Justin Bieber left fans disappointed on Tuesday morning after he announced he was cancelling the rest of his Purpose World Tour “due to unforeseen circumstances”.
But what are these “unforeseen circumstances” exactly?
Well, Richard Wilkins announced on Today Extra what the reason may be, revealing an insider told him is that the Biebs is wanting to start his own church.
https://au.be.yahoo.com/entertainment/celebrity/a/36491908/is-justin-bieber-starting-a-church/
The Republican’s Guide to Presidential Behavior
(Could also be called the white evangelical’s guide to Presidential behaviour – onesimus)
It wasn’t so long ago that Republicans in Congress cared about how a president comported himself in office. They cared a lot! The president is, after all, commander in chief of the armed forces, steward of the most powerful nation on earth, role model for America’s children — and he should act at all times with the dignity his station demands. It’s not O.K. to behave in a manner that demeans the office and embarrasses the country.
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Donald Trump ‘shared highly classified information with Russian officials’
Donald Trump allegedly revealed highly classified information to Russian foreign minster Sergei Lavrov and Russian ambassador Sergey Kislyak in an Oval Office meeting last week.
The Washington Post reported on Monday that Trump shared details of intelligence gathered of an Isis threat that had been closely guarded within the United States government and among close US allies.
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The report of Trump’s indiscretion drew immediate criticism across party lines. David Kochel, Jeb Bush’s top strategist in the 2016 presidential campaign, tweeted: “John McCain probably revealed less to the KGB in 5+ years of torture at the Hanoi Hilton than Trump did in 5 minutes in the Oval.”
Two disturbing articles, especially when considered TOGETHER keeping in mind the implication of the second one in which Bannon is portrayed as being a Judeo-Christian traditionalist. The articles show how increasingly Christians are being thrown into the Trump (Bannon?) camp whether we want to be or not.
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From article one “Steve Bannon is calling the shots in the White House. That’s terrifying“:
“Bannon is not the president’s servant. The president is his tool. For years, Bannon cast about for the proper vehicle to carry the fight forward. Sarah Palin, Rick Perry –they were considered possible material. Now in Donald Trump he has found adequate if imperfect stuff. Both are workaholics. Both share a protectionist mindset. Both are combative.
But Bannon, in contrast to the president, is not easily distracted. He is intelligent, articulate, focused in his ideology and dedicated to the struggle. And he has now been catapulted by an undisciplined president to the inner precincts of the National Security Council and its principals’ committee, assuming a position senior to the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff and the director of national intelligence.
Unvetted, unconfirmed but immensely powerful, Bannon may just be the most dangerous man in America.”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2017/jan/31/steve-bannon-most-dangerous-man-in-america
And article two “Why Steve Bannon wants to destroy secularism” :
“Just what does Steve Bannon believe? For some, his thinking can be boiled down to racism. For others, he is merely a sinister opportunist taking advantage of Trump and the “alt-right”, a far-right movement in the US, for economic gain and fame. But what if he is fundamentally driven by something else? Like: religion.”
And
“The most bothersome feature of Bannon’s talk is the fact that a Catholic group at the Vatican responded to it with enthusiasm. Their questions demonstrate that they knew Bannon’s desire to make his message receptive to rightwing populist parties. Excitement over his idea of a renewed Judeo-Christian Europe seemingly trumped such concerns. This is same political ideology that galvanized evangelicals to vote for Trump.”
https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2016/dec/07/why-steve-bannon-wants-to-destroy-secularism
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I find it disturbing that THIS is the way that Christians, Christianity and Christian interests are being portrayed to the wider world.
In an email exchange with a friend we discussed the current Trump (Bannon?) response to Syrian refugees.
My friend said:
Can you feel the whole world polarising? Mild-mannered Muslims are realising that they are the enemy after all. Trump also is allowing Syrians in if they are “Christians”. That is like having a gold-letter reference from Jack the Ripper. Now those mild-mannered Muslims know who the actual enemy really is. “Christians” like Trump.
In their eyes, you and me.
I replied:
Yes, when they started to speak of favouring Syrian Christians, I thought of the target being put on their back – making them even MORE prone to severe persecution; subjecting them to a darker equivalent of Trump’s “extreme vetting” (as if anything Trump does isn’t dark enough in its own right).
And as western society increases its protest against Trump’s dictatorial mania, his perceived favouring of Christians puts that target on our backs too.
