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#pastor Cole is evil
hardynwa · 1 year
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Election results: Amaechi’s ally, Eze reveals how Wike rigged for Tinubu
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Concerned about the gross manipulation that greeted the results of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly election in Rivers State, erstwhile National Publicity Secretary of the defunct New People’s Democratic Party (nPDP) and Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze has called on the people of the State to remain calm. He said the people must be prepared to speak in one voice on the March 11 Governorship election as they did at the presidential polls. In a statement made available to media houses in Port Harcourt, Eze commended the courage and determination with which the people responded at the presidential polls and urged them to replicate same for the APC and Tonye Cole on March 11, assuring that the party is determined to work with the people to dislodge Wike’s rigging mechanics and return power to the people in line with the rules of democracy. Expressing dismay at the alleged crude display of desperation by Nyesom Wike, to usurp democracy and foist his will on the people, Eze said the Governor connived with security agencies and INEC officials to change results to suit his desire in clear contravention of the electoral process and true outcome of the elections. Eze said the notoriety of the Governor who has exposed himself as an evil force by engaging in anti-people practices to further his selfish private vendetta is glaringly annoying and irks to loathing and must be fought and resisted by the people to save democracy, return power to the people and build strong institutions to sustain and strengthen the growth of our political system. “Now that we have observed the antecedents and tactics of Governor Nyesom Wike in his desperation to undermine the values of the Democratic system, I wish to appeal to all Rivers State people across political leanings to unite and prepare accordingly and ensure that Wike’s plot of a third term through enforcing Sim Fubura on us as the next Governor of Rivers State is not only frustrated but unrealizable. We can’t allow Wike to install his stooges just to protect how he looted our common patrimony to an animalistic level to stand. “The documents and video clips of all the evil acts are assembled and will be tabled at the Tribunals accordingly”, Eze noted. Eze called on Rivers people to unite and come out in their numbers to vote for Tonye Cole and all the House of Assembly Candidate of the APC on 11th March and ensure that their votes are protected, assuring that APC is ready to match Wike’s evil machinations to free the state from the claws of his thieving cabal who have stolen the soul of the state and reduced the people to paupers despite the monumental oil wealth the state has reaped in the last eight years. Eze called on ndi Igbo, resident in Rivers State to ignore any invitation from any quarter that seeks them to meet with Gov. Nyesom Wike for any reason whatsoever, stressing that the Governor deployed every apparatus of the state within his disposal to render useless, every legitimate effort made at ensuring that the result of their franchise is reflected on the outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly elections. “Ndi Igbo must resist every temptation to fall for the Greek gift the Governor intends to offer them and remain firm in their resolve to galvanize support for the APC Governorship Candidate, Pastor Tonye Cole who has shown a sufficient sense of passion for the course of ndi Igbo in Rivers State and the suffering displaced traders of the various markets in Port Harcourt.” “Through thick and thin the APC stood and still stands with Igbos, resident in Rivers State and it is only fair at this moment to reciprocate their sacrifices with genuine, unwavering support to dislodge every force of evil that has stood against the progress of our people, shattered the things that bind us together as one people and truncated the development of Rivers State for selfish interests” Eze noted. Read the full article
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clio-just-clio · 2 years
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The Riverdale 102(?)-Day Sprint, Day 6: “Chapter Ninety-Two: Band of Brothers”
War!
This is it, the farthest afield I’ve been yet, very close to the mythical uncharted lands of Season 6. I’ve heard so much about that – Archie maybe dying, joining the Army, and other insanity. But before we get to today’s episode I want to clear the air about something. I say a lot of mean things about this show, but I want to make it clear I hold absolutely no ill will towards any of the cast. On the contrary, I think the cast does a genuinely fantastic job, simply because they aren’t all constantly breaking character and guffawing at the stuff they have to read. I especially want to highlight Lili Reinhart, Cole Sprouse, and Camila Mendes, who play Betty, Jughead, and Veronica respectively. Those characters seem to get the worst sub and main plots, moreso than Archie (although KJ Apa does a fine job as well). That all being said... Chapter Ninety-Two. I’m excited.
                                                     *          *          *
Well turns out I was dead wrong.
The infamous flash-forward is here in S5, and it turns out I’ve landed with it in full swing. I’m not sure if it was throughout the whole season or just in the second half, but every single character is doing something equally astounding and unbelievable (except for Veronica, who is continuing to re-enact the plot of Succession [I assume the two are similar but I’ve never seen it]). Let’s see the damage:
Archie went to WW1, exactly as the rumors said. Yes it is still in present day, approximately 5 years in the future in fact, but it is still decidedly WW1. There’s trenches and it’s in Europe and the guns are old. Apparently Archie’s squad, which he was the sergeant of, was used as a personal hit squad sent on a suicide mission at the behest of a corrupt commanding officer. All of his squad is brutally killed except for one, who survives with a missing leg. In today’s episode Archie gets the evil general court-martialed, and is successful. The tribunal happens off-screen, and we don’t see Archie doing anything during or after it except celebrating so... why?
Jughead’s story isn’t 100% clear to me. He becomes an alcoholic writer/teacher burnout, just like his grandfather before him, and apparently he descended into this spiral after unceremoniously abandoning Betty. This episode we see him try to pass off a former friend’s book as his own, only to repent and relent at the last second. Again... why?
Turns out Betty did actually decide to become an FBI agent at Charles’ behest – she’s even doing vigilantism in an attempt to avenge her younger sister’s death, hunting an elusive serial killer. So basically Dexter but different.
Cheryl Blossom is now a pastor, and Kevin her... assistant? I guess? Anyway, Cheryl’s mom wants to lead the flock so to upstage her Cheryl decides to become a Saint by performing three miracles as if they’re magic tricks. I don’t think that’s how any of that works.
And last and least we have Veronica, who seems to have gotten the shaft once again. Her plot is the least changed, seemingly; she’s still butting heads with her dad on the business scene, and she sure is doing business. Not sure what business but... she’s doing it. #girlboss or whatever.
I feel like I was submerged in a sensory deprivation tank and I am just now being pulled out, kicking and screaming, begging for oblivion again. I genuinely thought people were kidding when they told me about some of this stuff. I can’t understand why the showrunners would decide to pull this flash-forward out of their ass like this. Maybe I’d understand if it was the final season, but this is Season 5. Season 6 exists, we know it does. I am well and truly lost now, and it hasn’t even been a week yet. Let me tell you something, dear reader; I don’t see myself finishing this endeavor whole. I fear I may lose a part of myself I’ll never get back if I continue, and yet continue I will, because I always keep my promises. I’ll see this through to the end, which hopefully entails the entire town of Riverdale and all of its inhabitants being completely wiped from the face of the Earth. Given the amount of serial killers that town produces it’d probably be doing humanity a service.
Tomorrow: “Chapter Eighty-One: The Homecoming” aw darnit another S5 episode. My kingdom for a return to the halcyon days of Season 1, where everything was simple, with only 1 murder mystery happening at a time.
Not a ton of notes today, I’m afraid; I spent most of the episode staring slack-jawed at the screen, trying to process what I was seeing:
quick notes
- ok what. the hell. is going on.
- Archie was already in the Army??? Betty’s a prostitute? Cheryl is... a pastor...? Jughead was in NA or AA or something (actually that doesn’t surprise me for some reason)? is this a flash-forward or something???
- so Veronica is now a dirty businessperson, like her father before her. interesting...?
- and Cheryl wants to become a Saint. sure why not. whatever. this is... too much, almost
- yeah this is too much. I have so many questions but I think I’ll save them till the write-up
- holy shit Archie actually did go to WW1, seemingly. how? why? is this a flash forward or flashback? is it both at the same time?
- if the gang is older why do they all look the same? actually wait I know this one – they already don’t look like highschoolers, but now the script can justify this discrepancy
- wait so Betty is merely disguising herself as a prostitute to hunt and kill a serial killer... so she’s just Dexter. unbelievable
- and she used to be in the FBI...? like Charles?
- Veronica: “You’ll never be an alpha, Chad. You’re a born beta.” Someone on the writing team is laughing very hard at this joke
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I keep seeing religious posts telling people to "have faith during this trying times" "pray for the lord and (dunno how the phrase ends)" yadayadayada. It used to be annoying, but now after seeing your posts it's hilarious. Thanks.
Faith is worthless. There are people with “faith” that this is a sign of the beginning of the apocalypse, and Jesus is on his way back to destroy the world. Which, of course, they’re excitedly looking forward to as it’s the final prophecy and ultimate objective and fulfilment of the death-cult of Xtianity and their messiah.
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And then there are people with “faith” that their god will save them. Same god, same bible, same religion, different conclusion.
But the same god who sent the virus in the first place, didn’t know about it, or didn’t care enough to stop it at the beginning, and took no action to prevent the deaths of 130,000 people worldwide, has finally arisen from inaction because Kenneth Copeland blew the “wind of god” (all I hear is “god farts”) at the virus, or because Brianna from Butkrak, Illinois finally got around to asking god to get rid of the virus for her. It’s almost like god’s will and plan is not to their liking, and they need to set him right. Hence, prayer, the greatest act of doubt of all.
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And, of course, there’s the ones just spreading god-based ignorant craziness all over the place:
https://www.patheos.com/blogs/thefreethinker/2020/04/idiot-in-hospital-after-saying-faith-in-god-is-better-than-face-masks/
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/04/15/praise-the-pandemic-gods-using-covid-19-to-open-hearts-says-christian-group/
https://www.nbcnews.com/feature/nbc-out/trump-s-bible-teacher-says-gays-among-those-blame-covid-n1168981
https://www.joemygod.com/2020/04/tx-woman-dies-of-covid-after-posting-facebook-rant-you-dont-need-sanitizer-you-need-faith-and-guns/
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/04/05/some-christians-are-still-going-to-church-citing-protection-by-jesus-blood/
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/04/13/pastor-dies-of-covid-19-after-telling-crowded-church-god-would-defeat-covid-19/
https://thehill.com/homenews/state-watch/491928-louisiana-pastor-who-refuses-to-stop-holding-church-services-says-true .. Christians’ view death as a ‘welcome friend’
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/04/02/preacher-god-will-save-us-from-covid-19-by-turning-off-our-virus-receptors/
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/04/09/preacher-andrew-wommack-anyone-who-gets-covid-19-isnt-a-devout-enough-believer/
https://www.joemygod.com/2020/03/anne-graham-lotz-the-silver-lining-in-the-virus-is-it-will-turn-people-from-secularism-and-back-to-god/
https://friendlyatheist.patheos.com/2020/03/27/pastor-im-holding-services-because-i-have-machines-that-shoot-down-viruses/
https://nypost.com/2020/04/07/pastor-who-criticized-coronavirus-mass-hysteria-dies-from-illness/
https://www.joemygod.com/2020/04/televangelist-was-able-to-rebuke-demonic-covid-in-her-sleep-because-first-she-ate-a-communion-cracker/
What we can discern from all this cacophony of… batshittery (pun not originally intended)… is that none of them have the faintest idea what their god wants, or what it is or is not doing; they’re all just firing blanks randomly in the air. But also that at least some of them feel they have some kind of authority over their god, with which to instruct it what to do, or at least advise it what they would prefer. Because it wouldn’t know any other way.
Basically, an existent god is lying to these people, they’re lying about talking to such a creature, or a god isn’t there at all.
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Regardless, the unavoidable conclusion is that between believers and their god(s), none of these lunatics are in charge, nobody is steering the boat, none of them are doing anything.
It’s therefore up to us to either undermine this god’s evil plan, or do what it won’t, what it can’t, or what its non-existence prevents it from doing. As I’ve said before, I put no “faith” into science and medicine. I understand the long history of medical professionals, like Jennifer Cole and Aleixandrea Macias, who care for those who need help, and the long history of scientists dealing in microbiology, and specifically virology and immunology, and the treatment and eradication of diseases based on that diligent work. No “faith” required.
Unlike those typing worthless “hands pressed together” emojis to Ms. Macias, commanding their absent, inactive deity to help her when it hasn’t helped anyone else, solely to make themselves feel better, my contribution to actually help all medical professionals and the entire health system will be staying at home, washing my hands and only going out when necessary. Because while I am unfortunately not qualified as an ICU nurse, I am qualified to sit on my ass.
More than any damn god has ever done or ever will do to stop this disease. Or affect anything else, for that matter.
As always, humans will solve our own problems.
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mshelenahandbag · 6 years
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2017 - Year of the Laura Dern
Laura Dern is having the best year of her career, or anyone else’s for that matter. 
I could just end this article here, but you know I have to tell you WHY. Laura Dern has, for me, been constantly impressive with her acting prowess from a young age. My first memory is seeing her as Dr. Ellie Sattler in Jurassic Park, and even back then, little didn’t-know-I-was-gay-yet me loved the cool female paleontologist. (Looking back she also had THE best lines (“we can discuss sexism in survival situations when I get back!”), most famous of them all being during Goldblum’s “Man creates dinosaurs” soliloquy – “Dinosaurs EAT man….woman inherits the Earth.”) She’s always played interesting characters, but, for me, has never really had her breakthrough with mainstream television and film.
Until this year where Laura Dern has excelled in four projects and netted her first Emmy victory!
Sure, she’s had her accolades with David Lynch’s Blue Velvet and Wild At Heart and her notable appearance as the woman Ellen DeGeneres came out to on Ellen. But never anything truly concrete to make a large cross-section of people go “wow.” She’s always, at least to me, been good for niche groups.  Her last Golden Globe win was for the HBO series Enlightened where she played self-destructive executive Amy Jellicoe, and she got an Oscar nomination for 2015’s Wild as Reese Witherspoon’s mother.
Wild director Jean-Marc Vallee is one of the main reasons we’re buzzing about Laura Dern’s 2017 renaissance. He definitely saw something in Dern, and her chemistry with Witherspoon, because the two would reunite and butt heads in HBO’s Big Little Lies – exhibit A in her best year. While everyone was obsessed with the performances Witherspoon, Nicole Kidman and Shailene Woodley gave as the main trio of Madeline, Celeste and Jane (as they rightly should because the series is just that flawless), my focus was on Laura Dern embodying Renata Klein, queen of the helicopter moms in Monterey.
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Dern’s Renata had me shouting EMMY long before others jumped on the bandwagon. There’s a scene in the second episode where the birthday party for Amabella, Renata’s daughter, is derailed by Madeline - out for blood when Renata didn’t invite Ziggy, Jane’s son. So Madeline comes back and gets plenty of comped tickets for Disney on Ice so everyone cancels on the birthday party. Renata hits the ceiling, calmly, telling her friend Harper (who bears the unfortunate duty of informing Renata) “Ok. Thank you.”
Harper tries to mediate with “Let us all get along-”
But Renata comes back with the AMAZING over the top…well…this.
“I SAID THANK YOUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU!”
Whether ad-libbed on the spot or script, this moment of hilarity, for me, from Renata made her one of the best characters this year on any show. Showing perfectly poised Renata lose it time and time again, especially when threatening her husband (“I will take my hands and put them around your throat!”) or Madeline (“I’ll even get Snow White to sit on your husband’s face. Maybe Dumbo can take a squat on yours”) was a highlight week after week. The entire series was worth of every Emmy it garnered and survived a potential shutout from FX’s Feud: Bette and Joan but if anything, Laura Dern was the only one out of those nominated that truly deserved to win.
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From here, Laura Dern turned from psycho mom to plain old psycho in Netflix’s Unbreakable Kimmy Schmidt as Wendy Hebert – who’s set to marry Kimmy’s old pastor. It’s a brief guest starring role, but Dern adds so much in those 20 minutes and delivers a fully-formed character. Wendy starts off so innocent, but the more we spend time with her and Kimmy (Ellie Kemper), the more we realize how unstable she is. Plus she helps Kimmy to confront some real traumas the reverend has inflicted on her, and she also delivers one of my favorite lines in the three seasons of the show as she confides in Titus (Tituss Burgess): “If we only see each other one hour a week, he’ll never realize what a useless piece of crap I am and he’ll love me forever, and that’s what I deserve!” In short, Dern’s portrayal of a woman with absolutely zero self-worth is hysterical.
And from here, Laura Dern’s year hits its zenith with Twin Peaks as she plays long-heard-about-but-never-seen Diane: Agent Dale Cooper’s secretary to whom he has dictated all of his many tapes. Laura Dern’s work with David Lynch has always been fantastic: whether in Blue Velvet, Wild at Heart, Industrial Symphony No. 1, or Inland Empire – it’s clear that Lynch knows how to get the best results out of her craft. And that’s the reason why her work as Diane is probably a role we will be talking about for years to come.
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We meet Diane Evans as a chain-smoking foul-mouthed goddess who was my favorite part of the mindfuck of this 18-part opus. I seriously loved every time Dern, in her platinum bob wig would take a drag off her cigarette and generally her conversations would consist of “Fuck you [insert name here].” She played so well off her director Lynch as FBI agent Gordon Cole and the late Miguel Ferrer as FBI agent Albert Rosenfeld. But one of my favorite moments came when newbie Tammy Preston (Chrysta Bell) tries to thank Diane for helping them, only to be met with this-
Diane: “What did you say your name was again?”
Tammy: “Tammy.”
Diane: “Fuck you, Tammy.”
I laughed way too hard at this, for way too long. Diane’s modus was basically this for a few episodes but about halfway through the series, her mood changed. We saw her visibly uncomfortable speaking with Mr. C, Cooper’s evil doppelganger BOB created. She revealed that Cooper (Mr. C) had come to see he years ago, but refused to elaborate. We later her she and Mr. C were in cahoots, via text. Was THAT why Diane was so crazy? Diane seemed to be cool when Gordon Cole offered her a slot on the infamous Blue Rose team – investigating supposed paranormal encounters.
“Let’s rock.” Diane said, her index and middle fingers down.
Here is where I said “Something’s up.” You could easily explain her wayward associations with Mr. C, but those two words were uttered by The Man From Another Place in the original series. It’s not just a nudge-wink happenstance, it’s a deliberate clue from Lynch that something is off with Diane. And that comes to fruition twice as the series comes to a close. In part 14, we learn that Dougie Jones’s fingerprints match Cooper’s, and Diane reveals that Janey-E, Dougie’s wife is Diane’s half-sister. No simple coincidence, again.
In part 16 when the actual Cooper emerges from a coma (long story….), Diane receives another text from Mr. C. She goes to meet with Cole, Albert and Tammy and finally reveals what happened the night Mr. C came to see her. He raped her – and it affected her. Dern’s face telling this story is so genuinely pained and she just nails this. Then Diane begins to act odd….really odd, even for this show. She convulses and says “I’m in the sheriff’s station. I’m in the sheriff’s station. I sent him those coordinates, because…I’m not me.” Diane eyes the gun in her purse, Albert’s on edge and Diane pulls hers out only to be shot by Albert and Tammy before being whisked away by some unseen force. Tammy remarks she’s seen a real tulpa (a manifestation) and we cut to the Red Room in the Black Lodge. Yep, Diane was “manufactured.” But what about her cryptic statement “I’m in the sheriff’s station”? Well as luck would have it, we wouldn’t have to wait long to find that out.
In the finale of the series, we learn that the eyeless Naido who helped Cooper out of the Lodge and who Andy rescued, was actually our Diane. A quick fight took care of Mr. C and once the genuine article Dale Cooper lays eyes on Naido, she becomes our Laura Dern again and they kiss.
Then it gets weird.
Cooper pulls a Back to the Future Part II seeing the events of Fire Walk With Me play out – only this time he stops Laura Palmer from being murdered. We cut to the Black Lodge and Cooper and Diane are both there. Then they’re driving on a highway for 430 miles, cross over an electrical grid and check into a motel to have sex.
This is Diane’s final scene of the series and I love how Dern hearkens back to what she told Cole and the FBI earlier about her rape. You still see the pain and confusion on Dern’s face, especially because we’re unsure if this is OUR Cooper, Mr. C or a hybrid of the two. It’s such a fitting end for her work on one of the best shows of 2017, and her exit opens a whole new mystery.
The next morning, Diane’s gone and a note from “Linda” to “Richard” is left for Cooper and leaves us wondering if in a world where Laura Palmer has been saved – has absolutely everything changed? Is Dale Cooper now Richard and is Diane Evans now Linda? (Way more to say on this for a Twin Peaks fan theory thesis later, especially with the role of Carrie Page.)
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I didn’t even need to see Laura Dern in Star Wars Episode VIII-The Last Jedi in her role as Vice Admiral Amilyn Holdo to know it will be amazing. I knew that from the casting, from her stills with the late Carrie Fisher (something I’m eagerly looking forward to) and the gorgeous Annie Leibowitz photos in Vanity Fair revealing that gorgeous lilac hair. But upon seeing Rian Johnson’s masterpiece that has become the crown jewel for me and many other (but not all) STAR WARS fans, I got to see Dern cap her banner year off in the most fabulous and wonderful style.
When General Leia Organa is unconscious from a First Order attack on the Resistance, command falls to Holdo. Dern and Oscar Isaac’s Poe Dameron immediately clash, and it’s breathtaking to watch. Holdo wants to load unarmed transports to try and escape to nearby Crait – home of an abandoned Resistance base – and Poe so strongly disagrees with her that he mutinies and relieves her of command (only for himself to be relieved by General Organa stunning him). Holdo remains on ship while the remaining Resistance flee to Crait, and as the First Order begins firing on transport ships. Holdo decides to make a stand and engage the ship to lightspeed, directly at the First Order’s ships. Hyperspace jumps only work when a ship is totally free and clear to maneuver. So if a ship’s in the way, it’s not gonna be pretty.
