobs or have been unable to find employment because of their faith. Ask the Lord to provide for them.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Bhutan​

It is extremely difficult for Christians to meet publicly in Bhutan and church buildings are illegal. Pray for Christians who are forced to practise their faith at home or in secret.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Bhutan​

Christians are often viewed as followers of a foreign, Western religion and can be subject to various forms of discrimination. Buddhists who become Christians can even lose their citizenship. Pray that Christians would be able to stand firm in their faith and multiply.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Bhutan​

Bhutan’s constitution provides for freedom of religion; however, in practice, evangelistic work that seeks the conversion of Buddhists is illegal. Pray that Bhutan would open its doors to a vibrant Christian witness.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Burkina Faso​

Pray for those being recruited into terrorist and criminal gangs; that God would call them out to a different life and provide them with honest ways to make a living.
YES - I WILL PRAY

Sign up for email prayer alerts​

To lift up persecuted Christians in your prayers and see God at work in their lives
SUBSCRIBE

Children’s Prayer Sheet​

It’s not only adults who can pray for our persecuted family. Every month we produce a prayer sheet aimed specifically for children. Each sheet has specific activities and prayers which will help children learn more about how persecution affects children in other countries.
You can visit our Children’s Prayer Sheet page here.

Col 4:

14 Luke, the beloved physician, and Demas send you greetings.

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Near the end of Paul's letter to the Colossians, he mentioned Demas positively along with Luke.

Phm 1:

23 Epaphras, my fellow prisoner in Christ Jesus, sends greetings to you, 24 and so do Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke, my fellow workers.

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Paul considered Demas as a fellow worker. Demas probably had the Paraclete dwelling in him at this time.

But a few years later, 2Tm 4:

9 Make every effort to come to me quickly, 10 because Demas, in his love of this world, has deserted me and gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. 11a Only Luke is with me.

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Paul was disappointed that Dema didn't stay with him. At this point, did Demas still have the Paraclete dwelling in him?

I don't know.

Was Demas truly born again?

I think so, at least at the time of Phm 1.

See also Can we lose our salvation?

Last year’s military coup has added to the growing hostility felt by many Christians across Niger.
In July 2023, Gen. Abdourahmane Tchiani, head of the presidential guard’s unit, declared himself Niger’s new leader, prompting concerns that this will open the country up to further attacks from Islamic extremists.
In areas under militant control, church services and other events are carried out under the shadow of potential violence or physical attack. The instability in the Sahel region only adds to this vulnerability.
Those who leave Islam to follow Jesus face the additional challenge of pressure from their own families to renounce their new faith. Pressure also comes from the authorities, and this could likely increase in the near future. Believers can also face discrimination in the public sector workplace; they seldom secure jobs within local government services, and promotions are frequently denied.

Meet Halima​

“I would like you to pray for me. Currently, I live with a Christian family and I’m well nourished. I’m well protected in this Christian family. But I would like you to pray for me so that my faith will not grow cold, and that my mom will give her life to Christ.”
Halima (name changed), who has been persecuted by her mother because of her faith.

What does Open Doors do to help?​

Open Doors works through partners in Niger to strengthen persecuted Christians through economic empowerment programmes, leadership and discipleship training, persecution survival training and pastoral care for new believers.

Please pray​

• Pray for stability following the military coup, and that the influence of extremist groups wouldn’t grow.
• Pray for the protection of Christians living under the threat of violence from Islamic militants.
• Pray that believers from Muslim backgrounds will find fellowship with other believers.

He went down in medical history: the “Berlin Patient,” the first person in the world to be cured of HIV, following a stem cell transplant at Charité – Universitätsmedizin Berlin. Now, a team from Charité has repeated this extremely rare medical achievement. The second Berlin patient has had no detectable virus for more than five years even though he is not taking antiviral medications. What makes this case special is that the team used a treatment method different from previous cases in which patients have been cured of HIV. It necessitates a new explanation of the mechanism by which the virus was cured.

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The GOP is again connecting with working- and middle-class people

I’ve been watching the Republican National Convention. Political conventions are not new to me. I got into this stuff as a 16-year-old when I became involved in Ronald Reagan’s 1976 insurgent campaign. So, I’ve seen my share of conventions.

There’s a palpable difference this year. You could hear that in J.D. Vance’s speech.

Some may claim the party is a “cult of personality.” Others have complained that “traditional conservatism” is under assault. Well, yes, now conservatism is different. Tonight, I watched an Arizona rancher and his wife talk about the drug couriers crossing their land. I watched 13 family members relate the loss of their children during the withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021. I watched a 98-year-old World War II veteran tell us he’d fight all over again for “his country.” Perhaps we’ve forgotten there are still Americans who think of the United States as “their country” – and stand up for it. Perhaps we’ve forgotten that most Americans hope that politics is so out of their lives that they can just tend their farm or ranch.

