The Recovering Legalist

by Anthony Baker | November 26, 2010 · 7:10 pm

The Home Depot: Supporter of Non-Traditional Homes

“A bigot is a person obstinately or intolerantly devoted to his or her own opinions and prejudices, especially one exhibiting intolerance, and animosity toward those of differing beliefs. The predominant usage in modern American English refers to persons hostile to those of differing race, ethnicity, nationality, sexual orientation, various mental disorders, or religion.” – Wikipedia

“The world cannot hate you; but me it hateth, because I testify of it, that the works thereof are evil.” – Jesus, John 7:7

This may be controversial. You may disagree with me; but I have read the articles. I have tried to examine both sides of the story. Now, let me throw in my two cents (and maybe a third).

Do you ever have to purchase supplies for your home or business such as , let’s say, lumber, lighting, plumbing, or painting products? If so, then you have probably made the choice to go to The Home Depot, at least once. You have to admit, they draw you in with the big, orange sign, don’t they? Well, you may also be aware that there are several other places you could go to purchase the same products. Home Depot is not the only shop in town. I would advise you to consider other options. Let me tell you why.

Wait, before I go any further, let me say that privately owned businesses have every right to decide how they want to spend their money, write their employee dress code rules, and to what degree they want to support a charity or cause. Therefore, it is perfectly fair that The Home Depot is taking advantage of every right available to them. With that in mind, because they are exercising their freedoms, I believe that it should be acceptable to exercise our free right to choose where to shop…especially if there is an option to shop at another business which does not promote gay marriage and the redefinition of traditional marriage.

Whoa now, partner! Get off that sawhorse!

Am I saying that everyone should stop patronizing The Home Depot because they treat homosexuals with equality? No, of course not. What I am saying is that everyone who believes that marriage, as defined by the Bible and current social norms, not to mention natural observation (yeah, I’ll stand by that), should exercise their privilege to shop at places that don’t, as a matter of company policy, stand at odds with said beliefs, norms, and observations. The Home Depot is NOT a neutral player in the current culture war. So, if you believe that there comes a time when one must take a side, The Home Depot has provided the rainbow-colored fence.

Oh, you may say that if I am going to take the stance of not shopping at The Home Depot, then I might as well stop shopping anywhere for anything, right? What company does not involve itself with homosexuals? Few, I would imagine. Sadly, there is evidence that multiple companies with which I have to do business support LGBT events and market advertising towards gays and lesbians. Coke was one of two “Rainbow” sponsors (the other was Bud Light) at the 2010 Gay Pride parade in Atlanta. Suntrust bank was a minor sponsor, also (at least they provided t-shirts to one group in the parade). Then there was Ford who, in 2005, produced an add for gays, then pulled it, then reinstated it a week later. If I were to disassociate myself from every company that had anything to do with homosexuals I would have to dig a hole and live in it. I understand that. In this case, however, with The Home Depot, I am choosing to draw a line. Why, because more than just trying to make a buck, as typical companies, The Home Depot has more in mind.

Recovering Legalist Teaching Moment Alert!

I understand that not everyone will choose to do what I do. Each person must feel convicted in his own heart about such decisions. Some may have family members that work at The Home Depot and have families to support. It would be foolish to ask them to walk off their job, especially if they felt God put them there. Sometimes people have to purchase items from places which aren’t the perfect choice. Sometimes you have to do what you have to do – that is what grace is all about.

The legalist would say that if you now know that all these places give money to gay organizations, you should never give them your patronage. If you do, they would argue, you would be committing sin and risk banishment. Grace doesn’t work that way. At times, the only good decision is the one that is better than the other – neither may be perfect. Sometimes you may have to get your water from a bar. One day you may find yourself having to “eat the showbread” from the temple (1 Samuel 21:4-6). All God asks is a heart and mind that seeks after Him first. To Him only do His slaves answer.

Now, back to the main article.

For a while now, The Home Depot has been very involved in supporting the LGBT (Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender) lifestyle. Recently, The Home Depot has financially and materially supported numerous Gay Pride parades and activities* (see links below); the most controversial being the youth activity tents. Hey, “go for it,” I say! Support whoever you want, Home Depot! But guess what, I support the defense of traditional marriage and the definition of marriage as between one man and one woman. If you, El Depot, are going to choose to actively support and encourage a lifestyle that actively seeks to destroy the culture and belief system I defend, I am going to choose to go elsewhere. Choice works both ways (I just don’t GO both ways). I don’t want your version of plumbing.