The “target on the back” of western Christians that I mentioned to my friend firstly relates to an increased hostility towards followers of Jesus by wider western society when genuine believers become increasingly painted with the same brush as the “evangelicals” whose support helped Trump to the Presidency.
Secondly it will relate to an increased hostility from the Trump camp towards those Christians who saw through the Trump camp’s “alternative facts” and opposed him.
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A disturbing image linking Trump, money and the cross. The latter associating Trump wrongly (but understandably) to Christianity via traditional symbolism.
Clearly Islam isn’t the only religion to be afflicted with a “ratbag” loony element. That’s something National Party leader Barnaby Joyce pointed out recently.
“Every group has their ratbags, even Catholics.
“We had, in the past, the IRA, but if someone said every Catholic is a member of the IRA I would say ‘no we’re not’. They’re lunatics, crazy criminals who want to kill people who have nothing to do with the religion I practise.
“In Islam at the moment, they have also got a lunatic fringe. You can’t go through every person of the Islamic faith and say they are all just like them.”
Since then I’ve come across a disturbing example of this element from the camp of my old “friend” Danny Nalliah and his political party Rise Up Australia. I’ve written about Nalliah before on this blog: https://onesimusfiles.wordpress.com/category/danny-nalliah/
The following comes from Nalliah’s Rise Up Australia party spokesperson Rosalie Crestani:
Islam and Christianity are at loggerheads.
When you go right back to the crusades… and I will not say that the crusades were a completely bad thing because they were taking back land that was taken from them by the Muslims. Just like now I reckon we’re about to see, a crusade starting across,,, the western countries are going to start to rise up.
I mean the true western countries because I think America’s too far gone now.
They’ve got a jihadist in the White House. He’s the one that started ISIS mind you… he armed and he’s established them. He’s using the CIA to recruit…
In response to that and all of the other antichristian behaviour, rhetoric and false prophecy that has come out of the Nalliah camp in the decade since I became aware of him, all I can do is point again to the very strong warning Paul gives in 2 Thessalonians:
…because they refused to love the truth and so be saved… God sends them a strong delusion, so that they may believe what is false,in order that all may be condemned who did not believe the truth.
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The Rosalie Crestani quote came from a recording here, at roughly the 21 minute mark: http://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/earshot/putting-the-ex-in-muslim/7635674
That recording is the last of a five part series about Islam by an ex-Muslim. It’s a fascinating series, but contains short sections of comedic content that some will find offensive,
The unholy marriage of “evangelicalism” and the Trump campaign.
From ABC Radio.
A double divorcee who’s boasted about his affairs is almost certain to become the Republican nominee for president. Donald Trump has won with the support of about a third of self-identified evangelical Christians…
Listen to the 11 minute audio here:
http://mpegmedia.abc.net.au/rn/podcast/2016/05/rer_20160504_1740.mp3
The details in the article referenced below show there is more than dodgy far-right political ideology driving the Ted Cruz camp.
Its theology is arguably FAR more disturbing.
Once again, during this campaign season in America, the doctrines of Dominionism held by diverse segments of the evangelical world have taken front and center stage. The leaven of the 7 mountain teaching continues to percolate throughout the entire political process.
Six years ago Dr. Orrel Steinkamp and the Discernment Research Group wrote a series of articles about the rapid assimilation of Dominionist teachers/preachers into the American political process. We warned that certain formerly obscure groups – Mike Bickle’s International House of Prayer (IHOP) and C. Peter Wagner’s New Apostolic Reformation (NAR) with their Latter Rain cult roots – were mainstreaming their theology into the political process via large-scale media events, an orchestrated youth movement, and even entering the machinations of political campaigns. All of this was being fueled by prominent voices in the Christian Right promoting the 7 mountain strategy of building the kingdom of God on earth, starting with turning America into a “Christian” nation.
(My emphasis in the last sentence above – Tim)
7 Mountains Hit the Campaign Trail
Here is a very brief overview of the current situation. There is a YouTube video of the 7 mountain beliefs and “transfer of wealth” teachings of “apostle” Rafael Cruz, father of Republican Sen. Ted Cruz who is running for president. In Bruce Wilson’s Oct. 17, 2013 article titled “Ted Cruz’s Father Suggested His Son Is ‘Anointed’ to Bring About ‘End Time Transfer of Wealth’
(Again, my emphasis in the last phrase above – Tim)
see complete article here:
http://herescope.blogspot.com.au/2016/02/7-mountain-politics-and-theology.html
Thanks to my friend Roger for bringing this article to my attention.
