The Battle Against Heterodoxy

heterodoxy
/ˈhed(ə)rəˌdäksē/
noun
deviation from accepted or orthodox standards or beliefs.
"his work was marked by elements of theological heterodoxy"

The definition of heterodoxy is pretty straight up, and we as Christians need to try to avoid heterodoxy at all costs. Heterodoxy is the work of Satan, it's one of his greatest weapons in his battle against God. Satan knows that he cannot win against God so he will try to take as many of us with him as he can.

This creature to the left here is Haresis Dias. She's a 16th Century, satirical depiction of a goddess heresy or heterodoxy, and she contradicts the teachings of Christian Church. This is a pretty good illustration of heterodoxy, she looks kind of nice from a distance but when you look closer you start to see the evil creatures that wrap themselves around her, and I think that's a body of a demon she's clutching, she's got the ears of a donkey, her neck is made of brick, and she has cloven hooves. To battle Heterodoxy, the false teaching itself, our best weapon is Apologetics 

apologetics
/əˌpäləˈjediks/
 noun
reasoned arguments or writings in justification of something, typically a theory or religious doctrine.

Apologetics is useful against the false teaching itself, when we see a friend getting swallowed up in false teaching we intervene with the truth from the Gospel and use quotes from the great masters. Masters such as Charles Spurgeon:

Who, think you, are the most honest men - those who tell you plainly what the scriptures say concerning this wrath of God, or those who smooth in over or deny it all together?

Random Bits

"I walk through this sinful world as a 

pilgrim in a foreign country" - CH Spurgeon

This world is not my home I'm just a'passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore

Broadcast radio is dead to me. I suppose that my cable system spoiled me with Video On Demand and digital recording. Mrs. WideAwakeChristian and I record all our favorite programs so we can zap commercials (it's easy if you know how to program your remote to leap ahead in 30 second jumps) and I can watch what I want to watch, when I want to watch it.

As I've mentioned in the past, Christian radio in this area is almost all charismatic chatter. I would love a station that played All MacArthur All The Time but no such luck, we might get a 1 minute Mac Bite occasionally but that's it. I love Red Eye Radio an 11 PM to 4 AM radio show, but I'm not up at those hours. But I can get the podcast and listen to it in my idea of morning and not have to listen to Glen Beck

There are a couple of MacArthur podcasts but my new favorite Christian podcast is: The Good Fight Radio Show. It's available on the android Double Pod app so it is probably available on iTunes. (I can't be sure, I don't do iTunes, iTunes is for toys) Try this episode on their website, they're discussing our favorite, most dapper inventor of narcissigesis Steven Furtick who claims he is now the gate, a job once reserved for Jesus Christ. Comment on this post on your favorite Christian podcasts and I'll devote an article to Christian podcasting 

The LGBTQXYZ community has a very high rate of suicide and has always has. Seriously. Always. The California legislature has decided to fix this situation by blaming you the Christian.

What Criteria do historians use to get to the minimal facts about the historical Jesus?

Department of Redundancy Dept: Hillsong song writer renounces his faith  (Isn't joining Hillsong a renunciation of faith?)

A Christian from South Korea arrested in Nepal on charges of “attempting to convert” and misuse of visa

The ChiComs have now banned Christian summer camps

And meanwhile Southern Baptists put Lifeway profits ahead of beleaguered Chinese Christians

WWUTT Wednesday - Coexist

I saw this logo a couple of years ago and got the t-shirt. In military jargon "I got the t-shirt" once meant that you did something difficult, but this time I mean literally, I got the t-shirt. I wear my Repent! t-shirt mostly in contrast to those that proclaim their self awarded superior tolerance by decorating their Audies and Mercedes parked in gated covenant controlled communities with the Coexist bumper sticker.

Here in Colorado the Coexist bumper sticker kind of = "I Live In Boulder" which, at the risk of being redundant, is populated primarily by white newagers and leftists. Lately "Coexist" has been replaced by the left's new form of love and tolerance "Trump Is A Racist". Coexist is still out there, bumper stickers are like sins, they're hard to get rid of. (That is a simile, and as you know a Simile is like a Metaphor...☺)

(By the way - what to know how to tell if a white conservative is a racist? Ask them if they'd rather spend the afternoon with 10 black conservatives or with 10 white leftists)

Preachers N' Sneakers

John Gray
He's leading the pack with his ultra rare Red October Air Yeezy Duce

This post is not intended to be satire, it's just sad: two Instagram accounts named “PreachersNSneakers” and "PhrophetsNWatches", both serve to show our "shepherds" leading by example, if there were a biblical example for conspicuous consumerism and self worship.

At these Instagram accounts you can see Steven Furtick in a $300 pair of Jordan 6 Chinese New Year, Steven Furtick in a $600 pair of Air Presto's, and Brian Houston in a $650 pair of Gucci deck shoes. And it's not just sneakers, you can see Steven Furtick in a $400 Gucci ball cap that features a picture of a snake, and Troy Gramling in a $1550 Louis Vuitton t-shirt. Meanwhile over at ProphetsNWatches there is Steven Furtick in that ugly snake hat and a $1,120 Gucci 40mm dive watch with the same ugly snake that's on his ugly hat, Steven Furtick in a $5,090 Paneri, and Carl Lentz stylin' a $37,995 solid gold Rolex Datona.

The Empty Pickle Jar

I love pickles, including the brand shown here, but here in Colorado we get a local brand that is incredible. I will only reveal the names of both pickle brands if the manufacturers donate generously to the WACIRF*. Regardless, I love pickles and if you do too, you can play along at home. Otherwise you're going to have to come up with your own metaphor.

What do you do with your pickle jar when the pickles are gone? if you're like most modern Americans you either toss the jar away or you dump the "pickle juice" out and recycle the jar. Either way you do it, you're wasting a Valuable Culinary Resource. 

When the pickles are gone you have a half of a jar of "Pickle Juice". Think of the things in that liquid: kosher salt, vinegar, dill, garlic, onion, pepper... all potent flavorful ingredients, it's a sin to waste them. My mom was a child of the depression, she and my aunts and uncles were raised by my widower grandfather to believe one important truth: "do not throw good away". Mom always had a jar of pickle juice in the fridge and would get upset if you threw that away. To me a tuna salad sandwich is not worth eating if there wasn't a splash of pickle juice in the mixture. A great salad dressing is simply mayo or Miracle Whip thinned out with pickle juice. And on french fries it's incredible! (not those whimpy fast food fries,steak fries or the big crinkle cut things) 

Feeling adventurous? Slice up a cucumber and put it in the left over pickle juice, and put the jar in the back of the fridge for a few weeks. Surprise - you just made pickles.

On to metaphorical territory**: This jar of pickles is the Bible, it contains the word of God. As you eat the pickles; study the bible, learn the lesson in church, you are enjoying his word. Each bite delicious and refreshing and satisfying. And when you finish 'eating' you still have that wonderful juice that you can use to flavor what ever you do. Look at Chick-fil-A, they use that left over juice to flavor their interaction with customers; "Yes ma'am", "Yes sir", genuine smiles, polite conversation, fast service, clean appearance. They aren't preaching the gospel with words but with actions.

In my town here on the edge of the Colorado prairie (I think I'll call it West Woebegone) there is a McDonalds, Chick fil-A, Taco Bell, and Arbys all in a row, and any night of the week except Sunday you can drive right up to the drive-thru microphone and order your Big Mac or Chalupa box or Beef n' Cheddar without a wait, but if you want a chicken sandwich and waffle fries, you're going to wait. The lines to get in to Chic-fil-A go around the block every night Monday through Saturday without fail while there are no lines at any other store.