David Bowie: "Fashion"

This song speaks of the changing political scene in general. For awhile,leftists governments are popular. Then right wing parties come into office to try and undo the damage from the previous administration.

Listen to David Bowie's song here:

Israel had its times of loyalty to the lord and then apostasy set in. Joshua 24:15 and 16 (Bible in Basic English) is one example of how the people claimed to be faithful. "'And if it seems evil to you to be the servants of the Lord, make the decision this day whose servants you will be: of the gods whose servants your fathers were across the River, or of the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living: but I and my house will be the servants of the Lord.' Then the people in answer said, 'Never will we give up the Lord to be the servants of other gods;'"

How sad it was that when Joshua died, so did the faith of the Israelites. Judges 2:10 (BBE) shows how the new generation abandoned God. "And in time death overtook all that generation; and another generation came after them, having no knowledge of the Lord or of the things which he had done for Israel. And the children of Israel did evil in the eyes of the Lord and became servants to the Baals; And they gave up the Lord, the God of their fathers, who had taken them out of the land of Egypt, and went after other gods, the gods of the peoples round about them, worshipping them and moving the Lord to wrath."

This pattern of sinning and repenting went on for generations, as the Book of Judges shows. People never seemed to learn from past disasters. We see that same tendency in our history today.

Neither did having a king help to keep the Israelites faithful. We see in 1 Kings 11:4 (BBE) how the religious "fashion" changed. "For it came about that when Solomon was old, his heart was turned away to other gods by his wives; and his heart was no longer true to the Lord his God as the heart of his father David had been."

No matter which political party is in power, God's kingdom continues on. Every generation had faithful people who bucked the trend and worshipped him. How nice that we can have his help even when tyrants rule over us.

If Christ doesn't return by Monday, I hope to post about Jesus freaks.

Saturday Song: David Bowie, "The Man Who Sold The World"

Imagine what it would be like to meet Adam, the first man, on the stairs at a party. That's what David Bowie envisioned in this song from 1971. Of course we know that Adam died "a long long time ago," but imagining scenarios won't hurt us like wrong doctrines will.

Listen to this song here:

Adam truly did sell the world. He listened to his wife who also sinned and plunged humanity into a perpetual state of sinful rebellion against God. We find the sentence the Lord gave him, and all men, in Genesis 3:17 (BBE). "And to Adam he said, 'Because you gave ear to the voice of your wife and took of the fruit of the tree which I said you were not to take, the earth is cursed on your account; in pain you will get your food from it all your life.'"

This curse of death which our federal head brought on the world is for all humanity. Claiming to have obeyed the law of God won't protect anybody from the curse. As the Apostle Paul pointed out in Romans 5:12 (BBE), "For this reason, as through one man sin came into the world, and death because of sin, and so death came to all men, because all have done evil:"

But fortunately for those of us who surrendered our lives to Christ, we have one who paid for our sins against God on the cross. As Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:22 (BBE), there is hope for us. "For as in Adam death comes to all, so in Christ will all come back to life."

This is the resurrection which will happen when our Lord and Master returns. As we read in 1 Corinthians 15:51 and 52 (BBE), we all will receive our eternal bodies so we may live with him forever. "See, I am giving you the revelation of a secret: we will not all come to the sleep of death, but we will all be changed. In a second, in the shutting of an eye, at the sound of the last horn: for at that sound the dead will come again, free for ever from the power of death, and we will be changed.

What a joy it is to know that death won't have the last word. The second death, being consigned to the lake of fire, won't be our fate but it will be for those who refuse Christ's magnanimous offer of salvation.

On Monday, provided the Lord doesn't return first, I hope to post about why Christ's resurrection matters.

Saturday Song: David Bowie, "Star Man"

If you're a science fiction fan and also enjoy David Bowie's music, you'll love this song. It's about teenagers who hear a broadcast from an alien being.

Hear David Bowie's song here.

