I'm Tired of Feeling Bad for Being a Christian

I have to admit, I have been one of those people that make fun of other Christians.  I have even been one of those Christians that have apologized for what we (the church) have done to others in the name of Christ. On one hand this needs to be done.  Christians continue to hurt others every day.  But how far does it have to go?  When do we stop apologizing?  When do we just live our lives as we should, as the bible shows us?  I for one, am tired of minimalizing my relationship with Christ.  It defines me, it makes who I am for better or worse.
I know I have screwed up in judging.  I am sorry.  I know that I have been your typical American Christian.  I am sorry.  But, I don't apologize for being a Christian.  I am not ashamed of calling myself a Christian.  I am not ashamed to admit to people that Faith is a narrow road.  I am not ashamed to tell people that there is a savior who died for their sins.  I am not ashamed to tell people there is only one way to the Father.

I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.

What do you think?  Should we feel bad that we are Christians?  Should we constantly apologize.  Should we rethink the narrow road?  I would love to hear your feedback.

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Of Floods, Hurricanes, and Mercy

I am always surprised at what dominates the headlines. It seems to me that there are things the national media picks up on and dwells on until it so saturates us with the images, that we throw our hands in the air and give up. I don't know if it is intentional or not, but it is just how it happens.

We were shown picture after stunning picture of the human condition after hurricane Katrina. We were shown the same thing after the earthquake that devastated Haiti. But it doesn't seem to be the same way with the floods in Nashville. All of these are tragedies that are incomprehensible. The thousands of people that were stranded in New Orleans and the amount of human death and tragedy that Haiti experienced is unfathomable. But too, Nashville is dealing with devastation, perhaps not on the level of these two other disasters but bad enough. And you can be sure that the God of the universe doesn't care if the national media doesn't deem it important enought to cover every night. You can be sure he doesn't care whether or not they are poor or rich, black or white. He cares about the problems and chaos that have landed in of the lives affected by these kinds of tragedies. Through all of this mercy will prevail...

The Choir has just released this video with some amazing photos of the floods in Nashville. Please watch, and if you can help those in need.

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American Presidents Part 2: John Adams

Today is the second in a series chronicling the good and the bad of American presidents. My goal is to present an unbiased histography of the man and the president. I am trying very hard to maintain objectiveness in my assessment of each man. For the most part, I am finding it most effective to use bullet points to accomplish this task.








John Adams

• Born in 1735 in Braintree Province of Massachusetts to John Adams Sr. and Susanna Boylston. He was the oldest of three brothers. He can date his ancestry back to Henry Adams, who was an original immigrant in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1638.





• He was heavily influenced by his Puritan ancestry. He felt that they were "bearers of freedom" and felt very strongly to live up to their fight for freedom from tyranny.





• Adams began attending Harvard at the age of 16. His father had expected him to become a minister, but after much reflection Adams decided to become a lawyer.





• At the age of 28, Adams married Abigail Smith, the daughter of a Congregational (Puritan) minister. They had six children-Abigail, John Quincy, Susanna, Charles, Thomas Boylston, and Elizabeth (stillborn).

• Adams was a major opponent of the stamp act of 1765 . He made the argument that the beliefs of his ancestors, the Puritans, were the driving force behind the opposition to the stamp act. He believed that the stamp act deprived the colonists of basic human rights. In this case, those human rights consisted of not being taxed without consent and being judged by a jury of their peers.




• As a lawyer, John Adams defended the British soldiers accused of firing into a crowd in Boston, MA. This event has since came to be known as the Boston Massacre. He was afraid that defending the soldiers would hurt his reputation, however his belief in basic humans rights and the right to a fair trial, far outweighed any fear he had of his reputation. Because of his defense, six of the soldiers were acquitted and two were found guilty of manslaughter. He received very little payment for his services from the soldiers.


• 1776-Wrote Thoughts on Government which many believe heavily influenced New England state constitutions.


• Although Thomas Jefferson was the primary writer of the Declaration of Independence, Adams was part of the committee that helped draft it.


• Massachusetts's state constitution was largely written by Adams


• Adams never owned slaves. Him and Abigail employed free blacks to work on their plantation. Adams, however did argue against the emancipation of slaves in Massachusetts and thought that the subject of slavery should stay out of national politics. He also opposed the use of blacks in the revolution. I have not been able to find any information why he held such a stance, and why he was so adamant about it.


• Served as Vice-President during George Washington's two terms in office.


• 1796-Adams ran for president as the Federalist Party candidate. He won the presidency over Thomas Jefferson by a very narrow electoral college victory (71-98).


• Adams was never implicated in any type of scandal. His personal life and his public life was one of virtue and respect.


• Adams had many political struggles during his presidency. He was undercut by his own party and made many political enemies. He made every effort to practice George Washington's recommendation in not getting involved in foreign affairs. This became difficult when the French began attacking American merchant ships. After much negotiation, he was able to sign a treaty with Napoleon that in essence kept America out of any entanglements in the war between Britain and France.