If The Home Depot wants to provide new closets to replace the ones the gays “came out” of, then hey, that’s the way the rainbow arches. However, I can decide where I want to spend the gold at the end of my rainbow. If you want to allow some employees to decorate their aprons with slogans and emblems which offend the God of heaven, while denying others the right to wear a pin which says “One Nation Under God,“* then I don’t want to give my dollars, with the prohibited slogan printed on them, to help you. Thanks, but no thanks.

God has made me a steward of His gifts. He has given me the ability to work and earn an income. He has called me to be a witness and an example of His mercy and grace. But because He has made me a steward, it is my responsibility to use His money (it all belongs to Him) in such a way that reflects His holiness. Because of this, I don’t think He would be pleased with me using His money to support, almost directly, the destruction of the family, as HE defines it, by supporting gay and lesbian causes championed by Home Depot.

You know, we do live in a fallen, sinful world.

It would be impossible to totally remove ourselves, as Christians, from every aspect of life that rubs shoulders with things we object. We have to choose our battles, though. We may have to eat at places that sell alcohol to drunks. We have to get help at hospitals that have to perform abortions. We put fuel in our cars that probably came from Christian-killing, Muslim sheiks in Saudi Arabia. We buy clothes from the same manufacturers who’s designers are probably ALL gay. So, we can’t totally get away with boycotting everything – but we can make smarter choices. We could choose to pay more and buy local, for one thing. All I am saying is pick one battle, at least. Then, pray the prayer of Peter Marshall:

Give to us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for — because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.

Check out the links below to find out more on this subject. Feel free to check out both sides of the story, too. But do this: If you are a Christian, or if you care about TRUE fairness and equality in the workplace, then let your voice be heard on this subject, and others like it. Don’t sit back and think that it is going to go away or get better. There is a battle going on out there for the hearts and minds of future generations. The LGBT crowd is doing all they can to become mainstream and accepted by all, regardless of religious or personal convictions. While there is still hope, take a stand, bear your cross. If you need the wood to build one, well, why not go to Lowe’s? Heck, “Ace is the place with the helpful hardware person,” and that should be enough.

“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another…” – the Apostle Paul, Letter to the Romans, Chapter 1

*Links for your further consideration:

The American Family Association’s take on the matter. http://action.afa.net/item.aspx?id=2147496231

Change.org’s (Gay Rights) opinion. http://gayrights.change.org/blog/view/home_depots_pac_gives_liberally_to_anti-gay_politicos_dont_tell_the_afa

The Home Depot’s own words (see Affinity Groups). https://careers.homedepot.com/cg/content.do?p=diversity

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Filed under Christian Living, Culture Wars, Defending Traditional Marriage, Defining Marriage, General Observations, legalism, Relationships and Family, World View

Tagged as Home Depot, Pride parade, Religion and Spirituality, Shopping

by Anthony Baker | November 25, 2010 · 10:30 am

Remembering to WHOM We Give Thanks

The Thanksgiving holiday is all about thanks, but so little about the Object of our thanks.

What would be the harm in reflecting upon the words of our Founding Father, President George Washington? Do you remember him? Supposedly, he was a guy that people say was a deist. A deist? Yeah, a person who believes that God made the universe, the world, and maybe even man, but took a hands-off approach after that.

But wait! What can you thank a “hands-off” God for?

If George Washington was a deist, then he hid it really well. It seems to me that he believed America owed a great debt of gratitude to an Almighty God who bestowed “benefits,” “mercies,” and forgiveness for “transgressions [national and other].” That doesn’t sound like a card-carrying deist to me.

And to think, there are those who say our founding fathers wanted to separate faith from public life. Evidently, they were….shall I say….wrong?

By the President of the United States of America, a Proclamation.

Whereas it is the duty of all Nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey his will, to be grateful for his benefits, and humbly to implore his protection and favor– and whereas both Houses of Congress have by their joint Committee requested me to recommend to the People of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many signal favors of Almighty God especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.

Now therefore I do recommend and assign Thursday the 26th day of November next to be devoted by the People of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being, who is the beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be– That we may then all unite in rendering unto him our sincere and humble thanks–for his kind care and protection of the People of this Country previous to their becoming a Nation–for the signal and manifold mercies, and the favorable interpositions of his Providence which we experienced in the course and conclusion of the late war–for the great degree of tranquility, union, and plenty, which we have since enjoyed–for the peaceable and rational manner, in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national One now lately instituted–for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed; and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and in general for all the great and various favors which he hath been pleased to confer upon us.

and also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions– to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually–to render our national government a blessing to all the people, by constantly being a Government of wise, just, and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed–to protect and guide all Sovereigns and Nations (especially such as have shewn kindness unto us) and to bless them with good government, peace, and concord–To promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the encrease of science among them and us–and generally to grant unto all Mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as he alone knows to be best.