I mentioned Danny Nalliah in a previous post:
https://onesimusfiles.wordpress.com/2015/11/23/latest-isis-recruits-in-action/
Over the weekend Danny Nalliah attended and gave his vocal support at a meeting celebrating the 10th anniversary of the infamous, very violent Cronulla race riots.
“Nalliah addressed the crowd before an Australian flag, leading them in a chant of “Aussie, Aussie, Aussie”. He then denounced multiculturalism, the media, the United Nations (“United Nonsense”) and the politically correct left.”
Ironically, the Sri Lankan born, dark-skinned Nalliah would have been a victim of the violence if he'd be in Cronulla ten years ago since those targeted in the attacks were anyone considered to have a "Moslem" or middle eastern appearance.
Nalliah is the proven, and unrepentant, false prophet who leading up to the 2007 Federal election prophesied that his party of choice, the Liberal-National coalition would be re-elected to Government, and that the victorious PM John Howard would hand over the reins he'd held for a decade to his Deputy, Peter Costello.
Nalliah had previously taken it upon himself to "anoint" Costello as God's chosen leader of Australia, in the manner of the prophet Samuel anointing David as King of Israel.
The election came, the Government changed, and John Howard not only lost the Prime Ministership, he lost his seat in parliament. Peter Costello subsequently resigned from politics.
Rather than confess to his error, Nalliah chose to blame the Australian church for not voting according to God's revealed will. Revealed of course through Nalliah's prophecy.
Therefore, to Nalliah, it was Australian Christians who failed – not the prophecy.
His response to the failure of his attempt to manipulate an election result was to establish his own political party: “Rise Up Australia”.
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see Nalliah’s unrepentant response about his own false prophecy on his ministries website:
http://catchthefire.com.au/2007/11/election-2007-did-i-get-it-wrong/
And his report of his involvement in the riot commemoration WAS here:
http://catchthefire.com.au/2015/12/cronulla-assignment-carried-out-by-the-the-grace-of-god/ but now seems to have been deleted from his site.
Over the weekend there were several violent clashes around Australia, centred on “Reclaim Australia” rallies.
Sadly it seems that false prophet Danny Nalliah, head of Catch the Fire Ministries (and also head of Rise Up Australia, his own political party) has a strong involvement with Reclaim Australia. I’ve seen him on the TV news a few times speaking at their rallies.
Nalliah infamously “prophesied” election results back around 2007. His prophecy failed miserably. He never backed down from his predictions, but blamed Australian Christians for not voting in line with his prediction. Since then he started his own political party, which now seems to be aligned with the Reclaim Australia movement.
Nalliah long ago fell for the apostate mix of politics and religion that is increasingly becoming the face of “christianity”.
On the other side of the equation are anti-racism protestors, some of whom aren’t averse to using violence in their opposition to Reclaim Australia – and RA aren’t averse to violent retaliation.
I’m sure that ISIS must be thrilled with the actions of these unwitting (and witless) recruits.
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John Safran made the following observations in an article linked below the quotes.
About half of these Reclaim Australia people are from Catch the Fire Ministry, or their political branch, Rise Up Australia.
Catch The Fire Ministry/Rise Up Australia is not the only gang here supporting Reclaim Australia. I walk away from the ute, deeper into the crowd where big red flags cast shadows. This is the territory of the far-right United Patriots Front. Here are white Australians who look like bikies.
Danny Nallah’s back on the ute. He starts screaming about his love of his brothers in the United Patriot Front. Still, I don’t think this is the mask slipping off a racist self-hating brown man. I think Danny is leveraging secular white Australia’s xenophobia to serve his Christian agenda.
“Turn on the gas!” a leather-clad man shouts at Jewish John Safran.
“Is that a joke?” I ask.
“No, no,” he mumbles, immediately backing down. I’ve met Holocaust deniers before but this is the first Holocaust joke denier I’ve come across.
see article here:
In the west I think we need to understand that, despite the anti-west rhetoric spewed by spokesmen from ISIS, Islamism has so far proven to be more of danger to middle-eastern Moslems than to us.