And it isn’t. Rian Johnson shows the devastation in a soundless scene that cements Holdo’s beautiful and poignant sacrifice. Dern’s time in the Star Wars universe may have been brief but Holdo is a character anyone should be proud to look up to: willing to step up when it matters and sacrifice everything for the needs of the many (…Wait that’s Star Trek…)
Laura Dern’s 2017 is something that won’t be duplicated any time soon, and it’s a career testament to one of Hollywood’s best actresses finally getting the recognition she has beyond deserved.
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encephalonfatigue · 3 years
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advent reflection #1: nowhere to lay his head
And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have dens, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” (Luke 9:58) 
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The old Nativity tableau vivant of a Jewish peasant family shacked up next to a manger among assorted livestock is a familiar one this time of year. My neighbour has a beautiful inflatable nativity scene (complete with cute little sheep) that distends and glows every evening. Among the sparkling holiday lights though, I find that it’s sometimes easy to forget this Nativity scene is a scene of homelessness, and something as jarring as homelessness and destitution sits unsettlingly at the heart of Advent. Incarnation is the arrival of a Messiah to a people oppressed by an Empire, who arrives as a homeless person to join the unhoused in their homelessness. In so many ways homelessness is a type of dispossession. But this Messiah did not come so that the unhoused remain homeless, but rather that they find a home in the future radically egalitarian ‘kindom of God’. But as we live within this present reality of injustice, the manger outside the inn is where the Divine is made manifest in this narrative. This site of indignity and unjustifiable poverty is what demands our spiritual attention. 
There’s ‘no place’ in the inn for this young Jewish family, just like there’s ‘no place’ for those who cannot afford to pay their rent here in our cities today. Daily all across Canadian cities, faceless landlord corporations are deploying police officers to evict poor families who cannot afford to make rent, through no fault of their own, but because they are treated as the flotsam of a capitalist economy functioning as intended under a global pandemic. These evicted tenants are like the ‘illegitimate’ and ‘dishonourable’ holy family who one might imagine could not afford to shell out the expenses for a clean dry place to lay their head down for the night. 
Under the decree of a census, Mary and Joseph must travel where the imperial bureaucracy demands, but expenses are externalized onto poor working people. And such censuses were acts of imperial domination for extracting wealth from the colonized of Judea. We see the radical tax resistance led by Judas of Galilee in 6 CE at this time urging Jews not to participate in the imperial Roman census. The movement of Jesus would become associated with such a spirit of revolt by people like Gamaliel, who explicitly compares Paul and his rabble-rousing comrades with the likes of Judas of Galilee in Acts 5. 
Yet this old dynamic of the powerful extracting wealth from common people still persists with us today. In this time of Advent, courageous organizers like Sarah Jama and Desmond Cole are being arrested and fined for occupying space on public property, demanding a public meeting with the Herodian municipal powers over evictions and the housing crisis. I say Herodian, because an eviction can effectively be a death sentence for some, especially this winter, and that is why anti-eviction protestors say municipal leaders have blood on their hands, as do landlord corporations and REITs (real-estate investment trusts). Anti-war activists of old used to say nuclear weapons not only killed when they were detonated, but extinguished life by way of all the food they removed from the hands and mouths of poor children where enormous government resources were diverted into creating weapons of mass destruction rather than meeting the basic needs of its citizens. It is not unreasonable for young people today to ask similar questions about how collectively pooled money is being spent on the police compared to goals like guaranteeing housing for all. The number of officers municipalities send for each eviction have a daily wage that could pay someone’s rent for multiple months.
The anti-fascist theologian and pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer, in an Advent sermon he gave on December 2, 1928, said that: 
“The celebration of Advent is only possible to those who are troubled in soul... the curse of homelessness... hangs heavily over the world... we see in many lands people dying of cold in wintry conditions. The plight of such people disturbs us within and amidst our enjoyment; a thousand eyes look at us and the evil haunts us. Poverty and distress throughout the world worries us, but it cannot be brushed away...” 
Bonhoeffer goes on to emphasize how Matthew 25 is central to the way any Christian is to observe Advent: 
“…we face the shocking reality. Jesus stands at the door and knocks. He asks for help in the form of a beggar, a down-and-out, a man in ragged clothes, someone who is sick, even a criminal in need of our love. He meets you in every person you encounter in need. So long as there are people around, Christ walks the earth as your neighbour, as the one through whom God calls to you, demands of you, makes claims upon you. That is the great seriousness of the Advent message and its great blessing. Christ stands at the door. He lives in the form of people around us. Will you therefore leave the door safely locked for your protection, or will you open the door for him? It may seem odd to us that we can see Jesus in so familiar a face. But that is what he said. Whoever refuses to take seriously this clear Advent message cannot talk of the coming of Christ into his heart. Whoever has not learned from the coming of Christ that we are all brothers and sisters in Christ, has not understood the meaning of his coming.” 
Christians cannot forget that at the heart of their faith tradition is a homeless Messiah. If Christians are to take Matthew 25 seriously as central to observing Advent, and living out a life of faith daily, the mass evictions unfolding since August of this year should be of unwavering importance. While affordable housing has been a severe issue over the past many years around the GTA, it is especially salient under the cloud of COVID-19. There are thousands of online eviction hearings scheduled in the coming few months, pumping out rulings like a factory with a cold brutality that is chilling. Just last week alone 2000 eviction hearings were held.
Alykhan Pabani has pointed out that the large majority of rental units in cities like Toronto are not owned by so-called mom and pop landlords, but are owned by real-estate investment trusts (REITs), which are faceless corporations that hire management companies as a barrier between them and their tenants, to make the extraction of wealth as painless as possible for them. There is a reason they want to keep at such a remove from their tenants who are faced with high and steeply climbing rents, and perpetually degrading building conditions with more wildlife roaming about hallways and through building crevices than a Christmas nativity scene. Just speak with tenants anywhere in Parkdale, or read reviews or forums for rental units online. There’s a reason tenant protestors call their landlords ‘slumlords’. 
Alykhan Pabani and Aliza Kassam were interviewed on the Red Life Podcast, and it was an extremely informative glimpse into the housing crisis that began well before this ongoing global pandemic. They speak of how city workers and police are deployed to tear down the homes of encampment dwellers on public land and how management companies and landlords like MetCap are conducting mass evictions during this pandemic. Before COVID, some 135,000 people faced homelessness every year in Canada. Some 47% of Torontonians are renters, making a significant portion of the population vulnerable to evictions. Before the pandemic around 10,000 people on any given night in Toronto could be found sleeping rough, without a roof over their head. All these figures are only getting worse as the full gravity of this pandemic under capitalism is being felt. Tents, which are people’s homes, are being destroyed by the City, and despite officials claiming there are shelter spaces available to hold people overnight, there have been documented cases showing otherwise. One can see echoes of the alienating Roman imperial bureaucracy of Jesus’ time controlling where poor people’s bodies must be at any given time, and letting them deal with the consequences of being unhoused.
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As long as basic clean sanitary housing remains a commodity, and is not ensured as a human right, this tragedy will persist. We have the resources in this country to provide housing for everyone. There are extremely wealthy families that live within our borders, but it is their interests that ultimately get the final say in government. People need jobs. Labour can be directed towards building and maintaining affordable homes for everyone, but instead labour in our economy is directed wherever wealthy people decide it should be directed, often towards that which is most profitable, which frequently happens to misalign with that which is most useful for meeting basic human needs that cannot be justifiably ignored. 
And so when the knocking on the door of Advent arrives, it is the knock of a homeless Christ figure at our doorstep. It is not a matter of performing individual acts of generosity though. Simply letting someone into one’s house is radically generous, but it is not changing the fundamental structure of property relations, and who controls what, and who has what type of access to what. Everyone needs housing – a safe place that they can call their own. The knock of Advent is the cry of the tenant with nothing but lint in her pockets, demanding they not be evicted from their home. It is the painful groans of the Holy Spirit praying for a day of justice to come (in Romans 8). Part of Advent is, as Bonhoeffer said, “taking seriously, not [only] our own sufferings, but those of God in the world.” And doing so requires a commitment to faith – faith that another world is possible. Or as Arundhati Roy says, “Another world is not only possible, she is on her way. On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing." 
In a sermon Bonhoeffer gave on December 17, 1933, he speaks of this revolutionary spirit that found its way into the Magnificat: 
“This song of Mary's is the oldest Advent hymn. It is the most passionate, most vehement, one might almost say, most revolutionary Advent hymn ever sung. It is not the gentle, sweet, dreamy Mary that we so often see portrayed in pictures, but the passionate, powerful, proud, enthusiastic Mary, who speaks here. None of the sweet, sugary, or childish tones that we find so often in our Christmas hymns, but a hard, strong, uncompromising song of bringing down rulers from their thrones and humbling the lords of this world…” 
And so more than petty housing reforms, and stop-gap government measures to quiet the rowdy demands of tenants and encampment dwellers trying to survive the brutal winter cold, what we need more than any of that is a total restructuring of the political order. What Alykhan Pabani and Aliza Kassam are doing with Encampment Support Network and various tenant organizing projects (People’s Defense Toronto, Malton People’s Movement) is not only meeting the immediate material needs of their neighbours (providing food, sleeping bags, tents, protection from evictions, affordable rents, etc.) they are also spreading good news that another world is possible. And that it should be made a reality. That this kindom of justice and dignity for all should be on earth as it is in heaven. That it shouldn’t be the job of volunteers to be doing all these things while so many are jobless and desperate for work. The state should be guaranteeing jobs to anyone who wants one and meeting the sea of needs that exist out there. We need a radically different economy. That is what Mary so rightfully recognized in her Advent hymn. She sang all those centuries ago: 
“He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts. He has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; he has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.” (Luke 1:51-53)
If we are to fill the hungry with good things, and to adequately house everyone, we have no choice, but to send the rich away empty, and that is what is knocking on our door this Advent. Another world. “On a quiet day, I can hear her breathing."
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parkerjcole · 5 years
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Behind the Veil: Exposing the Evil of Domestic Oppression -- The Parker J Cole Show
Behind the Veil: Exposing the Evil of Domestic Oppression — The Parker J Cole Show
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Domestic oppression…what is that? Did you know that domestic oppression is the seedbed for every other form of abuse that takes place within families and churches? And did you know that the quantity of people who suffer under domestic oppression within the church is staggering in its pervasiveness?In Behind the Veil: Exposing the Evil of Domestic Oppression and Providing Hope, pastor and…
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thesinglesjukebox · 4 years
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KESHA FT. BIG FREEDIA - RAISING HELL
[6.38]
Kesha with Big Freedia Energy
Leah Isobel: Kesha has been saddled with one of the heaviest narratives of 2010s pop music, which combines uneasily with her career-long interest in more grounded country and rock signifiers. Now when she works with those impulses, as she did on Rainbow, the effect is one of refutation; Animal becomes an outlier that she made against her will, one that doesn't represent the Real Kesha. To work her way back to the party music that made her reputation, she has to adapt it to the new narrative frame that surrounds everything she does. If she's having fun, she's having fun in spite of what she experienced; partying is no longer an end into itself, but an escape from something else. Hence, "Raising Hell" deploys one of the hackiest pop tropes - gospel choirs used as a shortcut for sincere emotion - married to a pretty decent Big Freedia drop. It's not awful, but I miss the actual, honest-to-god trashiness that she made her stock in trade. In 2019, I guess I'm the only one. [6]
Thomas Inskeep: Finally, an uptempo Kesha record that a) isn't touched by the evil Dr. Luke, and b) doesn't sound like the result of a three-day vodka-and-Red Bull bender, and c) is actually fun. I'm not a fan of the EDM horns in the chorus, but apart from those, this works. I'm a bigger fan of Big Freedia in theory than practice, and accordingly prefer her in small doses; she's quite effective here as a kind of DJ Khaled-esque hype-person. And Kesha sounds free and happy, which makes me happy. [7]
Kayla Beardslee: I'm glad Kesha got her balls back and all, but I'm not enthused that that means a return to honking 2012 pop-drops. I will admit, though -- the combined Kesha/Freedia "drop it down low" hook grows on me with every listen. The rest of the song is fine: it invites singing along and is fun in a hedonistic Ke$ha way, but it's also very, very noisy (lots of erratic shouts and claps in the background that, to me, lean more messy than energetic). My favorite part is the final chorus ("Can I get an amen"), which is a pleasantly melodic contrast to the rest of the track, a close second being the thrilling "aaugh!" Kesha does right before the second chorus. [6]
Alex Clifton: High Road appears to take the party-all-day spirit from Kesha's earlier work but mixed with the rawer, more down-to-earth material from Rainbow. In theory this is a dream come true, and there's so much about "Raising Hell" that makes it a joy to experience. The post-chorus is godawful, though. Tonally it doesn't fit and stalls the song from its natural flow. I'm also longing for the day that Big Freedia gets the feature she deserves: her appearance is mostly limited to drop-it-drop-it-drop-it-drop-it which is delivered well but also literally one-note. Kesha's trying to have it all ways she can--country and gospel and dance and bounce--which, as someone who likes a good genreproof song, I really respect. Unfortunately the whole package doesn't come together as fully as it could. [6]
Stephen Eisermann: "The best possible Andy Grammer single" is not what Kesha and Big Freedia should be collaborating on. This is a waste of time and talent and no amount of conviction from either participant can convince me otherwise. [4]
Alfred Soto: This sounds sacrilegious: instead of defiling a religion, it defiles my idea of Kesha. After proving herself up to thumbing her nose at any genre she experimented with, she acquiesces to gospel cliches. She's earned the right to want salvation in them, lord knows, but she needn't sound as if Julia Michaels was her pastor. [4]
Josh Buck: How do you have a hook like "I don't wanna go to heaven without raising hell" and video centered around prosperity gospel preachers and NOT make it a country song?? At this point, Kesha has proven that she can tackle a variety of genres, but this bounce effort just feels scattered instead of celebratory. I realize this a loaded statement and not at all meant to be a defense or endorsement of the man, but judging by Kim Petras' endless recent string of bangers, Dr. Luke may have been an irreplaceable ingredient in Kesha's more crowd pleasing, debauched pop efforts. In recent years, she's sound much stronger on her Struts and Eagles of Death Metal rock cuts, and i'd love to see her spend more time in that arena. This one reminds me a bit of the final album by The Donnas in terms of we-might-be-too-old-for-this vibes. [3]
Katherine St Asaph: The narrative, inevitable and damning, around Kesha was that in severing her ties to Dr. Luke, she lost her source of a signature sound. Rainbow, with its grabs at musical styles and Kesha's required-for-optics but personality-dampening show of penitence, didn't do much to dislodge it. Which is why "Raising Hell" is such a triumph: it's evidence that she was the source of her signature sound. The song feels massive; if sound alone determines a hit, this would be No. 1 everywhere. The hook is recognizably hers: a melody that's kin to "We R Who We R" and also to hymns. The drops r what they r; the interpolations are canny and nostalgia: an interlude of "My Neck, My Back" filtered through "Hollaback Girl," an interlude of preaching filtered through Prince. Freedia is incapable of sounding like she's phoning it in even when she is (I'm sure she'll do a lot of that in the next few years), and unlike Iggy Pop or the Eagles of Death Metal, she's an actually exciting guest pick, rather than one mostly exciting on paper to boomers. And throughout, Kesha recaptures the anarchic glee that made her career. [8]
Jonathan Bogart: Maybe it was my naïveté in 2010 that made her sound so recklessly out of step with the rest of pop; but her post-Luke music, however much better it has been for her soul, still sounds faintly like capitulation. The secular-gospel structure and chantalong melody followed by jump around breakdowns sound like every pseudo-celebration on the market: the saving grace is Freedia's booming authoritativeness (surely the angel Gabriel, when he tells the roll up yonder to drop it down low, sounds like her) and Kesha's impish use of language, dancing on the borders between sacrilege and piety, hooks it up to the great stream of American song, where there is no Sunday morning without a Saturday night. [8]
Kylo Nocom: Of all things, this reminds me of Vacation Bible School theme songs and the "Cheerleader" remix. I have scored this accordingly. [7]
Michael Hong: The bombast of early 2010s Ke$ha meets the soulful Kesha of Rainbow racing down that same road to self-empowerment. Ke$ha's talk-singing, a choir that makes a line like "bitch, I'm blessed" all the more enjoyable, drops mixed with the gospel influences, and Big Freedia's bounce make for a hell of a maximalist fantasy. [7]
Jackie Powell: When "Raising Hell" begins, it fools the listener. When the piano chords and Kesha's introductory vocalization grace my ears during the song's first five seconds, I'm convinced that a power ballad or at best a mid-tempo track is in store. But Kesha quickly changes direction. An explosion of camp from collaborator Big Freedia, a blaring saxophone in the chorus, the return of talk-singing in the verses and an epic build in the pre-chorus: it sounds very familiar. That's what Kesha wants. She wants us to feel like we are once again at a 21-century hoedown. (But without Pitbull this time.) On this track, Kesha proves that both she and her fans can be "animals" while simultaneously being people with "fantastic souls", which might have been something missing from the pre-Rainbow eras. Here, however, Kesha desires fun and a rebellion that are a rejection of evil behavior and suffocating authority figures. She's not just sticking it to the man without a purpose. That's the difference between Kesha of 2019 and Ke$ha of 2009. "Kesha got her balls back and they're bigger than ever," she said in the album trailer for High Road. But I don't agree with that. She's had them since her inception. Her evolution has been honest, which is something that not all artists can say. [7]
Isabel Cole: MY! GIRL! Having proven herself an actual musician to every idiot man in the country, Kesha (perhaps sick of being so serious) gleefully returns to her favorite stomping ground of, well, glee. Raising Hell makes text what has always been the implicit mission of the Kesha project: a commitment to the fundamental sacredness of joy. It's hard to imagine a more succinct encapsulation of her ethos than "I'm all fucked up in my Sunday best / no walk of shame cuz I love this dress": it's not that she takes no pleasure in the transgression of elevating ass-shaking to the level of the divine, but it's a gentle mischief born of the deep belief in the holiness of enjoying our corporeal gifts while we still can. Feeling good is a form of worship, and a killer beat is no less legitimate an access point than a hymn. When she combines markers of religiosity with artifacts of base delights (my favorite is "Solo cup full of holy spirits," although I also adore the the vulgarity of "bounce it up and down where the good Lord split it"), the point is not to revel in contradiction but to toast to the fact that there is no contradiction; and when she opens her scope in the coda, dedicating her preaching or perhaps this round of shots to the misfits of creation, there's a (frankly Piscean) generosity to it. Also, (1) it slaps (2) biiiiiiiiiiiiiitch I'm blessed (3) her voice sounds just wonderful, as dextrous with an implicit smirk as ever and with a thrilling power on the places she gets to soar; I love the bit of grit we get in the chorus, like she's singing this after a night out (4) it FUCKING slaps (5) "I'm still here still, still bringing it to ya": ten years since TiK ToK this month, and the party still don't start till she walks in. [10]
[Read, comment and vote on The Singles Jukebox]
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tuseriesdetv · 5 years
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Guía de series: Estrenos y regresos de septiembre 2019
Septiembre es el mes oficial de estrenos en las networks, además de los regresos de sus series veteranas. Todos sabemos que esto ya no es tan importante como solía ser, aunque hay varias propuestas interesantes, pero el resto de cadenas y especialmente Netflix, como vais a ver, nos están regalando una buena tanda de novedades que podría parecer su propio comienzo de temporada. ¿Preparados para un mes repleto de entretenimiento de calidad?
¡Feliz septiembre!
Leyenda:
Verde: series nuevas.
Rojo: series de las que haremos reviews semanales.
Negro: regresos de otras series.
Naranja: miniseries o series documentales.
Amarillo: tv movies, documentales, especiales o pilotos.
Morado: season finales.
Púrpura: midseason finales.