Given under my hand at the City of New York the third day of October in the year of our Lord 1789.

May God continue to bless the United States of America. May we humble ourselves and give Him thanks. Without His mercies and providence, we would not be the nation we are. Without Him, I fear what we will become.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

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Filed under America, Thanksgiving, Was George Washington a Deist?, World View

by Anthony Baker | November 24, 2010 · 5:57 pm

“May They be One, as We are One…”

I want thank all the people in Lookout Valley who attended our annual community-wide Thanksgiving service held at Lookout Valley Baptist Church. At least seven (7) different congregations from 4-5 different denominations were represented. It was a great evening of fellowship and friendship.

Each year our community has a Thanksgiving service in which all the Christian churches are encouraged to attend and participate in some way. I guess, others in the community would be welcome, but the overall emphasis of an evening like this was to give thanks unto God, and our Savior, Jesus Christ, for all of His blessings. As believers in Christ, we have more reasons to be thankful than anyone else. Besides being blessed beyond measure by being allowed to live in a country such as ours, we have been forgiven of our sins, made heirs of the Kingdom, and have become part of a universal family of God. A Thanksgiving service like this is more like a family reunion around the dinner table of the Father.

Pastors Bill Akers and Anthony Baker (United Methodist and Southern Baptist)

This year’s speaker was Pastor Bill Akers, from Wauhatchie United Methodist Church. During his sermon he shared his testimony, gave thanks to God for sparing his life, and even gave out some peanut M&Ms. To be honest, I have never seen a Methodist preacher with so much energy. I don’t even move around as much as he does.

Last week I tried to encourage my congregation to attend the service last night. I wanted them to do the best that they could to show a spirit of familial love, which shouldn’t be too hard, considering we were all part of the same spiritual family. Jesus Christ Himself prayed that we would do no less when He prayed to His Father in the Garden of Gethsemane.

John 17:20-23 I pray not only for these, but also for those who believe in Me through their message. May they all be one, as You, Father, are in Me and I in You. May they also be one in Us, so the world may believe You sent Me. I have given them the glory You have given Me. May they be one as We are one. I am in them and You are in Me. May they be made completely one, so the world may know You have sent Me and have loved them as You have loved Me. – HCSB

In the seventeenth chapter of John, Jesus prays for several things, but one thing that He repeats is the desire that we all be unified in the Father and the Son. Through this unity, as Jesus prayed, the world may see the love of the Father towards Jesus, and believe on Him (vs. 21 & 23). Sadly, it would seem that so many believers in Jesus want to keep this prayer from being answered. How sad is this, and how ludicrous?

It is possible for a prayer of Jesus to be denied?

If Jesus prays, then you know His prayers get answered. As a matter of observation, the only one of the requests made in chapter 17 that has not been fulfilled is the request that we be made one. Does this mean that Jesus’ prayer will never be answered? I don’t think so, but we should really think about this seriously. What is it going to take for this prayer to be answered? Will it happen after we all reach heaven? Then what would be the point of doing it so the unbelieving world could see?

I think that it is a crying shame when certain groups cannot look past minor differences in secondary doctrines, even for just one night. There were at least two other congregations in our community that did not participate in our community service. Both were Baptist. Both were independent. Now I can understand the Church of Christ not coming. Many of them believe that the rest of us are going to hell, anyway, so why meet with us. The same thinking persists with the Adventists, also, because we’re anti-sabbatarians. But for the Baptists, you would think that just because your brother or sister in Christ uses a different Bible translation, or wears pants instead of a dress to church, one night wouldn’t be so hard; but not so. The doctrine of Separation is much, much more important than honoring the prayer of our Savior.

One day, I fear, there may come a day in this country to rival those in other countries around the world. Here, we are so spoiled and pampered that we can afford to be separate. We have the option to spend all of our money on different denominational specifics. We have all the space in the world to plant a new congregation every time we disagree with each other. We have all the freedom of speech and the freedom of time to harp more on our differences than work together to fulfill the Great Commission. If we ever wind up having to worship underground, we won’t have it so easy. Denominational monikers will become a thing of the past.

Are there differences between some of our denominations that are serious? Of course. I am not denying that we have doctrinal issues worth debating with passion. I am fully aware that there are some out there that call themselves believers in Christ, but are actually sheep in wolves’ clothing. However, aside from that, we are still a family that needs to stick together whenever we can. We have the same Father. We were washed in the same blood of the Lamb.

After all, we are going to be spending eternity together.