Continued below.

The inability to shut down the traditional Latin Mass reflects the different between power and authority in the papacy.

There has been much chatter on the interwebs lately about possible further restrictions being imposed upon the celebration of the classical Roman Rite, or the Traditional Latin Mass, as it is often called. However, it appears that such rumors are not going to materialize for now, even as the Vatican liturgical office devises new ways to express its contempt for those who attend celebrations of the TLM, in addition to the continued banning of such celebrations in cathedrals and parishes.

Having said that, it does appear that the push to excise the older Mass from the body of the Church might be running out of steam. Recently, Larry Chapp, a conservative Catholic who is not necessarily a fan of the TLM, wrote an article for the National Catholic Registerclaiming the effect of Traditionis Custodeswas to deepen divisions in the Church. Perhaps more surprisingly, two writers for the more liberal Catholic La Croix have penned separate articles claiming the restrictions imposed by Traditionis Custodes have actually sparked interest among young Catholics, having a sort of Streisand effect on the situation. There is still more the Vatican could do to clamp down on the old liturgy, but as I write these words, the Vatican seems to be in a holding pattern.

Continued below.

Leftist Catholics are upset that J.D. Vance doesn't accept the mainstream narrative about climate change—charging that he's defying "Church teaching." Is this true?

Some on the political left-Catholic division have their panties in a bunch because Donald Trump named J.D. Vance as his running mate.

J.D. is a recent convert. Converts are always suspect by the political left-Catholic division. I converted almost 40 years ago and just yesterday got tut-tutted about being a “convert.” Stay in your lane, newbie! Learn the Faith before you opine! This big boy Catholic work is for cradles only! That’s the pitch, anyway.

Now, there are issues with J.D. and some positions he has taken that run sideways with the Faith. He says he supports the abortion drug. This cannot be and has to change.

He’s getting tagged for his opposition to illegal immigration. But the Church does not give us the number of illegals we are required to take under Church doctrine, though I am pretty sure we are not required by our Faith to take any illegals, and it is undoubtedly not millions per year.

Continued below.

Republican vice-presidential nominee has grown in faith thanks to his grandmother, an admired uncle, Dominicans and his confirmation saint.

Republican vice-presidential nominee J.D. Vance is one of the most overtly religious major politicians in America.

Vance has written extensively about his life in faith, both in a mega-selling memoir and in a long essay that describes how a drug-using teenager with anger problems, family problems, school problems and doubts about God became an accomplished, successful family man excited about being a Catholic.

But nowadays, he’s also the most questioned of religious politicians, as pro-lifers ask if he’s still one of them.

Where did he come from in faith? And how did he get where he is now?

Vance, who comes from a long line of culturally Protestant Scots-Irish Americans from Appalachia, was baptized Catholic in August 2019.

Below are 13 items about his meandering journey to Rome and the aftermath, drawn largely from his 3-million-copy-selling 2016 memoir Hillbilly Elegy; and a 6,777-word essayhe wrote about his conversion for the Easter 2020 issue of The Lamp, a Catholic magazine.

Vance also talked about his conversion in an August 2019 interview with Rod Dreher published in The American Conservative.

Continued below.

“If you think that there is consensus among the people who want Joe Biden to leave that they will support Vice President Harris, you would be mistaken,” Ocasio-Cortez said. “They’re not going to be fully honest, but I’m going to be honest for them.”

It is something that so many powerful Democrats who said Trump is a threat to democracy are willing to throw out their own democratically elected primary winner, Mr. Democracy himself, in order to promote others.

In Genesis 26:3-5, God makes a Covenant with Isaac similar to the one He makes with Abraham: He will multiply Isaac’s offspring, and in Isaac’s offspring all the nations of the earth will be blessed. In Verse 5, He hints that the Covenant depends on keeping His Charge, His Commandments, Statutes and Laws, as Abraham had done.

Well, it wasn’t long before that fell flat. As the OT can attest, much of the offspring disregarded His Charge, His Commandments, Statutes and Laws. As a result, Isaac’s offspring did not effectively reach “all the nations of the earth” for them to be blessed. So, most of those nations lived on in ignorance of God’s Covenant with Isaac’s offspring and of the blessings they would have received.

Seeing this, God sent Jesus, His only Son up to the task He laid out, to give those offspring a chance to redeem themselves. In addition, God had Jesus extend the offering of His Blessing to others, while allowing Jesus’ followers to modify certain of God’s Commandments, Statutes and Laws. So, in accordance with Hebrews 6:1-3, the followers encouraged leaving “the elementary doctrine of Christ,” that dealt with things like not having to repeat laying “a foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God, and of instruction about washings, the laying on of hands, the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment.” So, things like rituals and remembrances, and the eating of pork, fall by the wayside, leaving only the aspect of what God represents and what He is prepared to do for those who love him and eachother.

