How Americans View the World
Thursday, November 26, 2009
Monday, November 16, 2009
America Today
"The American dream needs repair," is forerunner of the genre. In
today's Financial Times, it focuses on the rigidities of the US system.
The time was when a young American could start at the bottom and work
his way up. Luck and pluck was all that it took. But now, according to
scholars at the Brookings Institution, people stay put. If you're born
poor in America you're more likely to stay poor than if you had been
born poor in Britain, Denmark, Sweden or dozens of other countries.
What happened? The authors (Daily Reckoning) do not say. So we will. Success breeds
failure. As a society becomes rich, more and more people find ways to
game the system. The elite get tax credits, tariffs, and protective
regulations. Every layer of bureaucracy makes it harder for new
competitors to get ahead. And every new tax on income makes it harder
for upstarts to join the ranks of the rich. The poor get their
parasitic benefits too. Welfare, unemployment compensation, child tax
credits, medicare, food stamps, social security - all of these programs
give the poor an incentive to stay poor. Bill Bonner
"The American dream needs repair," is forerunner of the genre. In
today's Financial Times, it focuses on the rigidities of the US system.
The time was when a young American could start at the bottom and work
his way up. Luck and pluck was all that it took. But now, according to
scholars at the Brookings Institution, people stay put. If you're born
poor in America you're more likely to stay poor than if you had been
born poor in Britain, Denmark, Sweden or dozens of other countries.
What happened? The authors (Daily Reckoning) do not say. So we will. Success breeds
failure. As a society becomes rich, more and more people find ways to
game the system. The elite get tax credits, tariffs, and protective
regulations. Every layer of bureaucracy makes it harder for new
competitors to get ahead. And every new tax on income makes it harder
for upstarts to join the ranks of the rich. The poor get their
parasitic benefits too. Welfare, unemployment compensation, child tax
credits, medicare, food stamps, social security - all of these programs
give the poor an incentive to stay poor. Bill Bonner
Friday, November 13, 2009
Wednesday, November 04, 2009
Bloggers
What is it with bloggers? What is wrong with America that we give them time? What is wrong with me that I waste my time reading them? I have talked about my journey as a Christian going from one teacher to the next. Learning tidbits from each but never finding the answers I seek. But these days I find myself reading and listening to bloggers. Think about what we are doing. We are spending time with someone who could very easily be leading us astray. But this is 21st century America were we are so immature that we have allowed the teaching of Napoleon Hill to become the Gospel message. So instead of hearing about the Grace or God we hear about the Law, for you see the prosperity gospel is Law. It is based upon if you do this then this will happen. It many ways it sounds like Galatians. The Gospel message that Paul taught was not good enough so we have to add something to it.
And why should anyone read what I write? I think you should just sit down and write a blog yourself. Who cares if anyone reads it just have fun writing it. Vent and enjoy a good nights sleep.
What is it with bloggers? What is wrong with America that we give them time? What is wrong with me that I waste my time reading them? I have talked about my journey as a Christian going from one teacher to the next. Learning tidbits from each but never finding the answers I seek. But these days I find myself reading and listening to bloggers. Think about what we are doing. We are spending time with someone who could very easily be leading us astray. But this is 21st century America were we are so immature that we have allowed the teaching of Napoleon Hill to become the Gospel message. So instead of hearing about the Grace or God we hear about the Law, for you see the prosperity gospel is Law. It is based upon if you do this then this will happen. It many ways it sounds like Galatians. The Gospel message that Paul taught was not good enough so we have to add something to it.
And why should anyone read what I write? I think you should just sit down and write a blog yourself. Who cares if anyone reads it just have fun writing it. Vent and enjoy a good nights sleep.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
The Room of Good Intentions
For my Christian Walk I have played the game of Just Fine. How are you? I'm fine. I could be depressed but I was never to discuss it with other believers. I was to do my duty and confess the word not be the law but by grace. Grace was power and love, but the love was never really discussed outside of the high realm. We were told that God loves through us but the person saying it was so messed up he was capable of only loving those people who were needed. I spent so many years trying to do the right thing to please God. It never worked. I just grew more disheartened. Until finally one day I called it quits and stopped attending church. I belonged to a charismatic group where one man was important and no one else was close. The group was designed to give a man a pat on the back. It was for stroking his ego.
The funny thing was that as I attempted to follow the teaching this person slowly drove those people away by attacking them from the pulpit. Funny how I still hold a grudge against him at times. Other times I feel so free from his false teaching. I have heard so many false teachers over the years from the charismatic movement that I wonder if I have ever heard the true gospel.
Today I seek out Reformation teachers. Those men who teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This coming Christian year I plan to take the time and follow the Christian year as observed by the Church universal. I am planning on picking up an Ancient Christian Devotional that goes through the Christian year.
For my Christian Walk I have played the game of Just Fine. How are you? I'm fine. I could be depressed but I was never to discuss it with other believers. I was to do my duty and confess the word not be the law but by grace. Grace was power and love, but the love was never really discussed outside of the high realm. We were told that God loves through us but the person saying it was so messed up he was capable of only loving those people who were needed. I spent so many years trying to do the right thing to please God. It never worked. I just grew more disheartened. Until finally one day I called it quits and stopped attending church. I belonged to a charismatic group where one man was important and no one else was close. The group was designed to give a man a pat on the back. It was for stroking his ego.