What is it going to take for us to make an effort to put some of our petty things aside so that a lost and dying world would see Jesus? I am just so glad that there are a few churches in Lookout Valley that love Jesus more than arguing 100% of the time over unknown tongues, eternal security, election, translations, or conventions. We can do that 90% of the time. The least we can do is give God His 10% in a tithe of brotherly love and unity.

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Filed under baptist, Christian Living, Christian Unity, Independent Baptist, legalism, Relationships and Family, Southern Baptist

by Anthony Baker | November 18, 2010 · 10:27 am

Should I be Shocked?

What the...?

Do I have the look of shock written all over my face? It shouldn’t surprise me, but sometimes I can’t help being dumbfounded by the insanity that is so common in our country?

First, there was the story of the acquittal of a terrorist:

Jurors in New York City on Wednesday convicted Ahmed Ghailani of conspiracy to blow up government buildings in the al-Qaida attacks on two U.S. embassies in 1998, but they acquitted him on more than 280 other charges. – AP

Then there was this from the New York Post:

A squad of cops in bulletproof vests swooped into an upper Manhattan park and charged seven men with the “crime” of playing chess in an area off-limits to adults unaccompanied by kids — even though no youngsters were there.

And finally, from The Australian:

A WOMAN is suing over an incident where airport staff allegedly pulled down her top and joked about her breasts in public view.

The 23-year-old traveller, from Amarillo, US, is suing the US Government for the emotional distressed she says the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agents caused.

http://www.theaustralian.com.au/travel/news/airport-staff-exposed-womans-breasts-laughed/story-e6frg8ro-1225955345734

Innocent women can be assaulted in public by “public servants.” Quiet, brain-expanding, chess-playing thinkers can be taken down by weapon-toting SWAT teams. But when it comes to people who want to blow up America, send THEM to a New York court and they get acquitted on all but one account, the crime of which was less than what Bill Ayers, friend of Obama, admitted to actually doing.

I’m going crazy.

Bumper Stickers

"The Ride"

My wife will not let me put a bumper sticker of any kind on her car. Even if she was driving a rusty Chevy Vega which desperately needed the qualities of something with adhesive properties to keep her bumper stuck to her car…no bumper stickers. Not so with my Ride. I don’t need no stinkin’ sticky things! Just staples and zip ties, thank you. Really, what I mean to say is that “The Ride” is not too good to advertize TheRecoveringLegalist.com, even though my wife thinks her car is too special. HA!

Bumper stickers are something akin to free advertisement…

…They promote whatever you want other people to know about you and what you think, or for that matter, how well your kids think. Plastered to the back of a rolling billboard, they catch the eye of total strangers who have the random chance to find themselves behind you and I in traffic, or who catch a glimpse in a parking garage. Some people, I have come to realize, are advertizing more than they know, for some bumper stickers betray a hidden (at least to the owner of the car) stupidity.

There are so many bumper stickers that scream “MORON!”

Here is one that I saw. What a profound question. Why do we kill people that kill people? Could it be that we don’t want them to killpeople again? Could it be that they deserve to die for taking an innocent child’s life? Could it be that there are those out there on parole who would love to shoot your stupid…..(calm yourself, Anthony)…..well, they would love to steal your car and leave you beside the road in a ditch, then drive away with your false advertisement on THEIR bumper.

The one that I would have to say gets me the most, maybe because I see it the most, is COEXIST. I just love all the little symbols that are used to make up the happy little plea for love and harmony. Too bad what it tells me is that the owner of the car is a blooming idiot, at the very least, or somehow an ostrich has learned how to drive with his head in the sand. The message behind the little sticker is really, “Hey you Christians! Can you quit being so narrow-minded and hateful? Don’t you know that we all just want to get along, but you keep screwing it up?” All religions are the same, you know, or that’s the idea. We are all worshipping the same god, just by a different name. All paths lead to heaven, it’s just that some choose to take a shortcut by blowing themselves to Allah in the name of Jihad…is that so wrong?

Tell that to the "C"

I like the following verse. Psalm 107:2 says, “Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy…” As Christians, we should be speaking out about the goodness and mercy of our God, not trying to seek favor with false gods by “COEXISTing” in perfect joy and mutual admiration. People in this country have the right to free speech and to freedom of religion, but if you haven’t noticed, we are in a real religious war. The “C” doesn’t like the “T” in that bumper sticker. If you’re going to put something on your bumper, make it something that points people down the narrow road, not the wide one that leads to destruction. Show your intelligence and advertize your faith…just don’t be tacky and weird about it…or then we get back into the looking-like-a-moron thing that my wife so desperately wants to avoid.

Now here's an idea for the "perfect" bumper sticker!

