In Rejecting Truth Man Dooms Himself

Ultimate Things: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on the End Timesby Chris Banescu –

The increasing darkness, corruption, and delusion we witness all around us are direct and predictable consequences of man’s rejection of God and truth. Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn warned of the devastating consequences that follow when men forsake God. Dennis Engleman issues a similar warning in his book Ultimate Things: An Orthodox Christian Perspective on the End Times regarding the dangers of man’s rejection of truth.

In rejecting truth, man, who was created in the image and likeness of God, denies himself and the godly nature with which he was blessed from the beginning by his Creator. He purposely blinds himself to reality and destroys the very faculty (reason) that allows him to find and discern truth. In rejecting truth, man purposely closes all “doors to authentic understanding” and obliterates the only avenue that can lead him into communion with Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior, who is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life” (John 14:6).

When man rejects truth he rejects God and destroys himself. In abandoning truth man opens himself to all manner of delusion, falsehood, and corruption. He abandons the narrow road to salvation and wonders in the wilderness of “this world” at the mercy of evil. He forsakes God’s wisdom and embraces “worldly wisdom” which always leads down the road to perdition, to despair, suffering, and death. [Read more…]

When a Society Drifts Away From the Truth, It Will Hate Those Who Speak It

“The further a society drifts from truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” ~ George Orwell
The further a society drifts from truth the more it will hate those who speak it.

With each passing year, this ominous warning from George Orwell is becoming a reality in America. The tyrannical spirit and politically correct mantra of the left is rapidly engulfing our society and increasingly marginalizing, silencing, and persecuting all those who still dare to speak the truth.

When Men Forsake God, Tyranny Always Follows

Communists Atheists Destroy Church Godless Tyranny Bolsheviksby Chris Banescu –

“But if I were asked today to formulate as concisely as possible the main cause of the ruinous Revolution that swallowed up some sixty million of our people, I could not put it more accurately than to repeat: Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.” – Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn

The prophetic words of Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn resonate like thunder across the history of man. “Men have forgotten God; that’s why all this has happened.” Thus summarized the Nobel laureate, Orthodox Christian author, and Russian dissident the main reason why the communist revolution was able to enslave, terrorize, and murder tens of millions of innocent people. An atheistic mentality and a long process of secularization gradually alienated the people from God and His moral laws. This lead them away from truth and authentic liberty and facilitated the rise of tyranny.

Tragically that same process is now at work in America and many other parts of the world. Too many unfortunately refuse to see it or believe it. [Read more…]

Living Among Immortals – C.S. Lewis

Weight of Glory Living Among Immortalsby Chris Banescu –
“There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal.” ~ C.S. Lewis

In his The Weight of Glory sermon C.S. Lewis reminds us that God originally created men and women as immortal beings. While our sin and rebellion has temporarily alienated us from God, resulting in the death of our physical bodies, our souls do not die. Past death, our souls live on waiting for the Second Coming of Christ and the restoration of our full humanity; when our renewed and transformed bodies will be once again in full union and symbiosis with our souls.

Lewis masterfully pulls aside the veil of worldly cares and materialist presumptions. He reveals the godly and eternal dimension of our existence with the wisdom and insight that only a messenger of the Lord could possess. “It is a serious thing to live in a society of possible gods and goddesses to remember that the dullest and most uninteresting person you may talk to may one day be a creature which, if you saw it now, you would be strongly tempted to worship, or else a horror and corruption such as you now meet if at all only in a nightmare.”

This timeless truth is important because it draws attention to how precious and special human life truly is. Nothing in this world compares with the value of human life. “There are no ordinary people. You have never talked to a mere mortal. Nations, cultures, arts, civilizations – these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub, and exploit – immortal horrors or everlasting splendours,” proclaims Lewis. [Read more…]

A Symphony of Illumination

Christ Master of Life and Illuminationby Chris Banescu –

Seek and you shall find. Ask and you shall receive.
So You have promised Lord, and so I’ve found my calling.

Silence and faithfulness till the earth which Thou spoke into existence.
The Mighty One of old gives heed to my persistence.
Lord I call upon Thee hear me, hear me O Lord.
Receive my prayer and supplication, O Master.
Guide my heart and life towards Thee, my only hope and blessing.

A ray of uncreated light breaks through the clouds of daily cares.
A timeless, gentle whisper gathers strength, comes ever closer.
Infinite love and Truth draw near.

Eternal Word humbles Himself again, descends towards His creation.
The Father stretches His arms once more, embracing His invention.
Eternity approaches!
[Read more…]

Respecting God’s Freedom

Creation of Adam Respect Freedom of Godby Chris Banescu –
God respects our freedom and does not force us to love or follow Him. He expects the same consideration from us. He wants us to respect His freedom in deciding if, when, and how He acts. Mutual respect of one another’s freedom is a precondition to all healthy and loving relationships, especially our relationship with our eternal Father, the Lord of all creation.

From the very beginning God created us to have free will. He gave us the freedom to chose right or wrong, to either love or reject Him. Knowing that free will would eventually bring about evil, God nevertheless gave us the liberty to chose and be in control of our destiny. He most likely did this because, “free will though it makes evil possible, is also the only thing that makes possible any love or goodness or joy worth having,” wrote C.S. Lewis. A world of puppets on a string, of creatures that were no better than programmed robots and worked like computerized machines, would “hardly be worth creating.” [Read more…]

Correcting Scorners and Rebuking Wicked Men is Harmful

Proverbs Correcting Scorners and Rebuking Wicked Men is Harmful by Chris Banescu –
The Bible warns us that confronting and trying to correct and rebuke scornful and wicked individuals can be harmful. The Proverbs caution that “he who corrects a scorner [scoffer] gets shame for himself” and “he who rebukes a wicked man only harms himself” (Proverbs 9:7). The Scriptures further instruct us to “not correct a scoffer, lest he hate you,” but instead “rebuke a wise man, and he will love you” (Proverbs 9:8).

A scorner (or scoffer) is typically someone who treats others with disdain and contempt, someone who unjustifiably considers others as despicable and unworthy.

Scoffers and the wicked unfairly dislike and disrespect anyone they disagree with, even on the smallest of points. They insult and ridicule those who try to correct and rebuke them, frequently responding with open hostility and outright hatred. They always resort to attacking the messenger and ignoring the message. The more reasonable, logical, and true the messages are, the greater the insults and anger that scorners direct at the messengers. [Read more…]