• Adams lost his bid for a second term to Thomas Jefferson (democratic-republican). Most historians point to Alexander Hamilton and the "High Federalists" for undermining his campaign. The political landscape had shifted in the Senate and in the Parties. Because of Jefferson's tremendous popularity, Hamilton's backstabbing, and Aaron Burr's politicking John Adams stood no chance.


• Because of the rift between Jefferson and Adams, he did not attend Jefferson's inauguration ceremony.


• John Adams died on July 4, 1826, the same day as Thomas Jefferson. He held the record of being the oldest living past president until his record was broken by Ronald Reagan in 2001.


• Adams was raised in the Congregational Church but later embraced the beliefs of the Unitarian Church. He was influenced by Deist teaching and did not Believe in the divinity of Jesus Christ or that God intervened in the day to day activities of mankind. Adams did however, carry the up most respect for Christianity as the only religion of the ancient world that was full of "wisdom, virtue, equity, and humanity."

I look forward to hearing your thoughts and comments.

major source for this post can be found at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Adams

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American President: Part 1

Today, I am going to start a series of posts that will chronicle the good, the bad, and the ugly of this nation's presidents. I have heard many people say how bad this president was or how great that president was. Normally their ideas and critiques are based on their specific political slant. I intend to be as non-partisan as possible during these posts. I want to portray a true picture of how different presidents confronted problems and how they failed in office. Of course this is and will be hard to do, considering how revisionists change history to fit into the box they want to fill. I look forward to writing these articles and look forward to hearing your comments.





George Washington 1789-1797



George Washington is one of those presidents that is hard to find negative things about. He has been so idolized over the course of the past two-hundred years, that there is ne'r a bad word to be found.

Early Years

• Was raised on his parents plantation in Colonial Beach Virginia.
• Had smallpox
• Initiated as a Freemason (on of the most influential aspects of his life. The Masons were a driving force in his life and influenced all major decisions in his life)
• He worked as a surveyor, and a planter
• Became a major in the Virginia Militia at the age of 20 with no prior experience
• Fought in the French and Indian War.

Between Wars

• Washington Married Martha Dandridge Custis, a wealthy widow that increased Washington's wealth by adding one third of 18,000 acres. Some historians have made the claim that Washington was actually in love with another woman by the name of Sally Fairfax. In any case George and Martha made a good marriage and were married for many years
• Washington lived an aristocratic lifestyle. He was very fond of fox hunting. He also (like many other plantation owners) imported very expensive British goods and luxuries.
• He grew mostly tobacco on his plantation which was exported to England, but realized that tobacco was a very volatile crop. He was smart enough to switch to wheat which was easily sold in the Colonies and avoided the sever economic swings that the tobacco crop caused.
• Washington stayed mostly out of politics or military concerns until 1774 when the passage of the "Intolerable Acts". In August of 1774, Washington attended the First Virginia Convention and was selected as a delegate to the First Continental Congress.

Revolutionary War

• On the Nomination of John Adams, Washington was appointed Major General and Commander in Chief of the Continental Army.
• The Revolutionary war is perhaps the best known part of Washington's life. It will not be covered in detail here. If you would like to learn more about the Revolutionary War and Washington's role in it, click here.

Presidency

• The only president ever voted unanimously to the office by the electoral college.
• Preferred the title "Mr. President" over more pompous names, like King.
• Initially declined a salary for his position as president but later accepted it so people would not perceive the presidency as an office that can only be held by the rich.
• Enacted the "Militia Act of 1792" which was the first time that the Federal Government used military force over the states.
• Reluctantly served a second term as president but refused to serve anymore. Washington did not want be thought of as someone unwilling to give up the power he yielded.
• At his Farewell Speech, Washington brought up many points including not making long term alliances, not getting involved with European affairs, and avoiding foreign influence in American affairs.

Later Years

• Very happily retired from public office back to his plantation
• Created one of the biggest distilleries in the United States at the time creating whisky and other alcoholic drinks
• When it seemed possible that America might have to go to war against France, President John Adams named Washington Lieutenant General and Commander in Chief of the armies raised if war was needed. (1798)
• Washington died on December 14, 1799 after developing pneumonia.
• During Washington's lifetime he had accumulated over 100 slaves to manage his plantation. In his will, he emancipated all of his slaves and gave them their freedom.

In future posts, I plan on making a biographical sketch such as this one. I hope to state the negative aspects of a president's term as well as the positive. Unlike this post, I will most likely try to concentrate on what a president did during his term or terms in office. I felt it important to give so much time for Washington since he was the first.

I look forward to any opinions that you may have on this post or any future posts. If you feel I have omitted important details please let me know. Also, if you feel I have been biased in any way, please let me know as well.

Blessings.

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