Reformation>Revival>Revolution (1 of 3)

You say you want a revolution

Well you know

We all wanna change the world…

~ The Beatles

 

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

~ Jesus (the real one) 

 

Everybody wants a revolution. They sure seem to, anyway.

Nike wants one. Apple wants one. Chick-fil-A even wants one.

Every two years, the party out of power wants one.

Sexuality always wants one. The body count on that one stands somewhere north of 41,000,000 (and counting) in America alone. And that’s just the death toll on one of multiple fronts, mind you. Talk about a revolutionary war with casualties…

Fashion, technology, cars, video games, music, literature, film…even politics, sex, spirituality, and religion. Perpetual revolution is the way of the world. Revolution for the sake of revolution. Change for the sake of change. Movement without purpose or direction based on the notion that it always beats standing firm.

Revolution is popular, and we love popular. So it is that we must love revolution.

It’s hip. It’s cool. It’s serious, too. And the way that the whole revolution concept manages to cover everything from the hip and trendy to the serious and profound tells us something about its inherent power, scope, and appeal as an idea.

Yeah, everybody wants a revolution, and they all want you to join in.

Any self-respecting revolutionary lives to recruit, and these days they are programmed to do just that on behalf of the perpetual revolution machine that is popular culture. There’s always a new style, sound, and feel to pitch, and producers of the pitch are counting on their properly programmed pawns to do the work of spreading the latest and greatest good news of the millisecond where the most recently culturally coronated cool game, band, diet, look, sound, or thought is concerned.

It’s all about networking, don’t ya know. Oddly enough, most of those doing the bidding of ”revolutionaries” like The Beatles, Sony, Hollywood, and Madison Avenue don’t know. They have no idea how, why, when, where, or even that they have been so thoroughly programmed. They simply hear, obey, and regurgitate. They are defined by the world and they live accordingly. They “just do it”.  And the “it” in question is: advertise.

They do it on their Facebook pages and Twitter feeds. They do it in their phone conversations and around the table when they bother to sit down and eat. They do it in the car with friends and at restaurants. They do this evangelical pop-culturist routine pretty much all the time. It’s who they are and what they’ve become, all by design.

You see, these pop-culture programmed little revolutionaries are inherently evangelical.

And, for a long time now, evangelicals have been very revolutionary. Only in a bad way.

The styles and modes of revolution practiced by most of evangelicalism in America over the past several decades have, for the most part, been expressions of open rebellion against biblical truth.

American Churchianity has been swept up, chewed up, and spit out by a secular culture that is very pleased with the resultant transformation of adversary into ally. The church has been conformed to the world she was commissioned to transform.

Where once we were known for Jonathan Edwards and George Whitefield, we are now known for Joel Osteen and Rick Warren. Where once our society was led and shaped by those with a high view of God and His Word, we are now inspired by any of a million different leaders heading as fast as they can in their million different directions from truth.

We now live in a supposedly Christian nation utterly dominated by fundamentally anti-Christian characters and concepts. From Flu Shot Jesus and The Artists Formerly Known as The Emergent Church to “Best Life Now” Carnal Christianity and Purpose Driven Evangelicalism, American Churchianity has largely abandoned the truth of Scripture as its guiding light and has subsequently stumbled down every dark alley towards which she has been nudged by her enemy.

A Mr. Potato Jesus brand of name-it-and-claim-it, man-centered spirituality and religion on demand has taken hold.

Welcome to the Progressive cultural and religious revolution!

We’ve revolutionized education.

We’ve revolutionized sexuality.

We’ve revolutionized family.

And right about now we’re revolutionizing economics.

So we see that, for much of the time since the American Revolution, major revolutions in America haven’t gone very well from a biblical perspective. They’ve been, for the most part, vehicles for decline and darkness in a land that once cherished truth, understood the nature of true liberty, and exalted the one true God of biblical Christianity.

So is revolution always a bad thing, then?

Nope.

Not at all.

It’s just that, like almost anything wicked little fallen people get their hands on, we are very prone to mess it up.

The bad news is that we’ve managed to do just that, both with great intensity and over a long stretch of time. America has been radically changed, one individual at a time, from a God-fearing, Scripture-loving, magnificently blessed bright and shining light in a world of darkness, to a hollowed out husk on the verge of death by a thousand suicidal decisions born of a thousand suicidal delusions.

The good news is that Jesus is God.

And He saves.

He saves people. One at a time.

These people make up families, towns, cities, states, and nations.

These people make up movements, too.

They start revolutions.

And, make no mistake, this is precisely what is happening…right here…right now…

C.S. Lewis put it this way:

 

“Enemy-occupied territory – that’s what this world is. Christianity is the story of how the rightful king has landed and is calling us all to take part in a great campaign of sabotage.”

