In 1926, writer Sinclair Lewis released a novel entitled, “Elmer Gantry”. The novel chronicled the life of a minister (Elmer Gantry) who was enamored with “the girls, the gold, and the glory”, as reflected in midwestern, American revivalism of the early 20th century. My introduction to this book was an assigned reading for me in a graduate school philosophy class. Since the class was attended by mostly aspiring young ministers, the professor thought it might be a good springboard for us to discuss its premise and ethical challenge. My point is not to synopsize the book’s content. Personally, I would recommend every minister read the book and absorb the affect. (The 1960 movie with Burt Lancaster was nowhere close to providing the same impact.) The book’s lasting impact has affected me for close to 40 years.
Pitching a Tent
“And he (Abram) moved from there to the mountain east of Bethel, and he pitched his tent with Bethel on the west and Ai on the east; there he built an altar to the LORD and called on the name of the LORD.” (Genesis 12:8)
“Abram dwelt in the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelt in the cities of the plain and pitched his tent even as far as Sodom.” (Genesis 13:12)
Few people in western culture live in tents anymore…
Our accommodations are in the upper percentiles of modernity, convenience, and class…
But make no mistake…
Spiritually speaking…
Everyone pitches a tent somewhere…
Anti-Effort Christianity
“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, lest anyone should boast. For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them.”
Ephesians 2:8-10 NKJV
Yes, salvation is a free gift…
You do not earn it, merit it, work for it, or generate it on your own…
Grace is absolutely the nature of God’s salvific work…
But get this…
NO LONGER ASHAMED OF PROSPERITY #18 – There is no Virtue in Poverty
It was almost a year ago that I posted over a several week time-period a series of blogs on prosperity. Those blogs were inspired by several events which motivated me to write down a few thoughts which I had learned on the subject. The first event was the beginning of the “Great Pandemic” as people were seized by their fears and the loss of income and jobs. The great debate surrounded government checks and resources and how we would navigate this “locked-down” world. People were scrambling for government’s monetary crumbs when God’s Word promised far more for His people.
A TEMPLATE EXEMPTION LETTER FOR VACCINATIONS
DATE
RE: Vaccine Status Request
Greetings _________ :
I have recently been asked to provide personal vaccination status information to our company. I am concerned that this information may provide precedent to explore any or all HIPAA protected medical information. I realize there is currently a great national concern over the health and welfare of our citizenry which includes _____________ employees; however, there is also a great concern over the limits and jurisdictions private companies may ignore with regards to employee’s privacy and freedoms.