For every American or European journalist and aid-worker butchered by ISIS, tens of thousands of Moslems (as well as Christians) in Syria and Iraq have also been brutally killed. So the apparant lack of condemnation of ISIS from western Moslems seems significant. [On the other hand, is the western media reporting when Moslems are condemning them?*]
Last Saturday I saw an interesting interview with Dr Qanta Ahmed, a Moslem woman who IS speaking out about the dangers of “Islamism”.
https://au.tv.yahoo.com/sunrise/video/watch/25585233/the-muslim-supporting-israel/
It was refreshing to hear a Moslem willing to speak against the atrocities being committed in the name of Islam and the danger that Islamism presents not only to western interests but to Moslems as well.
During the interview I think she politely put Andrew O’Keefe, the Aussie interviewer, “in his place” (though I’m sure he didn’t realise it) when he tried to compare/equate Islamic extremism (ISIS, Hamas etc) to other religious extremism in the world – also inferring that extremists in the US Bible Belt are no less dangerous than ISIS.
Andrew O’Keefe: I think the debate here in Australia is centred around Islam but meanwhile, in Burma, we have Buddhists running riot against Muslims trying to attempt a genocide there.
We have Hindu nationalism going crazy in parts of India.
The southern states of America, even now, there is an extreme fundamentalist Christianity that has sought to stamp out Judaism and other forms of religious, it’s any religious tradition.
Qanta Ahmed: Your point is well taken, any belief system can be galvanised into grounds for persecution but Islamism is extraordinary.
It’s over 100 years old that steals and borrows language from one of the world’s most populated religion, 1.62 billion Moslems.
So that has a power and scale that few ideologies can lend themselves.
There are Islamist governments that are in power and Iran, also in other countries which have wielded enormous influence.
So it’s much bigger than some of those things you’ve mentioned.
I have previously heard O’Keefe trying to minimise the dangers of Islamists by refering to the dangers presented by all religions. And it seems at times that some media sources can go the extra mile to downplay any Islamic responsibility regarding the rise of Islamism*. A trend not gone unnoticed by Dr Ahmed, who wrote last year:
Expressing concern, executive editor Chris Fields of The Blaze recent wrote “American journalists bend over backward to treat Muslims in a positive way, even to ludicrous extremes. As a result, terrorists are often called “militants”—even when they are on U.S. government terror watch lists. And any open criticism of radical Islam has typically been treated as “Islamophobia.”
He later draws a contrast with the much more critical portrayal of Christians in the media. His argument is long overdue, though most members of the press are too uncomfortable to consider engaging in this debate.
http://www.theblaze.com/contributions/islamists-media-jihad-the-deadly-embrace/
(It’s nice to see her make reference to claims of the all too common negative portrayal of Christians in the media.)
It is also refreshing to hear a Moslem speaking of Israel’s right to exist, especially when so many other voices, even “Christian” opinion has been so opposed to Israel, especially in recent months when Israel responded militarily to Hamas rocket attacks.
Dr Ahmed had this to say in an article from early 2013 (showing the persistency of the Hamas campaign against Israel, and the little value Hamas continues to place on the lives of the Palestinian people in Gaza).
Hamas is never sated – each year it devours ever more Palestinians, regardless of age or gender. If Israelis lose fewer citizens than the Palestinians in these conflicts it is for the same reason Israel exchanges more prisoners for each captive soldier: quite simply Israel values human life more than does Hamas, which relishes ground operations taking place among densely populate civilian areas.
Full article here:
http://blogs.timesofisrael.com/israels-jihad-is-mine/
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I want to draw attention the the two statments above marked with *. Why does the media seem to have this attitude?
The title of this post “you can make the Bible say almost anything” is a claim I’ve heard several times, most recently in reply to a comment I made on another blog.
In the past I may have said something similar myself, but now I strongly disagree with that statement.
In reality the Bible CAN’T be made to “say almost anything”, but if we put our trust in commentaries, study bibles with interpretive notes, or church teachers (without addressing scripture for ourselves) we can be made to believe that the Bible says things that it DOESN’T say.
A more accurate claim would be to say that PARTS of the Bible can be used to support a variety of contradictory ideas. If those parts are used with no consideration of context, if they are used as isolated statements that have no relationship with the rest of scripture, those bible “texts” can be the false teachers most valuable tool.
Onesimus Files 