We don’t want to admit it but Christianity in America is far more than a faith - it’s a market, a platform, a fan club, a voter block, an industry - Jesus would turn so many tables over here
My friend Rabbi Charlie is safe - talked to him yesterday - spent the day with an imam & a rabbi & a Catholic priest at the Catholic Church by the synagogue ready to do whatever - so happy he & hostages are safe
This is incorrect biblically & missiologocally - we are to MAKE DISCIPLES of every nation NOT make nations - the Kingdom of God is one community across nations not multiple communities - Christian Nationalism is unbiblical & dangerous
The goal of the Great Commission is to make nations filled with Christians.
A.K.A. Christian nations.
Therefore, NOBODY should be shocked about the idea of Christian nationalism. That has always been the goal. Fill America with Christians & create a government that honors God.
This is HORRIBLE!! My allegiance to the God of the Bible & the Constitution of my government are two different things. SHAME on you Zondervan - IDOLATRY! - Exclusive: Zondervan, HarperCollins license ‘God Bless the USA’ Bible that includes Constitution
This is idolatry (a different Jesus than the Gospels) & blasphemy & I don’t use those words lightly. There is nothing wrong with loving America there is everything wrong with equating a risen universal savior for nationalism
A strong group of men an evangelical, Catholic, Jewish, Muslim, a priest a pastor 2 rabbis & an imam here to do whatever - But what u don’t see in this pic are 3 leading professional MUSLIM WOMEN who were very close to Rabbi Charlie’s wife & cared for her - powerful
Spent over 10 hrs at Good Shepherd Catholic church near the hostage situation at Synagogue Beth Israel in Colleyville, TX with Imam Omar Sulieman, Pastor Bob Roberts, Rabbi Andrew Payley, Dr Raed & others. Pic taken after all the hostages were freed. Alhamdulillah
SBC has reached an inflection point - U don’t have to agree with Rick but to go to this extreme over a non-essential theological position in light of all the scandals & sin in the SBC shows you the sickness of the patient - God help us we’ve succumbed to fundamentalist extremist
I just wonder did a single evangelical pastor in the US pushing for Jerusalem to be recognized by US as Israel’s Capitol call any evangelical Palestinian pastor in the West Bank and ask their thoughts, feelings, & implications? I think not . . .Colonial Christianity still lives
I fear the church has become salt & light to itself & not the world as it was called to - which left to itself becomes artificial light & self-preservation
To all my LGBTQ+ friends - you matter to me - you should never be targeted, trashed, belittled - just like me you were created in the image of God & he loves you & so do I
As a pro-life evangelical I am heartbroken & ashamed that thousands of children’s lives lost to gun shootings in public schools has brought not more gun reforms but a loosening of what laws were actually in effect then - we are sick & in need of repentance brethren
#AProlifeIssue
Be an evangelical for Jesus - no one else - no political parties, no popes, no power players, no preacher celebrities - love ‘em all while being owned by none but Jesus
The greatest leaders lead with their lives - not loud abrasive bullying mouths & do not think or act like sad victims but approach even their death with resolve, determination & meaning
Seriously people the polarization of church isn’t about evangelicalism but fundamentalism that has taken over the church & is trying to replace evangelicalism - fundamentalism is on the rise in all religions - Christianity included - it’s a harsh spirit more than a doctrine
The love I have for a person has absolutely nothing to do with whether they follow Jesus or not - it has absolutely everything to do with whether I follow Jesus - - - or not
All the apologist in the world cannot convince a single person of the reality of God like a single disciple radically living the truth of the Gospel exemplified in love
Agree or disagree w/
@RepLizCheney
what you can’t disagree w/is the fact she chose to do what she felt right knowing it would cost her deeply - who’s the last politician you know that did that? I respect that kind of principled courage - Prayed for you this morning ma’am
Pervert pastors / hate filled divisive pastors / crooked pastors / wife beater pastors / fundamentalist legalistic pastors. How in God’s name does
@Saddleback
@RickWarren
get to the top of a list like this? Ordain a woman who feels called to spread the Gospel - such foolishness
Southern Baptist Convention ousts Saddleback Church -- the renowned California megachurch founded by pastor and best-selling author Rick Warren — for having a woman pastor.
