I saw a special on TV a few weeks back called "Jesus Camp" for the first time.
Now, I want to say up front that I didn't really care much for the "documentary" because I thought it portrayed Christianity in an almost cult-like fashion. And, I will readily admit that my perception is primarily influenced by the fact that I am not a Pentacostal/Charismatic type of believer.
That aside, I was smitten by the sincerity and zeal of one of the youngsters portrayed in the film, a young man by the name of Levi. How apt, I thought - Levi, named after the Israelite tribe responsible for the care and feeding of the Lord's flock.
Festooned with a ponytail and sincere, boyish face, Levi fearlessly articulated and opined about Jesus in front of a sea of rapt faces. His family, equally zealous to proclaim the Good News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, took the lad all over the country as part of his missionary work. Levi was seen, unplussed and unafraid, in Washington D.C. at the steps of the Supreme Court building demonstrating his cause.
My fascination with young Levi prompted me to look him up on the Internet and email him and his parents. Interestingly, he replied to me, and we've been sharing our thoughts on Jesus, suffering, and other Christian topics.
And as I read Levi's words, I am left wondering if he will one day be one of the great Evangelists who fearlessly step forward to feed the flock and convince the unbelievers of the Saving Grace and Salvation that comes from Jesus alone. He's a teenager now, and I'm hoping that the pressures of the world, and all the temptations therein, will not sway this young man from a very noble destiny.
Only time will tell.
JC Masters
Showing posts with label jesus christ. Show all posts
Showing posts with label jesus christ. Show all posts
Friday, February 1, 2008
Wow, it's February, and I'm way behind...
Being a writer has its own challenges. It's not like we punch a clock or anything, or have a boss who stands over us while we bang out words for you to consume.
No, a writer lives on his own time schedule. Beats his own drum, so to speak.
I have to admit, I have stepped off the cliff of activity into the oblivion of procrastination and unmotivation. And, if I were working for anyone but the Lord Jesus Christ, I might have been alright with that.
But no. I *am* doing this for Him, and I'm ashamed at the late night TV watching and overall slacking. When I have a "real" job, I am often heard saying, "Work as if you are working for the Lord." Well, now I'm working for the Lord, and I've been caught napping.
Oh, sure, I can come up with all kinds of reasons, legitimate and not. But, in the end, it's just excuse making at it's finest.
Well, no more. It's time to get back on track. Even though I will miss my (albeit self-imposed) deadline, I will continue to move forward to produce my new book, "What the Hell? Simple Answers to Life's Most Burning Questions" for Christians and non-Christians alike.
But it will not be available in mid-February like I promised. Probably mid-March.
Thankfully, my Boss is infinitely forgiving and I fall upon the throne of grace humbly accepting His forgiveness and encouragement to move forward.
Thank you for understanding, Jesus. I love you, my friend, Lord, and Savior.
JC Masters
No, a writer lives on his own time schedule. Beats his own drum, so to speak.
I have to admit, I have stepped off the cliff of activity into the oblivion of procrastination and unmotivation. And, if I were working for anyone but the Lord Jesus Christ, I might have been alright with that.
But no. I *am* doing this for Him, and I'm ashamed at the late night TV watching and overall slacking. When I have a "real" job, I am often heard saying, "Work as if you are working for the Lord." Well, now I'm working for the Lord, and I've been caught napping.
Oh, sure, I can come up with all kinds of reasons, legitimate and not. But, in the end, it's just excuse making at it's finest.
Well, no more. It's time to get back on track. Even though I will miss my (albeit self-imposed) deadline, I will continue to move forward to produce my new book, "What the Hell? Simple Answers to Life's Most Burning Questions" for Christians and non-Christians alike.
But it will not be available in mid-February like I promised. Probably mid-March.
Thankfully, my Boss is infinitely forgiving and I fall upon the throne of grace humbly accepting His forgiveness and encouragement to move forward.
Thank you for understanding, Jesus. I love you, my friend, Lord, and Savior.
JC Masters
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Why I Don't Believe Bill Wiese Went To Hell
Occasionally, my research for my upcoming book, "What the Hell? Simple Answers to Life's Most Burning Questions", takes me to the testimonies and personal experiences of others regarding Hell.
