Christmas/Look-Back Special 2023

Get a bit of news and views, as well as bloopers from this year's Podcast.

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Transcript

A look back at 2023

Hello and welcome to our Christmas special and look-back episode here on Teleios Talk. 
I'll be looking back at a few select news stories that happened in 2023 and see how they influence us today. If you have been listening to Teleios Talk for a while you will know that we are starting our fifth year of podcasting in January. I would like to thank everyone who has listened and contributed to this ministry.
Please listen to the end where we have something very special planned.

So let's look at some events from this past year. 
Considering the season we are in, let us start with something sensational!

Canada has canceled Christmas! On November 24th the National Post reported that the Canadian Human Rights Commission has declared Christmas as religious intolerance. Which seems odd because isn’t the claim that Christianity is intolerant a statement of religious intolerance itself? According to the Canadian Human Rights Commision website, “Religious intolerance can be understood as an intolerance of a person's religion, religious beliefs or practices. It is rooted in the negative attitudes, values, and beliefs held towards those of a particular religion.” So…. then I guess the Canadian Human Rights Commission is guilty of intolerance; am I right?! The National Post goes on to say that if the federal government chooses to enforce the commission's declaration then what we can expect is that there will be challenges against the statutory holiday. I can only imagine how this will affect employee time-off and family gatherings during the holiday season, Bah-Humbug! If these declarations of the Canadian Human Rights Commission are held up, prepare to see challenges against Easter as well. So that will go over well. Hey Ottawa, why don't you take away our holidays as well as taxing us into the ground? Are you gambling on whether Canada goes quietly into a Chinese Communism style dictatorshipor full on French Revolution? Maybe you've forgotten how COVID came to an end? But such a move is not without precedent, if you recall it was a certain Mr. Scrooge who could see no use for Christmas either.
[https://nationalpost.com/opinion/federal-commission-declares-christmas-holiday-is-religious-intolerance]

On December 15th, 2023 it was reported that the Ontario Superior Court of Justice has ruled that referring to drag queens as “groomers” does not fall under Canada’s protected speech laws, setting up potential defamation lawsuits against anyone who uses the term. In fact, Egale Canada, a Trudeau-funded far-left organization, was part of the lawsuit against Brian Webster, a Thunder Bay Facebook blogger who called drag queens groomers on his Facebook page. I guess one needs to tread lightly here but we are already being tasked with calling pedophiles ‘minor attracted persons’ so when does the levy break? Since we're rewriting truth then do reimagined definitions of perversion make the act any less horrendous? If a dog is rabid you call it rabid, not because you're worried about offending the dog, but because you want to warn everyone who comes in contact with the dog that they are in danger.
[https://thecountersignal.com/breaking-calling-drag-queens-groomers-not-protected-speech/?utm_source=The+Counter+Signal&utm_campaign=f7559e2bbe-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2023_12_15_10_34&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_-f7559e2bbe-%5BLIST_EMAIL_ID%5D]

In an effort to control the narrative in Canada, the Canadian government has forced Facebook and all social media sites to ban all news stories if they don't comply they will have to pay the cited news sources. Not to take anything away from journalists making a living – once you start controlling what people are allowed to read, and the information available, it takes on a bit of a Marxist vibe. In a completely tone-deaf response Canadian Heritage Minister Pablo Rodriguez said in a statement. "A free and independent press is fundamental to our democracy," "It levels the playing field by putting the power of big tech in check and ensuring that even our smallest news business can benefit through this regime and receive fair compensation for their work." Yeah, except even the little guys can’t post news on Facebook anymore either. Unless, I suppose you were a government backed news source. Hmm, has Canada got one of those? CBC anyone? And listen, if a free and independent press is so fundamental to our democracy, wouldn’t you want to back it? Maybe put it someplace people go to get their news….Just asking.