 

The call has gone out. The command has been given.

“Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”

The ultimate insurrection is now underway.

 And it’s gonna be good!

…to be continued in “Reformation>Revival>Revolution (2 of 3)” - to be posted soon…

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By the grace of God, I’ve been given what seems to be nothing short of a miraculous opportunity through the good folks at WorldNetDaily and WND Books. My book, Fire Breathing Christians: The Transformative Power of the Common Believer, has just been listed at Amazon and, Lord willing, will be released on September 14. My aim with this work is to encourage just the sort of Reformation, Revival and Revolution that has been touched upon in these three blog posts. This is truly an amazing opportunity to bring a Christ-centered approach to the culture war that has ravaged America. Your prayers are coveted as I go about the risky business of tackling scores of the most serious issues in what will surely be a controversy inspiring manner. I am new to all of this, so please pray that I might be granted the ever-elusive perfect combo of boldness and grace (and basic competence, too…yeah, that would be nice).

As the long pre-release ramping up process rolls along, I’d appreciate it if you’d check out the listing of the book, read through the summary below and, if you have any thoughts (good, bad, or anywhere in between), please feel free to shoot me an email. I will read ‘em all and do my best to respond, though it may take a little time.

If you know of anyone who would be interested in this message, please forward it on to them. In this age of instant communication and networking, your help with this particular piece of revolution marketing can accomplish far more good than you probably realize. That said, please do not randomly send this info, blanket email folks, or anything like that. Only send this on to those whom you have very good reason to believe would enjoy and be encouraged by the themes in Fire Breathing Christians. This whole “Fire Breathing” deal is going to be annoying enough to folks on the other side of that coin. We don’t want or need to add unnecessarily to that offense.

I have no idea at this point whether it will be used or not, but, in order to help you get a better feel for the book, here’s an advance look at the copy that I submitted for the back/inside cover.  (All written material copyright 2010, S.A. Buss) :

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Fire Breathing Christians is a pew-to-pulpit plea for reformation, revival, and revolution. The church has been infiltrated, redefined, and led down a path to man-made, man-centered religion and spirituality. A Mr. Potato Jesus brand of pick-and-choose truth now dominates the church.

In its postmodern abandonment and purpose-driven surrender of the Gospel’s essential penetrating edge, American Churchianity has exchanged the perfect, supernaturally forged Sword of Truth for an endless supply of flimsy, pathetic little man-made sporks. In strict theological terms, this is known as “really dumb”.  And “really dangerous”.

In a bold call to Christ-centered culture warfare, Fire Breathing Christians encourages and equips Common Believers to identify and overcome every enemy of the Gospel, including: 

• Progressive Religion – Postmodernism’s war on biblical truth has a gang of giggling, happily heretical allies in The Artists Formerly Known as The Emergent Church.
• Progressive Politics – The man-centered “social gospel” is built upon a foundation of Christ-less hope and Christ-less change. This anti-Gospel is the engine that powers the Progressive political movement.
• Purpose Driven Evangelism – In its embrace of Flu Shot Jesus and Carnal Christianity for the sake of secular appeal, American Churchianity has largely assumed the role of warm and friendly escort to Hell.
• The Goat Driven Church – Through its purpose driven business model and “Best Life Now” appeals to greed and narcissism, American Churchianity has been occupied, defined, and dominated by the anti-Christian “goat”.
• Compulsory “Charity” – Once its voluntary aspect is removed, Christian charity is murdered. Compulsory charity is a biblical oxymoron, but it is a required step down the Progressive path to socialism.
• Murder for Convenience – Where Nazi Germany murdered millions for horrific reasons, Progressive America has one-upped her super-state sister by murdering tens of millions of the most innocent for mere convenience.

In every vital area of consideration, Fire Breathing Christians points directly towards the only solution with the power to save a person, a nation, a culture, or a world:

The whole, undiluted Gospel of Jesus Christ.

This is the banner under which we must formulate every strategy and fight every battle. This is our source of true hope, peace, and joy. This is the banner that we must restore as our guiding standard in all things. This is our Reformation…our Revival…our Revolution…

We were made for such a time as this.

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Thank you for taking the time to read and prayerfully consider these things. Your thoughts, support, and especially your prayers are coveted! Together, Lord willing, we will see great positive change in this wounded culture as we swim deep, make waves, and endeavor to exalt the whole, undiluted Gospel of Jesus Christ as the essential first solution to any problem facing any individual, city, or nation. This is the message of Fire Breathing Christians.

Soli Deo Gloria…and let’s roll!

SAB

www.FireBreathingChristian.com

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Copyright 2010 S.A. Buss – Feel free to re-post this piece, but only with the copyright included and a link to Fire Breathing Christian whenever possible. Thank you!