Recently, I came across the book, "23 Minutes In Hell", by Bill Wiese. Now, I don't know Bill Wiese and I have nothing against the man. In fact, as a fellow Christian, I am overjoyed that he is seeking to spread the gospel in his own way. However, after reading his book, cover to cover, I was left thinking that either the man was deceived, or was intentionally pushing an agenda. Not knowing him, as I said, I dare not conjecture which.
The book speaks of him somehow being catapulted into a Dante's Inferno type of Hell while, presumably, asleep in his bed. Now, if you are not familiar with Dante's Inferno, it is a part of a larger poem written by a man named Dante Alighieri in the 14th century which greatly influenced the Church's perception of Hell. Inferno, of course, was a fictitious poem, not having anything to do with Biblical Scripture, but was more about Dante's political angst against some of his enemies at the time.
Wiese borrows a significant amount of the descriptors in Inferno in his alleged trip to Hell. I don't fault him for that, as it is the meat and drink of modern Christianity, however wrong it may be.
There are, however, some very strange inconsistencies in Wiese's story which require the observant reader to take notice. I will address them individually.
1. He claims to have gone to bed at Midnight on 23 NOV 1998 and was "catapulted out of my bed into the very pit of hell." (p. 2) So, by his own testimony, he was in bed at the time of his "departure" to hell, he says, at 3:00 am. However, his wife, Annette, whom he appropriately and tenderly describes in his book, says this on p. 46: "I woke up to screams coming from down the hallway. My first reaction was to look to my right to see if Bill was there beside me in bed. He wasn't." So, the million dollar question is, how did Bill get from being in his bed to laying on the floor several rooms away if he was in Hell the whole time, with no way to control his body in the meantime?
2. Annette continues on with this: "I turned to my left and looked at the digital clock, and noticed that it was 3:23 a.m. I got out of bed and WALKED down the hallway to the living room where I found Bill in a fetal position with his hands grasping at the sides of his head. His breathing was erratic, and he was screaming, "I feel like I'm going to die!" I thought he was having a heart attack." - Emphasis mine. I don't know about you, but if someone *I* loved was in a fetal position on the floor, and their screams woke me up, I would RUN, not walk to wherever they were. Her testimony does not match what a prudent person would do under those circumstances, and the rest of her story is similarly unbelievable. She didn't call 911 when she believed he was having a heart attack, even when he was screaming the entire time she was praying over him. No woman I have spoken to, even Christian ones, has agreed that they would have done the same under similar circumstances, knowing what Annette knew at the time she had awoken.
3. He claimed several times during the book, that he was unable to think of the Lord during his time in Hell because Jesus Himself prevented it. (p. 37) There are two problems with that. First, how would he know that the demons in his cell were blaspheming against a God he didn't know? (p. 4) Second, in his alleged encounter with Jesus, all Jesus said was, "I kept it from you" but did not otherwise give an explanation. Wiese offered an explanation, but that didn't come from Jesus.
4. Upon arrival to his cell, initially, Wiese said he could not stand due to an inexplicable weakness, which apparently never got better. (p. 2) However, after getting soundly whupped on by 2 of his 4 giant demon captors, somehow, with his chest ripped open and in the new found pitch blackness, he was able to stand up and walk away. He offered no explanation how he somehow "adjusted" to his predicament and got stronger, even as his circumstances got much, much worse.
5. After escaping his cell and demonic tormentors, he said he was taken back there to get roughed up again, prone on the floor. Then, all of a sudden, he was standing next to the pit of fire 10 miles away without any explanation as to how he was carried such a vast distance instantaneously, or how he managed to stand up after being nearly drawn and quartered. (p. 14)
6. During his encounter with Jesus, he claimed that he arose from the bottom of the cavern and was rising in the air. Then suddenly Jesus appeared, and he fell to His feet. How is that possible when both are floating in the air? What could he have fallen on?
7. His testimony, indeed the title of the book, indicates that he had been in Hell proper for 23 minutes, but clearly that couldn't be the case because he claimed that Jesus took him out of Hell and into outer space, and then back to his home. That time between his departure from Hell and his arrival at home clearly would have eaten into his 23 minutes.
8. His "abduction" at 3:00 am - Now this may picking nits, but why would Jesus take Bill at the tail end of what is referred to as the "Witching Hour"?
