From:
BANTY
HOOVER
Sent: Monday, December 21, 2020 8:55 AM
To: Marianna Nothern; Marianna
Nothern
Subject: NY Times article
Good
Morning Marianna.
I
will start by saying that this is probably not an ideal time to be engaging in
political or religious discussion, but I cannot but respond to this article
that you sent me. We continue to pray for you and all your wonderful family
during such a time of grief.
My
first point would be to make an opening comment regarding the NY Times; the
paper of record? I guess most people do not know the record of this
"newspaper". Did you know, for instance, that they denied the
halocaust during WW2? Anyway, today they are definitely the paper of the record
that they want us to ascribe to. I will leave it there.
OK
then...In the opening question from Kristoff, he asks Wallis if he believes in
the virgin birth. So, no he does not take the Bible as God's Word, and he
simply evades the answer by quoting the Magnificat, which is lovely, but not
Christmas. Notice that Kristoff does not follow up to get an answer. Wallis goes
on to say that it was a time like now. Duh...how about a time like all
times. To quote Dickens, "It was the best of times and it was the worst of
times..." the opening line of A Tale of Two Cities, and yes kind of like
now and all times.
Where
in the heck does Wallis get the idea that white evangelism is even a thing?
Jesus called His saints (all true believers) to go into all the world and make
disciples. Don't forget, Marianna, that we are all just people and even icons
such as Martin Luthor were anti-Semetic. So just because some like Falwell and
Robertson believed that homosexuality was a sin, (which it ceertainly is, just
as much as adultery), I can agree that their statements were not likely to
attract anyone to come to saving knowledge of Christ. The radical love of
Jesus included telling the truth, always, even to the point of calling the
religious legalists a brood of vipers. Oh, and by the way, yes Jesus could have
been a man of color (what possible difference would it make?), but we know for
sure that he was a Jew. And the art that depicts Jesus as white goes back to
the 2nd century. Also, did you not read about the "Black Madonna"
(Poland) in grade school? So this becomes just another fabricated (straw man)
point or argument.
So
Wallis has been fighting religious fundamentalists his whole life. Does
that include Jesus, who was certainly a fundamentalist. As a fundamentalist
myself, I can only assert that I pray for all those who are intolerant of
anything, including people of faith. Wallis has just told us that white,
blue-eyed Jesuses only exist in American Churches. I guess he forgot about
Hollywood, Europe, etc. He accuses me of cutting all the verses about the poor
out of the Bible. What a horrible joke. You know that I have dedicated my life
to telling as many as possible what a relationship with Christ is and
means. I provided an avenue to do that through co-starting an international
sports ministry, serving at soup kitchens, teaching in prisons, leading Bible
studies in my church as an elder and deacon and on staff at our church for 7
years. And by the way, you know that we go to a racially diverse church,
pastored by an amazing doctor of ministry who happens to be black.
Like
many on the left, Wallis glosses over the subject of abortion by calling it a
mere distraction. I have many of my culteral Christian friends who claim
that abortion is just a one-issue argument and we must not even count most
abortions as killing because zygottes are not even human. In the past we have
heard the same thing about blacks and jews and native Americans and
Asians,etc.
Finally,
Kristoff ends his softball interview by stating he considers himself a
Christian but denies the virgin birth, resurrection, and miracles, rather like
so many who make the same claim. Going to church does not make one a
Christian...period. I am living proof that faith in the truth of all the Bible
teaches can change a life into a disciple of Him who offers us
forgiveness and a new life in the Holy Spirit. Notice how Wallis ends by
touting all his great "works" by raising money for charitable causes.
Does he not know that our works are as filthy rags before God and it is
only faith and faith alone that can save our souls. What profit a man if he
gain the whole world and lose his soul? He calls my faith easy certainty, but
Jesus told us that the world will hate us, because it hated Him first. Do you
really think it's easy to be an evangelical today? Consider that Iam
mostly thought a fool by my own family. And lastly, I will comment that he
cannot help but throw insults and lies at our president, when it was Obama
that divided our country to its worst level since the Civil war and it was he
who tore the children from their parents at the border and actually built the
cages. The certainty of faith can only be understood by supernatural
revelation from God. Marianna, you know that we are ALL sinners in need of
forgiveness, do you not?
Anyway,
thank you for allowing me to comment on this typical left wing article by a man
who makes me wonder if he, indeed is a Christian, or just a political hack
like so many posers on the left They use many flowery words to lead
people down the wide road of destruction. Some use their pulpits to spread hate
for whitey or any other people group that is defferent (conservatives). They
will stand before God on judgement day to give an account. Jess will either say
"Well done" or He will say "I never knew you, depart from
me".
I
love you and continue to pray that God would make Himself known to all and erase
any doubts of the reality of our destiny.
Blessings,
Banty