Jesus’ followers were also charged with spreading the Word beyond just the Hebrews, to those who were never under the elementary doctrine that Jesus vowed would pass when his fulfillment of the underlying Laws is accomplished, as it says in Matthew 5:17-18. So, Jesus, through his followers, extended the offer of God’s Covenant with Abraham (and Isaac) to everyone else, verified by Luke 1:69-73, and with the only condition that people abide by the two great commandments spoken by Jesus in Matthew 22:36-39.

So, there exists the hope that the nations of the world will be blessed by God, if not through Isaac’s offspring then by inheritance from Abraham according to Galatians 3:29.

DEA laboratory testing indicates that 7 out of 10 counterfeit pills contain a potentially lethal dose of fentanyl. Counterfeits made in the United States typically use pill press machines that can easily be purchased online and – depending on size and capacity – can manufacture anywhere from 1,800 pills to more than one million pills per hour. Many of the pill presses shipped to the United States come from China. The U.S. Treasury Department has imposed sanctions on numerous Chinese entities for allegedly distributing pill presses and other equipment used to manufacture illicit fentanyl in the United States. Recently, under "Operation Artemis," CBP officers at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York seized 14 pill press machines in five separate shipments that arrived from China.
In the United States, pill press laws at the federal level are limited, and state laws are generally weak or nonexistent. Federal law currently prohibits the sale, possession, and use of unregistered pill presses. However, the registration process relies heavily on self-reporting, usually during the sale and transfer of machines. For instance, thousands of pill press machines have been sold through eBay, contributing to the current crisis. Current law also states that any person who possesses a pill press machine with the intent to sell shall be sentenced to a term of imprisonment of not more than four years, a fine or both. We believe that the criminals who manufacture and traffic these deadly drugs should face clearer, harsher penalties.
For more than four years, we have led bipartisan legislation to make possession of a pill press mold with the intent to counterfeit schedule I or II substances a federal crime. Specifically, our Criminalizing Abused Substance Templates (CAST) Act would allow for criminals who possess a pill press and are planning to manufacture counterfeit pills – whether they have yet to do so or not – to be imprisoned for up to 20 years.

I am taking wagers here. This OP is NOT about whether by "all" in 2Co 5:10, Paul included both believers and unbelievers. I'm assuming you think Paul did. This post focuses on wagering on what you believe.

Let proposition P1 = By "all" in 2Co 5::10, Paul included both believers and unbelievers.

P2 = not P1.

Between 0 and 10, how much weight do you put on each of the above propositions? The stronger your belief in a proposition, the higher the weight. Your weighting scheme will determine the betting odds.

DIFFICULT MORAL QUESTIONS: How can my spouse and I deal properly with the challenges we face practicing NFP?

Q. We are a Catholic couple married for more than 10 years, practicing natural family planning for health reasons without using contraception. My husband’s frustration with our abstinence periods has led to marital tension and his occasional use of porn, and he has grown resentful of the “Catholic rules” about sexual pleasure and marital intercourse. Though he still agrees with avoiding contraception, he believes mutual manual stimulation during abstinence is legitimate if the purpose of the acts is to foster intimacy between us and make the whole home and family more harmonious. I struggle to find clear guidance in the Catechism on this issue and feel compelled to comply to preserve our marriage and reduce his temptation, despite concerns about its morality. — Anonymous Catholic Woman



A. I admire your faithfulness in following the Church’s teaching for the past 16 years. I also admire your solicitude in seeking advice on a very sensitive topic.

Continued below.

‘God, I thank you for the gift of Raphael Patrick,’ Mari Kuhlman wrote on social media, announcing the birth of her son.

Mari and Nate Kuhlman at their wedding Mass (photo: Courtesy of Heather Kuhlman / Right Up Your Allie Photography, LLC

Nine months after tragedy came new life.

Mariana (Mari) Kuhlman, 23, welcomed her son, Raphael Patrick, on July 18 — nine months after the tragic death of her husband, Nathaniel (Nate) Kuhlman.

“Nate, our son is here!” Kuhlman wrote on Facebook and Instagram. “I know you’ll be praying for him, for us each and every day, and he will know without a doubt how much his father loves him!”

Mari lost her husband, Nate, three days after their wedding. The couple was on their honeymoon on the Caribbean island of St. Lucia when Nathaniel fell and drowned while water-skiing, three days after their wedding. After attempts to revive him, doctors told Mari he wouldn’t make it.

The couple met in October 2021 at Franciscan University, when Mari was a junior and Nate was a senior. They got engaged in December 2022 and married on Oct. 28, 2023.

Continued below.