9. Finally, and this is perhaps the most damning (pardon the pun) to his story, but Scripture clearly states that folks don't go to Hell and return back to the earth. In fact, according to the Lazarus and the rich man parable, it is strictly forbidden because nobody would believe the person anyway. Jesus ABSOLUTELY would not violate His own Word. And for Wiese to have actually gone to Hell and come back would contradict God's Word. This beats even the previously mentioned contradictions in Wiese's story.
So, that leaves us with the nagging question, why would Wiese experience this, if he experienced it at all? Bear in mind that Wiese is a professed Christian since 1970 and has had 28 years to learn the Bible and Hell mythology as it pertains to Christianity today - prior to this event. I don't think he hallucinated it, but he may have dreamed it. And he could have just made it up.
If he dreamed it, then he clearly was being deceived. I have no clue why he would make it up, other than to add more validity to the Hell scare tactics that have produced recalcitrant and often backsliding pseudo-converts througout the ages.
Does this mean that his book is entirely bad? No, not really. He does make some standard Christian points that Jesus, not our own "goodness" or good works, is the way to Heaven. That's the gospel in a nutshell, and thankfully Wiese does not waver from that point at any time. Does he use a substantial portion of his biblical references inappropriately or out of context. Yes, and that's a very pervasive scourge in modern Christian writings that is incredibly annoying, not to mention dangerous.
All that being said, I believe Bill Wiese to be an earnest Christian man who is doing what he can to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others, in his own way. Do I believe his story? Absolutely not...it's inconsistent as well as being unbiblical. But I, in no way doubt his faithfulness to Jesus or his commitment to spreading the Gospel.
I will email him to see if he wants to address any of the points I made, or to clarify areas of confusion on my part, and if he deigns to answer, I will put it here for all to see.
May the Peace and Love of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always,
JC Masters
Recently, I came across the book, "23 Minutes In Hell", by Bill Wiese. Now, I don't know Bill Wiese and I have nothing against the man. In fact, as a fellow Christian, I am overjoyed that he is seeking to spread the gospel in his own way. However, after reading his book, cover to cover, I was left thinking that either the man was deceived, or was intentionally pushing an agenda. Not knowing him, as I said, I dare not conjecture which.
The book speaks of him somehow being catapulted into a Dante's Inferno type of Hell while, presumably, asleep in his bed. Now, if you are not familiar with Dante's Inferno, it is a part of a larger poem written by a man named Dante Alighieri in the 14th century which greatly influenced the Church's perception of Hell. Inferno, of course, was a fictitious poem, not having anything to do with Biblical Scripture, but was more about Dante's political angst against some of his enemies at the time.
Wiese borrows a significant amount of the descriptors in Inferno in his alleged trip to Hell. I don't fault him for that, as it is the meat and drink of modern Christianity, however wrong it may be.
There are, however, some very strange inconsistencies in Wiese's story which require the observant reader to take notice. I will address them individually.
1. He claims to have gone to bed at Midnight on 23 NOV 1998 and was "catapulted out of my bed into the very pit of hell." (p. 2) So, by his own testimony, he was in bed at the time of his "departure" to hell, he says, at 3:00 am. However, his wife, Annette, whom he appropriately and tenderly describes in his book, says this on p. 46: "I woke up to screams coming from down the hallway. My first reaction was to look to my right to see if Bill was there beside me in bed. He wasn't." So, the million dollar question is, how did Bill get from being in his bed to laying on the floor several rooms away if he was in Hell the whole time, with no way to control his body in the meantime?
2. Annette continues on with this: "I turned to my left and looked at the digital clock, and noticed that it was 3:23 a.m. I got out of bed and WALKED down the hallway to the living room where I found Bill in a fetal position with his hands grasping at the sides of his head. His breathing was erratic, and he was screaming, "I feel like I'm going to die!" I thought he was having a heart attack." - Emphasis mine. I don't know about you, but if someone *I* loved was in a fetal position on the floor, and their screams woke me up, I would RUN, not walk to wherever they were. Her testimony does not match what a prudent person would do under those circumstances, and the rest of her story is similarly unbelievable. She didn't call 911 when she believed he was having a heart attack, even when he was screaming the entire time she was praying over him. No woman I have spoken to, even Christian ones, has agreed that they would have done the same under similar circumstances, knowing what Annette knew at the time she had awoken.