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Filed under America, Apologetics, Christian Living, Christian Unity, General Observations, Uncategorized, World View

Tagged as Bumper sticker, Stickers

by Anthony Baker | November 10, 2010 · 2:56 pm

Smoking…The Legalists are Alive and Well

DISCLAIMER…DON’T THINK I AM TRYING TO PROMOTE SMOKING. I AM JUST TRYING TO ILLUSTRATE A POINT.

Sherlock Holmes contemplating the evidence.

If I were to say that I want a new pipe for Christmas, would you think less of me? Would you think of me as less spiritual or godly? Would you be disappointed in me for some reason? Why? Some of you would go so far as to suggest that I resign from ministry. If that is you, there is a really good word that describes you…

…LEGALIST

Yesterday, a middle school boy asked me, “What is a legalist?” Do you know the answer? Simply put, a legalist is a person who judges another’s spirituality or relationship with God based on a perceived list of acceptable/unacceptable actions. To give an example, a legalist could place a hero on a pedestal, only to jerk the hero down to earth later when he does something tradition labels as “wrong.” Smoking is a good example. Never mind that everything else the hero did was perfect in the legalist’s eyes, the one act of condoning and participating in a supposed “vice” would demand the following judgment….the spiritual hero is no longer right with God.

Legalism was rampant in Jesus’ day. The Gospels are full of examples showing how the Pharisees were more concerned with the letter of the law, than the spirit of the law. The Pharisees (legalists) even accused Jesus’ disciples of being ungodly all because they did not wash their hands before eating (Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23). Regulations established by men in order to set boundaries which determine holiness were unacceptable to Jesus. They should be unacceptable today.

Does NOT smoking make one spiritual? How many heathen never touch tobacco? Are they right with God? What about the person that loves the Lord with all his heart, seeks to bring glory to the Father, hides the Word in his heart; yet, he puffs on a pinch of cherry Cavendish in a pipe every now and then? Is he less spiritual by fault of his consumption of burning leaves (the legal kind)?

You see, there are some things which we are told by the Bible not to do. Smoking is not one of them. Tobacco is amoral. In other words, there is nothing moral, or immoral about it…it just is. The point that something amoral becomes immoral is in the way it is used. Similarly, some of the things the legalist would accept as moral, but which are actually amoral, would be very sinful if done out of order or to excess, such as sex or eating food. Adultery and fornication are definitely sins mentioned in the Bible, but without sex the human race would cease to exist. Food is neccessary to live, but eating too much is called gluttony and bad stewardship.

The key is wisdom and maturity, which leads to moderation, and the proper use of God’s creation within the framework of spiritual freedom and grace.

Thank you for reading this far, for now I want to say something else. Cigarettes are nasty, stinky, trashy, chemical-laden cancer sticks. The person that usually smokes them finds themselves hooked and dependent upon them, all the while having their body ravaged and aged before its time. I hate cigarettes. But even though I hate cigarettes, that does not give me the right to question a person’s relationship with the Savior, even though I may question their judgment. Pipes and cigars are different, even though they, too, can be used to excess. I don’t advise either, necessarily, but I REALLY don’t advise cigarettes. The moral line is much easier to distinquish when the use of a product is so capable of bringing one under bondage.

The use of the amoral (that which is neither moral, nor immoral), if used to satisfy an addiction, could thereby be considered a sin.

Lastly, even though I know I have not covered this issue as well as needed, I want to include a post from the blog of Steve Brown. Dr. Brown is a seminary professor, Bible teacher, author, and well-respected Christian radio broadcaster. You may have heard him on Moody Radio in the past. Just read what he had to say on this issue.

Smoking

Steve BrownAugust 1st, 2007

I know, I know.

I probably shouldn’t have permitted the picture of me smoking my pipe in the last Key Life magazine or, for that matter, on this website.

Look. It’s the only sin I have left and, if I didn’t have that one, I wouldn’t be writing this blog. Everybody knows that perfect Christians don’t associate with imperfect Christians…me being the perfect one (sans pipe) and you being the imperfect one.

So my pipe, you could say, is my effort at true “koinonia.”

What about my health?

Good point that, to wit, when it’s my time to die, I don’t want to be like a sinking ship with nothing to throw overboard.

A friend of mine, Jim Lee, wrote to me after seeing the picture…

You have entered into the ranks of Luther on this one, Steve! Reminds me of when I smoked a cigar in front of one preacher, saying I was “killing the Pharisee within,” but that was nothing! Your picture could very well end up gracing the bulletin boards of Moody, Dallas, Bob Jones, and others. Before all of the calls start coming in to say you aren’t saved, “please cancel my subscription,” etc., I want you to know you blow me away with this and I appreciate your making the point in this way.