The funny thing was that as I attempted to follow the teaching this person slowly drove those people away by attacking them from the pulpit. Funny how I still hold a grudge against him at times. Other times I feel so free from his false teaching. I have heard so many false teachers over the years from the charismatic movement that I wonder if I have ever heard the true gospel.
Today I seek out Reformation teachers. Those men who teach the Gospel of Jesus Christ. This coming Christian year I plan to take the time and follow the Christian year as observed by the Church universal. I am planning on picking up an Ancient Christian Devotional that goes through the Christian year.
Sunday, November 01, 2009
Conspiracies
RJ Rushdoony:
The important question to ask is this: What makes a
conspiracy work? Let us suppose that a number of us
conspired together to turn the United States into a
monarchy, and ourselves into its nobility; let us
further suppose that we could command millions from our
own to achieve this goal. Or, let us suppose that, with
equal numbers and money we conspired to enforce Hindu
vegetarianism on the country. In either case, we would
have then, not a conspiracy, but a joke. A successful
conspiracy is one which is so in tune with the faith
and aspirations of its day that it offers to men the
fulfillment of the ideals of the age. It is an illusion
to believe that dangerous or successful conspiracies
represent no more than a small, hidden circle of
diabolical men who are manipulating the world into
ruin. Such groups often exist, but they only exist and
succeed because their plan and hope is closely tied to
the public dream and the faith of the age. If the
threat were only from small circles of hidden men, then
our problem would be easy. Then, as Burton Blumert has
observed, "if we only unmasked the conspiracy, all our
problems would be solved, but if the trouble is in all
of us, then we really are in trouble." ("Conspiracies,"
April 2) The Chalcedon Report from 1969
RJ Rushdoony:
The important question to ask is this: What makes a
conspiracy work? Let us suppose that a number of us
conspired together to turn the United States into a
monarchy, and ourselves into its nobility; let us
further suppose that we could command millions from our
own to achieve this goal. Or, let us suppose that, with
equal numbers and money we conspired to enforce Hindu
vegetarianism on the country. In either case, we would
have then, not a conspiracy, but a joke. A successful
conspiracy is one which is so in tune with the faith
and aspirations of its day that it offers to men the
fulfillment of the ideals of the age. It is an illusion
to believe that dangerous or successful conspiracies
represent no more than a small, hidden circle of
diabolical men who are manipulating the world into
ruin. Such groups often exist, but they only exist and
succeed because their plan and hope is closely tied to
the public dream and the faith of the age. If the
threat were only from small circles of hidden men, then
our problem would be easy. Then, as Burton Blumert has
observed, "if we only unmasked the conspiracy, all our
problems would be solved, but if the trouble is in all
of us, then we really are in trouble." ("Conspiracies,"
April 2) The Chalcedon Report from 1969
TrueFaced
Today I started reading TrueFaced by several authors. I was hit immediately by those Christians who are still searching for the "new" technique. That would be me. All my life I have searched for the one teacher who would have the answers to life. I have learned from many teachers but have never found the "one" teacher. I include in my list the following, I will try to list in order of oldest to youngest.
Hal Lindsey and the late great planet earth B.S.
Christian Reconstructionism
RC Sproul and Reformed Theology
Pentecostalism and Charismatics
Prosperity Gospel
Neil Anderson and Who I am in Christ - I believe this teaching is very Biblical I just never seem to follow through with his material.
Wayne Jacobsen and Anarchistic Christianity
A Loving version of the Reformed Faith - Steve Brown and his book A Scandalous Freedom - A book every believer should read.
Today I an flirting with liturgical Christianity as with Lutheranism or Anglicanism. I would go Orthodox but this praying to Mary stuff freaks me out.
See I have attempted to find answers from many sources. I am beginning to understand that Steven Brown and Neil Anderson are probably closer to the truth than what I have heard over the years. What I want is a relationship with the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and no more B.S. Christianity.
One other interesting blog to read is www.internetmonk.com aka Michael Spencer.
Today I started reading TrueFaced by several authors. I was hit immediately by those Christians who are still searching for the "new" technique. That would be me. All my life I have searched for the one teacher who would have the answers to life. I have learned from many teachers but have never found the "one" teacher. I include in my list the following, I will try to list in order of oldest to youngest.
Hal Lindsey and the late great planet earth B.S.
Christian Reconstructionism
RC Sproul and Reformed Theology
Pentecostalism and Charismatics
Prosperity Gospel
Neil Anderson and Who I am in Christ - I believe this teaching is very Biblical I just never seem to follow through with his material.
Wayne Jacobsen and Anarchistic Christianity
A Loving version of the Reformed Faith - Steve Brown and his book A Scandalous Freedom - A book every believer should read.
Today I an flirting with liturgical Christianity as with Lutheranism or Anglicanism. I would go Orthodox but this praying to Mary stuff freaks me out.
See I have attempted to find answers from many sources. I am beginning to understand that Steven Brown and Neil Anderson are probably closer to the truth than what I have heard over the years. What I want is a relationship with the Triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit and no more B.S. Christianity.
One other interesting blog to read is www.internetmonk.com aka Michael Spencer.
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