No government is the new Jerusalem. Babylon extends its reach into every legislature, every justice system, and every executive branch. We do not live in new Jerusalem, and that means we must have the suspicion of a discerning dissident. Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett
The new season of Doctor Who just started on Disney+. Episode 1 , The Church on Ruby Road, aired at Christmas time, so today’s episode, Space Babies, is Episode 2. For some reason the powers that be decided that we need Episode 3 at the same time- in the UK the BBC showed them one after the other.
For some people, this episode is probably the first proper episode of Doctor Who that they will have seen, so the writers deftly wove a quick introduction into the story- the police box, the meaning of TARDIS, the Doctor being the last of his race.
The Doctor and Ruby find themselves on an orbiting space station which turns out to be a baby farm. For some reason, the babies are running the station. It turns out that some years before, the adults had left the station in protest over government policy. One adult remains who acts as Nanny, and of course there is the compulsory bogey monster.
Thanks to the intervention of our heroes, it all works out and everyone is saved.
This show is a lot of fun and is probably there to compensate for some scary and dark stories to come. No doubt some people will complain about it being too silly, but I thought it was quite good.
For some reason the Disney+ app on my TV seems to get the sound and vision out of sync, which makes it a bit harder to follow the dialogue. That’s about the only complaint I have.
Thinking proximity to power will make the church more influential is as likely as the corner shop thinking Amazon will be the source of that business’s flourishing again. Babylon tolerates no rivals. Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett
Marriage Mirage
On a podcast lately, I was taken by the description of modern marriage as a mirage. In other words, the speaker was saying that while modern ideas of marriage look like God’s institution of marriage, it is a fake, an optical illusion.
In Genesis 2:24, we read “That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.”
In God’s design for marriage we note that
In our modern individualistic world, marriage has morphed into something very different. This transformation started in the 1960’s with the contraceptive pill separating sex from commitment. In the 1970’s we had the imposition of “no fault” divorce. In the 1990’s we had an explosion of cohabiting couples, de facto relationship being given the same legal status as marriage and so on. Then along came same sex “marriage” and the destruction of marriage was all but complete.
It is only a matter of time before pressure starts to pile on for recognition of so-called polyamorous marriage. After all if any two people can get married, why should it be limited to just two people?
God’s plan for marriage is simple. A man and woman pledge themselves in a holy covenant to be with each other for the rest of their lives. It is simple, but not easy!
Marriage, it seems, can bring out the worst in people. That is a feature, not a bug. When we see what s really in our hearts we can repent and change.
Marriage brings true security for a husband and wife. They can build a partnership in the knowledge that they are both committed to the relationship. They can raise children knowing that the family will stick together and provide a good environment to raise a new generation.
In the west, we are reaping a tragic harvest.
What is called marriage in our society truly is a mirage of what God intended.
Real marriage can be hard work, but the rewards are worth it.
Nice ride out to Culgoora Road this morning. #cycling #narrabri #Biketooter
We must come out from Babylon and live in new Jerusalem by witnessing to the truth of the Lamb. Scot McKnight and Cody Matchett
