Author Archives: Clark Bunch

Now in the News: Tony Alamo and Gospel Today

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UPDATE: A federal magistrate upheld a $66 mill. judgement against Tony Alamo last week.  (9/14/2011)  source: Washington Post

There are two items that have been getting a lot of press lately.  I commented on another’s blog about Tony Alamo, and decided it was time to mention him myself.  I read this AP report {no longer available; this post is now 3 years old} to get a little background.  It’s a good little biography if you’ve never heard of this guy before.  This is not his first 15 minutes, if you get what I’m saying.  He’s been in and out of the news (and jail) for about 20 years now.  Most recently the charges involve underage sex and marriage scandals, and once again he is defending his organization on the grounds that it is not a cult.  Continue reading →

Was Jesus a Radical?

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The simple answer is yes.  Jesus was radical in his ministry and teachings.  He questioned the rulers of the Jewish faith, he threw people out of the temple, he pronounced woe to the scribes and Pharisees, he performed healings and miracles on the Sabbath, his disciples did not fast, and even ate without washing their hands.  His whole Sermon on the Mount turned the Jewish traditions and laws seemingly upside down.  The simple answer is that Jesus was a radical; however, I don’t believe it’s that simple. Continue reading →

Show Us a Sign

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This is a real church sign located not far from Cleveland, Ohio.  Mike Frizzell  has been providing us with humorous and amusing church signs for some time in a regular bit he calls Signs of the Times.  I couldn’t resist sharing this one also.  The church says it is meant to be a “friendly” reminder to teens that the Bible doesn’t condone homosexuality.  Many have misunderstood the sign’s meaning, or are unfamiliar with the pop song it is a reference to.  Read the whole story here  from Fox News.

Verse by Verse Bible Study

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I want to share with my friends and readers the different Bible studies I’m in right now, but don’t want to sound like I’m bragging. I work in full time ministry, so there’s lots of people leading many different activities all around us. I’m not trying to wave in anyone’s face how holy I am or anything like that.

I remember my dad teaching through the book of Matthew when I was in the 8th grade. We might do a few verses this week, or just one. Then we’d pick up next Sunday where we left off. It takes months sometimes to get through a book this way (or years) but it provides a thorough understanding. I seem to have wound up in several studies like that at the same time. The Sunday School class I attend is studying the book of Galatians. Anytime you study one of Paul’s letters you get some history of Paul, and often compare what he writes to one church with what is written to another.

Our Sunday a.m. text until advent begins is the book of Phillipians. The a.m. small group my wife and I lead is working through the Gospel of Mark. And our men’s morning devotional group is doing a verse by verse study of Nehemiah. That’s a total of 2 epistles, 1 gospel account, and one Old Testament book of history. I don’t always take enough time to study scripture on my own. This whole situation is a blessing to me because of the consistency.

Where’s the Middle?

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I’m not the only one that has noticed the extreme polarization of our nation’s politics.  There used to be a middle.  In the primaries, Republicans leaned to the right, Democrats leaned to the left, but once the nominations were made by each party the candidates “danced” to the middle to attract voters.  The majority of our populace were not way over to the left or right, but somewhere in between.  Only a small percentage of people were extreme liberal or conservative, and there were several different degrees of each.  It seems to not be that way anymore.

The 2000 Presidential election between George W. Bush and Al Gore was decided by only a few hundred votes in one state.  Many are unsatisfied that we know the actual results.  Our Congress is split nearly 50/50 right down the middle between Republicans and Democrats, and nearly every vote is decided by a margin of 51 to 49% (or less).  There’s a lot of talk about “crossing the aisle” on particular issues, but when all is said and done there is often more said that done. 

We used to find middle ground.  There used to be shades of grey on issues, but that’s not what Americans are looking for these days.  We want everything black or white.  It’s right or it’s wrong, and not just a little right or wrong.  Each opinion, each decision we face is either a panacea of wonderful or the worst mortal sin every to face a legislative body.  It seems like extreme positions on every issue are the only positions acceptable.  This leads to a lot of finger pointing, name calling, and the application of labels that often don’t apply.  It has brought our political process to a near gridlock.  Just this summer the movie Swing Vote set the stage for an election that was to be decided by one single voter.  How close are we to that becoming reality?