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Calendario de series
2 de septiembre: 
Departure en Calle 13 
Untouchable en Hulu
A Confession (1T) en ITV
3 de septiembre: 
Mayans MC (2T) en FX
Greenleaf (4T) en OWN
The Capture (1T) en BBC One
4 de septiembre: 
The Reluctant Landlord (2T) en Sky One
Wu-Tang: An American Saga (1T completa) en Hulu
6 de septiembre: 
Titans (2T) en DC Universe
Elite (2T completa) y The Spy (1T completa) en Netflix
Scarborough (1T) en BBC One
Into the Dark (1T finale) en Hulu
9 de septiembre: 
The Deuce (3T y última) en HBO
Grand Hotel (1T finale) en ABC
10 de septiembre: Mr. Mercedes (3T) en Audience
12 de septiembre: 
The I-Land (1T completa) en Netflix
This Close (2T) en SundanceTV
Mr. Inbetween (2T) en FX
Mr. Mom (1T) en Vudu
13 de septiembre: 
Unbelievable (1T completa), Marianne (1T completa), Monarca (1T completa), Top Boy (3T completa), The Ranch (4aT) y Tall Girl en Netflix
Room 104 (3T) en HBO
Undone (1T completa) en Amazon
Temple (1T completa) en Sky One
18 de septiembre: American Horror Story: 1984 (9T) en FX
20 de septiembre: 
Criminal (1T completa), Disenchantment (2T completa) y Between Two Ferns en Netflix
Hot Date (2T) en Pop
This Close (2T finale) en SundanceTV
23 de septiembre: 
The Neighborhood (2T), Bob Hearts Abishola (1T), All Rise (1T) y Bull (4T) en CBS
Bluff City Law (1T) en NBC
9-1-1 (3T) y Prodigal Son (1T) en FOX
The Good Doctor (3T) en ABC
24 de septiembre: 
NCIS (17T), FBI (2T) y NCIS: New Orleans (6T) en CBS
This Is Us (4T) y New Amsterdam (2T) en NBC
Empire (6T y última) y The Resident (3T) en FOX
The Conners (2T), Bless This Mess (2T), Mixed-ish (1T), Black-ish (6T) y Emergence (1T) en ABC
25 de septiembre: 
Chicago Med (5T), Chicago Fire (8T) y Chicago PD (7T) en NBC
It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia (14T) en FXX
The Goldbergs (7T), Schooled (2T), Modern Family (11T y última), Single Parents (2T) y Stumptown (1T) en ABC
South Park (23T) en Comedy Central
26 de septiembre: 
Young Sheldon (3T), The Unicorn (1T), Mom (7T), Carol's Second Act (2T) y Evil (1T) en CBS
Superstore (5T), Perfect Harmony (1T), The Good Place (4T y última), Sunnyside (1T) y Law & Order: SVU (21T) en NBC
Grey's Anatomy (16T), A Million Little Things (2T) y How to Get Away with Murder (6T y última) en ABC
Creepshow (1T) en Shudder
27 de septiembre: 
The Politician (1T completa), Bard of Blood (1T completa), Skylines (1T completa) y In the Shadow of the Moon en Netflix
Hawaii Five-0 (10T), Magnum P.I. (2T) y Blue Bloods (10T) en CBS
American Housewife (4T) y Fresh Off the Boat (6T) en ABC
Transparent (series finale) en Amazon
29 de septiembre: 
God Friended Me (2T) y NCIS: LA (11T) en CBS
Bless the Harts (1T), The Simpsons (31T), Bob's Burgers (10T) y Family Guy (18T) en FOX
The Rookie (2T) en ABC
Godfather of Harlem (1T) en Epix
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Estrenos de series
Departure (Calle 13)
Un avión de pasajeros ha desaparecido misteriosamente en el Atlántico. La investigadora Kendra Malley (Archie Panjabi; The Good Wife, Blindspot), recién enviudada, no duda en ayudar a su antiguo jefe y mentor Howard Lawson (Christopher Plummer; The Sound of Music, All the Money in the World) para descubrir qué ha ocurrido. Deberán localizar el avión y a sus posibles supervivientes, encontrar el motivo del accidente y a posibles sospechosos y evitar que vuelva a ocurrir sean cuales sean las causas. Completan el reparto Claire Forlani (Meet Joe Black, Hawaii Five-0), Kris Holden-Ried (Vikings, Lost Girl), Kristian Bruun (Orphan Black, Murdoch Mysteries), Rebecca Liddiard (Alias Grace, Frankie Drake Mysteries), Shazad Latif (Star Trek: Discovery, My Mad Fat Diary), Tamara Duarte (Longmire, Wynonna Earp), Peter Mensah (Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D., Spartacus: Blood and Sand), Allan Hawco (Republic of Doyle, Frontier), Dougray Scott (Snatch, Hemlock Grove), Sasha Roiz (Grimm, Suits), Mark Rendall (Versailles, 30 Days of Night), Dmitry Chepovetsky (Killjoys, Regenesis), Paris Jefferson (Xena: Warrior Princess) y Tyler Fayose. Creada por Vincent Shiao (Ransom, Aftermath), escrita por Malcolm MacRury (Saving Hope) y dirigida por T.J. Scott (Orphan Black, Star Trek: Discovery). Seis episodios. Se estrenó en julio en Reino Unido. Estreno: 2 de septiembre
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A Confession (ITV)
Basada en el libro del detective Steve Fulcher (2017), en el que cuenta un caso real ocurrido en 2011, nos trae a Fulcher (Martin Freeman; Sherlock, Fargo), que incumple deliberadamente el protocolo policial para atrapar a un asesino en serie, una decisión que le costará su carrera y su reputación. Le acompañan Imelda Staunton (Harry Potter, Pride), Siobhan Finneran (Happy Valley, Downton Abbey), Joe Absolom (Doc Martin, The Level), Daniel Betts (Gentleman Jack, The Crown), Jessica D'Arcy (Electric Dreams), Florence Howard, Lolly Jones, Darcy Vanhinsbergh, Faye McKeever (Trollied), Anna Wilson-Jones (Victoria, Harlots) o Dominic Tighe. Escrita por Jeff Pope (Philomena, The Widower) y dirigida por Paul Andrew Williams (Broadchurch, Strangers). Seis episodios. Estreno: 2 de septiembre
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The Capture (BBC One)
El soldado Shaun Emery (Callum Turner; War & Peace, Glue) es acusado injustamente de asesinato en Afganistán y la detective Rachel Carey (Holliday Grainger; Strike, The Borgias) descubre una conspiración con pruebas manipuladas mientras intenta limpiar su nombre. Con Ron Perlman (Hellboy, Hand of God), Famke Janssen (X-Men, How to Get Away with Murder), Laura Haddock (Guardians of the Galaxy, Da Vinci's Demons), Ben Miles (The Crown, Collateral), Lia Williams (The Crown, Kiri), Sophia Brown (Clique, Marcella), Paul Ritter (No Offence, Friday Night Dinner), Adelayo Adedayo (Origin, Timewasters) y Ralph Ineson (Game of Thrones, Absentia). Escrita por Ben Chanan (Cyberbully, Blackout). Seis episodios. Estreno: 3 de septiembre
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Wu-Tang: An American Saga (Hulu)
Hulu nos contará la historia real de la creación del grupo de rap y hip-hop Wu-Tang Clan, formado por jóvenes negros procedentes de malos ambientes, en Nueva York durante los años 90. Protagonizada por Ashton Sanders (Moonlight, The Equalizer 2), Dave East, Julian Elijah Martinez, Vinnie Pastore (The Sopranos, Hawaii Five-0), Shameik Moore (The Get Down, Spider-Man: Into the Spider-Verse), Siddiq Saunderson (Messiah), T.J. Atoms, Johnell Young, Marcus Callender (Power, Eye Candy), Zolee Griggs (Adam Ruins Everything) y Erika Alexander (Insecure, Black Lightning). Creada y escrita por The RZA, líder del grupo, y Alex Tse (Watchmen). Diez episodios. Estreno: 4 de septiembre
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The Spy (Netflix)
Limited series sobre el legendario espía Eli Cohen (Sacha Baron Cohen; Ali G Indahouse, Borat), que filtró información siria al ejército israelí en los años 60. Con Noah Emmerich (The Americans, Frequency), Alexander Siddig (Gotham, Game of Thrones), Hadar Ratzon Rotem (Homeland), Nassim Si Ahmed (Marseille), Yael Eitan (Hatufim) y Uri Gavriel (Fauda). Escrita y dirigida por Gideon Raff (Homeland, Tyrant). Seis episodios. Estreno: 6 de septiembre
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Scarborough (BBC One)
Comedia que sigue las vidas de unos cuantos habitantes de un pueblo costero de North Yorkshire que se encuentran cada noche en un karaoke local. Protagonizada por Jason Manford (Ordinary Lies), Catherine Tyldesley (Coronation Street), Stephanie Cole (Still Open All Hours, Coronation Street), Maggie Ollerenshaw (Last of the Summer Wine, Still Open All Hours), Steve Edge (Phoenix Nights, Benidorm), Claire Sweeney (Brookside), Harriet Webb (Edge of Heaven, White Gold) y Gina Fillingham (Kiri). Creada por Derren Litten (Benidorm). Seis episodios. Estreno: 6 de septiembre
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The I-Land (Netflix)
Diez personas se despiertan en una peligrosa isla sin recordar quiénes son o cómo han llegado allí. Cuando comienzan a registrar el lugar, descubren que la isla no es lo que parece. Deberán ser la mejor versión de ellos mismos o morirán enfrentándose a los retos psicológicos y físicos que se irán encontrando. El reparto está formado por Natalie Martinez (Under the Dome, Kingdom), Kate Bosworth (21, Superman Returns), Michelle Veintimilla (Gotham, Seven Seconds), Alex Pettyfer (I Am Number Four, Magic Mike), Sibylla Deen (Tyrant, The Last Ship), Kyle Schmid (Six, Copper), Ronald Peet, Kota Eberhardt (Dark Phoenix), Anthony Lee Medina (Flesh and Bone) y Gilles Geary (Spirit Warriors). Escrita y dirigida por Neil LaBute (Van Helsing, Full Circle). Siete episodios. Estreno: 12 de septiembre
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Mr. Mom (Vudu)
Adaptación/continuación de la película de 1983, protagonizada por Michael Keaton, en la que un padre se queda en casa cuando su mujer vuelve a trabajar. En la serie, la hija pequeña del matrimonio, Megan (Andrea Anders; Joey, Modern Family), es ya adulta y desea volver a trabajar y que su marido (Hayes MacArthur; Angie Tribeca, Go On) críe a sus hijos. Escrita por Leslie Rathe, Mike Culbert y Mike Pellettieri y dirigida por Lauren Palmigiano (Tacoma FD). Diez episodios. Estreno: 12 de septiembre
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Unbelievable (Netflix)
Basada en hechos reales e inspirada en un artículo ganador del Pulitzer, se centra en una adolescente que dice haber sido violada (Kaitlyn Dever; Last Man Standing, Booksmart) y las dos detectives que investigan el caso para descubrir la verdad. Con Toni Collette (Hereditary, United States of Tara), Merritt Wever (The Walking Dead, Nurse Jackie), Danielle Macdonald (Patti Cake$), Kai Lennox (Falling Water), Dale Dickey (Claws, Vice Principals), Austin Hébert (Detroit), Omar Maskati (Better Call Saul, Tyrant), Elizabeth Marvel (Homeland, House of Cards), Liza Lapira (Apartment 23, 9JKL) y Vanessa Bell Calloway (Shameless, Saints & Sinners). Escrita por Susannah Grant (Erin Brockovich) y dirigida por Lisa Cholodenko (Olive Kitteridge, The Kids Are All Right). Ocho episodios. Estreno: 13 de septiembre
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Marianne (Netflix)
Una novelista (Victoire Du Bois; Call Me by Your Name, Mal de pierres) se da cuenta de que sus historias de terror están cobrando vida, y vuelve a su ciudad natal para hacer frente a su pasado y descubrir cómo frenar a la bruja Marianne (Mireille Herbstmeyer), la protagonista de sus pesadillas cuando era niña. Con Lucie Boujenah (Edmond), Alban Lenoir (Le semeur, Les crevettes pailletées), Tiphaine Daviot (Zone Blanche, Demi soeurs), Ralph Amoussou (De bon matin; Aide-toi, le ciel t'aidera), Bellamine Abdelmalek (Roulez jeunesse), Mehdi Meskar (Les engagés, Dans la maison), Corinne Valancogne, Patrick d'Assumçao (L'inconnu du lac, Le secret des banquises) y Pierre Aussedat (Les visiteurs). Escrita y dirigida por Samuel Bodin (Lazy Company). Ocho episodios. Estreno: 13 de septiembre
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Monarca (Netflix)
Thriller sobre la corrupción, el escándalo y la violencia que rodean a las élites que se centra en una familia dueña de un imperio empresarial y la batalla que se forma cuando un miembro decide enfrentarse al sistema corrupto que su familia ayudó a crear. Protagonizada por Irene Azuela (El hotel de los secretos, Quemar las naves), Juan Manuel Bernal (Capadocia, La heredera) y Osvaldo Benavides (La bella y las bestias, A que no me dejas). Creada por Diego Gutiérrez (Without a Trace, From Dusk Till Dawn) y producida por Salma Hayek (Ugly Betty, Frida). Diez episodios. Estreno: 13 de septiembre
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Undone (Amazon)
Alma tiene una nueva relación con el tiempo a partir de un accidente de coche en el que casi pierde la vida, y tratará de usar su habilidad para averiguar la verdad sobre la muerte de su padre. Con las voces de Rosa Salazar (Maze Runner, Parenthood), Angelique Cabral (Life in Pieces), Bob Odenkirk (Better Call Saul, Breaking Bad), Constance Marie (Switched at Birth, George Lopez), Daveed Diggs (The Get Down, Black-ish), Siddharth Dhananjay, Tyler Posey (Teen Wolf, Now Apocalypse) o Jeanne Tripplehorn (Big Love, Criminal Minds). Creada por Raphael Bob-Waksberg y Kate Purdy, creador y guionista de BoJack Horseman respectivamente, es una dramedia de animación con rotoscopio y fondos pintados al óleo. Ocho episodios. Estreno: 13 de septiembre
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Temple (Sky One)
Thriller con tintes cómicos en el que Daniel (Mark Strong; Kingsman, The Imitation Game) trabaja como cirujano en una clínica ilegal en los túneles subterráneos de Londres. Conducido por una tragedia personal y con una moral cada vez más cuestionable, tratará a cualquier que esté dispuesto a pagar por ayuda médica fuera del sistema. Contará con la ayuda de Lee (Daniel Mays; Line of Duty, Atonement), un empleado de transportes descontento; y Anna (Carice van Houten; Game of Thrones, Valkyrie), una investigadora médica con sentimientos de culpa. Completan el reparto Catherine McCormack (Genius, 28 Weeks Later), Craig Parkinson (Line of Duty, Misfits), Marion Bailey (Vera Drake, Allied), Tobi King Bakare (Cursed), Lily Newmark (Sex Education, Cursed), Hiten Patel (Four Weddings and a Funeral, Unforgotten) y Chloe Pirrie (The Crown, The Victim). Adaptación de la noruega Valkyrien por Mark O'Rowe (Perrier's Bounty). Ocho episodios. Estreno: 13 de septiembre
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Criminal (Netflix)
Procedimental policíaca que se lleva a cabo exclusivamente dentro de una sala de interrogatorios. Tendrá doce episodios, tres de ellos ambientados en Reino Unido, tres en España, tres en Alemania y tres en Francia. En cuanto al reparto español, contaremos con Carmen Machi, Inma Cuesta, Eduard Fernández, Emma Suárez, Álvaro Cervantes, Jorge Bosch, José Ángel Egido, Nuria Mencía, Daniel Chamorro, María Morales, Javi Coll y Milo Taboada. Estos tres episodios estarán escritos por Alejandro Hernández (Caníbal, El autor) y Manuel Martín Cuenca (Caníbal, El autor) y dirigidos por Mariano Barroso (Lo mejor de Eva, Todas las mujeres). En los tres episodios ambientados en Reino Unido, escritos por George Kay (Killing Eve, Stag) y dirigidos por Jim Field Smith (Wrecked, The Wrong Mans), podremos disfrutar de David Tennant, Hayley Atwell, Youssef Kerkour, Clare-Hope Ashitey, Katherine Kelly, Lee Ingleby, Nicholas Pinnock, Mark Stanley, Rochenda Sandall y Shubham Saraf. Los ambientados en Francia los escribirán Fréderic Mermoud (Moka), Antonin Martin-Hilbert (Moka, Zone Blanche) y Mathieu Missoffe (Zone Blanche) y los dirigirá Mermoud (Moka). Los tres restantes, ambientados en Alemania, estarán escritos por Bernd Lange (Requiem, Blaumacher) y Sebastian Heeg (Blaumacher) y dirigidos por Oliver Hirschbiegel (Der Untergang, The Invasion). En ellos participan Nathalie Baye, Sara Girardeau, Jérémie Renier, Margot Bancilhon, Laurent Lucas, Stéphane Jobert, Anne Azoulay y Mhamed Arezki en los franceses y Peter Kurth, Christian Berkel, Deniz Arora, Nina Hoss o Eva Meckbach, entre otros, en los alemanes. Estreno: 20 de septiembre
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Bob Hearts Abishola (CBS)
Comedia multicámara sobre un vendedor de calcetines de Detroit (Billy Gardell; Mike & Molly, Young Sheldon) que sufre un ataque de corazón y se enamora de la enfermera nigeriana que le atiende (Folake Olowofoyeku, Transparent). Ella vive con sus tíos Olu (Shola Adewusi, Chewing Gum) y Tunde (Barry Shabaka Henley; The Terminal, Agents of S.H.I.E.L.D.) y su hijo adolescente Dele (Travis Wolfe Jr., Raven's Home). Él hará todo lo posible para que le conceda una oportunidad, desde sobornar a una enfermera para averiguar dónde está su casa hasta acosarla en la parada del autobús. Con Vernee Watson (The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air), Christine Ebersole (Royal Pains), Maribeth Monroe (Workaholics) y Matt Jones (Mom). Escrita por Chuck Lorre (The Big Bang Theory, Mom). Estreno: 23 de septiembre
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All Rise (CBS)
Dramedia legal descrita como una exploración del sistema judicial y del mundo de los tribunales y centrada en las caóticas y a veces absurdas vidas de los jueces, fiscales, abogados y policías de Los Ángeles. Al frente se encuentra la nueva juez Lola Carmichael (Simone Missick; Luke Cage, Altered Carbon), una ayudante del fiscal del distrito altamente valorada que no tiene ninguna intención de relajarse en su nuevo puesto, sino que desafiará los límites y las expectativas. El reparto incluye a Marg Helgenberger (CSI), Jessica Camacho (Taken), Wilson Bethel (Hart of Dixie, Daredevil), Lindsay Mendez, Ruthie Ann Miles (The Americans) y J. Alex Brinson (Travelers). Creada y escrita por Greg Spottiswood (King, Remedy). Estreno: 23 de septiembre
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Bluff City Law (NBC)
Drama legal que sigue al legendario Elijah Strait (Jimmy Smits; The West Wing, Sons of Anarchy) y a su brillante hija Sydney (Caitlin McGee; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Shades of Blue), que lideran una firma en Memphis especializada en los casos de derechos civiles más controvertidos mientras lidian con su complicada relación familiar, inexistente durante años pero retomada tras la inesperada muerte de la madre de Sydney. Completan el reparto Scott Shepherd (True Detective, The Young Pope), Barry Sloane (Revenge, Six), Michael Luwoye (The Gifted, She's Gotta Have It), MaameYaa Boafo (Thru 25), Stony Blyden (Hunter Street) y Jayne Atkinson (House of Cards, Madam Secretary). Escrita y producida por Dean Georgaris (The Brave, The Baker and the Beauty). Estreno: 23 de septiembre
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Prodigal Son (FOX)
Malcolm Bright (Tom Payne, The Walking Dead) es el mejor psicólogo criminal porque sabe cómo piensan los asesinos, ya que su padre (Michael Sheen; Masters of Sex, Good Omens) fue uno de los mejores, un asesino en serie conocido como "el cirujano". Malcolm ayuda a la policía de Nueva York a resolver crímenes mientras lidia con unas neurosis constantes, una madre manipuladora (Bellamy Young, Scandal), una hermana demasiado normal (Halston Sage; The Orville, Crisis) y un padre homicida que aún busca conectar con él. Completan el reparto Lou Diamond Phillips (Longmire), Aurora Perrineau (Chasing Life, Into the Dark), Frank Harts (Billions, The Leftovers) y Keiko Agena (Gilmore Girls, 13 Reasons Why). Escrita y producida por Chris Fedak (Chuck, Legends of Tomorrow) y Sam Sklaver (Blunt Talk, Deception). Lee Toland Krieger (Riverdale, Chilling Adventures of Sabrina) dirigió el piloto. Producida por Greg Berlanti (Arrow, You). Estreno: 23 de septiembre
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Mixed-ish (ABC)
Creada de nuevo por Kenya Barris, es una precuela de Black-ish ambientada en los años 80 y protagonizada por una versión joven de Bow (Tracee Ellis Ross), interpretada por Arica Himmell (Thanksgiving), que nos mostrará cómo es crecer en una familia interracial y mudarse de una comuna hippie a los suburbios. Mark-Paul Gosselaar (Saved by the Bell, The Passage), Tika Sumpter (Gossip Girl, The Haves and the Have Nots), Gary Cole (Veep, The Good Fight), Ethan William Childress, Mykal-Michelle Harris (Big Little Lies) y Christina Anthony (Dog Moms, Key and Peele) serán el padre, la madre, el abuelo, los hermanos y la tía de Bow. El episodio de Black-ish que servía como presentación de esta serie se emitirá en su sexta temporada. Estreno: 24 de septiembre
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Emergence (ABC)
Thriller sobrenatural en el que una jefa de policía (Allison Tolman; Fargo, Downward Dog) acoge a una niña (Alexa Swinton, Billions) a la que encuentra en el lugar de un misterioso accidente y no recuerda qué ha ocurrido. La investigación les lleva a una conspiración más grande de lo que cabría imaginar relacionada con la identidad de la niña. Completan el reparto Donald Faison (Scrubs, The Exes), Clancy Brown (Carnivàle, Billions), Owain Yeoman (The Mentalist, Turn), Ashley Aufderheide (The Slap, Preacher), Robert Bailey Jr. (The Night Shift) y Zabryna Guevara (Gotham, New Amsterdam). Creada por Michele Fazekas y Tara Butters, creadoras de Kevin (Probably) Saves the World y guionistas de Agent Carter, y dirigida por Paul McGuigan (Lucky Number Slevin, Film Stars Don't Die in Liverpool). ABC encargó la serie la misma semana en que NBC descartó el piloto. Estreno: 24 de septiembre
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Stumptown (ABC)
Esta adaptación de la novela gráfica del mismo nombre nos muestra a la veterana del ejército Dex Parios (Cobie Smulders; How I Met Your Mother, Friends from College), que tiene una vida amorosa complicada, deudas de juego y un hermano del que ocuparse en Portland, Oregon. Sus brillantes habilidades militares contrastan con su vida personal y con su estilo, que le acaba poniendo siembre frente a los peores criminales, y no precisamente con la ayuda de la policía. Con Tantoo Cardinal (Frontier, Godless), Cole Sibus, Adrian Martinez (No Activity, The Blacklist: Redemption), Camryn Manheim (Ghost Whisperer, The Practice) y Michael Ealy (Secrets and Lies, Almost Human). Escrita por Jason Richman (Mercy Street, Detroit 187) y producida por los autores e ilustradores de la novela. James Griffiths (Episodes, Wrecked) dirigió el piloto. Estreno: 25 de septiembre
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The Unicorn (CBS)
Comedia monocámara (anteriormente iba a ser multicámara) producida y escrita por Bill Martin y Mike Schiff, creadores de Grounded for Life y guionistas de 3rd Rock from the Sun, que se centra en un viudo (Walton  Goggins; Justified, Vice Principals) que con la ayuda de sus amigos y su familia intenta superar el año más difícil de su vida, que incluye ser el padre soltero de sus dos hijas y volver al mundo de las citas, donde descubre que es un producto de alta demanda. Completan el elenco Michaela Watkins (Casual, Transparent), Rob Corddry (Ballers), Omar Benson Miller (Ballers, CSI: Miami), Maya Lynne Robinson (The Conners), Ruby Jay (Fancy Nancy, Holly Hobbie) y Makenzie Moss (Steve Jobs). Estreno: 26 de septiembre
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Carol's Second Act (CBS)
Comedia multicámara sobre una madre (Patricia Heaton; The Middle, Everybody Loves Raymond) que, después de criar a sus dos hijos y haber trabajado toda la vida como profesora, decide que ha llegado el momento de enfrentarse a un nuevo reto: convertirse en doctora. El reparto de la serie lo completan Kyle MacLachlan (Twin Peaks, Desperate Housewives), Jean-Luc Bilodeau (Baby Daddy, Kyle XY), Bonnie Dennison (The Guiding Light), Ito Aghayere (The Blacklist) y Sabrina Jalees (Transparent). Creada y escrita por Emily Halpern (Booksmart, Trophy Wife) y Sarah Haskins (Booksmart, Trophy Wife) y dirigida por Pamela Fryman (How I Met Your Mother, One Day at a Time). Estreno: 26 de septiembre
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Evil (CBS)
Drama procedimental de Michelle y Robert King, creadores de The Good Wife y The Good Fight, descrito por la cadena como la exploración de la batalla entre ciencia y religión. La trama sigue a un peculiar grupo formado por Kirsten Benoist (Katja Herbers; Westworld, Divorce), una psicóloga escéptica; David Dacosta (Mike Colter; Luke Cage, The Good Wife), un aspirante a cura; y Townsend (Michael Emerson, Person of Interest, Lost), un contratista corriente; que se alían para investigar posibles milagros, posesiones y demás sucesos paranormales o sin explicación lógica. Su objetivo será encontrar respuestas científicas o catalogar los eventos como sobrenaturales. Completan el reparto Aasif Mandvi (This Way Up, Shut Eye), Brooklyn Shuck (Rise) y Skylar Gray (Married; Me, Myself and I). Estreno: 26 de septiembre
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Perfect Harmony (NBC)
Un antiguo profesor de música de Princeton (Bradley Whitford; The West Wing, Studio 60) acaba en un coro de la iglesia de un pequeño pueblo y se encuentra con un grupo de cantantes que están fuera de tono en varios ámbitos de la vida pero puede que formen una mezcla perfecta para reinventarse y redescubrir la felicidad cuando más la necesitan. Con Anna Camp (Pitch Perfect, True Blood), Tymberlee Hill (Search Party, Grey's Anatomy), Rizwan Manji (The Magicians, Schitt's Creek), Will Greenberg (Wrecked, Halt and Catch Fire), Geno Segers (Banshee, Pair of Kings) y Spencer Allport. Escrita y producida por Lesley Wake Webster (Life in Pieces, Go On) y dirigida por Jason Winer (Life in Pieces, Modern Family). Estreno: 26 de septiembre