3. He claimed several times during the book, that he was unable to think of the Lord during his time in Hell because Jesus Himself prevented it. (p. 37) There are two problems with that. First, how would he know that the demons in his cell were blaspheming against a God he didn't know? (p. 4) Second, in his alleged encounter with Jesus, all Jesus said was, "I kept it from you" but did not otherwise give an explanation. Wiese offered an explanation, but that didn't come from Jesus.
4. Upon arrival to his cell, initially, Wiese said he could not stand due to an inexplicable weakness, which apparently never got better. (p. 2) However, after getting soundly whupped on by 2 of his 4 giant demon captors, somehow, with his chest ripped open and in the new found pitch blackness, he was able to stand up and walk away. He offered no explanation how he somehow "adjusted" to his predicament and got stronger, even as his circumstances got much, much worse.
5. After escaping his cell and demonic tormentors, he said he was taken back there to get roughed up again, prone on the floor. Then, all of a sudden, he was standing next to the pit of fire 10 miles away without any explanation as to how he was carried such a vast distance instantaneously, or how he managed to stand up after being nearly drawn and quartered. (p. 14)
6. During his encounter with Jesus, he claimed that he arose from the bottom of the cavern and was rising in the air. Then suddenly Jesus appeared, and he fell to His feet. How is that possible when both are floating in the air? What could he have fallen on?
7. His testimony, indeed the title of the book, indicates that he had been in Hell proper for 23 minutes, but clearly that couldn't be the case because he claimed that Jesus took him out of Hell and into outer space, and then back to his home. That time between his departure from Hell and his arrival at home clearly would have eaten into his 23 minutes.
8. His "abduction" at 3:00 am - Now this may picking nits, but why would Jesus take Bill at the tail end of what is referred to as the "Witching Hour"?
9. Finally, and this is perhaps the most damning (pardon the pun) to his story, but Scripture clearly states that folks don't go to Hell and return back to the earth. In fact, according to the Lazarus and the rich man parable, it is strictly forbidden because nobody would believe the person anyway. Jesus ABSOLUTELY would not violate His own Word. And for Wiese to have actually gone to Hell and come back would contradict God's Word. This beats even the previously mentioned contradictions in Wiese's story.
So, that leaves us with the nagging question, why would Wiese experience this, if he experienced it at all? Bear in mind that Wiese is a professed Christian since 1970 and has had 28 years to learn the Bible and Hell mythology as it pertains to Christianity today - prior to this event. I don't think he hallucinated it, but he may have dreamed it. And he could have just made it up.
If he dreamed it, then he clearly was being deceived. I have no clue why he would make it up, other than to add more validity to the Hell scare tactics that have produced recalcitrant and often backsliding pseudo-converts througout the ages.
Does this mean that his book is entirely bad? No, not really. He does make some standard Christian points that Jesus, not our own "goodness" or good works, is the way to Heaven. That's the gospel in a nutshell, and thankfully Wiese does not waver from that point at any time. Does he use a substantial portion of his biblical references inappropriately or out of context. Yes, and that's a very pervasive scourge in modern Christian writings that is incredibly annoying, not to mention dangerous.
All that being said, I believe Bill Wiese to be an earnest Christian man who is doing what he can to spread the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others, in his own way. Do I believe his story? Absolutely not...it's inconsistent as well as being unbiblical. But I, in no way doubt his faithfulness to Jesus or his commitment to spreading the Gospel.
I will email him to see if he wants to address any of the points I made, or to clarify areas of confusion on my part, and if he deigns to answer, I will put it here for all to see.
May the Peace and Love of the Lord Jesus Christ be with you always,
JC Masters
Friday, January 11, 2008
I'm a Christopreneur
Ok, I'll admit it. I just made up the word Christopreneur at 12:31am on 11 JAN 2008.
The definition of entrepreneur is found on Wikipedia and it begins with:
"An entrepreneur is a person who operates a new enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks."
So, I'm coining the term Christopreneur to be defined as:
"A Christopreneur is a person who operates a new Christ centered enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks."
So, why am I a Christopreneur?
Frankly, it's because I love Jesus Christ and believe that producing or recommending quality Christian products to earn capital to do the Lord's work in helping the poor and sick is better than asking for mere donations.