The only solution is for people to work together and find some common ground.  We need a large number of Americans to realize that McCain and Obama have strong points, and that neither is the anti-Christ.  Both candidates have ideas to solve the same problems.  The election campaign doesn’t have to be Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus.  Our Congressional leaders don’t have to cast a ballot for Y or N based on the R or D next to their name, and we as the voting public need to let them know that.  That’s not the message they’ve been getting.  We’ve been taking sides on every issue for years like we’re fighting a war, but in a sense we’re all on the same side.  I’m not proposing we do away with the two party system, we just have to find common ground somewhere.  In the words of Benjamin Franklin, we must join or die.

McCain/ Obama race in dead heat.

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John McCain has a slight lead over Barack Obama in the latest polls, but it depends on which you poll you ask.  I’m getting my data from this site, which tracks the results of several different polls at once, from Gallup to Fox News.  None of the spreads are greater than the margin of error, so statistically the two candidates are in a dead heat.

So who will be the next president?  I predicted back in the spring that Clinton and Obama would continue dividing the Democratic Party by beating each other’s brains out, such that McCain was guaranteed an easy victory.  About one third of Clinton voters said at that time they would not vote for Obama if he was nominated.  It’s no longer a sure thing for McCain, but I’m still predicting a Republican victory in November.

What effect do the VP nods have on the polls?  Obama’s party line is about change, but Joe Biden has been in Washington nearly as long as John McCain.  His campaign doesn’t seem to be hurting any since adding Biden to the ticket, however.  Much more attention has been focused on Sara Palin.  She’s more conservative than McCain himself, and many Republicans feel better about the ticket with her on it.  There is some question if this will help get the vote from women.  Maybe women will vote McCain/Palin that were sad to see Clinton leave the race, but there is also the criticism that getting Palin as the VP candidate was a cheap ploy that women voters will see through.  I personally feel better about voting for McCain with Palin on the ticket, because if he dies in office I’m okay with Palin being the first woman president.  McCain’s wishy-washy on abortion, for instance, but Palin is as conservative as the come.  She’s pro-life, pro-NRA, but most importantly has crossed the isle and gone against her own party in the name of good common sense.  I hope that appeals to all voters, regardless of the color of state they’re in.

What about the faith issue?  This topic has been done to death.  No I do not believe Barack Obama is a Muslim, no matter how many right-wing Christian bloggers and spammers say so.  And what if he was?  You don’t bring down the nation by serving in Congress and then running for president.  Obama loves this country, and wants to change it for the better.  ISLAM IS NOT A RELIGION FULL OF TERRORISTS.  That’s a misconception.  Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but I will not allow comments that attack anothers faith, so don’t leave them.  I’m not voting for McCain because of his Christian testimony.  Having a person of faith in the White House makes me feel better, but we’re not electing the Pope here.  In the Republican primary I voted for Mitt Romney.  Yes, he’s a Mormon.  Again, I’m not looking for a Sunday School teacher, but a person to run the administration of our national government.  I think the values of Christian character – honesty, integrity, work ethic, etc – make any person a better worker, including the President of the United States.  But the issue of faith has gotten way too much press in this campaign.  Let’s let it go people.

What’s the bottom line?  I think the bottom line is that the economy is headed down a long road that’s a little scarey, and I’m not sure how long it will take to make it back.  Neither candidate will be able to do half of things they promise, no matter which one is elected.  I’m disappointed every four years by who our choices get narrowed down to.  Are either one of these guys the very best we can find in the U.S.A. to lead us?  I don’t think so, but that’s who we have to pick from.  So much of what people complain about has to do more with Congress than with the President anyway.  Neither man can do a blasted thing without the 535 members of Congress backing him up, and it’s nobody’s fault but our own that we have split Congress 50/50 down the middle on party lines.  Diehard support of one’s own party is destroying this country, and we’re all responsible.  I called the race a dead heat.  Gridlock may be more appropriate.  The political process bears an eerie resemblance to I-75 traffic at 4:30 p.m. in Atlanta to me.

Also read Where’s the Middle?, a post about how there used to be political middle ground.

Double Portion

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Elisha is the Old Testament figure that asked to be granted a “double portion” of the spirit that Elijah had.  The Double Portion pictured here is a Southern Gospel group from Canada of all places.  They record in Nashville, frequent the National Quartet Convention, and tour in the United States on a regular basis.  We got to see them last night for the first time since 2003.  They do a whole family act (with a total of 8 kids).  The kids range in age from 20 to infant, and the entire family is blessed musically.  I recommend seeing them if you get the chance.  They sing, preach, and live the gospel message.