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Sunnyside (NBC)
Garrett Modi (Kal Penn; Designated Survivor, House M.D.) fue el concejal más joven de Nueva York. Se codeó con la élite política, acudió a las mejores fiestas y fue el orgullo de Queens, pero perdió su camino entre tanto poder y glamour y un escándalo acabó con su carrera. Ahora, un grupo de inmigrantes le contratan para que les ayude a conseguir la nacionalidad y le dan un nuevo sentido a su vida. Participan también Diana María Riva (Dead to Me, Telenovela), Joel Kim Booster (Shrill), Kiran Deol, Poppy Liu (Mercy Mistress), Moses Storm (Youth & Consequences, Arrested Development) y Samba Schutte. Escrita y producida por Penn y Matt Murray (Parks and Recreation, The Good Place). Producida también por Michael Schur (The Good Place, Parks and Recreation). Estreno: 26 de septiembre
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Creepshow (Shudder)
Antología inspirada en las películas que Stephen King y George A. Romero nos regalaron en 1982 y 1987. De las doce historias que nos contarán, solamente una es de King, y estará protagonizada por Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Once Upon a Time), Tobin Bell (Saw) y Adrienne Barbeau (The Fog). También podremos ver a David Arquette (Scream, Never Been Kissed), Tricia Helfer (Battlestar Galactica, Lucifer), Dana Gould (Stan Against Evil, I'm Dying Up Here), Jeffrey Combs (The 4400), Bruce Davison (X-Men, The Fosters), Big Boi o Kid Cudi. Creada y producida por Greg Nicotero (The Walking Dead), que también dirigirá dos de las historias. Seis episodios. Estreno: 26 de septiembre
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The Politician (Netflix)
Comedia musical creada por Ryan Murphy (American Horror Story, Glee), junto a sus habituales Ian Brennan y Brad Falchuk, que nos traerá las aspiraciones políticas de un joven adinerado de Santa Barbara (Ben Platt; Dear Evan Hansen, Pitch Perfect), que tiene clarísimo desde pequeño que va a ser presidente de Estados Unidos aunque todavía esté en el instituto. Le acompañarán Jessica Lange (American Horror Story, Feud), Gwyneth Paltrow (Shakespeare in Love, Glee), Zoey Deutch (The Disaster Artist, Set It Up), Laura Dreyfuss (Glee, Dear Evan Hansen), Lucy Boynton (Gypsy, Sing Street), Bob Balaban (Condor, Gosford Park), Benjamin Barrett, David Corenswet, Laura Dreyfuss (Glee), Julia Schlaepfer, Rahne Jones, Dylan McDermott (American Horror Story, The Practice), January Jones (Mad Men, The Last Man on Earth), Judith Light (Ugly Betty, Transparent), Bette Midler (The First Wives Club, Hocus Pocus) y Theo Germaine (Work in Progress). Ocho episodios. Ya está renovada por una segunda temporada. Estreno: 27 de septiembre
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Bard of Blood (Netflix)
Thriller de espionaje, adaptación de la novela de Bilal Siddiqi (2015), sobre un antiguo espía de la RAW (Emraan Hashmi) que vuelve a una misión secreta, acompañado de una analista (Sobhita Dhulipala, Made in Heaven) y otro agente durmiente (Vineet Kumar Singh), para rescatar a otros cuatro agentes capturados en Baluchistán. Así, deberá enfrentarse a su pasado y salvar a la India y a un antiguo amor. Dirigida por Ribhu Dasgupta. Ocho episodios. Estreno: 27 de septiembre
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Skylines (Netflix)
Jinn (Edin Hasanovic) es un joven productor de hip-hop que firma con un sello discográfico de Frankfurt y se ve de pronto inmerso en el mundo del crimen organizado y obligado a colaborar con la policía para frenar al hermano mafioso (Erdal Yildiz) del dueño de la firma (Murathan Muslu). Creada y producida por Dennis Schanz. Seis episodios. Estreno: 27 de septiembre
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Bless the Harts (FOX)
Comedia de animación sobre un grupo de sureños que no están viviendo el sueño americano. No tienen estatus ni riqueza, pero se dan cuenta de que basta con la familia, los amigos y las risas para ser feliz. Con las voces de Kristen Wiig (Saturday Night Live, The Last Man on Earth), Maya Rudolph (Saturday Night Live, Big Mouth), Jillian Bell (Workaholics, SuperMansion), Ike Barinholtz (The Mindy Project, MADtv) y Fortune Feimster (The Mindy Project, Life in Pieces). Creada por Emily Spivey (Saturday Night Live, The Last Man on Earth) y producida por Chris Miller (The Last Man on Earth, How I Met Your Mother), Phil Lord (The Last Man on Earth, How I Met Your Mother) y Seth Cohen (The Last Man on Earth). Estreno: 29 de septiembre
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Godfather of Harlem (Epix)
Bumpy Johnson (Forest Whitaker; Empire, The Last King of Scotland) fue un jefe criminal que a principios de los años 60 volvió a Harlem tras pasar diez años en prisión y se alió con Malcolm X para derrocar a la mafia italiana que controlaba la zona. Con Vincent D'Onofrio (Daredevil, Law & Order: Criminal Intent), Ilfenesh Hadera (She's Gotta Have It, Show Me a Hero), Antoinette Crowe-Legacy, Nigél Thatch (Selma, Valor), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas, Nixon), Giancarlo Esposito (Breaking Bad, Once Upon a Time), Rafi Gavron (A Star is Born, Counterpart), Kathrine Narducci (The Sopranos, Power), Kelvin Harrison Jr. (StartUp, Shots Fired), Lucy Fry (Wolf Creek, 22.11.63), Clifton Davis (Iron Fist, Madam Secretary) y Markuann Smith. Escrita por Chris Brancato (Narcos, Hannibal) y Paul Eckstein (Law & Order: Criminal Intent, First  Wave). Diez episodios. Estreno: 29 de septiembre
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blackchurchnewswire · 6 years
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LISTEN: Whyte House Family Devotions: A Prayer for the Family, the Church, the Nation and the World #362 (Friday, May 18, 2018): “Love Covers,” by Billy Graham
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[caption id="attachment_40916" align="alignleft" width="156"] Daniel Whyte III[/caption] My family and I have had morning devotions, or family altar as some people call it, every day ever since my wife, Meriqua, and I were married 30 years ago. We have prayed and read the Bible together as well as other devotional books as a family, and it is the only reason why this family has stayed together, and the only reason why God has blessed our family and used our family in ministry all of these years. We read Ephesians 5 and 6 every morning as it relates to the role of each member of the family and how that we need to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the devil who is seeking to destroy our family and all Christian families, churches, and Christians. So, now after 30 years of doing this in our home, we are opening this up to others who don't have a family to pray with, who don't have a spouse, or who are single by choice, and to encourage all families who are still intact to go back to the family altar and have devotions together every morning. In these devotions, you may hear me deal with a temptation I'm facing in my life, you may hear me rebuke my wife about not doing what she should be doing, or you may hear me get on one of my children's cases about something they're doing. Don't be shocked; this is real life. SING "DOXOLOGY" Praise God from Whom all blessings flow Praise Him, all creatures here below Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost Amen Billy Graham said, “God speaks to those who are prepared in their hearts to listen. Discern the voice from heaven above the noisy din of earth’s confusion.” ------ RECITE: THE NEW NICENE CREED We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, bled, died, and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He was seen alive by Mary Magdalene and the other women, the disciples and over 500 other brethren; He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy universal and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen. ------ EPHESIANS 6:12-13 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stephen J. Cole writes in his commentary on this passage: "Adequate preparation is a major part of victory in spiritual warfare. Proverbs 24:10 states, 'If you are slack in the day of distress, your strength is limited.' Here, Paul tells us to take up God’s full armor so that we will be able to resist when the evil day hits, as surely it will. Then, being prepared, you will be able to stand firm. You do not need to learn any formulas or complicated steps to victory over the devil. The Bible is quite simple: James 4:7 says, 'Submit therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.' First Peter 5:8-9 says, 'Be of sober spirit, be on the alert. Your adversary, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. But resist him, firm in your faith.' By the way, we’re commanded to flee from sin, but to resist the devil. As Jesus showed us when He was tempted by Satan, one of the most effective ways to resist is to know and recite Scripture. And so one way to prepare yourself for battle in the evil day is to saturate your mind with God’s Word, reading it over and over and memorizing key verses to equip you for victory." ------- PRAYER ------- DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE: Psalm 141:1-4 1 Lord, I cry unto thee: make haste unto me; give ear unto my voice, when I cry unto thee. 2 Let my prayer be set forth before thee as incense; and the lifting up of my hands as the evening sacrifice. 3 Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth; keep the door of my lips. 4 Incline not my heart to any evil thing, to practise wicked works with men that work iniquity: and let me not eat of their dainties. Regarding this passage, Matthew Henry writes: “Those that know how to value God's gracious presence, will be the more fervent in their prayers. When presented through the sacrifice and intercession of the Saviour, they will be as acceptable to God as the daily sacrifices and burnings of incense were of old. Prayer is a spiritual sacrifice, it is the offering up the soul and its best affections. Good men know the evil of tongue sins. When enemies are provoking, we are in danger of speaking unadvisedly. While we live in an evil world, and have such evil hearts, we have need to pray that we may neither be drawn nor driven to do any thing sinful.” --------- PRAYER FOR THE ESTATES 1. Family 2. Clergy (church) 3. Government 4. People (citizens) 5. The press (media) 6. New media/Online journalists PRAYER FOR THE FAMILY PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP GOVERNMENT LEADERS 1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." President Donald Trump and his administration Vice President Mike Pence First Lady Melania Trump Second Lady Karen Pence All White House staff including: Chief of Staff John F. Kelly All leaders of federal agencies including: Federal Judicial Center Director Jeremy Fogel All territorial governors including: Guam Governor Eddie Baza Calvo All city mayors including: Davenport, FL, Mayor Darlene Bradley All members of Congress including: Florida Representative Vern Buchanan All law enforcement officials including: Davenport, FL, Police Chief Larry Holden All military leaders including: Defense Secretary James Mattis / Chief of Staff of the Air Force General David L. Goldfein Leaders of nations around the world including: Niger’s President Mahamadou Issoufou and Prime Minister Brigi Rafini The peace of Jerusalem PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE / CITIZENS PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD - For the protection of the Congo from a new ebola outbreak - For peace and calm between Israel and Gaza - For the comfort of the families and church families of ten people killed in suicide attacks on three churches in Indonesia PRAYER REQUESTS Pastor Dobson for Your blessings to be on their revival this month; and for the provision of Bibles for their ministry Suleman please save his girlfriend and give them a healthy relationship, lead them to get married if that is Your will Marie Please protect her and her children and deliver them from demonic attacks against them THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST AS SAVIOR Marlaine Christy Galegake THOSE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST Aigul Xabangai George DEVOTIONAL READING: “Faith Produces Works,” by Billy Graham Ephesians 6:7 says, “Doing service as to the Lord...” “A true sacrament is not a mere creed, or ordinance, or form, but it is a life of service to God and to man. The most eloquent prayer is the prayer through hands that heal and bless. The highest form of worship is the worship of unselfish Christian service. The greatest form of praise is the sound of consecrated feet seeking out the lost and helpless. “There must be a practical outworking of our faith here in this present world, or it will never endure the world to come. The Pharisees majored on show but minored on service. We need fewer words and more charitable works; less palaver and more pity; less repetition of creed and more compassion.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell. First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God's law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death…" Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Now that is bad news, but here's the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:9 & 13 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen. If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read "What To Do After You Enter Through the Door". Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University's Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
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Whyte House Family Devotions #356 (05/13/18): "He Changes Us," by Billy Graham
https://soundcloud.com/danielwhyteiii/whyte-house-family-devotions-356-051318-he-changes-us-by-billy-graham
My family and I have had morning devotions, or family altar as some people call it, every day ever since my wife, Meriqua, and I were married 30 years ago. We have prayed and read the Bible together as well as other devotional books as a family, and it is the only reason why this family has stayed together, and the only reason why God has blessed our family and used our family in ministry all of these years. We read Ephesians 5 and 6 every morning as it relates to the role of each member of the family and how that we need to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the devil who is seeking to destroy our family and all Christian families, churches, and Christians. So, now after 30 years of doing this in our home, we are opening this up to others who don't have a family to pray with, who don't have a spouse, or who are single by choice, and to encourage all families who are still intact to go back to the family altar and have devotions together every morning. In these devotions, you may hear me deal with a temptation I'm facing in my life, you may hear me rebuke my wife about not doing what she should be doing, or you may hear me get on one of my children's cases about something they're doing. Don't be shocked; this is real life. SING "DOXOLOGY" Praise God from Whom all blessings flow Praise Him, all creatures here below Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost Amen Billy Graham said, “Life can become unbalanced, and in the process God gets pushed to the fringes. Instead of staying at the center of our lives, Christ gradually gets relegated to the shadows. Don’t let this happen to you!” ------ RECITE: THE NEW NICENE CREED We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, bled, died, and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He was seen alive by Mary Magdalene and the other women, the disciples and over 500 other brethren; He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy universal and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen. ------ EPHESIANS 6:12-13 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stephen J. Cole writes in his commentary on this passage: "Paul emphasizes the spiritual authority and power of these foes. He calls them 'rulers,' 'powers,' 'world forces of darkness,' and 'spiritual forces of wickedness in heavenly places.' His repetition of the word 'against' in each case underscores the complete incompatibility and the entrenched opposition between these evil powers and God’s people. The spiritual authority of these demonic powers is indicated in an incident in the life of the prophet Daniel, in which an angel told him that he would have arrived sooner, but 'the prince of the kingdom of Persia' had withstood him for three weeks. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, had come to his aid. This story gives us a brief glimpse into the unseen world of angelic conflict. Apparently certain demons have authority over entire nations or kingdoms. They are so powerful that even this impressive angel could not break through until he received help from Michael, the archangel! The story of Job also shows that Satan has the power to instigate murderous terrorist attacks; to send lightning to hit specific targets; to send a tornado force wind on a particular house; and, to strike a man with painful boils all over his body. He could have killed Job if God had so permitted. You don’t want to mess with this powerful enemy or underestimate his strength!" ------- PRAYER ------- DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE: Psalm 139:13-16 13 For thou hast possessed my reins: thou hast covered me in my mother's womb. 14 I will praise thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made: marvellous are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right well. 15 My substance was not hid from thee, when I was made in secret, and curiously wrought in the lowest parts of the earth. 16 Thine eyes did see my substance, yet being unperfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them. Regarding this passage, Matthew Henry writes: “The believer cannot be removed from the supporting, comforting presence of his Almighty Friend. Should the persecutor take his life, his soul will the sooner ascend to heaven. The grave cannot separate his body from the love of his Saviour, who will raise it a glorious body. No outward circumstances can separate him from his Lord. While in the path of duty, he may be happy in any situation, by the exercise of faith, hope, and prayer.” --------- PRAYER FOR THE ESTATES 1. Family 2. Clergy (church) 3. Government 4. People (citizens) 5. The press (media) 6. New media/Online journalists PRAYER FOR THE FAMILY PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP GOVERNMENT LEADERS 1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." President Donald Trump and his administration Vice President Mike Pence First Lady Melania Trump Second Lady Karen Pence All White House staff including: Special Counsel to the President Ann M. Donaldson All leaders of federal agencies including: United States Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa All state governors including: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker All city mayors including: Crescent City, FL, Mayor Joseph Santa All members of Congress including: Florida Representative Ted Yoho All law enforcement officials including: Crescent City, FL, Police Chief Angelo Damiano All military leaders including: Defense Secretary James Mattis / Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley Leaders of nations around the world including: The Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Prime Minister Mark Rutte The peace of Jerusalem PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE / CITIZENS PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD - For the comfort of the families of 7 people killed in a mass shooting in Australia - For the safety of the people of Kenya who are suffering from extreme flooding; for the comfort of the families of those who have been killed - For the safety and protection of the people of Congo where a new ebola outbreak has been reported. PRAYER REQUESTS Rajiv please bless their ministry to children who lost their parents to HIV and bless the church planting outreach, school, widows ministry, Gospel meetings, pastors conference, and social work; enable them to reach all of Odisha state with the Gospel and turn all of India to You Bhima please provide them with the money they need to build orphanages and plant churches; bless the seminary students and teachers with all that they need Bushebi Please bless the reopening of their Bible school and protect the students; protect and provide for the people suffering in Kenya and Somalia because of floods; help Timothy to recover completely THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST AS SAVIOR Frank Joshua Lucas THOSE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST Anne Celestino Bryce DEVOTIONAL READING: “He Changes Us,” by Billy Graham Ephesians 6:19 says, “That I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel.” “The word ‘mystery’ means beyond human knowledge or understanding. God’s mysteries baffle the unbelieving, but bless the believer. The mystery of righteousness, like some of the other great mysteries of God, we cannot comprehend, but we know it works. We stand amazed at this great mystery which enables God to change the human heart, its attitudes, its desires, and its nature. “God, a holy God, who loves righteousness and hates wickedness, through a process of redemption has refashioned us in the image of Himself. How marvelous! For generations He has been applying His righteousness to the hearts of men. Even in our time, with its complexities of living, God is in the business of changing men and women by the mystery of righteousness.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell. First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God's law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death…" Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Now that is bad news, but here's the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:9 & 13 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen. If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read "What To Do After You Enter Through the Door". Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
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LISTEN: Whyte House Family Devotions #355 (05/12/18): "The Need for Wisdom," by Billy Graham
https://soundcloud.com/danielwhyteiii/whyte-house-family-devotions-355-051218-the-need-for-wisdom-by-billy-graham