Frankly, I never thought I would see the day!

If things get really bad and you need a backup plan, I may be able to help. Here are some possible suggestions :

(1) You could say “It wasn’t me! Somebody at the printers is out to get me, and they morphed my picture onto that pipe! It’s easy to do with ‘photoshop’! The devil is trying to ruin my testimony!”

Or (2) “I was at the park and had a root beer lollipop. If you look closely you can see that it’s just a cloud behind my head!”

Or (3) “I was teaching in seminary and was attempting to illustrate a point about Jesus coming in the clouds.”

Jim’s words made me laugh (as he often does); but, frankly, I can’t deal with the guilt.

No, not the guilt of smoking.

The guilt of quitting and then sneaking around.

I once announced to a church congregation where I was the pastor that I had stopped smoking. There was applause. Not only that. I started getting piles of candy and chewing gum from my concerned parishioners who wanted to help me in every way they could.

It lasted about two weeks before I started sneaking smokes. I could have lived with that.

It was the preaching and teaching about honesty and authenticity that got me.

So I announced my fall from grace from the pulpit. I said, “Just so you know, I’ve started smoking again. Let us pray…”

I didn’t say it, but could have said, “And after this service, I’m going to get out my fine briar pipe and my aromatic, freshly mixed tobacco and have a smoke.”

After a dull sermon, a boring faculty meeting, a hard day, etc., etc., one needs something to look forward to. In that way, smoking is like heaven. It, of course, isn’t heaven, but it will do until then.

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Filed under Christian Living, General Observations, legalism

Tagged as Pharisee

by Anthony Baker | November 8, 2010 · 7:29 pm

Bring On the Space Aliens…We Could Use Them

I was driving my school bus today….

….and then I began to think of all the different kinds of children that must be transported. I have had to chaufer quite a few children over the last 9 years (I first started driving in 2001), some in Kentucky, the rest in Tennessee. Most have been good kids, while others have not. Some have made me question a lot of long-held beliefs, like every child is precious……are they? Well, of course they are! All children are gifts from God above. Psalms 127:3, “Lo, children are an heritage of the LORD: and the fruit of the womb is his reward.” But, please forgive me, I’m beginning to believe that some of the “fruit” spoils easier and quicker than others.

Typical little angel, just like my middle and high school kids

I never wanted to work in a daycare. I hate daycares – not the people that work there, mind you; just the screaming and crying children (I have bad memories of abandonment). So, why do I drive a school bus? For the most part, I love children, especially if I don’t have to feed them, take them to the bathroom, change their diapers, wipe their noses, suction their noses, or pay their way through college. Little kids can be sweet and innocent. Little boys, for example, ask great questions like, “Why do you drive a bus?” or, “Is a bus hard to drive?” Little girls ask questions like, “Mr. Baker, are you going to have a baby?” or, “Are you really old, or do you just shave your head so we don’t see your gray hair?” Oh, they’re loads of laughs. But on the other hand, they do keep nerve pill manufacturers in business.

Typical elementary child on a school bus...at least that's the way they seem

Have you ever had the desire to be attacked by an alien spacecraft?

I have. There are some children on my bus that have caused me to suffer from daydreams that may cause me psychological harm. Today, I actually grinned as I contemplated an alien space craft hovering over my bus. From this technologically advanced craft I could almost imagine a mechanism lowering down, ripping open the top of my bus like a sardine can (or spam, actually…I hate sardines). Then, I could envision a long, green arm with long, pointed fingers and sharp claws reaching into the bus and snatching out one or two of the “darlings” like dill pickles out of a jar. Now, before you get too upset with me, I said to myself, “Oh, that would really be horrible!” But then, in a moment of pity, I said to myself , “Their parents have probably had the same dream, poor folks.“

God gave me the privilege of bringing up three beautiful girls. I love kids, really I do; but there are some kids on this earth that can make even the most loving parent question whether or not the human race is worth continuing. Now, I won’t go so far as to say that, though. However, even though most of the kids on my bus are angels, if you do see a low-flying UFO…..well, do you know my route number? Just kidding….REALLY.

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by Anthony Baker | November 3, 2010 · 1:46 pm

An Army of One…God, that is.

Back to the basics…or at least one of the reasons for this blog.

My formative years were full of instruction in the ways of legalism an legalistic thought. Because of this, my view of the Body of Christ was limited. To me, if you weren’t Baptist (Independent, that is) you were probably not going to heaven. At the least, and I do mean very least, if you were not Independent Baptist, or if you used any translation of Scripture other than the King James Version, you were a liberal awaiting the chastising hand of God. I did not work well with other denominations.