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The Smell of Progress

 

I can remember living in Seattle just over a decade ago, right before the world was scheduled to end by way of another colossal Microsoft screw-up. Maybe all the techno-apocalyptic hubbub was just another marketing ploy concocted for the likes of Hal Lindsey and Pat Robertson, or maybe it was all a part of prepping the world for Vista. We may never know, but, whatever the case on the Y2K front, Seattle in 1999 definitely was an interesting place to be.

The political sea was churning.

The world was watching.

Progress was in the air.

The World Trade Organization Ministerial Conference of 1999 was to be hosted at the Washington State Convention Center in downtown Seattle beginning on November 30th, and Che Guevara wannabes from around the globe were prepped, primed, locked, and loaded (though not legally so, mind you).

During this dramatic and beautifully revealing snippet of American history, I was blessed to live in a downtown apartment amidst the roving gangs of progress.

One thing I really enjoyed was the uniforms.

Not the police uniforms (though I certainly did appreciate those folks, lemme tellya). Nope, my favorite cookie-cut wardrobe package on parade during Progress Week in Seattle was the simple, dark, hooded and masked ensemble that so many of the good folks from the happy land of peace and tolerance opted to don. These predictably monotonous, by-the-numbers thug getups were often accented by such marvelous accessories as, you guessed it: chains, bats, sticks, and ACORN tracts.

Vandals of the world, unite!

And unite they did.

They strolled, rolled, crashed, crushed and pillaged their way through the downtown area. They smashed windows. They looted stores. They antagonized police. And if that wasn’t bad enough, they even antagonized police horses. (Can you guess when PETA almost started to care?)

I was privileged to work in a downtown office at the time and had the unforgettable (really; trust me, I’ve tried) pleasure of witnessing the forces of progress up close and personal. I saw storefronts crashed through, businesses vandalized, and police threatened.  In this, I understood the uniform. The hoods and masks were a no-brainer, really. I mean, you need those sorts of things when, at any moment, you might yield to the urge to do something really, really progressive.

The image that made the deepest impact/scar came my way as I was weaving through the packed crowds covering the streets on the way to work when I caught a glimpse of a gaggle of progressives [not Shinola]-ing in the alley behind the Decatur Building.  I tried to turn away before the image burned in, but here I am…over a decade later and unable to shake it. It still stings.

There’s nothing quite like the sight – or smell – of pure, undiluted progress.

As the happy forces of peace and justice frolicked and went about the business of wrecking the city, the police responded with tear gas and a variety of other measures, culminating in the quarantine of downtown Seattle.

Providentially, I was also privileged and blessed to live in the quarantined zone at the time. It was a hoot. In that one week, I learned a lot. More than I wanted to, for sure.

Plunder…thuggery…tear gas…and adorable little misunderstood freedom fighters cranking out the progress in the alley behind my office building.

Good times.

While much still mystifies and amazes me about that week, the only real lingering question that I have when it comes to the events of 1999′s Progress Week in Seattle is: Why rubber bullets?

Now, let’s fast-forward to April of 2010. Just a couple o’ weeks ago. Tax Day, to be precise.

Or, as it’s come to be known these days: Tea Party Day.

You see, on that day there was another gathering of dangerous people in downtown Seattle.

A mob of Neanderthals.

A horde of barbarians.

A gang of “racists”.

Or so I was told.

But it was weird.

They didn’t break anything.

They didn’t loot anything.

They didn’t take even a verbal shot at the police. They actually seemed to be pro-law enforcement.

They seemed to be quite pro-America, too.

And they had quite a thing for The Constitution.

Like I said, it was weird.

They didn’t even hunker down in any alleys.

No hoods either.

No chains swinging into windows.

But make no mistake: they were dangerous. They were a threat. And they still are. More so with each passing, building day.

They want their country back.

And they’re not asking.

Not anymore.

They want the Constitution to matter again.

And they’re willing to do what it takes to see that it does.

They cherish freedom. They covet liberty. They know that both are threatened as never before in American history.

They know that America can end.

And they won’t let it.

They’re willing to fight. They’re willing to sacrifice. For the first time in a long time, they’re willing to pay the price that freedom requires.

This is different.

Things are going to change.

“Change” is going to change.

“Hope” is going to change.

“Progress” is going to change.

Something big is about to happen. Something very big.

And so long as the liberty loving people spearheading this movement hold true to the God and principles that inspired and sustained American reformation and revolution in the past, it’ll be a beautiful thing.

.

www.FireBreathingChristian.com

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Copyright 2010 S.A. Buss – Feel free to re-post this piece, but only with the copyright included and a link to Fire Breathing Christian whenever possible. Thank you!