[caption id="attachment_40916" align="alignleft" width="156"] Daniel Whyte III[/caption] My family and I have had morning devotions, or family altar as some people call it, every day ever since my wife, Meriqua, and I were married 30 years ago. We have prayed and read the Bible together as well as other devotional books as a family, and it is the only reason why this family has stayed together, and the only reason why God has blessed our family and used our family in ministry all of these years. We read Ephesians 5 and 6 every morning as it relates to the role of each member of the family and how that we need to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the devil who is seeking to destroy our family and all Christian families, churches, and Christians. So, now after 30 years of doing this in our home, we are opening this up to others who don't have a family to pray with, who don't have a spouse, or who are single by choice, and to encourage all families who are still intact to go back to the family altar and have devotions together every morning. In these devotions, you may hear me deal with a temptation I'm facing in my life, you may hear me rebuke my wife about not doing what she should be doing, or you may hear me get on one of my children's cases about something they're doing. Don't be shocked; this is real life. SING "DOXOLOGY" Praise God from Whom all blessings flow Praise Him, all creatures here below Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost Amen Billy Graham said, “There are those today that say we must do as others do, that we must conform to the world to win it, that we must swim with the tide, that we must move with the crowd. But the believer should say, ‘No.’” ------ PRAY "THE NEW COMMON PRAYER" Almighty and most merciful Father; We have sinned, and strayed from Thy ways like lost sheep. We have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts. We have offended against Thy holy laws. We have left undone those things which we ought to have done; And we have done those things which we ought not to have done; And there is no peace and joy in us. But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable offenders. Spare Thou us, O God, who confess our sins, our faults, and our failures. Restore those of us who confess our sins and repent; According to Thy promises declared unto us in Christ Jesus our Lord. And grant, O most merciful Father, for His sake; That we may hereafter live a godly, righteous, and sober life. To the glory of Thy holy Name. In Jesus Christ's Name, Amen. ------ EPHESIANS 6:12-13 12 For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. 13 Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stephen J. Cole writes in his commentary on this passage: "Satan also uses deception when he tempts us to sin. He always portrays sin as attractive and fulfilling. He convinces us that a particular sin will meet needs that God has not met. Are you single and desiring a mate? Have you prayed, but God has not answered? Satan comes along and says, ‘Here is an attractive young man [or woman] for you!’ You ask, ‘Is he [or she] a committed believer in Jesus Christ?’ The devil says, ‘No, but look at how nice he is. He treats you well! You know supposedly Christian men that abuse their wives, so being a Christian is no guarantee of getting a loving mate. Besides, you aren’t committing to marry him. Just go out with him and see how it goes.’ And so the unsuspecting get lured into premarital sex and marriage to a nice unbeliever! “Satan uses the same deceptive tactics to lure married believers into adultery. You’re having problems in your marriage, and along comes the most understanding, sympathetic, and attractive person! Whereas your husband never listens to you, this man always listens. Whereas your wife never responds to you sexually, this gorgeous woman is ready and willing! Be forewarned! The devil is powerful because he is a deceptive schemer." ------- PRAYER ------- DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE: Psalm 139:7-12 7 Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? 8 If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there. 9 If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; 10 Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. 11 If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover me; even the night shall be light about me. 12 Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee. Regarding this passage, Matthew Henry writes: “We cannot see God, but he can see us. The psalmist did not desire to go from the Lord. Whither can I go? In the most distant corners of the world, in heaven, or in hell, I cannot go out of thy reach. No veil can hide us from God; not the thickest darkness. No disguise can save any person or action from being seen in the true light by him. Secret haunts of sin are as open before God as the most open villanies. On the other hand, the believer cannot be removed from the supporting, comforting presence of his Almighty Friend.” --------- PRAYER FOR THE ESTATES 1. Family 2. Clergy (church) 3. Government 4. People (citizens) 5. The press (media) 6. New media/Online journalists PRAYER FOR THE FAMILY PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP GOVERNMENT LEADERS 1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." President Donald Trump and his administration Vice President Mike Pence First Lady Melania Trump Second Lady Karen Pence All White House staff including: Special Counsel to the President Ann M. Donaldson All leaders of federal agencies including: United States Capitol Police Chief Matthew Verderosa All state governors including: Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker All city mayors including: Crescent City, FL, Mayor Joseph Santa All members of Congress including: Florida Representative Ted Yoho All law enforcement officials including: Crescent City, FL, Police Chief Angelo Damiano All military leaders including: Defense Secretary James Mattis / Chief of Staff of the Army Gen. Mark A. Milley Leaders of nations around the world including: The Netherlands King Willem-Alexander and Prime Minister Mark Rutte The peace of Jerusalem PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE / CITIZENS PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD - For the safety of the people of Kenya who are suffering from extreme flooding; for the comfort of the families of those who have been killed - For the safety and protection of the people of Congo where a new ebola outbreak has been reported. - For the protection of the people of Hawaii who have been displaced because of volcanic eruptions and earthquakes PRAYER REQUESTS Rajiv please bless their ministry to children who lost their parents to HIV and bless the church planting outreach, school, widows ministry, Gospel meetings, pastors conference, and social work; enable them to reach all of Odisha state with the Gospel and turn all of India to You Bhima please provide them with the money they need to build orphanages and plant churches; bless the seminary students and teachers with all that they need Bushebi Please bless the reopening of their Bible school and protect the students; protect and provide for the people suffering in Kenya and Somalia because of floods; help Timothy to recover completely THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST AS SAVIOR Frank Joshua Lucas THOSE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST Anne Celestino Bryce DEVOTIONAL READING: “The Need for Wisdom,” by Billy Graham Matthew 24:35 says, “Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away. ” “Time is running out. The seconds are ticking away toward midnight. The human race is about to take the fatal plunge. Which way shall we turn? Is there any authority left? Is there a path we can follow? Can we find a code book that will give us the key to our dilemmas? Is there any source of authority to which we can turn? Have we just been placed here by some unknown creator or force without any clue as to where we came from, why we are here, and where we are going? “The answer is ‘no.’ We do have a code book. We do have a key. We do have authoritative source material. It is found in the ancient and historic Book we call the Bible. This Book has come down to us through the ages. It has passed through so many hands, appeared in so many forms-and survived attack of every kind. Neither barbaric vandalism nor civilized scholarship has touched it. Neither the burning of fire nor the laughter of skepticism has accomplished its annihilation. Through the many dark ages of man its glorious promises have survived unchanged.” - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell. First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God's law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death…" Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Now that is bad news, but here's the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:9 & 13 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen. If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read "What To Do After You Enter Through the Door". Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University's Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
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LISTEN: Whyte House Family Devotions #325 (04/11/18): "Transformed By Grace," by Billy Graham
https://soundcloud.com/danielwhyteiii/whyte-house-family-devotions-325-041118-transformed-by-grace-by-billy-graham
[caption id="attachment_40916" align="alignleft" width="156"] Daniel Whyte III[/caption] My family and I have had morning devotions, or family altar as some people call it, every day ever since my wife, Meriqua, and I were married 30 years ago. We have prayed and read the Bible together as well as other devotional books as a family, and it is the only reason why this family has stayed together, and the only reason why God has blessed our family and used our family in ministry all of these years. We read Ephesians 5 and 6 every morning as it relates to the role of each member of the family and how that we need to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the devil who is seeking to destroy our family and all Christian families, churches, and Christians. So, now after 30 years of doing this in our home, we are opening this up to others who don't have a family to pray with, who don't have a spouse, or who are single by choice, and to encourage all families who are still intact to go back to the family altar and have devotions together every morning. In these devotions, you may hear me deal with a temptation I'm facing in my life, you may hear me rebuke my wife about not doing what she should be doing, or you may hear me get on one of my children's cases about something they're doing. Don't be shocked; this is real life. SING "DOXOLOGY" Praise God from Whom all blessings flow Praise Him, all creatures here below Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost Amen Billy Graham said, "The apostle Paul urges Christians everywhere in all ages to be nonconformists as far as the world system is concerned. We are not to conform. A true Christian, living an obedient life, is a constant rebuke to those who accept the moral standards of this world." ------ PRAY THE LORD'S PRAYER Our Father which art in Heaven, Hallowed be Thy Name, Thy Kingdom come, Thy Will be done in earth, as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread. And forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For Thine is the Kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen. ------ EPHESIANS 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. So far, we have discussed how fathers may provoke their children to anger by capriciousness, unreasonableness, favoritism, selfishness, criticism without praise, demanding perfection, extremes of over- and under- discipline, insensitivity, and not being available. Steven J. Cole writes in his commentary on this passage, “Fathers may provoke their children to anger by breaking promises. Sometimes, of course, it is unavoidable. You have promised to do something with your kids, but your job demands your time at the last minute. But that should not happen very often and when it does happen, you had better make it up to your children, or they will grow resentful and they will not trust your word.” ------- PRAYER ------- DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE: Psalm 125:1-3 1 They that trust in the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for ever. 2 As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round about his people from henceforth even for ever. 3 For the rod of the wicked shall not rest upon the lot of the righteous; lest the righteous put forth their hands unto iniquity. Regarding this passage, Matthew Henry writes: “All those minds shall be truly stayed, that are stayed on God. They shall be as Mount Zion, firm as it is; a mountain supported by providence, much more as a holy mountain supported by promise. They cannot be removed from confidence in God. They abide forever in that grace which is the earnest of their everlasting continuance in glory. Committing themselves to God, they shall be safe from their enemies.” --------- PRAYER FOR THE ESTATES 1. Clergy (church) 2. Government 3. People (citizens) 4. The press (media) 5. New media/Online journalists PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP - For all pastors, church leaders, denominational leaders, Bible teachers, missionaries, and ministry workers. GOVERNMENT LEADERS 1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." President Donald Trump and his administration Vice President Mike Pence First Lady Melania Trump Second Lady Karen Pence All White House staff including: Deputy Director of Management and Administration Monica J. Block All leaders of federal agencies including: Postal Regulatory Commission Chairman Robert G. Taub All state governors including: New York Governor Andrew Cuomo All city mayors including: Biscayne Park, FL, Mayor David Coviello All members of Congress including: Florida Representative Debbie Wasserman Schultz All law enforcement officials including: Biscayne Park, FL, Police Chief Cornelius McKenna All military leaders including: Defense Secretary James Mattis / Admiral Kurt W. Tidd, Commander of U.S. Southern Command Leaders of nations around the world including: Malta’s President Marie Preca and Prime Minister Joseph Muscat For the peace of Jerusalem PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE / CITIZENS PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD - For the comfort of the families of 6 people killed in a mudslide in Japan - For the comfort of the families of 27 children who were killed when their school bus plunged into a gorge in India - For the comfort of the families of 110 people killed in fighting in Syria over the past few days, and we pray for thee ultimate resolution of the conflict. PRAYER REQUESTS Obua please grant him favor and wisdom, heal his wife of HIV/AIDS, and help him and his family to glorify You Alina deliver her from the pain she is going through; save her mother and neighbour Esther heal her younger brother and his family from sorrow; be with her widow mother; have their non-profit re-organization to be reopened and bless them with the finances they need THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST AS SAVIOR Vincet Japhan Samwel THOSE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST Danette Sylvester Suleiman DEVOTIONAL READING: “Transformed By Grace,” by Billy Graham 2 Corinthians 5:21 says, “He hath made him to be sin for us that we might be made the righteousness of God...” Augustine was one of the greatest theologians of all time. He was a wild, intemperate, immoral youth. In spite of his mother’s pleadings and prayers, he grew worse instead of better. But one day he had a personal encounter with Jesus Christ that transformed his life. His restlessness and the practice of sin disappeared. He became one of the great saints of all time. John Newton was a slave trader on the west coast of Africa. One day in a storm at sea he met Jesus Christ. He went back to England and became an Anglican clergyman. He wrote scores of hymns, one of which has become the modern popular song, “Amazing Grace.” This is what Christ can do for anyone who puts his trust in Him. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell. First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God's law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death…" Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Now that is bad news, but here's the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:9 & 13 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen. If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read "What To Do After You Enter Through the Door". Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University's Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
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Holy Faith, Worthy Gospel, World Vision
Andrew Fuller’s Broadsides Against Sandemanianism, Hyper-Calvinism, and Global Unbelief
Holy Faith, Worthy Gospel, World Vision
Andrew Fuller’s Broadsides Against Sandemanianism, Hyper-Calvinism, and Global Unbelief
Desiring God 2007 Conference for Pastors
Resource by John Piper
Topic: Biography
A revised and expanded version of this biographical message now appears inAndrew Fuller: Holy Faith, Worthy Gospel, World Mission.
It is totally possible that Andrew Fuller’s impact on history, by the time Jesus returns, will be far greater and different than it is now. My assessment at this point, 192 years after his death, is that his primary impact on history has been the impetus that his life and thought gave to the modern missionary movement, specifically through the sending and supporting of William Carey to India in 1793. That historical moment — the sending of William Carey and his team — marked the opening of the modern missionary movement.
The Unleashing of Modern Missions
Carey was the morning star of modern missions. Between 1793 and 1865, a missionary movement never before seen in the history of the world reached virtually all the coastlands on earth. Then in 1865, Hudson Taylor founded the China Inland Mission, and from 1865 until 1934, another wave of missionary activity was released so that by 1974 virtually all the inlands — all the geographic countries of the world — were reached with the gospel. In 1934, Cameron Townsend founded Wycliffe Bible Translators which focused not on geographic areas or political states but on people groups with distinct languages and dialects and cultures — and gradually the church awakened, especially at the Lausanne Congress in 1974, to the biblical reality of “every tribe and tongue and people and nation” (Revelation 5:9; 7:9) — and the missionary focus of the church shifted from unreached geography and to the unreached peoples of the world.
We are in the midst of this third era of modern missions. Today the great reality, as documented in Philip Jenkins’ The Next Christendom, is that the center of gravity in missions is moving away from Europe and the United States to the South and East. Places we once considered mission fields are now centers of Christian influence and are major missionary sending forces in the world (Andrew Walls would say it a little differently than Jenkins: “While some scholars such as Philip Jenkins emphasize a shift of power from Western churches to those south of the equator, Walls sees instead a new polycentrism: the riches of a hundred places learning from each other.” “Historian Ahead of His Time,” Christianity Today, Vol. 51, No. 2, February 2007, p. 89.).
Andrew Fuller’s Impact
You won’t read it in the secular history books or hear it on the nightly news, but judged by almost any standard, this modern missionary movement — the spread of the Christian faith to every country and almost all the peoples of the world — is the most important historical development in the last two hundred years. Stephen Neill, in the conclusion to his History of Christian Missions, wrote, “The cool and rational eighteenth century [which ended with William Carey’s departure for India] was hardly a promising seed-bed for Christian growth; but out of it came a greater outburst of Christian missionary enterprise than had been seen in all the centuries before” (571).
So how did it come about that the “cool and rational” eighteenth century gave birth to the greatest missionary movement in world history — a movement that continues to this day, which, if you’re willing, you can be a part of? God’s ways are higher than our ways and his judgments are unfathomable and inscrutable (Romans 11:33). More factors led to this great movement than any human can know. All I want to do is document one of them — just one of ten thousand things God did to unleash this great Christ-exalting, gospel-advancing, Church-expanding, evil-confronting, Satan-conquering, culture-transforming soul-saving, hell-robbing, Christian-refreshing, truth-intensifying missionary movement.
I mention the terms Christian-refreshing and truth-intensifying because in Andrew Fuller’s life, there is a reciprocal relationship between spiritual life and biblical truth, on the one hand, and missions, on the other hand. In one direction, spiritual life and biblical truth give rise to missions. And in the other direction, engagement in the missionary enterprise awakens and sustains new levels of spiritual life and sharpens and deepens and intensifies our grasp of biblical truth. We will focus on the first in this message, but here are some glimpses into the effect missions had on Fuller’s life. On July 18, 1794, he wrote the following in his diary:
Within the last year or two, we have formed a missionary society; and have been enabled to send out two of our brethren to the East Indies. My heart has been greatly interested in this work. Surely I never felt more genuine love to God and to his cause in my life. I bless God that this work has been a means of reviving my soul. If nothing else comes of it, I and many others have obtained a spiritual advantage. (Peter Morden, Offering Christ to the World [Waynesboro, Georgia: Paternoster, 2003], p. 167)
Six months earlier he had written to John Ryland, “I have found the more I do for Christ, the better it is with me. I never enjoyed so much the pleasures of religion, as I have within the last two years, since we have engaged in the Mission business. Mr. Whitfield used to say, ‘the more men does for God, the more he may’” (Ibid.).
In one direction, when your love for Christ is enflamed and your grasp of the gospel is clear, a passion for world missions follows. In the other direction, when you are involved in missions—when you are laying down your life to rescue people from perishing—it tends to authenticate your faith, and deepen your assurance, and sweeten your fellowship with Jesus, and heighten your love for people, and sharpen your doctrines of Christ and heaven and hell. In other words, spiritual life and right doctrine are good for missions, and missions is good for spiritual life and right doctrine.
The reason I said at the beginning that it is totally possible that Andrew Fuller’s impact on history, by the time Jesus returns, will be far greater and different than it is now, is that there are three volumes of his writings still in print, and he was an unusually brilliant theologian. So quite apart from his influence on the rise of modern missions, his biblical insights may have an impact for good on future generations all out of proportion to his obscure place in the small town of Kettering, England. We will see some of his theological genius as we work our way backward from effect to cause — from his engagement with the new missionary movement to the spiritual life and theology that set it in motion.
Great Gain and Great Loss
Andrew Fuller died on May 7, 1815, at the age of sixty-one. He had been the pastor of the Baptist Church in Kettering (population, about three thousand) for thirty-two years. Before that, he was the pastor at Soham, and before that, he was a boy growing up on his parents’ farm and getting a simple education. He had no formal theological training but became the leading theological spokesman for the Particular Baptists5 in his day. He began to do occasional preaching in his home church of Soham at age seventeen, and when he was twenty-one, they called him to be the pastor.
The year after he became the pastor at Soham, he married Sarah Gardiner. (The year was 1776 — the year America declared independence from Britain). In the sixteen years before she died, the couple had eleven children, of whom eight died in infancy or early childhood. Sarah died two months before the Baptist Missionary Society was formed in Fuller’s home in October of 1792.
It is often this way in the ministry: the greatest gain and the greatest loss within two months. “Whoever loses his life for my sake will find it” (Matthew 10:39). “Unless a grain of wheat falls into the earth and dies, it remains alone; but if it dies, it bears much fruit” (John 12:24). He did marry again. In 1794, he married Ann Coles who outlived him by ten years.
An Overwhelmed Life
During these forty years of pastoral ministry in Soham and Kettering, Fuller tried to do more than one man can do well. He tried to raise a family, pastor a church, engage the destructive doctrinal errors of his day with endless writing, and function as the leader of the Baptist Missionary Society which he and a band of brothers had founded in 1792. He regularly felt overwhelmed. In 1801, he wrote in a letter,
[Samuel] Pierce’s memoirs are now loudly called for [that is, people were calling for him to write the memoirs of his friend, which he did]. I sit down almost in despair. . . . My wife looks at me with a tear ready to drop, and says, “My dear, you have hardly time to speak to me.” My friends at home are kind, but they also say, “You have no time to see us or know us and you will soon be worn out.” Amidst all this there is “Come again to Scotland — come to Portsmouth — come to Plymouth — come to Bristol” (Morden, Offering Christ, pp. 153-154).
A little band of Baptist pastors including William Carey had formed the Baptist Missionary Society on October 2, 1792. Fuller, more than anyone else, felt the burden of what it meant that William Carey and John Thomas (and later others) left everything for India in dependence, under God, on this band of brothers. One of them, John Ryland, recorded the story where the famous “rope holder” image came from. He wrote that Carey said,
Our undertaking to India really appeared to me, on its commencement, to be somewhat like a few men, who were deliberating about the importance of penetrating into a deep mine, which had never before been explored, we had no one to guide us; and while we were thus deliberating, Carey, as it were, said “Well, I will go down, if you will hold the rope.” But before he went down . . . he, as it seemed to me, took an oath from each of us, at the mouth of the pit, to this effect — that “while we lived, we should never let go of the rope.” (Ibid., p. 136.)