I Hate Theology.

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No, I’m not saying that I hate theology. “I Hate Theology” is the title of an essay that has been reposted at Internet Monk, and I got the chance to read for the first time. This is a link to the original post, here is an excerpt that gets to the heart of the message:

I hate this, and I am not ashamed to say so. Christ didn’t call theologians, he called disciples. Let’s follow Jesus, not just talk about the two natures. He didn’t establish a seminary or a library, but a church, which is a pretty down and dirty business that does a lot more than just stare at its confessions in wondrous rapture and awe. He didn’t give the great debate assignment, but the great commission. We’re on mission with a God who is doing great things in history. Or are we? Some of us are theologizing about ministry so much that we appear to be undermining ministry itself. It’s a great commission to make disciples of all nations, not a great commotion about who can be more literal about the elements of the Lord’s Supper.

I’ve written a lot lately about being the salt and the light, and I’m probably not done yet. This is what iMonk is saying; you can debate and discuss all the things that ministry should be and do, but then someone still has to do them. Discussing the salt of the earth and being salty are not the same thing. Jesus actually mentions this. Telling someone to go their way and be fed is not the same as feeding them.

This is just one point iMonk makes in his essay. You really should read the whole thing, and don’t get mad too quickly. It might not be what you think it is (the whole book by its cover sort of thing). I listen to a lot of preachers, I read lots of blogs. Very few things you hear or read are worth putting into practice in your everyday life. I’m suggesting this is one of them.

A Benediction

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Now go into the world in peace,
Have courage;
Hold on to what is good.
Strengthen the fainthearted;
support the weak;
help the suffering;
and share the gospel.
Love and serve the Lord in the power of the Holy Spirit.
And may the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all.
Amen

Who Does God Call?

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In the first chapter of Mark (I happen to be leading a study of Mark) Jesus begins to call his first disciples.  Jesus had many followers, but from those he called out 12 to be his “inner circle” if you will.  In verses 16-20 he calls first Simon (Peter) and Andrew, then James and John.  All 4 of these men were fishermen.  This was not the most respected vocation in first century Israel.  Fishermen worked long hours, spent a lot of time away from home and family, and they, well to be honest, stank.  Fish stink, guys that spend a lot of time with them also stink.  It was hard work, and while you could make a living at it, a fisherman would never really “be somebody.” 

In Mark chp. 2 Jesus calls Levi (Matthew).  He was a tax collector.  He may have had more education than a fisherman, and would have definitely had more money.  Most were crooked however, so he still would not have had a lot of friends.  If he did, they were also crooks and/or tax collectors.  We don’t know as much about some of the other disciples.  Luke was not one of the 12, but he was obviously hanging around.  Remember that Jesus had other followers and students besides the 12.  If Luke was not following Jesus from place to place during his ministry, we know for sure that he was very much involved in the formation of the early church.  Luke was physician.  This was a guy that was not only educated, he would have been respected in the community.  So what am I getting at?

God calls all types of people into his service.  There is not a Christian type, but he invites all types to become Christian, then uses whatever they bring with them to the table to further his kingdom and spread the gospel.  In Luke 8, we find out that many women were not only following Jesus, but supporting his ministry financially.  Luke does not neglect to list some names for us.  And just to top off the list, one of the first miracles performed by Jesus was healing Simon’s mother-in-law (Mark 1).  There’s only one way to get a mother-in-law; it’s a small detail, but we learn that Simon was married.  God calls into his service the educated and the illiterate; the single and the married; men and women; those respected by the community and those disrespected.  God is not interested in our ability, but in our availability. 

One more thing: Go back to Exodus chp 3  and see what happens when God calls someone who is not interested.  After God speaks to Moses from the burning bush, Moses’ first response is “Who am I to go before Pharaoh?”  God answers he will be with him.  In chp 4 Moses questions if the people will believe God spoke to him.  Moses complains he is not a good speaker.  He finally comes right out and asks God to please send someone else.  By this time God is angry with Moses.  We are the body of Christ; he has already done the hard stuff.  We need to be willing to respond when he calls us.  And there is no one that he cannot use, no matter how many excuses we can come up with.  Let’s be the salt and the light people.