Is God pleased with non-Christian celebrities who are kind to animals, who give huge sums of money to charity, who promote fund-raising for sick or starving children or disaster victims?

No, God is not pleased with these non-Christian celebrities.

From reading interviews with many of these celebs, many of them seem to think that they have indebted Almighty God to them with their acts of monetary generosity and the giving of their time.

But they haven't.

The Bible says that God is not a debtor to any man or woman.

Salvation cannot be purchased with money.

Salvation can only be purchased with the shed blood of Jesus Christ on the cross of Calvary.

Proof from the Bible? Just look at Matthew 25:31-46 (February 10th in the Devotional Daily Bible, page 143.)

Notice that in 41-46, on Judgment Day, Jesus gives credit to anything that the believers did, and He gives full condemnation (and no credit!) to anything unbelievers did.

So, on the last day, Judgment Day, all of the prominent unbelieving celebrities of our day will stand before God Almighty to be condemned on the basis of being sinners; on the basis of rejecting God and Christ; on the basis of having done NOTHING for God, NOTHING good.

Believers in Christ, on the other hand, (literally on Christ's right hand!), will have none of their sinful and evil actions counted against them, and all of their good actions, done in the power of the Spirit, credited to them.

The point here is that there is no ultimate "good" without God, even if unbelievers do the same actions.

There is no "good" without a direct connection to God through Jesus Christ.

Let me say that again: there is NO "good" without a direct connection to God through Jesus Christ.

God will not be impressed with Oprah or anything she has done if she is not a believer by the Last Day.

There is no forgiveness and eternal life without Jesus.

There are no rewards for well-doing without Jesus.

If you believe in Jesus, thank and praise God that you do!

You will be at Christ's right hand on the Last Day, and you will go straight to Heaven from that point.

"Mere Christianity," by C.S. Lewis: Divine Kindness and Vast Knowledge in One Man

C.S. Lewis is my all-time favorite writer. (Not counting the Bible writers, of course.) I first read "Mere Christianity" when I was about ten years old. Recently, I re-read this classic book.

From beginning to end, this book is still a wonder to read. (And it is still being sold at a brisk pace, 55 years after its first publication!)

Lewis has a better prose style than any author I have ever read.

His theology, however, has many flaws. He is not clear enough on justification by faith. He has a wrong view of the sacraments of water baptism and of the Lord's Supper. He has an unbiblical belief in purgatory. He did not believe in biblical inerrancy. And He wrongly believed that salvation could be lost. (He did not, however, believe in Mary worship, good works for salvation, or the Pope's authority, as the Roman Catholics teach.)

Normally, I wouldn't recommend that anyone read a book with these kinds of flaws. However, many of his errors are not clearly or vigorously stated, nor championed at length. And many of his errors are not even mentioned in this book.

Judging by his words, C.S. Lewis was definitely a saved man--he was a believer in Jesus. Lewis believed that his sins were forgiven completely on the basis of Jesus' death on the cross.

When I am reading Lewis, he makes me feel that he is in the same room with me, talking with me. I have never read an author who conveys such presence and kindness to his reader.

In conclusion, this short book (227 pages), is a delight to read, and well worth repeated readings.

Lewis often doesn't say what you want him to say. Or even what you expect him to say. But that is precisely why his writing is valuable: he provides an ocean of unexpected insights into the Christian faith.

I heartily recommend that you read this book, being aware of the above problems. I believe that despite its subtle doctrinal errors, it will strengthen your faith and love for Jesus. It also has great insights into the virtues that Jesus increases in us, and into the sins that can drag us down. (The section on "pride" is beyond excellent!)

This is definitely one book that is not to be missed.

After the Bible, "Mere Christianity" is the best book that I have ever read.

1. You are against capital punishment, but you support abortion on demand.

2. You mostly believe that businesses create oppression but that governments create prosperity.

3. You believe that guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens are much more
of a threat than nuclear weapons technology in the hands of Iran, China and
North Korea.

4. You believe that there was no art before federal funding.

5. You believe that global temperatures are less affected by cyclical
changes in the earth's climate and more affected by soccer moms driving
SUVs.