Fuller served as the main promoter, thinker, fundraiser, and letter-writer of the Society for over twenty-one years. He held that rope more firmly and with greater conscientiousness than anyone else. When he said above that in all his pastoral labors he hears, “Come again to Scotland — come to Portsmouth — come to Plymouth — come to Bristol,” he meant: Churches were calling him to come and represent the mission. So he traveled continuously speaking to raise support for the mission. He wrote the regular Periodical Accounts. He supplied news to the Baptist Annual Register, the Evangelical Magazine, and the Baptist Magazine. He took the lead role in selecting new missionaries. He wrote regularly to the missionaries on the field and to people at home (See Ibid., pp. 136-137, for a fuller account of his engagements.)
Tireless Pastoral Labors
All this while knowing his pastoral work was suffering. He did not have an assistant at Kettering until 1811 (John Hall), four years before he died. In October of 1794, he lamented in a letter to John Ryland how the mission work was compromising the church work: “I long to visit my congregation that I may know of their spiritual concerns and preach to their cases” (Ibid., p. 111). The love he felt for his people is expressed in a letter he wrote to a wayward member that he was pursuing: “When a parent loses . . . a child nothing but the recovery of that child can heal the wound. If he could have many other children, that would not do it. . . . Thus it is with me towards you. Nothing but your return to God and the Church can heal the wound.”
He pressed on faithfully feeding his flock with faithful expository preaching. “Beginning April 1790, he expounded successively Psalms, Isaiah, Joel, Amos, Hosea, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, Jeremiah, Lamentations, Daniel, Haggai, Zechariah, Malachi, Genesis, Matthew, Luke, John, Revelation, Acts, Romans, and First Corinthians as far as 4:5” (Tom Nettles in his “Preface to the New Edition: Why Andrew Fuller?” The Complete Works of Reverend Andrew Fuller, Vol. 1, Joseph Belcher, (Harrisonburg, Virginia: Sprinkle Publications, 1988).).
The people did not seem to begrudge their pastor’s wider ministry for the Missionary Society. One young deacon entered in his diary two weeks before Fuller’s death,
What a loss as individuals and as a church we are going to sustain. Him that has so long fed us with the bread of life, that has so affectionately, so faithfully, and so fervently counseled, exhorted, reproved, and animated; by doctrine, by precept, and by example the people of his charge; him who has liv’d so much for others! Shall we know more hear his voice? (Morden, Offering Christ, p. 112.)
And when he was home from his travels, his life was one form of work for another. His second wife Ann once told him that “he allowed himself no time for recreation.” Fuller answered, “O no: all my recreation is a change of work.”13 His son, Gunton Fuller, recorded that even in 1815, just a few months before his death, he was still working at his desk “upwards of twelve hours a day” (Morden, Offering Christ, p. 183.).
Extraordinary Suffering
Woven into all this work, making his perseverance all the more astonishing, is the extraordinary suffering, especially his losses. He lost eight children and his first wife. On July 10, 1792, he wrote, “My family afflictions have almost overwhelmed me, and what is yet before me I know not! For about a month past the affliction of my dear companion has been extremely heavy.” Then on July 25, “Oh my God, my soul is cast down within me! The afflictions of my family seemed too heavy for me. Oh, Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me!” (The Complete Works of Reverend Andrew Fuller, Vol. I, pp. 58–59.) When his wife died one month later (August 23, 1792), having lost eight of her children, Fuller wrote these lines:
The tender parent wails no more her loss, Nor labors more beneath life’s heavy load; The anxious soul, released from fears and woes, Has found her home, her children, and her God. (Works, Vol. I, pp. 59-61.)
Andrew Fuller, the Thinker
That is the personal, pastoral, missionary context of Fuller’s engagement with the spiritual and doctrinal errors of his day. And for all his activism, it is his controversial and doctrinal writing that served the cause of world missions most. Virtually all the students of Andrew Fuller agree that he was the most influential theologian of the Particular Baptists. “Fuller,” one writes, “was pre-eminently the thinker, and no movement can go far without a thinker” (Morden, Offering Christ, p. 137, citing E. F. Clipsham, who was quoting B. Grey Griffith.)
What I will try to do is show how his engagement with Sandemanianism recovered and preserved a kind of vital faith that is essential for missions, and his engagement with Hyper-Calvinism (or what he more often called High Calvinism) recovered and preserved a kind of preaching that is essential for missions. And in both cases, the battle was distinctly exegetical and doctrinal even though the all-important outcomes were deeply experiential and globally practical.
Enlightenment Contemporaries and Particular Baptists
Of course, Andrew Fuller, the thinker, the theologian, did not arise in a vacuum. Besides the secular rationalism of David Hume (1711–1776) in Britain and Rousseau (1712–1778) in France and Thomas Paine (1737–1809) in America — all contemporaries of Andrew Fuller — there was the Great Awakening in America and the Evangelical Awakening in Britain. Both George Whitefield (1714–1770) and John Wesley (1703–1791) were in their prime when Andrew Fuller was born in 1754.
The Particular Baptists did not like either of these evangelical leaders. Wesley was not a Calvinist, and Whitefield’s Calvinism was suspect, to say the least, because of the kind of evangelistic preaching he did. The Particular Baptists spoke derisively of Whitefield’s “Arminian dialect” (Ibid., p. 20). Fuller grew up in what he called a High Calvinistic — or Hyper-Calvinistic — church. He said later that the minister at the church in Soham (John Eve) had “little or nothing to say to the unconverted” (Ibid., p. 27). Fuller’s greatest theological achievement was to see and defend and spread the truth that historic biblical Calvinism fully embraced the offer of the gospel to all people without exception.
Fuller immersed himself in the Scriptures and in the historic tradition flowing from Augustine through Calvin through the Puritans down to Jonathan Edwards. The Bible was always paramount: “Lord, thou hast given me a determination to take up no principle at second-hand; but to search for everything at the pure fountain of thy word” (Works, Vol. I, p. 20). That is one of the main reasons why it is so profitable to read Fuller to this very day: He is so freshly biblical.
His Great Mentors
But he is wide open about who his great mentors were. And we should know them. He searched both the Scriptures and the history of doctrine to see if he could find this High Calvinism that had so infected and controlled his denomination — the view that opposed offering the gospel to all men and said it could not be the duty of the unregenerate men to believe on Jesus, and therefore, one should not tell them they should do what they have no duty to do. That was the reasoning of Hyper-Calvinism.
The two most influential authors representing High Calvinism — at least the ones who influenced Particular Baptists most — were John Brine (1703–1765) and John Gill (1697–1771). Morden comments that Timothy George and others have made attempts to rehabilitate Gill and to rebut the charge that he was a Hyper-Calvinist, “but attempts to defend him from the charge of high Calvinism are ultimately unconvincing” (Offering Christ, p. 15) A quotation illustrating John Gill’s attitude towards a free offer of the gospel: “That there are universal offers of grace and salvation made to all men, I utterly deny; nay I deny that they are made to any; no not to God’s elect; grace and salvation are provided for them in the everlasting covenant, procured for them by Christ, published and revealed in the gospel and applied by the spirit.” John Gill, Sermons and Tracts, Three Volumes (London: 1778), III, p. 269-270, quoted in Morden, Offering Christ, p. 14. Fuller himself certainly saw Gill as a High Calvinist responsible for much of the evangelistic deadness among his fellow Particular Baptists: “I perceived . . . that the system of Bunyan was not the same as [John Gill’s]; for while he maintained the doctrines of election and predestination, he nevertheless held with the free offer of salvation to sinners without distinction” (Morden, Offering Christ, p. 31).
Fuller came to this conclusion:
Neither Augustine nor Calvin, who each in his today defended predestination, and the other doctrines connected with it, ever appear to have thought of denying it to be the duty of every sinner who has heard the gospel to repent and believe in Jesus Christ. Neither did the other Reformers, nor the Puritans of the 16th century, nor the divines at the Synod of Dort, (who opposed Arminius) nor any of the nonconformists of the 17th century, so far as I have any acquaintance with their writings, ever so much as hesitate upon this subject. (Works, Vol. II, p. 367)
John Calvin played a relatively minor role in shaping Fuller’s thinking directly. He was immersed in the Puritans and quoted more from Charnock, Goodwin, Bunyan, and Owen than from Calvin. He only quotes from Calvin once in the first edition of his most influential book, The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation. Morden concludes, “There is no direct link between Calvin’s writings and The Gospel Worthy” (Morden, Offering Christ, p. 35). In fact, by his own testimony, John Owen ranks first in his esteem of all the writers that influenced him. “I never met with anything of importance in his writings on which I saw any reason to animadvert; so far from it, that I know of no writer for whom I have so great an esteem” (Works, Vol. I, p. 39. Emphasis added).
The Influence of Jonathan Edwards
But even if he esteems Owen above all others, almost everyone who studies Fuller’s works agree that Jonathan Edwards was the most decisively influential in helping him break free from his Hyper-Calvinistic roots (Edwards, most agree, was “probably the most powerful and important extra biblical influence” on Fuller. Morden, Offering Christ, p. 49). Fuller admits that, after the Bible itself, it was Edwards who provided the keys that unlocked the door out of Hyper-Calvinist reasoning. We will see that this was true both for the Sandemanian and the Hyper-Calvinist controversies.
David Bebbington says that Jonathan Edwards “stands at the headwaters” of eighteenth-century evangelicalism (David Bebbington, Evangelicalism in Modern Britain: A History from the 1730s to the 1980s (London: Unwin Hyman, 1989), p. 6). That is certainly true for Andrew Fuller. To give you a flavor of the way he felt about Edwards — ten days before Fuller died on May 7, 1815, he dictated a letter to John Ryland, one of the band of brothers who founded the mission together with him. The point of the letter was to defend Jonathan Edwards:
We have heard some, who have been giving out of late that “if Sutcliff and some others had preached more of Christ and less of Jonathan Edwards, they would have been more useful.” If those who talk thus, preached Christ half as much as Jonathan Edwards did, and were half as useful as he was, their usefulness would be double what it is (Works, Vol. I, p. 101.).
Edwards’ Freedom of the Will
Fuller was born in 1754, four years before Jonathan Edwards died, and the year that Edwards published his hugely influential book, The Freedom of the Will. I mention Edwards’ book on the will because in it Fuller found one of the keys that unlocked the unbiblical prison of Hyper-Calvinism.
The Hyper-Calvinist reasoning went like this, in the words of Andrew Fuller:
It is absurd and cruel to require of any man what is beyond his power to perform; and as the Scriptures declare that “No man can come to Christ, except the Father draw him,” and that “The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned,” it is concluded that these are things to which the sinner, while unregenerate, is under no obligation. (Ibid., p. 376.)
“It is a kind of maxim with such persons,” Fuller said, “that ‘none can be obliged to act spiritually, but spiritual men’” (Works, Vol. II, p. 360). The practical conclusion that they drew was that faith in Christ is not a duty for the non-elect. It is not a duty for the unregenerate. Therefore, you never call for faith indiscriminately. You never stand before a group of people — whether in Britain or in India — and say, “Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ!” You never exhort, plead, call, command, urge.
Fuller Against the Hyper-Calvinists
One of Fuller’s critics, John Martin, Pastor at Grafton Street, Westminster wrote,
Sinners in my opinion, are more frequently converted, and believers more commonly edified, by a narrative of facts concerning Jesus Christ, and by a clear, connected statement of the doctrines of grace, and blessings of the gospel, and then by all the expectations and expostulations that were ever invented. (Quoted in Morden, Offering Christ, p. 57.) But in fact, the Hyper-Calvinists were not passionately telling the narrative of the gospel story to the lost and were opposed to the new mission to India. Peter Morden points out that “The prevalence of high Calvinism had led not only to a refusal to ‘offer Christ’ but also to a general suspicion of all human ‘means’, such as ministerial training and associating” (Morden, Offering Christ, p. 45). The effect of this rationalistic distortion of the biblical Calvinism was that the churches were lifeless and the denomination of the Particular Baptists was dying.
One example of the emotional fallout of High Calvinism is seen, first, in the fact that Whitefield and Wesley were accused of “enthusiasm” which was defined vaguely and abusively as any kind of religious excitement, and, second, in the fact that John Gill, in his A Complete Body of Doctrinal and Practical Divinity, said that spiritual joy “is not to be expressed by those who experience it; it is better experienced than expressed” (Ibid., p. 20).
Fuller, who only knew High Calvinism in his early ministry, said in 1774, “I . . . durst not, for some years, address an invitation to the unconverted to come to Jesus” (Quoted from John Ryland’s biography in Ibid., p. 103.). He went on to say, “I conceive there is scarcely a minister amongst us whose preaching has not been more or less influenced by the lethargic systems of the age” (Works, Vol., II, p. 387.). The price had been huge: in the forty years after 1718; the Particular Baptists declined from 220 congregations to 150 (Morden Offering Christ, p. 8.).
A “Warrant of Faith”?
If you ask: How then did anyone get saved under this system? The answer was that here and there God would give what they called a “warrant of faith.” That is, there would be some token granted by the Holy Spirit to signify that the persons were regenerate and elect and therefore had a “warrant” to believe. For example, one way God did this, they believed, was by forcibly suggesting a Scripture to one’s mind. This happened to Fuller at age thirteen (with Romans 6:14), and he thought for a while that he had been saved. But the experience proved to be abortive (Ibid., p. 28).
What Fuller came to see was that High Calvinism had shifted the meaning of faith from focusing on the objective person and promises of Christ onto the subjective state of our own hearts. In other words, saving faith became faith that I am experiencing the regenerating work of God — faith that I am elect. Or, as Fuller put it, the High Calvinists said that faith is to “believe the goodness of their state.” To this he responded:
If this be saving faith, it must inevitably follow that it is not the duty of unconverted sinners; for they are not interested in Christ [that is, they are not yet united to him], and it cannot possibly be their duty to believe a lie. But if it can be proved that the proper object of saving faith is not our being interested in Christ [that is, our being already united to him], but the glorious gospel of the ever blessed God, (which is true, whether we believe it or not,) a contrary inference must be drawn; for it is admitted, all in all hands, that it is the duty of every man to believe what God reveals (Works, Vol., II, p. 333.).
In fact, Fuller goes on to show that
Nothing can be an object of faith, except what God has revealed in his word; but the interest that any individual has in Christ . . . is not revealed. . . . The Scriptures always represent faith as terminating on something [outside of] us; namely, on Christ, and the truths concerning him. . . . The person, blood, and righteousness of Christ revealed in the Scriptures as the way of a sinner’s acceptance with God, are, properly speaking, the objects of our faith; for without such a revelation it were impossible to believe in them. . . . That for which he ought to have trusted in him was the obtaining of mercy, in case he applied for it. For this there was a complete warrant in the gospel declarations (Ibid., pp. 334, 340, 342.).
In other words, we should not say to unbelievers: Wait until you feel some warrant of faith so that you can trust in that. Rather, we should say, “Christ is the glorious divine Son of God. His death and resurrection are sufficient to cover all your sins.39 He promises to receive everyone who comes to him and he promises to forgive all who trust in him. Therefore, come to him and trust him and you will be saved. If you wonder if you are elect or if you are regenerate, cease wondering and do what Christ has commanded you to do. Receive him, trust in him, cast yourself on him for his promised mercy. And you will prove to be elect and to be regenerate.”
On the extent of the atonement, Fuller found himself again defending the Scripture against High Calvinists and Arminians who both thought that “particular redemption” made the free offer of the gospel to all illogical. His position is that the death of Christ is not to be conceived of “commercially” in the sense that it purchased effectually a limited number such that if more believed they could not be atoned for.
On the other hand, if the atonement of Christ proceed not on the principle of commercial, but of moral justice, or justice as it relates to crime — if its grand object were to express the divine displeasure against sin (Romans 8:3) and so to render the exercise of mercy, in all the ways wherein sovereign wisdom should determine to apply it, consistent with righteousness (Romans 3:25) — if it be in itself equal to the salvation of the whole world, were the whole world to embrace it—and if the peculiarity which attends it consists not in its insufficiency to save more than are saved, but in the sovereignty of its application—no such inconsistency can justly be ascribed to it (Works, Vol., II, pp. 373–374 Emphasis added).
Fuller, the Calvinist
Fuller is a Calvinist. He says, “The Scriptures clearly ascribe both repentance and faith wherever they exist to divine influence [e.g., 2 Timothy 2:25-26; Ephesians 2:8].” He believes in irresistible grace. But what he is arguing against is that one has to know before he believes that he is being irresistibly called or regenerated:
Whatever necessity there may be for a change of heart in order [for one to believe], it is neither necessary nor possible that the party should be conscious of it till he has believed. It is necessary that the eyes of a blind man should be opened before he can see; but it is neither necessary nor possible for him to know that his eyes are open till he does see.
In other words, the limitation of the atonement lies not in the sufficiency of its worth to save all the sinners in the world, but in the design of God to apply that infinite sufficiency to those whom he chooses. As the application of redemption is solely directed by sovereign wisdom, so, like every other event, it is the result of previous design. That which is actually done was intended to be done. Hence the salvation of those that are saved is described as the endwhich the Savior had in view: “He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.” Herein, it is apprehended, consists the peculiarity of redemption. There is no contradiction between this peculiarity of design in the death of Christ, and the universal obligation of those who hear the gospel to believe in him, or universal invitation being addressed to them (Ibid., p. 374).
In this position, as in so many, he was in line with his decisive mentor, Jonathan Edwards, who wrote in The Freedom of the Will,
Christ in some sense might be said to die for all, and to redeem all visible Christians, yea, the whole world by his death; yet there must be something particular in the design of his death with respect to such as be saved thereby. God has the actual salvation of redemption of a certain number in his proper and absolute design, and of a certain number only; and, therefore, such a design can only be prosecuted in anything God does in order to the salvation of men (“The Freedom of the Will,” in The Works of Jonathan Edwards, Vol. I, ed. Paul Ramsey (New Haven: Yale university Press, 1985), p. 435).
Fuller steadfastly refuses to let ostensible Calvinistic or Arminian logic override what he sees in Scripture. And ironically, High Calvinism and Arminianism are here standing on the same pretended logic against Scripture. Both argue that it is absurd and cruel to require of any man what is beyond his power to perform. Or to put it the way Fuller does,
They are agreed in making the grace of God necessary to the accountableness of sinners with regard to spiritual obedience. The one [High Calvinism] pleads for graceless sinners being free from obligation, the other [Arminianism] admits of obligation but founds it on the notion of universal grace. Both are agreed that where there is no grace there is no duty. But if grace be the ground of obligation, it is no more grace, but debt (Ibid., p.379).
“The whole weight of this objection,” he says, “rests upon the supposition that we do not stand in need of the Holy Spirit to enable us to comply with our duty” (Ibid., p. 379). In other words, both High Calvinists and Arminians rejected the prayer of St. Augustine, “Command what you wish, but give what you command”(Confessions, trans. R. S. Pine-Coffin (New York: Penguin, 1961), p. 40). But Fuller says, “To me it appears that the necessity of Divine influence, and even of a change of heart, prior to believing, is perfectly consistent with its being the immediate duty of the unregenerate” (Works, Vol., II, p. 381.).Why? Because the Scripture shows it to be the case, and Jonathan Edwards provides categories that help make sense out of it. Concerning the biblical witness, he writes,
The same things are required in one place which are promised in another: ‘Only fear the Lord, and serve him in truth with all your heart.’ — ‘I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me.’ When the sacred writers speak of the divine precepts, they neither disown them nor infer from them a self-sufficiency to conform to them, but turn them into prayer: ‘Thou hast commanded us to keep thy precepts diligently. Oh that my ways were directed to keep thy statutes!’ In fine, the Scriptures uniformly teach us that all our sufficiency to do good or to abstain from evil is from above; repentance and faith, therefore may be duties, notwithstanding their being the gifts of God (Ibid., p. 380. “If an upright heart toward God and man be not itself required of us, nothing is or can be required; for all duty is comprehended in the acting-out of the heart.” Ibid., p. 382).
Natural Inability and Moral Inability
In his most famous work, The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, Fuller piles text upon text in which unbelievers are addressed with the duty to believe (See Works, Vol., II, pp. 343–366 where most of these texts are explained. See, for example, Psalm 2:11n12; Isaiah 55:1–7; Jeremiah 6:16; John 12:36; John 6:29; 5:23. He aligns himself with John Owen at this point who wrote, “When the apostle beseecheth us to be ‘reconciled’ to God, I would know whether it be not a part of our duty to yield obedience? If not, the expectation is frivolous and vain.” Works, Vol., II, p. 353). These are his final court of appeal against the High Calvinists who use their professed logic to move from biblical premises to unbiblical conclusions. But he finds Edwards very helpful in answering the High Calvinist objection on another level. Remember, the objection is: “It is absurd and cruel to require of any man what is beyond his power to perform.” In other words, a man’s inability to believe removes his responsibility to believe (and our duty to command them to believe). In response to this objection, Fuller brings forward the distinction between moral inability and natural inability. This was the key insight which he learned from Jonathan Edwards, and he gives him credit for it on the third page of The Gospel Worthy.
Referring to himself in the third person as the author, he writes, “He had read and considered, as well as he was able, President Edwards’s Inquiry into the Freedom the Will . . . on the difference between natural and moral inability. He found much satisfaction in the distinction as it appeared to him to carry with it its own evidence—to be clearly and fully contained in the Scriptures. . . . The more he examined the Scriptures, the more he was convinced that all inability ascribed to man, with respect to believing, arises from the perversion of his hear” (Works, Vol., II, p. 330).