But we Christians look forward to the arrivel of a different kind of alien. He came to Earth two-thousand years ago and promised to return. Luke 24:51 and 52 (BBE) describes how he left our planet. "And while he was doing so, he went from them and was taken up into heaven. And they (The disciples) gave him worship and went back to Jerusalem with great joy."

Luke explains further in Acts 1:10 and 11 (BBE(, "And while they (Christ's disciples) were looking up to heaven with great attention, two men came to them, in white clothing, And said, 'O men of Galilee, why are you looking up into heaven? This Jesus, who was taken from you into heaven, will come again, in the same way as you saw him go into heaven."

The Apostle Paul also wrote of Christ's return, filling in some of the details. He wrote in 1 Corinthians 15:51 and 52 (BBE), "See, I am giving you the revelation of a secret: we will not all come to the sleep of death, but we will all be changed. In a second, in the shutting of an eye, at the sound of the last horn: for at that sound the dead will come again, free for ever from the power of death, and we will be changed."

Paul also wrote in 1 Thessalonians 4:16 and 17 (BBE), "Because the Lord himself will come down from heaven with a word of authority, with the voice of the chief angel, with the sound of a horn: and the dead in Christ will come to life first; Then we who are still living will be taken up together with them into the clouds to see the Lord in the air: and so will we be for ever with the Lord."

What a wonderful hope that our Lord will someday reappear and take us up to be with him. No more will we suffer and be harassed by Satan.

On Monday, I'll tell you how to be in the world without being of it. It seems contradictory until you understand what "of the world" means.

Saturday Song, David Bowie, God Knows I'm Good

This song is so convicting for anybody who still has a conscience. The shoplifter hopes God will cut her a break since she's so poor and the "national concern" has so much money. "God may look the other way today," she tells herself.

Hear "God Knows I'm Good" here

But God knows what's going on. Nobody can fool him. Worse yet, people professing to be Christians act just like the woman in this song. They say they never murdered anybody and they never robbed a bank. This is most likely true but the Lord still can't be fooled.

What many Christians don't realize is that God judges the thoughts of people. Jesus explained this in his Sermon on the Mount regarding murder. Even anger is akin to murder. Matthew 5:22 (KJV) quotes Christ's statement, "But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire."

The same goes for inappropriate desires. A man can claim to have never sexually assaulted a woman but look at what Christ said in Matthew 5:28 (KJV). "But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart."

So, what do you think? Are you really a good person or have you wished that some jerk would drop dead? Have you secretly envied those folks with more money? If you wish to, please leave a comment on this subject in the comments box. If not, have a wonderful weekend anyway.

How Could God Send Millions of People to Hell?

Here's another question asked by critics of Christianity. To them, God sounds like a petulant little boy who punishes his pets for not doing what he wants them to do. I've even felt in the past that he was stingy and sadistic because my faith wasn't enough to heal my eyes. No matter how I tried, the prayers and laying on of hands by Christians resulted in only disappointment.

How sad it is that critics of God don't know him personally. These people only know about him from what they hear TV preachers say or from Bible stories they heard when they were children. Isn't that unfair of such folks to condemn the Lord because of what others have said?

Knowing about somebody isn't like knowing them. I know about famous people but I actually know none personally. For example, I couldn't call David Bowie on the phone like I could an acquaintance or personal friend, even if I had his home number. He doesn't know me and doubtless would be upset if I called him. In the same way, people who don't have a personal relationship with Christ can't accurately judge him and the other two members of the trinity.

Because critics don't understand the Lord's character, since they don't have the Holy Spirit dwelling within them, they mislead others with their misconceptions. Perhaps the worst of their misapprehensions is that God sends people to hell. Like John Cleese noted on one TV show, hell is a voluntary organization. People choose to go there rather than obey God. The Lord has given us a choice, limited though it seems, so we could either surrender to his plan for us or go our own way.