Here's what a Christopreneur is:
The definition of entrepreneur is found on Wikipedia and it begins with:
"An entrepreneur is a person who operates a new enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks."
So, I'm coining the term Christopreneur to be defined as:
"A Christopreneur is a person who operates a new Christ centered enterprise or venture and assumes some accountability for the inherent risks."
So, why am I a Christopreneur?
Frankly, it's because I love Jesus Christ and believe that producing or recommending quality Christian products to earn capital to do the Lord's work in helping the poor and sick is better than asking for mere donations.
Here's what a Christopreneur is:
- It is someone who runs his/her business with a Christ like mentality. "What would Jesus do?" is not an afterthought, but the modus operandi of the organization.
- It is someone who sells a quality product, and channels the profits to performing God's work.
That's what a Christopreneur is, but here's what it's not:
- It's not someone who lines their own pockets by preying on gullible Christians and non-believers.
- It's not someone who doesn't give back to the community.
Are there other Christopreneurs out there? Oh yeah! And thank God for that!
Agape to you,
JC Masters
P.S. Check out the "Cool Things for Christians" links in the right column.
Thursday, January 10, 2008
Asking Atheists and Agnostics on Yahoo! Answers again.
I love diversity of thought.
And I love discussing God, Jesus, and Christianity with folks who are non-believers. Especially when it's a level headed, cool discussion. "Let us reason together."
So I asked this question on Yahoo! Answers, "Atheists and Agnostics, What kind of evidence would prove to you that Hell exists?"
I got a few good replies, but one in particular, by NH Baritone, struck me as interesting. Apparently, he found the question interesting enough to put on his own blog also, and we're sharing a discussion there, as well.
Check it out.
Yours,
JC Masters
And I love discussing God, Jesus, and Christianity with folks who are non-believers. Especially when it's a level headed, cool discussion. "Let us reason together."
So I asked this question on Yahoo! Answers, "Atheists and Agnostics, What kind of evidence would prove to you that Hell exists?"
I got a few good replies, but one in particular, by NH Baritone, struck me as interesting. Apparently, he found the question interesting enough to put on his own blog also, and we're sharing a discussion there, as well.
Check it out.
Yours,
JC Masters
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Why write about Hell?
Of all things to write about, Hell is probably the most challenging.
Many people have opinions on what it is, if anything, and where it is. The place where, if we are going to trust God, it will be defined is in the Bible.
When I was a youngster, the concept of Hell absolutely terrified me. I burnt myself once playing with matches when I was about 6 or so, and it hurt like...oh, you know. It was inconceivable to me that I could feel that pain all over my body instead of just on my finger.
I watched an episode of Star Trek with my mom, who was a fan of the show in the 60's and there was this guy, Christopher Pike, who was being manipulated mentally by these big headed aliens. One of the scenes was him in a pool of water (probably supposed to be burning oil) with flames all around him, and he was in agony.
I asked my mom what that was, and she said he was in Hell.
That image, cheesy as it was, stayed in my mind for years.
So, I had a personal interest in this Hell bit, even from an early age. And when I became old enough to actually research it on my own, I was startled at my discoveries.
And that's what my book, "What the Hell? Simple Answers to Life's Most Burning Questions" is all about.
Coming soon in February 2008!
Yours,
JC Masters
Many people have opinions on what it is, if anything, and where it is. The place where, if we are going to trust God, it will be defined is in the Bible.
When I was a youngster, the concept of Hell absolutely terrified me. I burnt myself once playing with matches when I was about 6 or so, and it hurt like...oh, you know. It was inconceivable to me that I could feel that pain all over my body instead of just on my finger.
I watched an episode of Star Trek with my mom, who was a fan of the show in the 60's and there was this guy, Christopher Pike, who was being manipulated mentally by these big headed aliens. One of the scenes was him in a pool of water (probably supposed to be burning oil) with flames all around him, and he was in agony.
I asked my mom what that was, and she said he was in Hell.
That image, cheesy as it was, stayed in my mind for years.
So, I had a personal interest in this Hell bit, even from an early age. And when I became old enough to actually research it on my own, I was startled at my discoveries.
And that's what my book, "What the Hell? Simple Answers to Life's Most Burning Questions" is all about.
Coming soon in February 2008!
Yours,
JC Masters
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