The distinction is this: Natural inability is owing to the lack of “rational faculties, bodily powers, or external advantages”; but moral inability is owing to the lack of inclination because of an averse will. Natural inability does in fact remove obligation. He cites Romans 2:12 as a pointer to this truth: “For all who have sinned without the law will also perish without the law, and all who have sinned under the law will be judged by the law.” In other words, there is a correlation between what you will be held accountable for and what you had natural access to.
But moral inability does not excuse. It does not remove obligation. And this is the kind of inability the Bible is speaking about when it says, “The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.” (1 Corinthians 2:14; cf. Romans 8:8).
There is an essential difference [Fuller writes] between an ability which is independent of the inclination, and one that is owing to nothing else. It is just as impossible, no doubt, for any person to do that which he has no mind to do, as to perform that which surpasses his natural powers; and hence it is that the same terms are used in one case as in the other (Ibid., p. 377).
In other words, it is just as impossible for you to choose to do what you have no inclination to do as it is to do what you have no physical ability to do. But the inability owing to physical hindrances excuses, while the inability owing to a rebellious will does not.
“He that, from the Constitution of his nature, is absolutely unable to understand, or believe, or love a certain kind of truth, must of necessity, be alike unable to shut his eyes against it, to disbelieve, to reject, or to hate it. But it is manifest that all men are capable of the latter; it must therefore follow that nothing but the depravity of their heart renders them incapable of the former” (Works, Vol., II, p. 378).
This kind of reasoning was not Fuller’s main reason for rejecting High Calvinism and Arminianism. Scripture was. But Edwards’ categories helped him make more sense of what he saw there.
The Practical Effect for Missions
The all important conclusion from all this exegetical, doctrinal, theological labor and controversy was the enormously practical implication for evangelism and world missions:
I believe it is the duty of every minister of Christ plainly and faithfully to preach the gospel to all who will hear it; and, as I believe the inability of men to [do] spiritual things to be wholly of the moral, and therefore of the criminal kind — and that it is their duty to love the Lord Jesus Christ, and trust in him for salvation, though they do not; I therefore believe free and solemn addresses, invitations, calls, and warnings to them, to be not only consistent, but directly adapted as means, in the hand of the Spirit of God, to bring them to Christ. I consider it as part of my duty that I could not omit without being guilty of the blood of souls (Morden, Offering Christ, p. 106.).
Fuller’s engagement at this level of intellectual rigor, as a pastor and a family man, may seem misplaced. The price was high in his church and in his family. But the fruit for the world was incalculably great. No one else was on the horizon to strike a blow against the church-destroying, evangelism-hindering, missions-killing doctrine of High Calvinism. Fuller did it, and the theological platform was laid for the launching of the greatest missionary movement in the world.
Fuller Against Sandemanianism
Before we draw out some lessons for ourselves, I want to deal briefly with Fuller’s engagement with Sandemanianism. Fuller’s response to this deadening movement of his day was part of the platform for the missionary movement, and it is amazingly relevant for our day because of its bearing on the debates about the nature of justifying faith. I just tuned into the debate between R. Scott Clark and Doug Wilson over at Scott’s blog, Heidelblog, and there were elements of it that relate directly to Fuller’s response to Sandemanianism (though no one there would be in the category of a Sandemanian). And again Fuller gets one of his decisive insights in this debate from Jonathan Edwards.
What is Sandemanianism?
Robert Sandeman (1718–1771) spread the teaching that justifying faith is the mind’s passive persuasion that the gospel statements are true. Here is the way Andrew Fuller expressed this Sandemanianism. The distinguishing marks of the system, he says, relate
to the nature of justifying faith. This Mr. S. [Sandeman] constantly represents as the bare belief of the bare truth; by which definition he intends, as it would seem, to exclude from it everything pertaining to the will and the affections, except as effects produced by it. . . . ‘Everyone,’ says he, ‘who obtains a just notion of the person and work of Christ, or whose notion corresponds to what is testified of him, is justified, and finds peace with God simply by that notion.’
This notion he considers as the effect of truth being impressed upon the mind, and denies that the mind is active in it. ‘He who maintains,’ says he, ‘that we are justified only by faith, and at the same time affirms . . . that faith is a work exerted by the human mind, undoubtedly maintains, if he had any meaning to his words, that we are justified by a work exerted by the human mind’ (Works, Vol., I, pp. 566-567. Sandeman took his view so seriously that he saw the main stream Puritan writers (including men like Flavel, Boston, Guthrie, and the Erskines) as furnishing “a devout path to hell.” Works, Vol. II, p. 566.).
Sandeman’s aim is to protect the doctrine of justification by faith alone. He believes that if faith has any movement of mind or will or affections toward God, it is an act and therefore a work and would therefore compromise the doctrine. To protect the doctrine, he denies that faith has any activity in it at all. Implicit is that faith is not a virtue. It does not partake of any goodness or newness in the soul. He therefore does not see regeneration as preceding and enabling faith, for that would make faith an acting of the renewed heart and therefore we would be justified by the goodness of what we do. So faith must be defined as perfectly consistent with a soul that is in actual enmity with God, before there is any renewal at all.
Sandeman’s main support for this view is the meaning of the term ungodly in Romans 4:5, “To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness.” He argues that this term must mean that there is no godly or virtuous or renewed or active quality about our faith, for if there were, we would not be called ungodly. So he defines faith as a passive persuasion of the truth in which the mind is not active. So faith can coexist with ungodliness understood as the total absence of any renewal or godly act of the soul (See how Fuller explains this argument of Sandeman in Works, Vol., I, p. 568.).
For the Sake of the Church and the Nations
Fuller found this both unbiblical and deadening to the churches. To sever the roots of faith in regeneration, and to strip faith of its holiness, and to deny its active impulse to produce the fruit of love (Galatians 5:6) was to turn the church into an intellectualistic gathering of passive people who are afraid of their emotions and who lack any passion for worship or missions (“Their intellectualized view of faith probably accounted for what Fuller and Sutcliff saw as the arid nature of many of their churches. . . . Most centrally, they were not sufficiently committed to the spread of the gospel” (Morden, Offering Christ, p. 150). Therefore, Fuller, the lover of God and missions, waged another battle against Sandemanianism for the sake of the church and the nations.
Fuller compiles a hundred pages of small print argument in twelve letters complied under the title Strictures on Sandemanianism (Works, Vol. II, pp. 561–646).
Here are two sample arguments for not taking ungodly in Romans 4:5 to mean that faith in the justified believer has no character of holiness:
Argument #1: “Neither Abraham nor David, whose cases the apostle selects for the illustration is argument, was, at the time referred to, the enemy of God. . . . But the truth is, [Abraham] had been a believer in God and a true worshiper of him for many years, at the time when he is said to have believed in God, and it was counted to him for righteousness, Genesis 12:1-3; 15:6; Hebrews 11:8. Here then is an account of one who had walked with God for a series of years ‘working not, but believing on him that justifieth the ungodly;’ a clear proof that by ‘working not’ the apostle did not mean a wicked inaction, but a renunciation of works as the ground of acceptance with God” (Works, Vol. III, p. 717).
Argument #2. “It and has been said that the term ungodly is never used but to describe the party as being under actual enmity of God at the time. I apprehend this is a mistake. Christ is said to have died for the ‘ungodly.’ Did he then lay down his life only for those who, at the time, were actually his enemies? If so, he did not die for any of the Old Testament saints, nor for any of the godly who were then alive, nor even for his own apostles. All that can in truth be said is, that, what ever were the characters at the time, he died for them as ungodly; and thus it is that he ‘justifieth the ungodly’” (Ibid., p. 404).
He points out, for example, that faith is a kind of “work” or act of the soul because Jesus says so in John 6:28–29, “Then they said to him, ‘What must we do, to be doing the works of God?’ Jesus answered them, ‘This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he has sent’” (Works, Vol. III, p. 718. But he adds immediately, as we will see below, “But that we are justified by it as a work, or is a part of moral obedience . . . I utterly deny.”)
He also observes that it is the uniform witness of Scripture that “without repentance there is no forgiveness” (Ibid., p. 716). He also shows that the meaning of faith in the New Testament is revealed with many parallel expressions that imply the good action of the heart (for example, to receive Christ, John 1:12; or to come to Christ, John 6:35).
So Fuller denies that faith is a mere passive persuasion of the mind, but asserts that it is the holy fruit of regeneration which has in it the good impulse to “work through love” (Galatians 5:6).
“Unbelief [is not] the same thing as unholiness, enmity, or disobedience; but it is not so distinct from either as not to partake of the same general nature. It is not only the root of all other sin, but is itself a sin. In like manner, faith is not only the root of all other obedience, but is itself an exercise of obedience. It is called ‘obeying the truth,’ and ‘obeying the gospel’” (Works, Vol. II, p. 575).
To see this is vital for the life of the church and the power of world missions. How then does he reconcile this with Romans 4:5 which says that God “justifies the ungodly”? Here is his answer:
This term [ungodly in Romans 4:5], I apprehend, is not designed, in the passage under consideration, to express the actual state of mind which the party at the time possesses, but the character under which God considers him in bestowing the blessing of justification upon him. Whatever be the present state of the sinner’s mind — whether he be a haughty Pharisee or a humble publican — if he possess nothing which can in any degree balance the curse which stands against him, or at all operate as a ground of acceptance with God, he must be justified, if at all, as unworthy, ungodly, and wholly out of regard to the righteousness of the mediator” (Works, Vol. III, p. 715. Emphasis added.). He uses the analogy of a magnet to help us see that faith can have qualities about it and yet it not be these qualities that God has reference to when he counts faith as justifying.
Whatever holiness there is in [faith], it is not this, but the obedience of Christ, that constitutes our justifying righteousness. Whatever other properties the magnet may possess, it is as pointing invariably to the north that it guides the mariner; and whatever other properties faith may possess, it is as receiving Christ, and bringing us into union with him, that it justifies (Works, Vol. I, p. 281).
“By believing in Jesus Christ the sinner becomes vitally united to him, or, as the Scriptures express it, ‘joined to the Lord,’ and is of ‘one spirit with him;’ and this union, according to the divine constitution, as revealed in the gospel, is the ground of an interest in his righteousness. Agreeable to this is the following language: “There is now, therefore no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus.’—‘Of him are ye in Christ Jesus, who of God is made unto us righteousness,’ etc.—‘That I may be found in him not having mine own righteousness which is of the law, but that which is through faith in Christ’” (Works, Vol. II, p. 384).
The Uniqueness of Faith
He points out that faith is unique among all the other graces that grow in the renewed heart. It is a “peculiarly receiving grace.”
Thus it is that justification is ascribed to faith, because it is by faith that we receive Christ; and thus it is by faith only, and not by any other grace. Faith is peculiarly a receiving grace which none other is. Were we said to be justified by repentance, by love, or by any other grace, it would convey to us the idea of something good in us being the consideration on which the blessing was bestowed; but justification by faith conveys no such idea. On the contrary, it leads the mind directly to Christ, in the same manner as saying of a person that he lives by begging leads to the idea of his living on what he freely receives” (Works, Vol. I, p. 281. “By faith we receive the benefit; but the benefit arises not from faith, but from Christ. Hence the same thing which is described in some places to faith, is in others ascribed to the obedience, death, and resurrection of Christ.” p. 282).
What matters, Fuller says, concerning the meaning of the justification of the ungodly is not that we possess no holy affections in the moment of justification by faith, “but that, whatever we possess we make nothing of it as a ground of acceptance, ‘counting all things but loss and dung that we may win and be found in him’” (Works, Vol. II, p. 406.). Faith is a duty. It is an act of the soul. It is a good effect of regeneration. “Yet,” Fuller says, “it is not as such, but as uniting us to Christ and deriving righteousness from him, that it justifies?” (Ibid., p. 572. At this point, he refers to Jonathan Edwards and gives him credit for this insight.)
Faith: A Holy Act That Justifies the Ungodly
Fuller concludes his book, The Gospel Worthy of All Acceptation, with reference back to the New Testament preachers:
The ground on which they took their stand was “Cursed is everyone who continueth not in all things written in the book of the law to do them” [Galatians 3:10]. Hence they inferred the impossibility of the sinner being justified in any other way than for the sake of him who was “made a curse for us;” and hence it clearly follows, that whatever holiness any sinner may possess before, in, or after believing, it is of no account whatever as a ground of acceptance with God. (Ibid., pp. 392–393.)
Which means that God justifies us under the consideration of our unworthiness, our ungodliness, because of Christ, not under the consideration of any holiness in us. In this way, Fuller is able to retain the crucial biblical meaning of faith as a holy acting of the will flowing from regeneration, and yet say with Paul, “To the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness” (Romans 4:5).
One Great Enemy: Global Unbelief
The sum of the matter is that Fuller had one great enemy he wanted to defeat — global unbelief in Jesus Christ. He believed that the kingdom of Christ would triumph, and he meant to be an instrument in the conquering of unbelief in India and to the ends of the earth. Standing in the way of that triumph in his generation were false views of justifying faith and false views of gospel preaching. Sandemanianism had ripped the life and power out of faith so that it was powerless in worship and missions. Hyper-Calvinism had muzzled the gospel cry of the Bride (“The Spirit and the Bride say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who hears say, ‘Come.’ And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price,” Revelation 22:17). For the sake of the life of the church and the salvation of the nations, Fuller took up the battle for truth.
The Vital Link Between Doctrine and World Missions
What shall we learn from this? We should learn the vital link between the doctrinal faithfulness of the church and the cause of world missions. The main impulse of our day is in the other direction. Everywhere you turn there is pressure to believe that missions depends on not disputing about doctrine. As soon as you engage another professing Christian in controversy over some biblical issue, the cry will go up: “Stop wasting your time and be about missions.” What we learn from Fuller is that those cries are at best historically naïve and at worst a smoke screen for the uninhibited spread of error.
One crucial lesson from Andrew Fuller’s life is that the exegetical and doctrinal defense of true justifying faith and true gospel preaching in the end did not hinder but advanced the greatest missionary movement in world history. Getting Christian experience biblically right and getting the gospel biblically right are essential for the power and perseverance and fruitfulness of world missions.
Wrong Inferences Produce Deadly Mistakes
Learn from Fuller’s conflicts that deadly mistakes come from drawing wrong inferences from texts based on superficial claims of logic: If God justifies the ungodly, then faith must be ungodly because God justifies by faith. If the natural man cannot receive the message of the cross, then don’t urge him to receive it; it’s pointless and cruel. Real logic is not the enemy of exegesis. But more errors than we know flow from the claim to logic that contradicts the Bible.
If God is love, there cannot be predestination.
If Stephen says Israel has resisted God, then God cannot overcome our rebellion irresistibly.
If men are accountable for their choices, they must be ultimately self-determining.
If God is good, innocent people cannot suffer so much.
If God rules all things including sin, he must be a sinner.
If God rules all things, there is not point in praying.
If God threatens a person with not entering the kingdom, he cannot have eternal security.
If Christ died for all, he cannot have purchased anything particular for the elect.
Fuller shows us that the best antidote against the wrong use of logic is not first better logic, but better knowledge of the Bible, which is the best warning system for when logic is being misused.
Global Impact for the Glory of Christ
There is a kind of inner logic to Fuller’s life and battles and global fruitfulness. His engagement with Sandemanianism highlights the importance of vital, authentic spiritual experience over against sterile, intellectualistic faith. His engagement with Hyper-Calvinism highlights the importance of objective gospel truth. These two things set the stage for assaulting global unbelief. Authentic subjective experience of God plus authentic objective truth of God leads to authentic practical mission for God. Holy faith plus worthy gospel yields world vision.
Therefore, devote yourself to experiencing Christ in the gospel biblically and authentically. And devote yourself to understanding Christ in the gospel biblically and authentically. And may God ignite that experience and that understanding in such a way that your life will count like Andrew Fuller’s for the cause of world evangelization to the glory of Christ.
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LISTEN: Whyte House Family Devotions: A Prayer for the Family, the Church, the Nation and the World #317 (Tuesday, April 3, 2018): “Not Just a Man,” by Billy Graham
https://soundcloud.com/danielwhyteiii/whyte-house-family-devotions-prayer-for-the-family-church-nation-world-317-4318
[caption id="attachment_40916" align="alignleft" width="156"] Daniel Whyte III[/caption] My family and I have had morning devotions, or family altar as some people call it, every day ever since my wife, Meriqua, and I were married 30 years ago. We have prayed and read the Bible together as well as other devotional books as a family, and it is the only reason why this family has stayed together, and the only reason why God has blessed our family and used our family in ministry all of these years. We read Ephesians 5 and 6 every morning as it relates to the role of each member of the family and how that we need to put on the whole armor of God to fight against the devil who is seeking to destroy our family and all Christian families, churches, and Christians. So, now after 30 years of doing this in our home, we are opening this up to others who don't have a family to pray with, who don't have a spouse, or who are single by choice, and to encourage all families who are still intact to go back to the family altar and have devotions together every morning. In these devotions, you may hear me deal with a temptation I'm facing in my life, you may hear me rebuke my wife about not doing what she should be doing, or you may hear me get on one of my children's cases about something they're doing. Don't be shocked; this is real life. SING "DOXOLOGY" Praise God from Whom all blessings flow Praise Him, all creatures here below Praise Him above, ye heavenly hosts Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost Amen Billy Graham said, “My wife Ruth once said, ‘If our children have the background of a godly, happy home and this unshakeable faith that the Bible is indeed the Word of God, they will have a foundation that the forces of hell cannot shake.’” ------ RECITE: THE NEW NICENE CREED FOR TODAY We believe in one God, the Father almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible. And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only Son of God, begotten from the Father before all ages, God from God, Light from Light, true God from true God, begotten, not made; of the same essence as the Father. Through him all things were made. For us and for our salvation he came down from heaven; he became incarnate by the Holy Spirit and the virgin Mary, and was made human. He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate; he suffered, bled, died, and was buried. The third day he rose again, according to the Scriptures. He was seen alive by Mary Magdalene and the other women, the disciples and over 500 other brethren; He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father. He will come again with glory to judge the living and the dead. His kingdom will never end. And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life. He proceeds from the Father and the Son, and with the Father and the Son is worshiped and glorified. He spoke through the prophets. We believe in one holy universal and apostolic church. We affirm one baptism for the forgiveness of sins. We look forward to the resurrection of the dead, and to life in the world to come. Amen. ------ EPHESIANS 6:4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Steven J. Cole writes in his commentary on this passage, “Fathers may provoke their children to anger by unreasonableness. We've all had the frustrating experience of trying to explain something to someone who is unreasonable and unwilling to listen. You don't come away feeling understood or cared for. You come away angry and upset. Paul is saying, 'Don't use your parental authority in an unreasonable way that frustrates your children.' If they are trying to tell you something, really listen -- especially if they are doing it in a respectful manner. If you ask them to explain something, give them tiime to explain before passing judgment. Granted, there are times when every parent must end the discussion by saying, 'You need to obey me because I said so!' But if that is your normal response, you're probably provoking your child to anger. He or she needs to feel that you understand their situation before you pass judgment.” ------- PRAYER ------- DEVOTIONAL PASSAGE: Psalm 120:5-7 5 Woe is me, that I sojourn in Mesech, that I dwell in the tents of Kedar! 6 My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace. 7 I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war. Regarding this passage, Matthew Henry writes: “It is very grievous to a good man to be cast into and kept in the company of the wicked from whom he hopes to be for ever separated. See here the character of a good man: he is for living peaceably with all men. And let us follow David as he prefigured Christ; in our distress let us cry unto the Lord, and he will hear us. Let us follow after peace and holiness, striving to overcome evil with good.” --------- PRAYER FOR THE ESTATES 1. Clergy (church) 2. Government 3. People (citizens) 4. The press (media) 5. New media/Online journalists PRAYER FOR CHURCH LEADERSHIP - For all pastors, church leaders, denominational leaders, Bible teachers, missionaries, and ministry workers. GOVERNMENT LEADERS 1 Timothy 2:1-2 says, "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; For kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty." President Donald Trump and his administration Vice President Mike Pence First Lady Melania Trump Second Lady Karen Pence All White House staff including: Director of Communications for the First Lady Stephanie Grisham All leaders of federal agencies including: Federal Labor Relations Authority Chairwoman Colleen Kiko All state governors including: Missouri Governor Eric Greitens All city mayors including: Baldwin, FL, Mayor James Totman All members of Congress including: Florida Representative Bill Posey All law enforcement officials including: Duval County, FL, Sheriff Mike Williams All military leaders including: Defense Secretary James Mattis / General John W. Raymond, Commander of Air Force Space Command Leaders of nations around the world including: Luxembourg’s Grand Duke Henri and Prime Minister Xavier Bettel For the peace of Jerusalem PRAYER FOR THE PEOPLE / CITIZENS PRAYER FOR THE MEDIA PRAYER FOR CURRENT EVENTS AROUND THE WORLD - For the comfort of the families of 18 people killed in a Boko Haram attack on a village in Nigeria - For peace to prevail in India where widespread caste protests have left 8 dead. - For the comfort of the families of ten people killed in a hotel collapse in India. PRAYER REQUESTS Subodh please save his wife, his children, and his sister and brother Jordan please give his children emotional and spiritual protection from negative people; keep his mother-in-law and sister-in-law from starting up trouble and disrupting his family; please save them both Chaka please help her brother to stop drinking and help her not to be depressed; please help them to get answers as to why their father was killed THOSE WHO HAVE ACCEPTED CHRIST AS SAVIOR Amanuel Ifeanyi Mary THOSE WHO HAVE RECOMMITTED THEIR LIVES TO CHRIST Harry Sharleen Judith DEVOTIONAL READING: “Not Just a Man,” by Billy Graham Colossians 1:17 says, “And he is before all things, and by him all things consist.” Napoleon was right when he said, “I know men, and I tell you, Jesus is more than a man. Comparison is impossible between Him and any other human being who ever lived, because He was the Son of God.” Emerson was right when he replied to those who asked him why he did not include Jesus among his Representative Men, “Jesus was not just a man.” Arnold Toynbee was right when he said, “As we stand and gaze with our eyes fixed upon the farther shore, a simple figure rises from the flood and straightway fills the whole horizon of history. There is the Savior.” Why did Jesus Christ leave Heaven’s glory and come down to live among us? Why was He even willing to be unjustly condemned to death? The reason is simple, and yet also profound: to demonstrate God’s love for us. If God didn’t love us, Christ never would have come into the world or died the death of a common criminal. But God does love us—and the proof is Jesus Christ. Don’t be lost in doubt any longer. Instead, by a simple act of faith invite Jesus Christ to come into your life today—and He will. Your life will never be the same. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Now, if you do not know Jesus Christ as your Savior, allow me to show you how you can place your faith and trust in Him for Salvation from sin and Hell. First, accept the fact that you are a sinner, and that you have broken God's law. The Bible says in Romans 3:23: "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Second, accept the fact that there is a penalty for sin. The Bible states in Romans 6:23: "For the wages of sin is death…" Third, accept the fact that you are on the road to hell. Jesus Christ said in Matthew 10:28: "And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." Now that is bad news, but here's the good news. Jesus Christ said in John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." Just believe in your heart that Jesus Christ died for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead by the power of God for you so that you can live eternally with Him. Pray and ask Him to come into your heart today, and He will. Romans 10:9 & 13 says, "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved… For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." If you believe that Jesus Christ died on the Cross for your sins, was buried, and rose from the dead, and you want to trust Him for your Salvation today, please pray with me this simple prayer: Holy Father God, I realize that I am a sinner and that I have done some bad things in my life. I am sorry for my sins, and today I choose to turn from my sins. For Jesus Christ sake, please forgive me of my sins. I believe with all of my heart that Jesus Christ died for me, was buried, and rose again. I trust Jesus Christ as my Savior and I choose to follow Him as Lord from this day forward. Lord Jesus, please come into my heart and save my soul and change my life today. Amen. If you just trusted Jesus Christ as your Saviour, and you prayed that prayer and meant it from your heart, I declare to you that based upon the Word of God, you are now saved from Hell and you are on your way to Heaven. Welcome to the family of God! I want to congratulate you on doing the most important thing in life and that is receiving Jesus Christ as your Lord and Saviour. For more information to help you grow in your newfound faith in Christ, go to Gospel Light Society.com and read "What To Do After You Enter Through the Door". Jesus Christ said in John 10:9, "I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture." Until next time, May the Lord Bless You!