So impressed listening to
@VanJones68
&
@jaredkushner
- this is what Americans are hungry for - we don’t have to agree on everything to work together & bring positive change
What you see in SBC is not just a response to sexual abuse victims but how power has been dealt & wielded for decades - it’s more like a political convention with factions grabbing what they can & leadership appeasing who they can while holding on as tight as they can
Prince Turki is in a category all his own - brilliant lecture & great new book - I love this man - we were both in many ways defined by Afghanistan - a prince & a preacher both representing a kingdom
Any so-called Christian who uses the Bible to exalt one people or one race or one nation over another has no clue as to the Gospel of Jesus - one family from all families equal before God
YOUNG PASTORS I’m 65 & my entire life the SBC has been a rumbling volcano - theology & personality has merged, don’t get sucked in - it will drain the life out of you - know your position - state it - move on - love God & people be happy share Jesus serve people pray study Bible
I promise you, there is a life God has created you to live that exceeds any dream or plan that you could have for yourself but to possess it God must possess all of you & you must hear the softest nuance in his voice to you
It’s a sad day - I am literally watching some pastors do the exact same thing I’ve seen I’ve Imams do overseas - stoking fear/division & spewing hate in the name of God to use worldly institutions to get their way
The best way to defeat Christian Nationalism is to serve Afghan refugees with Kingdom living & loving - don’t just say what’s wrong live a viable alternative for people to see
A person “Bob you really are friends with a lot of Muslims!” Me “Yep, I really am - love them deeply” Person “Wow aren’t you afraid?” Me “No, I grew up surrounded by Baptist& survived!”
I have been all over the world in the easiest and hardest of places & am convinced the most difficult place to live a radical kingdom gospel driven life is right here at home in the USA - some places may take your life nowhere is it easier to loose your soul than here
We must support our police AND stand against police brutality against black lives & others - this isn’t an either/or but a both/and - the rule of law administered consistently makes both possible
He’s hiding from his grandmother - doesn’t realize his grandfather can see him - how we look to God most of the time, as if he can’t see what’s going on
As a proud Texan with deep roots & an evangelical pastor, this isn’t just wrong or bad theology but pure & simple heresy - The BIBLE is what God inspired, wrote & gave as the ultimate written authority for man not our constitution - as good as it may be
Texas Lieutenant Governor Dan Patrick declares that "we were a nation founded upon not the words of our founders, but the words of God because He wrote the Constitution."
I would like to say Jesus made me diverse in my relationships - he did not - being fully present in the world did - The Gospel without the world is tribal - the world without the Gospel is hopeless - when they merge sparks fly!
You trusted your doctors before Covid - trust them now - Covid is serious & tragically it’s politicization is costing people their lives - turn off the TV & listen to your doctor
I’m fine w/women preachers, close friends with some imams, Lover of Jews, broken-hearted over the plight & mistreatment of Palestinians, believe in civil rights for LGTBQ, very conservative evangelical with a high view of Scripture & passionately orthodox - What does this make me
“I tried when I was President to preserve the peace…grateful now that my 4 years in the WhiteHouse we never dropped a bomb fired a missile…to kill another person, My religious commitment to the Prince of Peace was…1 of the basic principles that I tried to pursue” Jimmy Carter
When a reporter asked
@TheDesmondTutu
about regrets, “I wish I hadn’t been as abrasive as I was and I wish I hadn’t been as self-righteous as I was. It’s easy to become arrogant in that situation when you’re in the right but we are all God’s children.”Incredible humble statement
For all the gripping about how bad it is in the US right now hard it is to be a Christian in America - our pain is self-inflicted victimized thinking - I look at what’s going on in the world & the Global Church & I want to say grow up & stop whining
The love I have for a person has absolutely nothing to do with whether they follow Jesus or not.
It has absolutely everything to do with whether I follow Jesus — or not!
#BoldLove
I want to encourage EVERY PASTOR to be very careful about being politicized during this pandemic - you may be the only voice of objective reason your people will hear - If you go political you loose that ability & narrow the number of people you can bring hope to
Michael Flynn then suggested that pastors who don’t preach the Constitution are just “standing there, pretending like they know a lot of verses in the Bible.”
You’re best praying will not be done when you’re in a crisis or in a hurry but when you are still, slow, & quiet. The most powerful prayers are not the most miraculous but the most consistent giving a gradual revelation of who God is & longs to be in your life.