6. You believe that sex roles are artificial, but that being a homosexual
is natural.

7. You believe that the AIDS virus is spread by a lack of federal
funding.

8. You believe that the same teacher who can't teach 4th-graders how to
read is somehow qualified to teach those same kids about sex.

9. You believe that hunters don't care about nature, but that PETA activists
do.

10. You believe that self-esteem is more important than actually doing
something to earn it.

11. You believe the NRA is bad because it supports certain parts of the
Constitution, while the ACLU is good because it supports certain parts
of the Constitution.

12. You believe that taxes are too low, but ATM fees are too high.

13. You believe that Margaret Sanger and Gloria Steinem are more
important to American history than Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, or
Abraham Lincoln.

14. You believe that standardized tests are racist, but racial quotas
and set-asides are not.

15. You believe that the only reason socialism hasn't worked anywhere
it's been tried is because the right people haven't been in charge.

16. You believe that homosexual parades displaying drag queens and
transvestites should be constitutionally protected, and manger scenes
at Christmas should be illegal.

17. You believe that this message is a part of a vast, right-wing
conspiracy.

18. You cannot define a liberal platform, except to say that the conservatives are wrong.

19. You believe that killing in war, self defense, and murder are all the same.

20. You believe that all people are "good" no matter what evil and sin we do.

21. You believe that here are no absolutes except for this one.

22. You believe that God is a vague, nebulous Being who would never think of placing moral demands on your life.

23. You believe that the "historical Jesus" will never be found.

24. You believe that judging anything is wrong. WRONG, you say!

25. You believe that saving the Earth from "global warming" is more important than Jesus saving your soul from eternal burning.

"Why Roman Catholics are NOT "Christian," Why they are NOT Saved, and Why They ARE Going to Hell When They Die"


Many (most?) Roman Catholics believe things ABOUT Jesus, but do *NOT* BELIEVE IN HIM FOR SALVATION, but trust in the lying Roman Catholic church, their "good" works, water baptism, taking the Lord's Supper and "Mass"--instead of believing in JESUS as the Bible tells them to do..

(Good works are things for people to do AFTER they are first believers saved by faith in Jesus.)

Roman Catholicism is a false anti-Christian religion that teaches that man is saved by his own "good works.."

This is why Roman Catholics are not saved, they are NOT Christian, and they are NOT going to Heaven when they die, even though they believe some things ABOUT Jesus.

Salvation is the possession of those who *have believed in Jesus*.

Unbelieving Roman Catholics, Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists, Atheists, Satanists, Agnostics, and Secularists are all going to Hell--they do not have Jesus. Jesus is the ONLY WAY to God and Heaven.

If these do not believe in Jesus, they will ALL burn in Hell the minute they die.

"He that believeth NOT shall be DAMNED." -The Lord Jesus Christ in the Gospel of John

Have you ever been in the presence of a person you would describe as "soulless"?

What got me thinking about this was that today I was at a corporate job testing, and the administrator of the testing (not just the atmosphere and situation) seemed to me to be precisely "soulless."

Let me give you some short-phrase descriptions of what I mean by "soulless." People who are "soulless" seem to have:

no empathy

no conscience or morality

no identity

no desire to interact

no respect for humans

no human warmth

They seem to be analyzing you, rather than relating to you.

Merely being around these people deeply offends me. (No, NO ONE on my email list fits this description. Please relax.)

Back when I was studying psychology at UW-Milwaukee, I first became aware of this phenomenon. The environment, attitude, mindset and people seemed to embody "soullessness." These people seemed to be analyzing you rather than relating to you.

Certain environments and groups of people seem to foster this strong kind of anti-human "vibe."

The young human female at the corporate testing today positioned me in front of a computer monitor like she was moving a chair, an inanimate object.

Not being an inanimate object myself, this deeply offends me.

It seems that these people are not merely introverted or quiet, but positively cold and evil, like corpses.. Lifeless.

Have you ever met a person like this?

Can you relate to what I am saying?