Daniel Whyte III has spoken in meetings across the United States and in over twenty-five foreign countries. He is the author of over forty books including the Essence Magazine, Dallas Morning News, and Amazon.com national bestseller, Letters to Young Black Men. He is also the president of Gospel Light Society International, a worldwide evangelistic ministry that reaches thousands with the Gospel each week, as well as president of Torch Ministries International, a Christian literature ministry. He is heard by thousands each week on his radio broadcasts/podcasts, which include: The Prayer Motivator Devotional, The Prayer Motivator Minute, as well as Gospel Light Minute X, the Gospel Light Minute, the Sunday Evening Evangelistic Message, the Prophet Daniel’s Report, the Second Coming Watch Update and the Soul-Winning Motivator, among others. He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Theology from Bethany Divinity College, a Bachelor’s degree in Religion from Texas Wesleyan University, a Master’s degree in Religion, a Master of Divinity degree, and a Master of Theology degree from Liberty University's Rawlings School of Divinity (formerly Liberty Baptist Theological Seminary). He is currently a candidate for the Doctor of Ministry degree. He has been married to the former Meriqua Althea Dixon, of Christiana, Jamaica since 1987. God has blessed their union with seven children.
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starving4christ · 7 years
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Prayer and Spiritual Warfare
This week, as we gather together for prayer, we will consider Paul's words in Ephesians 6:10-18:
Finally, be strong in the Lord, and in the strength of His might. Put on the whole armor of God, that you may be able to stand against the schemes of the devil. For we do not wrestle against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers over this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. Therefore, take up the whole armor of God, that you may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand firm. Stand therefore, having fastened on the belt of truth, and having put on the breastplate of righteousness, and, as shoes for your feet, having put on the readiness given by the gospel of peace. In all circumstances take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming darts of the evil one; and take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God, praying at all times in the Spirit, with all prayer and supplication.
Tragically, when many Christians talk about "spiritual warfare," prayer is rarely in the conversation.  Though it is true that Jesus Himself regularly rebuked and cast out demons (e.g. Mark 1:23-27, 34, 39, etc.), and that He gave authority to the twelve apostles (Mark 3:14-15*), we must be careful to not make the narrative sections of the Bible normative.  Unfortunately, many well-intentioned but poorly-informed Christians read a passage like Mark 3:14-15 or Luke 9:1-3 and believe that we too have been commissioned by Christ with power and authority over all demons and diseases, even though there are zero commands for 'non-apostles' in the NT letters to go around rebuking, binding, and casting out demons. Rather, we find ourselves reading things like, "Resist [the devil], firm in the faith" (1 Peter 5:9, my translation). Or here in Ephesians 6, the clearest passage in the NT letters, we are called to "put on" and "take up" the whole armor of God. Rather than providing an exposition of each accoutrement of armor, it will suffice for us simply to sum up Paul's teaching by saying that we need to apply the gospel - in all of its glorious aspects - to our lives.  In Ephesians 4:24, we "put on" the new man by having the Spirit renew our minds.** Here, we "put on" the gospel in and by "praying in the Spirit."*** In other words, just as we can't live the Christian life without the Spirit's power, neither can we do 'spiritual' warfare without the Spirit's presence. But what does it mean to pray "in the Spirit"? It unlikely refers to praying in tongues. More likely, it has to do with praying "in the sphere" of the Spirit.*** That is, we pray in His neighborhood. And His neighborhood is simply the gospel of Christ. This fits the context here, as well as other passages such as 3:5-6, where the Spirit enables us to "get" the riches of the gospel that God has for us in Christ (cf. the "Spirit who reveals" in 1:17). To be mindful of Christ and to be full of the gospel (cf. 5:18) is to be "in the Spirit."**** So let's never separate spiritual warfare from the Spirit, whose weapon to fight against Satan and his foes is "the Word of God." As we pray the gospel, we put a sword in His sovereign hands, which protects us from all of Satan and his deceitful schemes. This is New Testament spiritual warfare. It's all about the gospel of Christ. And it's all about prayer.  So let's pray for the Spirit to apply the gospel to our hearts (cf. 3:16-17) and minds (cf. 4:23), so that we might be equipped and empowered to "stand strong in this evil day." Oh how we need to "get" the gospel. Let's pray that the Spirit would help us really get it. Otherwise we are easy pickings for the adversary of our souls. In Christ, and for His glory to the ends of the earth, pastor ryan * Mark 3:14-15 - "And [Jesus] appointed twelve (whom He also named apostles) so that they might be with Him and that He might send them out to preach and have authority to cast out demons." (my translation) ** The ESV translation is a good literal translation, but seems to miss Paul's Pneumatology in Ephesians. The Spirit is central to the Christian life, from regeneration (2:5) to sealing (1:13-14). He maintains our unity (4:3), empowers our obedience (5:18), and makes us long for the day of redemption (4:30). In 4:24, He is the One who renews our mind, enlightening the eyes of our hearts to better know God and His ways (cf. 1:17-18).  *** Unfortunately, the NIV translates the participle "praying" as if it were a new command or imperative ("And pray in the Spirit"). Though possible, it is more likely that this participle is the means by which the Christian puts on the whole armor of God enumerated by Paul in the previous verses ("Put on...take up...by praying..."). **** For Greek nerds, I take this the dative preposition "in" to be a dative of sphere. ***** The participle here can be the result. That is, when we saturate our services with the gospel, the congregation (the verb is plural) is "filled in/with the Spirit." This is Graham Cole's exegetical conclusion in his "He who Gives Life: The Doctrine of the Holy Spirit." I take it as both/and. When we are filled with the Spirit, we sing and give thanks. But singing and giving thanks and having the gospel saturate our service provides a means of being filled collectively with the Spirit. 
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firstumcschenectady · 7 years
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Welcoming and Loving in Difficult Times
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305Pronouns: she/her/hershttp://fumcschenectady.org/ By Michele Cole
03/12/17
You know, one of my favorite holy days is Ash Wednesday, odd as that may sound. I can’t really explain why that is, except that there’s something very grounding about being reminded that we are from the earth and to it we shall return. It’s a reminder that we are a part of the big cosmic dance that includes all living things as well as inorganic creations like rocks and sand (particularly beach sand!  ) Or maybe it fulfills some kind of need to take a step back and really look at how I live in and relate to the world outside myself. I know these days I love to hear Pastor Sara read the litany from Yom Kippur when she preaches in the joint ecumenical service; it’s beautiful and life affirming. The downside to Ash Wednesday, at least for me, is that it’s the beginning of Lent, which I’ve never liked very much. As many of you know I grew up Catholic, although in talking with others I find it was much the same elsewhere during that time. I was a very imaginative and sensitive child and my very traditional parish emphasized during Lent what was wrong with me, and what I needed to do to be worthy. I was taught, or at least I believed, that I was so bad that Jesus had to die because of me; and so of course I felt very guilty that I helped to kill God. This isn’t a judgement on the religion in which I was raised. This is how it was, and I took it all in.  
However, that’s not the end of the story. As I was reading an online article on the United Methodist Church’s General Board of Discipleship website a light bulb went off in my head. I realized that the focus of Lent has changed since my childhood, and indeed began changing across denominational Christianity a few decades ago. Rather than a time of grimness that we just need to suffer through, the theology and practice of Lent has changed its focus to embrace a quiet time of reflection and preparation. This shift in perspective brought us back to the days of the early Christ followers, when they saw Lent as a time of preparation for the sacrament of Baptism. For them, Lent was the home stretch, as it were, when converts to Jesus’ Way received their final faith formation before they entered the sacred covenant with Christ and Christ’s church.  This time was not all inward focused, however; community members and soon-to-be members were expected to look outwardly as well, tending to those in need. Lent culminated in Easter, but also in baptism into a new way of living for oneself and others.
I also learned that for this Lenten season, the Methodist Church has decided to focus on living out our baptismal calling, with a look each week at a different baptismal question. Now, before you decide this sermon is going to be as dry as dust, please hear me out! Maybe it will be, but I’m finding it quite interesting how all of this is coming together. You see, this week’s question is --  “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?”  Quite a well-timed question, as it fits in rather nicely with the Scriptural passages I chose for today and, unfortunately, with the tenor of world events that have been happening recently.
Our second reading for today recalls the sheep and goats parable that is told just before Matthew’s recounting of Jesus’ passion and resurrection. Given the timing as the last instruction before the end, it can be thought of as holding special emphasis as the final word on Jesus’ social teachings. Let me put a little context around it, as I pulled most of it out. This comes at the end of Matthew’s chapter 25, where Jesus has been cautioning His followers about the coming of God’s kingdom and what their attitudes and activities should be.   He has already told them to be alert, lest God come when they are not prepared, and also to be bold, not cautious, as they go about spreading the Good News and growing the number of disciples. Now he is taking those teachings to a new level; not only are they to be concerned about their own day to day living, but they are to notice and enhance the lives of the neediest among them. This is not just a morality tale, though, of how we are to act … it is also a tale of how we are to BE in the world and what attributes we are to cultivate in ourselves. For if you read the rest of the story, you will see that neither the sheep who were kind to the needy nor the goats who were not, did it because Jesus was alive in the marginalized. They didn’t realize it was Him. Those who reached out expressed their compassionate care of each other, their desire to help another in a time of great need. The goats had no such compassion and in fact, by saying “we didn’t realize it was you” betrayed their cynicism; had they known it was Jesus certainly they would have done something for Him. For their neighbor, not so much.
So ultimately this is a love story, a story where we are the lovers, where because we are loved we can in turn pass it on. It is a story that reminds us in fairly clear language what we, in our love for each other, are to do. Feed the hungry, clothe the naked, visit those in prison, welcome the stranger – while I imagine that we’ve heard these words many times before, they are taking on new meaning today, in a world that seems to get meaner and harder with each news cycle. I admit to being somewhat of a Facebook junkie, and I spend some time each day reading story after story about one group pitting themselves against another more marginalized group, as if there is just a finite amount of love and kindness in the world and it shouldn’t be spent on ‘them.’ More people are being overtly demonized, with more dire consequences, than in any time in my memory. It’s easy enough to do, and there are certain segments of our society now that seem to relish the task. I was reminded of this when I saw Wicked last weekend, which was fabulous by the way!  I don’t know how many of you know the story but in a nutshell, it’s a story about the ‘wicked’ witch of the west and how she came to be wicked. And it turns out that it wasn’t her doing at all. She was not ‘the bad one,’ but rather the victim of ‘othering.’ She was different from birth, with a different color skin from everyone else, and so she was ostracized. She developed a talent for doing spells and went to see the Wizard of Oz, who turned out to be just a man, not really a wizard. She realized that he’d come into power on a lie, and was in the process of eliminating all diversity in the land of Oz. She argued with him and refused to join him; instead she ran away. At which point the ‘Wonderful Wizard of Oz’ began to systematically demonize her, spreading rumors about her evilness and telling lies about bad things that she had not done. By the end of it, the people of Oz were thoroughly convinced that she was bad to the bone, an evil wicked witch, even though her whole reputation was built on lies. She was trying to do good, but the castle was twisting everything she did, until finally she was no more …
Which brings me back to the present time, and the demonization of the ‘other,’ whether he is an immigrant, or she is a refugee child fleeing from destruction in her homeland, or they are a family of Muslims who are seeking safety from an extremist organization that wants them dead. How are we to think about the rhetoric that is flowing over us like so many words, telling stories about the people who are leaving all they know to come to where they hope is a safe place, guided only by their hopes and the love of God who wants all God’s children to be safe. Let’s take a moment to look at the lessons in the first reading, when God called Abram and Sarai out of the land of their birth to venture into a new land where their descendants will number like stars in the sky.
Abram and Sarai were the ultimate strangers; at a time when there were no Motel 6s or Google Earth maps, they trusted God and went where they were told. They were promised that they would be safe, that they would be led to a new land, and that they would be a blessing to the world. This story doesn’t say how they were treated along the way, whether they were hassled or confronted, or whether they encountered the hospitality that is so critical to so many stories in the Old Testament. What we do know, though, is that they made it through to each place they were led. They brought their customs and beliefs to a foreign land and worshiped their God, and apparently were left alone to do this in peace. And of course from them was born the Jewish people. This isn’t just a creation story, though, detailing how the people of Israel began. It is also a metaphor for how we are supposed to live, and to think about others who are strangers in our lands. As Timothy F. Simpson has pointed out in the online forum Political Theology Today,  this story is intended both to make us think that we should be them (that is, that we should be following where God leads, and trusting in God’s promises), but also that we could be them. That like Sarai and Abram if we follow where God leads we could be traveling to places we’ve never been before, meeting people unlike us and bringing blessings to whoever is there before us. This heightened sensitivity, or empathy, for the stranger takes us in a couple of directions. It can lead us to put ourselves in their place, encouraging us to treat them as we would wish to be treated if we were far from home and family. We are also led to recognize the blessings brought into our communities by those whose talents and perspectives are different from our own. We are called to be inclusive, to recognize the humanity of the stranger, to be welcoming …
Welcoming … it can be very hard for us to do, especially when those we greet look or act differently from us, or from how we think they should. Heightened tensions in the United States and around the world are resulting in policies targeting Muslims and brown skinned people, murders of people with brown skins or turbans, anti-Semitism resulting in bomb threats and cemetery desecrations, and more murders of trans women of color. In the absence of facts, ‘alternative truth’ is leading Americans to fear and hate immigrants, refugees and anyone outside of our comfort zone. Yet all is not yet lost, even though sometimes I’m not sure I recognize our country anymore. Amid yells of “go back to where you came from” we have to be the people of welcome, of abundant love. We have to recognize the humanity of those who others demonize, and share our humanity with them. We must model for the world what we would like the world to become, and represent not only the wanderer but also the One to whom we belong. If that sounds vague I’m afraid it is, because each of us has a different talent to share, and more or less time to exercise it. Each of us has a different perspective on current events, and how we would like to influence them. What I’m really suggesting is that we need to be awake to what is going on around us at all levels of our society, and to be ready to respond in whatever way makes the most sense for each of us. As we seek to reach out to the least of these, and welcome the strangers among us, we often need to look no farther than next to us, or down the street, or sometimes even no farther than our own mirror.
In the Matthew passage, the point is made that Christ has aligned himself with the ‘least of these’ and in so doing, is found in all of us. I would argue that when we think about bringing compassion and love to each other, we should also pay attention to how we can care for ourselves. It can be hard to do, I know, because I’m working on it myself. It can be very easy to look after everyone else but ignore our own very real needs for love, connection, compassion. Right now I’m very concerned about how many people are hurting, both the targets of nastiness and those of us who care about them and for them. The 24 hour news cycle is producing lots of anger, despair and hopelessness as it seems we go from one painful episode to another. Many of us are simply exhausted and are struggling to make sense of what’s happening around us. It’s in times like this that we are called to nurture ourselves, to bring that same abundance of compassion and love to ourselves that we give to each other. It’s ok to recognize that our energy isn’t limitless and our passion needs feeding before we can feed another.  
This brings me to another challenge that I’m struggling with; I don’t have an answer for it, I just want to put it out here for your consideration. I’ve talked a lot today about loving the least of these, and reaching out to our neighbors, especially those who are being oppressed and marginalized by society. But, that leaves out a group of people whom we may not want to consider but who I feel we must. What about those folks who are doing, saying and believing things that we find absolutely abhorrent? Those whose attitudes we believe to be completely wrong and even contrary to the Good News that we listen to and love? I don’t know if you remember, but Sara preached about the question I raised at the Connection gathering a few weeks ago, wondering how peace and anger can co-exist, how we can be peaceful without losing the edge that draws us into social action. I am now raising a similar question, but one that may make us a little more uncomfortable. At least it makes me squirm.  I’m trying to figure out how to love someone who I would much rather hate, or at least detest a lot. Who I may actually think is dangerous to me or to our society. I don’t mean that squishy kind of love that Kay Jewelers sings about, but instead the robust love that we are told to bestow on each other just for being a child of God in whom Jesus lives. What does that love look like when its object is someone we don’t like? How do we manifest it in our lives, and how do we come to terms with it ourselves? I also wonder if, by saying that there are people who by their words or actions don’t merit my love and concern, am I not being just like those very people who hate others and wish ill for them?  Does the guilt or innocence of the person impact my Christian love for them? Just a few of the questions swirling around in my head. I’d welcome a conversation about them sometime if anyone wants to take that one on!
Our readings for this morning provide guidance as we consider the baptismal question I posed earlier … “Do you accept the freedom and power God gives you to resist evil, injustice, and oppression in whatever forms they present themselves?”  If we are to answer yes to this question, we must follow the direction we receive from God to welcome the stranger among us.  To feed, clothe, visit and care for the least among us with an abundant compassion and love that reaches out because our neighbor is in need, recognizing that Christ lives in everyone we touch. To care for ourselves because we see the Christ in ourselves, and to provide us with the strength and determination to keep reaching out where we are needed. And finally to love without measure not only those who are loveable, or those who we ‘should’ love but also those who think differently from us or who have different values. Because to resist evil and injustice do we not need to counter it with love as well as with action? As Martin Luther King Jr. said in his 1963 book of sermons Strength to Love, “Returning hate for hate multiplies hate, adding deeper darkness to a night already devoid of stars. Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that. Hate multiplies hate, violence multiplies violence, and toughness multiplies toughness in a descending spiral of destruction. So when Jesus says “Love your enemies,” he is setting forth a profound and ultimately inescapable admonition. Have we not come to such an impasse in the modern world that we must love our enemies– or else? The chain reaction of evil–hate begetting hate, wars producing wars–must be broken, or we shall be plunged into the dark abyss of annihilation.” These were timely words in 1963 when Martin Luther King Jr put them to paper. They are equally of timely today. May we find it in ourselves to love our enemies, even as we struggle for a world where all are treated fairly and welcomed without hesitation.
First United Methodist Church of Schenectady
603 State St. Schenectady, NY 12305
http://fumcschenectady.org/ 
https://www.facebook.com/FUMCSchenectady
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