Book Review: Grace God’s Unmerited Favor

Grace God’s Unmerited Favor. Charles Spurgeon. 1996. Whitaker House. 175 pages.

This is the fourth Charles Spurgeon book I’ve reviewed today. And I purposefully saved it for last because it is the best of the best of the best. Grace God’s Unmerited Favor is one of those books that NEEDS to be read and reread and reread. It is a true must-read.

The six chapters are entitled:

The Covenant of Grace (Psalm 111:5)
Salvation Altogether By Grace (2 Timothy 1:9)
Grace, the One Way of Salvation (Acts 15:11)
All of Grace (Ephesians 2:8)
Grace for the Covenanter (Psalm 25:10)
Twelve Covenant Mercies (Isaiah 55:3)

This book was AMAZING. Truly amazing. It is was rich in Scripture, rich in truth–I love the way Spurgeon quotes Scripture, I do, he relies on it so much in his works. Modern writers use the Bible, too–especially the ones I read published by Crossway–but I haven’t found anyone who can write exactly the same way as Spurgeon. If you have not read him before because you’re worried that he’s out of date or irrelevant or too wordy, don’t be. The four I’ve read this February have been fabulous. Three out of the four I read in two days or less!!! And Grace: God’s Unmerited Favor would be a great starting place!!! Not just for those looking to give Spurgeon a try, not just for those wanting to give Christian nonfiction a try, but for ANY new believer in Christ.

I marked dozens and dozens of passages to share with you. Well, passages that I wanted to come back to myself. But what I discovered when I was rereading them is that they are all connected–too connected–and that I can’t easily pull out sentences. For where would I start and where would I end when each paragraph builds upon another? It would also be hard to narrow it down to a reasonable number. I can’t share every page of the text in this one. And sometimes my “favorite” sections would be just that–page after page after page. So I’ll just say, read this one for yourself.

© Becky Laney of Operation Actually Read Bible

Source: http://operationreadbible.blogspot.com/2012/02/book-review-grace-gods-unmerited-favor.html

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Brazilian Supreme Court denies appeal of journalist who denounced land grabbing in Amazon

In an article titled “Will the land grabbers win?” and published Saturday, Feb. 11, the editor of the Brazilian newspaper Jornal Pessoal, Lúcio Flávio Pinto, reported that the Supreme Court denied his appeal to a lawsuit filed by one of country´s largest construction companies and ordered the journalist to pay roughly $4,600 in moral damages, according to the website Socioambiental.

In 1999, the journalist denounced illegal land grabbing practiced by the owner of the construction company from Paraná, C. R. Almeida, in his independent newspaper. The journalist alleged the company had seized about 5 million hectares of land, along with ore and other natural resources in the Amazon region in the Xingu River Valley, in Pará. The federal police confirmed the land grabbing, but did not arrest the company’s owner, because too much time had passed since the crime was committed, said Portal Imprensa.

Pinto, the only editor of Jornal Pessoal, has faced 33 lawsuits, and has been repeatedly threatened, for his constant reporting on corruption, illegal deforestation and illegal trade in wood.

“After suffering all kinds of violence, including physical acts of aggression, I know what awaits me. But I will not stop doing what I consider my duty: journalism. Those in power, however, especially in Pará’s judicial system, want to see journalism destroyed, if it can’t be controlled by those in charge of the public voice. We’re going to investigate the process and appeal,” said Pinto in his article.

After the news of the denied appeal, the journalist received support from fellow press members of various news websites and blogs, who were responding to the manifesto published on Ricardo Kotscho’s blog, “Journalist threatened: We are all Lúcio Flávio.” For example, journalist Raul Bastos emphasized the harassment by the courts, which have been becoming a censorship tool in Brazil. “The big problem is the systematic pressure placed on him by regional authorities for publishing materials that denounce indignities and bother precisely these same authorities. They have tried to silence him in various ways, from intimidation to aggression, and he has bravely resisted. The have tried to gag and silence him with 33 lawsuits,” explained Bastos.

Watch the following video, produced by the program Observatório da Imprensa, of an interview with Pinto, one of the main specialists in the country on coverage of the Amazon.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/kcblogen/~3/u2SSLk2IaN0/00-9053-brazilian-supreme-court-denies-appeal-journalist-who-denounced-land-grabbing-amazon

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Israeli Hanging Judge Sentences Khader Adnan to Death

Israeli Hanging Judge Sentences Khader Adnan to Death

 

by Stephen Lendman

 

On Monday, military Judge Moshe Tirosh rejected Adnan?s appeal as expected. Israel wants him dead. In his 59th day without food, his life hangs by a thread.

 

Tirosh called his decision ?balanced.? He claimed secret evidence justified him. He also called him an Islamic Jihad party political leader. Doing so effectively designated him a terrorist unjustly.

 

He ignored legal arguments, including no evidence warranting detention.

 

At one demonstration, Israeli security forces viciously attacked protesters, injuring 23 and making arrests. It?s standard official thuggishness against Palestinians expressing their views nonviolently.

 

Following Tirosh?s decision, 600 Gilboa Prison detainees hunger struck in solidarity. Other West Bank demonstrations were held. Israeli forces confronted them violently. Islamic Jihad promises ?painful revenge? if Adnan dies.

 

The Addameer prisoner support group calls administrative detention use arbitrary. It also affirmed everyone?s free expression, assembly and association rights, regardless of political affiliation.

 

Tirosh downplayed accusations about Adnan?s torture, inhuman and degrading treatment. He said they?re inflated and magnified. He accused Adnan of exaggerating what happened. He called his life-threatening condition his own fault. His deteriorating health didn?t influence his ruling. He got orders and followed them.

 

Tirosh showed appalling contempt for human life. He decision condemned Adnan to death.