Since that time, I have learned that the Christian church is not limited to Independent Baptists,

…but is comprised of many other denominations, also. Some of these denominations I have yet to even learn of, for there are so many smaller ones in other places of the country and the world. It is true that denominationalism (the tendency to seperate into various factions) has hurt the Church. The unbelieving world has used our schisms as evidence that the True Faith is not even real. Some even say that the many different, competing, and even warring denominations are proof that Christianity is nothing more than man-made. That being said, however, just because people within the Body of Christ choose to operate differently in their own context, one should not automatically assume that Christian group “A” is that much different than group “B,” at least not until the particular core elements of the faith are examined. For that matter, just because a congregation claims to be Baptist, does not mean that they hold an orthodox view of Christianity…just look at that group from out west that protests funerals (I will NOT associate with them!).

Well, in an effort to battle against the legalism and denominationalism of my past, I continue to reach across the divides to other brothers and sisters in Christ with an offer of fellowship and understanding. Does this mean that I have become Ecumenical? No, it does not. What it does mean is that I want to reunite family. I want to consolidate forces. I want to bring healing and strength back to the Army of God which needs to unite in spiritual battle (and I did say, “spiritual”). This applies even to churches within the same denomination who may fear competition (competition is not a good thing in this case).

In our community of Lookout Valley, there are several churches of various denominations. Most are very supportive of each other, but a few still maintain strict adherence to the Doctrine of Separation (see my post on this doctrine). The ones that feel freedom in Christ to participate have come together each year to hold a community Thanksgiving service. Today I met with a small room full of other pastors in order to plan for this service. Present were Baptists, Church of God, Assembly of God, United Methodist, and Presbyterian. Not an unkind word was spoken. Each shared in prayer for our community and for each other. Coffee was even provided by Troy Walliser, the pastor of Lookout Valley Baptist, who has a taste for the “foo-foo” stuff (I just had to get that in). We had a good time and look forward to worshipping together on the 23rd of this month, along with our congregations.

Why do I bring this up? I say all of this because Christians have a common Enemy. That enemy, Satan, is always in the process of uniting his forces in league against God’s church. The battle lines are drawn on many different fronts and his forces are continually amassed and reinforced, waiting for orders. The school prayer thing is just another example of a unified front. It is at this time when the true believers in Christ Jesus, those who have been redeemed by the blood of the Lamb, put on the whole armor of God and come together to make a stand. The example of Nehemiah 4 is alway relevant. Our forces will never be more than Satan’s. We will always have to come to the aid of our fellow soldiers in their time of need. But just as that is true, so is it also true that where we gather to stand against an enemy attack, “the Lord our God will fight for us.”

I thank God for the pastors of Lookout Valley who know that though we may have our differences, we are still on the same side.

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Tagged as Baptist, Body of Christ, Christian, Christian Church, Independent Baptist

by Anthony Baker | November 1, 2010 · 10:44 pm

Don’t Give Up On Her Yet

Some people want to say that America has seen her best days. Some want to say that God is done with America. Some want to give up hope that this nation can ever see a revival of morality and a return to its founding principles. Some Christians say that we should just abandon ship and only focus on the Ship of Zion. Well, if America is “going to h*** in a hand-basket,” then we need to do what only a people with a will can do…get out of the basket!

To be able to elect who we want to lead our country is an unbelievable privilege. Just stop and think about it. How many countries have come and gone which had a form of government which was set up to be “of the people, by the people, and for the people?” How many billions live in subjection this very moment to a dictator or tyrant, or even a king? We have been given a sacred treasure in our Constitution, one which was purchased with the lives, fortunes, and sacred honor of our founding forefathers. Are we to treat such a priceless gift with flippancy and disrespect? I hope not, but so many do.

Don’t give up on America, guys. The journey is not over. This nation is not like all of the ones which have come and gone. We are unique in our founding, our foundations, and our Founders. The United States is not like any nation before it, and there is none like it today. We have the rarest of abilities in that WE can decide who will lead us. WE can decide what laws we will accept. WE can decide the moral direction of this nation, for WE are the power and the authority to whom our leaders are accountable. God, through His providence, allowed our founding fathers to create a Constitution which spells out the divinely given rights of the people, not of kings. WE ratified our Constitution and Bill of Rights. WE elect those to whom WE give the authority to govern. WE can decide when enough is ENOUGH.