This next story was a very exciting one for me. 
Years ago I played bass in a number of bands, and I remember a series of TV shows that myself and other band members watched voraciously. Airing around the same time as the custom motorcycle explosion, Miami Ink and then LA Ink told the stories of artists who worked and managed tattoo studios in the States. I myself have never had a tattoo, but several of my friends have. As a side comment, I received my motorcycle training alongside the very famous Vancouver artist John Van't Hullenaar, aka The Dutchman. Bit of a rabbit trail for sure, but kind of a cool experience. Anyway…. So when Kat Von D posted a video about her baptism and confession of faith I was very excited for her. There has unfortunately been the obligatory negative feedback from Christianity's modern-day Pharisees questioning everything from the method of her baptism, to the sincerity of her heart, to the kinds of people who were in attendance, and so on. But it does not take much effort to answer the question, is she a Christian? Although she hasn’t agreed to very many interviews, the ones I've seen her in definitely confirm her conversion. And doesn't the act of baptism come as a confirmation to a statement of faith?Forest for the trees people! What a fantastic addition she is to our family. You know, our churches seem to have lost the script on the commission we've been given when we choose to doubt conversion stories and judge new Christians on their looks, habits, and language. 
If we judged babies by the same criteria the human race would have died out long ago.
 
This just in…Hulk Hogan postedhe and his wife's baptism on X. Now he truly is a brother. Yes, I went there. On his December 20th tweet he says, “Total surrender and dedication to Jesus is the greatest day of my life. No worries, no hate, no judgment… only love!” In April, he had written, "I accepted Christ as my Savior at 14yrs old…” "But now that I am one with God, the main event theme of surrender, service and love makes me the Real Main Event that can slam any giant of any size through the power of my Lord and Savior and so it is, even now brother, AMEN!” Go back with me to Wrestlemania 1, when Hogan teamed up with Mr T. Now both men are proclaiming their love for God. 
Now that is a tag team I want on my side.
 
Ok, let’s swing the pendulum the other way now. 
What is happening to Christianity today, especially Christian Music? No one watches awards shows anymore …but what-the-what happened at the Dove awards this year? 
There hasn't been much Christianity in the Christian music scene since Keith Green and Mark Heard were still alive, so I guess I shouldn’t be shocked that Derek Webb and his band of misfits would want to crash the party. 
But, do these people hate God so much that they feel there is a need to spread their specialized hatred, bigotry, and sin into every last crevice of faith that remains? I am sure there were many who attended the Dove awards who don’t understand why this is a big deal; (I'm looking at you Amy Grant) and that, in and of itself, is my point. Our western Christianity has perverted the understanding of Biblical love so heinously that it now means ‘unwarranted acceptance of all distortions and corruptions of the truth’. Can anyone tell me which verse that comes from? Sheesh! I feel sad for what is going on, our children deserve better, our churches deserve better, and society deserves better. Time to get on our knees people.

And while you’re on your knees… can we pray for what is happening in the conflict between Israel and Gaza? This isn’t just a military war but a spiritual war as well. This is vaguely reminiscent of where we were last year with the war in the Ukraine. I am not a fan of any war and there are people on both sides who need to hear the truth about peace, love, and joy; as well as the promise of salvation promised by the birth of Christ. I find it hard to take sides when I know that Christ died for all those involved. Should we lean toward or against our country’s position? 
Should we support the side we feel has the greatest historical claim? Do we point out one side's atrocities and ignore the others? There is a great evil in war and the spiritual significance of anything which happens in this part of the world multiplies that evil. So I encourage you to prayer. Pray for the lost, and the hurting, and the hate… pray for love.

[Out-takes]

Next Year our topics will include...
Panentheism
Science vs Christianity
History vs Christianity 
The exclusivity of Christianity
Is the Bible an idol
The evil that men do
Is God evil
And more…..

To close off this special Christmas episode I present… The Christmas story!
[Eduard reads the Christmas story from Luke 2]
God Bless you and I look forward to another year of Completeness in Christ.