God doesn't delight in the death of the wicked. In fact, he would rather have people surrender their lives into his loving care. Since forced love is not love at all, he gave us the option to obey or disobey. At death, he graciously lets people face the consequences of their decision.

In my How I Was Razed memoir, I showed how I finally learned that God is the heavenly Father who providentially led me to know him better. Check out this glorious journey from cultism to Christianity at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books. What a huge difference knowing his true character has made in my life. I hope others discover the real character of God like I have.

Am I Not a Good Person?

People amaze me. They claim that they're good, yet they admit that they've broken the speed limit. They also don't think they've done wrong if they fudged figures on their tax returns, pocketed something at a store,  or took office supplies home from work. After all, the government or company has lots of money, right? Even getting back more change than they were entitled to from a cashier is brushed off as their just dues for how the stores supposedly rip off shoppers. This attitude is so pervasive that even David Bowie wrote a song about shoplifting called "God Knows I'm Good."

Isn't this a double standard? Would those individuals like it if visitors to their homes walked off with their possessions and wen confronted, they declared that they're really good at heart? Seems to me that the homeowner would have a thing or three to say to those sleazy friends.

People often excuse their petty crimes with the statement that they haven't murdered anybody, been faithful to their spouse,  or haven't robbed any banks. What about what Christ said in his famous Sermon on the Mount? If you hate somebody, it's the equivalent of murdering that person. If you, being married,  covet somebody's spouse, it's as if you committed adultery with that person. One of the Ten Commandments says not to covet a neighbour's property. Isn't envying somebody's house, car, or other possessions just as wicked?

Doubtless people will object that thinking about a crime isn't like actually doing it. Oh? Isn't it the heart of a person where wickedness begins? James wrote in his epistle that coveting leads to commission of the sin. Also, since people are thinking such nasty thoughts, what does that say about the content of their character?

I hope to write at length about this subject in my next book called You Think You're Going to Heaven? Far too many people assume that they'll go there when they die because they're a good person. Tragically, they'll find out too late that they were horribly wrong. How I wish I could stop at least some folks from making such a shockingly irreversible mistake.

As for my other paperbacks, see my latest one at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books. My first two memoirs are available from my book page. Additionally, visit my Facebook author page to learn what I'm working on and how the book project is going.

THE ROCK STAR I'D LOVE TO MEET

If you have the chance to meet only one famous rock star, who would you choose? For me it would be David Bowie. I often fantasize that we're having tea and discussing music. It might never come about but if I can meet him, I will do those things.

One thing I'd like to talk over with David is experimental and electronic music. Like him, I find the first three Kraftwerk albums highly evocative. I'm sure David and I could have a great time listening to them and discussing each piece.

David's early tunes from the sixties are among my favourites. Songs such as "When I'm Five" and "Kooks"" show his more sensitive side. "The Laughing Gnome" shows his sense of humor. Early seventies classics such as "Space Oddity" and "Saviour Machine" show his love of science fiction.

I also love the three albums he recorded in Berlin. Hero's, Low and The Lodger  are beloved by me because of their aural textures and interesting lyrics. I've heard that David wanted to use German musicians but somebody in his agency told them that he had changed his mind. Being a fan of Krautrock, I wish David had met and put music together with those pioneers of German rock music.

Cat People is another album of David's which I enjoy. It has darker sonic textures than the German trilogy but I still enjoy it. The album also reminds me of the time I bought it in 1982.

David Bowie has worked with many different performers. The most famous was John Lennon. The two men collaborated on the song "Fame" in 1975. Brian Eno, pioneer of ambient music, also worked with David. It would be most interesting to hear David's take on those experiences. I'd also like to hear how he and Giorgio Moroder collaborated. He was the legendary electronic music pioneer who backed up Donna Summers on her hit "I Feel Love" in 1977.

Music has been a passion in my life since childhood. I mention it in my first two memoirs, available on my Bruce Atchison's books page. My most recent book is available from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Powell's Books.