God-fearing men and women forged an uncharted, untravelled path when they chose to wade through the pain and suffering of building America. They fought for freedom of speech and freedom of religion. The took what was NOT and brought it into BEING. What is NOT right now, can BE AGAIN. All it will take is the same level of sacrifice that our forefathers were willing to give. The United States, “one nation under God,” does not have to cease to exist, or continue to decline….WE can decide right now that WE will begin again as WE did before, so help us God.

What is the answer? Revival.

The reason we need revival can be found in Proverbs 29:2, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice: but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.” Are the righteous in authority? They could be. They should be. Otherwise the people will mourn.

Who are the ones in authority? Well, in one sense, it is people like our President, or our congressmen, senators, or judges. The context of this verse of Scripture would definitely imply that. But, again, America is different. We the people have no king or dictator. No princes rule over us. We are ruled by Law. We are self-governed. WE are in authority. So the question then is this: Are the people of the United States righteous? The answer to that has to be an unquestionable “no.” If the government, then, is of the people, and if the people are wicked, the nation will mourn, not rejoice.

Turn, therefore, oh citizens of this great land. Turn back to the paths from which you have strayed; to the paths hewn from the wilderness by honorable, moral, God-fearing men and women. Walk in those paths and follow in the footsteps of those like Washington and Lincoln. We don’t need to see every man and woman in the country turn to Christ as their Savior. Not every founding father was aborn-again Christian. However, the overwhelming majority were men and women who knew that this great nation did not come about by chance, nor simply by the strength of men, but by the Providence of a guiding Hand. Turn, therefore, back to the God that brought this nation into being, and can just as easily revive it from the dust heap of irrelevance. “WE THE PEOPLE” are in authority, so WE need to get our act together and elect men and women who will do what a righteous people demand. It can start with just a few. It can start with YOU.

O, thus be it ever when freemen shall stand,
Between their lov’d homes and the war’s desolation;
Blest with vict’ry and peace, may the heav’n-rescued land
Praise the Pow’r that hath made and preserv’d us a nation!
Then conquer we must, when our cause is just,
And this be our motto: “In God is our trust”
And the star-spangled banner in triumph shall wave
O’er the land of the free and the home of the brave!

(4th verse, National Anthem)

P.S. For all of you who doubt that the founding of this nation was based on the faith of Christianity, please refer to the above verse, and the comments from the Supreme Court in The Church of the Holy Trinity vs. The United States, 1892. Oh, how far we have come.

Do Your Duty…Vote…or NOT!

This Tuesday will be the day we go to the polls to vote. Unless you were one who voted early, Tuesday will be the day you should do your public duty as a citizen of the United States. VOTE!

But WAIT!!! Do you know what you are doing?

Do you know who you are going to vote for? If not, why? If you go to the polls November 2nd just so you can push a few buttons, or check off a few marks, what good did you do? If you only go to fulfill a responsibility, without knowing any details, what kind of steward of this blood-bought gift are you? If you don’t know the difference between liberty and liberalism, democracy and democrats, or socialism and social networking – DON’T VOTE! Just stay home and watch Oprah or Dr. Phil. When others are heading to the polls that evening, just veg out while you enjoy another episode of some cake-baking, tatoo-designing, dance-off competition.

For over 200 years men and women have been shedding their blood for the freedom we enjoy.

More will die to preserve it in the future, that is, if we still have freedom to defend. In the last two years, and a little before, our freedoms have been as expendable as toilet paper. The future of our nation is looking grim. The rights afforded in the Constitution, especially those in the First Amendment, are being destroyed for the sake of power and control, while the ignorant are enjoying the cheap door prizes. If the uneducated, illiterate, uninformed and apathetic continue to vote for more government, all so that they can receive more “freebies” and food stamps, not to mention tax-payer funded health care, then blood was shed in vain.

Stay at home, ye who do not know what is going on. Stay at home, all ye who voted just because we need “change” in the White House. Stay at home all ye who said “anything is better than what we had.” Please, for the love of God and country, STAY HOME! Let the people who have strong ideals go vote. Let the mature, the concerned, the alert, the forward-looking, the reader, the listener, the active citizen (as opposed to the apathetic moocher) go vote. We know the importance of what we are doing and take it seriously. We can handle the responsibility…Yes, we can!

People all over the world would, have, and will die for the opportunity to have what we have.

Take it seriously. Make yourself a student, at least a “C” student, of what and Who made this country a “shining city on a hill.” Read the Constitution. Read the Bible. Take responsibility for your own actions. Know what the candidates truly stand for, then make a decision. But if you’re wondering if it’s worth taking the time to drive to the poll…if you have to watch CNN right before you walk out the door to help you decide who to vote for…please, we’ll send you a “I Voted” sticker, just stay home. It’s your patriotic duty.