The sickest parts of the global church are the viruses the western church has spread in consumerism, celebrityism, & Religious colonialism & how we fail to see them as our equals in one body - we need them more than they need us - we have the money they have have the maturity
You can support Israel & challenge them on how they treat Palestinians - Jews & rabbis I know from all traditions do it everyday - your faith & your humanity demand you not endorse persecution of others
This grieves me so much - there were so many sins committed January 6 - the biggest sin of all is the same sin I’ve seen others do around the world - Committing violence in the name of God - the church cannot be silent
A good friend & a good man is dying with courage while another good friend is grieving for a son who overdosed - we all long for a new heaven & a new earth where sickness, sin & death will be defeated - come Lord Jesus
These Russians will pay a price - important not to vilify Russians because of a Russian with the ‘little man’ syndrome trying to prove himself - these Russians are courageous
I don’t have to agree with Muslims, Jews, Buddhist, liberals, fundamentalist, LGBTQIA+ , Communist, Democrats, Republicans, addicts, drunks, gluttons, Whoever, Whatever to love them & be kind to them, be friends with them - according to Jesus
@BethMooreLPM
I’m convinced this is why the church is so messed up - we gave them the Bible as an information book instead of an interaction book with Jesus & that makes all the difference in the world
I have wanted to quit - I have been angry at God - I have been lost not knowing which way to turn - I have been deeply hurt & wounded - I’ve wanted to disappear - AND YET in those moments I’ve found God at depths I never would have known
Russia invading Ukraine is far more serious than people realize - left unchallenged other past Soviet states are at serious risk - Putin’s ties with Xi of China puts Taiwan at risk along with other nations in the south China Sea - new world order will come if not stopped
What I don’t get in the race issue in the SBC is WHY? When we know we have racial issues why are we attacking a secular view most churches & pastors know little of - instead of healing the racial divide as Jesus came to do that is real in the SBC
We do not need platforms to do our ministry, they leave so much wreckage, we need a throne to bow before & an eternal King to worship & serve - His name is Jesus Christ of Nazareth
Hey young SBC pastor don’t let all this stuff get to you - stay on your knees, equip your church, share your faith, make disciples, plant churches, engage nations, care for the least of these - great things happen despite bad leadership -denominations don’t reach the world - U do
This is Omari and he was in a head on crash last night - he has 9 kids & goes to
@imammagid
mosque - they took him off life support and he still lives - he has a small chance - I’m inviting all my Christian friends to join me to pray for his healing in the name of Jesus
This is horrible, dangerous & unbiblical counseling - Ladies run don’t walk for your sake & the sake of your kids - Jesus took all of our black eyes you need not take any from a man in hopes of his conversion - really bothered by this & embarrassed
@nadinemaenza
@StateDept
@USCIRF
Militant Hindus from India are even raising funds to bulldoze 75 churches in one city in India let alone what they’ve been doing to mosques
My heart is heavy for Israel - I have no words - can’t imagine the fear of the hostages - My heart is heavy for the loss of innocent people in Gaza because of what Hamas did - My heart is heavy for my Jesus loving friends in Israel & Palestine both suffering indiscriminately
Nothing like having a prayer meeting with Pope Francis along w/other Orthodox, Protestant, Suni & Shia Muslims, Conservative/ Reform / Orthodox rabbis - 1 lesson I’ve learned when we pray for peace God hears those prayers - praying knots us to God & one another like nothing else
Today I’ve heard about 2 faith leaders who have fallen - I am convinced men fall privately long before they fall publicly - Young faith leaders learn early to fall on your knees & face before God in prayer daily & early if you want to stand for the long haul
Just to be clear - the Kurds just lost their land where they have lived for hundreds of years - they will now be driven deeper into Syria where the Russians/Iranians now control - they had no voice - pray for them - thousands of them are Jesus loving people & church planters
The very real and obvious problem with some leading evangelical pastors today is that they see the world first & foremost through geopolitical eyes rather than the eyes of the Kingdom of God
Walked from White House to here - when I think of the history of this place & how it was desecrated on January 6 by an insurrection, my heart is broke & disappointed in so many politicians, preachers & participants - who prayed & sang in the name of Jesus
#NotMyNewTestamentJesus
A muslim friend sent me this today and asked me to explain it - I couldn’t - it broke my heart - this is not Jesus - preachers of hate come in all kinds of religions
I long for the day when a church is known for its work in the community & seen more for how it loves the least of these day in & day out than it is on a single weekly worship service