 

His lawyer Jawad Boulus accused him of ignoring his fading health, never mind his innocence and victimization.

 

?We head to military courts without any hope of any type of justice,? he said. ?This ruling cannot be justified, especially since Khader is facing death due to his deteriorating health condition.?

 

Palestinian Authority (PA) Minister of Prisoners Affairs Issa Qaraqe said the ruling showed ?utter disregard for Adnan?s life, effectively condemning him to die. This decision is premeditated murder. With this decision, Israel has decided to kill? Adnan.

 

?What it has been doing for the past 57 days is a crime against humanity as a result of its decision to arbitrarily detain him? uncharged.

 

Qaraqe also called for solidarity protests and hunger strikes across Palestine. The Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) is appealing to Israel?s High Court. PPS head Qaddoura Fares called on international organizations to intervene on his behalf.

 

The PA?s in talks with the UN, Jordan, and other nations for help. Tirosh?s decision shows official contempt for human life. Daily policies confirm it.

 

After 57 to 75 days without food, internal organ death follows. Birzeit University?s Munir Nasser expects acid build-up to cost Adnan his sight. Kidney failure and coma are next. In his 59th day without food, he?s weak and fading fast. He?s vulnerable to infection. His heart muscles face hypertrophy. Doing so causes death.

 

Dozens of Birzeit University students protested outside Ofer military base supportively. Israeli security forces attacked them with tear gas and rubber bullets.

 

Journalists and dozens of others were injured while protesting. A weekly march was attacked with tear gas, rubber bullets, and waste water to stop them from reaching land earmarked for confiscation. Children, women and foreign human rights activists were affected.

 

The Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights group finalized a report condemning administrative detention. It pledged efforts to internationally criminalize Israeli policy. It took special note of Adnan?s struggle and Israel?s contempt for human life and welfare.

 

Adnan?s wife Randa said:

 

?My husband is dying inside an Israeli jail. The world should make sure I am able to see him?.And it should pressure the Israeli government to release him before it?s too late.?

 

In mid-December, he began hunger striking against Israel?s lawless detention. Prison authorities responded by beatings, painful interrogations, ripping hair from his beard, rubbing dirt on his face, and isolating him in a ?punishment cell? with bright lights and loud noises to prevent sleep.

 

He also was denied medical treatment for gastric and back disc problems, as well as injuries soldiers and prison authorities caused. After his family members were insulted, including his children and elderly mother, he stayed silent and wouldn?t talk.

 

On January 8, he was sentenced to administrative detention until May 8. His imprisonment can be extended indefinitely. No time limit?s imposed. He and others can rot forever uncharged in gross violation of international law. He?s willing to die opposing this abuse.

 

On February 7, Randa saw him for 15 minutes. He was too weak to greet her. His shrunken, ulcerated body resembled a lifeless shell. She was shocked, and their daughters were scared. He said prison authorities prevented him from bathing, grooming, or changing his clothes since arrest.

 

Angry about his shocking treatment, Randa said:

 

?Israel has treated my husband without any humanity or compassion for his deteriorating health. It?s obviously very bad, yet they?re not only preventing him from receiving any treatment, but also attacking his basic dignity as a human being.?

 

In a letter from prison hospital, Adnan expected to die, saying:

 

?The only thing I can do is offer my soul to God as I believe righteousness and justice will eventually triumph over tyranny and oppression.?

 

?I hereby assert that I am confronting the occupiers not for my own sake as an individual, but for the sake of thousands of prisoners who are being deprived of their simplest human rights while the world and international community look on? dismissively.

 

After Tirosh?s ruling, Randa clung to hope saying, ?Israel denied Khader any fairness or decency. But maybe the rest of humanity will show more mercy.? So far, it?s letting Israel torture him to death.

 

On February 13, prison authorities threatened to painfully shackle his four limbs to his bed without explanation.

 

On Monday, Addameer lawyer Samer Sama?n got to see him briefly at Zif Medical Center. Physicians for Human Rights ? Israel got to examine him for the third time since food intake stopped. Daily, his life force fades. He?s also experiencing extreme pain.

 

Addameer condemned Tirosh?s decision. He brazenly ignored Adnan?s condition. His ruling defiled international law, including by ?categoriz(ing)? all Palestinians as ?terrorist parties.?

 

He downplayed Adnan?s claims of torture, abuse and degrading treatment. ?Addameer holds Israel accountable for? his life, ?whose health has entered an alarmingly critical stage that will now have irreversible consequences and could? take him any time.

 

Addameer also holds international officials responsible for inaction. Doing so makes them complicit with Israeli crimes.

 

Nonetheless, Addameer demands EU/UN/ICRC intervention on his behalf immediately before it?s too late. The UN special coordinator for Middle East peace?s weak-kneed statement shows how little world authorities care.

 

?(W)ith concern,? it called on Israel ?to do everything in its power to preserve (Adnan?s) health?.and resolve this case while abiding by all legal obligations under international law.?

 

UN, EU and other world officials let Israeli authorities get away with murder by not intervening with teeth. It shows their contempt for human life and welfare.

 

Addameer urged global solidarity to save him before brutal Israeli torture extinguishes his last breath. There?s precious little of it left.

 

Stephen Lendman lives in Chicago and can be reached at lendmanstephen@sbcglobal.net.

 

Also visit his blog site at sjlendman.blogspot.com and listen to cutting-edge discussions with distinguished guests on the Progressive Radio News Hour on the Progressive Radio Network Thursdays at 10AM US Central time and Saturdays and Sundays at noon. All programs are archived for easy listening.

 

http://www.progressiveradionetwork.com/the-progressive-news-hour/.

Source: http://yourworldnews.org/blog/?p=2936&utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=israeli-hanging-judge-sentences-khader-adnan-to-death

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