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The Brilliance of Corpseman Obama

 

 

Corpseman Obama has a plan. And it’s working. (In the progressive sense of “working”.)

Sure, he may not be the brightest bulb in the pack, but he’s still The One and can at least usually read accurately from a teleprompter. When he does, his message is clear:

He’s all about expanding the slave state in America.

With your money.

Neat, huh?

Just think of it: He is quite literally buying slaves and locking ‘em up long-term for himself and his progress-minded Chicagoland pals with the money that you have earned, all while telling you to just sit down and shut up about it already. Clearly, The Corpseman isn’t as dumb as he often sounds. He has been given power, and he is using it. All of it and then some. He knows what he’s doing, he’s doing it well, and the potential reward is incalculably valuable – that being the very soul and character of the greatest nation in human history.

Slavery, like everything else in the progressive worldview, is a relative term. You see, individual surrender to a dominant State is “good slavery”. So, with the State slave mentality building such momentum under the watchful, determined guidance of The Corpseman, this is an exciting time for advocates of the progressive movement in America. We are on the verge of witnessing the fundamental transformation of this once individuality and liberty embracing nation into the latest and greatest progressive slave state. From the perspective of tens of millions of apparently quite happy and content slaves, this is a beautiful thing.

It’s a simple concept. It’s brutal. It’s sad. It is culture destroying. It’s transformative.

It is: Change.

And it sure does sell well in much of what was once the land of the free and home of the brave.

It also works. Politically, I mean.

The math is simple and with every new or expanded government program (and taxpayer obligation) it is perpetually being inched in the progressives’ favor. With every slave added to the rolls, the balance of power in the nation continues to snowball and roll in one seemingly inexorable direction: South (and I don’t mean Dixie).

And what are we left with as a primary obstacle to this seemingly unstoppable slave state agenda?

The Republican Party.

Nooooo!

Don’t do it!

Don’t jump!

Slowly…back…away…just come on down off that ledge.

You can do it. C’mon now…we have to stay cool.

We can get through this together.

Really.

I know it’s bad, but we have to face reality. As the twelve-steppers like to say, the first step to solving a problem is admitting that it’s there. And oh mama, is the Republican Party ever a problem.

Even now, we hear DC-based Democrat Lite members talking about how we can deal with and keep parts of the Obamacare monstrosity that was maniacally ramrodded through the shell of a political process left in our nation’s ruling city.

Constitutionality?

Heh!

You gotta be kidding!

Who cares about the Constitution? Who even reads the thing anymore?

So glad you asked.

You see, there is this group out there. I was gonna say “little group out there”, but they are actually quite large. Millions strong. And growing. Fast.

You’ll probably be hearing a lot about ‘em this week as April 15th rolls around, and even more as November draws near.

They’re the group most likely to make the GOP a third party in American politics. But that’s a story for another time.

For now, let’s take a moment to simply bask in the brilliant glow of The One. He is fundamentally changing America, just as he promised.

So hat’s off to Corpseman Obama! The man believes in something. He will do whatever it takes to bring about his hopey-changey progressive dream. He has core values. He will fight for ‘em. Chicago style.

And he is winning in a big way.

.

www.FireBreathingChristian.com

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Copyright 2010 S.A. Buss – Feel free to re-post this piece, but only with the copyright included and a link to Fire Breathing Christian whenever possible. Thank you!

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Support FIRE BREATHING CHRISTIAN by:

Washington: Can You Hear Us Now?

What a difference a day makes. A day when somewhere around two million strong decide to march on the nation’s capitol, that is.

As the masses mobilized, the Statist media went into a tizzy and liberal activist from coast to coast scurried about trying to tag the millions of liberty-loving American protesters as everything from unenlightened and reactionary to hateful and (of course) racist.

With the ACORN/Child-Prostitution story largely ignored by Statist media, Americans taking to the streets of Washington DC were targeted for special treatment.

There is a silver lining to this dark moment in the history of American media, however. A very large silver lining.

As the Tea Party in DC rolled on and similar events unfolded across the nation, there was a growing sense among pro-liberty activists that  State-dominated media, while certainly a problem and pain in many ways, no longer mattered nearly as much as it once had.

This week’s wildly successful launch of BigGovernment.com, which came roaring out of the gate by breaking the ACORN “Child-Prostitute Organizing” story, was but the latest rallying point for a Constitution-loving conservative movement that has hit high gear and has the leftist beltway crowd coming unglued.

The once-silent majority has clearly found its voice.

Not bad for a bunch of backward, ignorant racists.

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For more, please visit the FIRE BREATHING CHRISTIAN BLOGWIRE or head on over to the full FIRE BREATHING CHRISTIAN WEBSITE – Copyright 2009 S.A.Buss