New CD BOGO, Next Single Clues, Keith’s New Name |
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J. Jackson, lead singer and lyricist for ApologetiX here.
I was talking to an old friend recently who told me that one of his sons has been criticizing Christianity because he thinks there is so much hypocrisy in the church. The ironic thing is that my friend and his wife are two of the most godly, humble people I know, and I sincerely doubt that their son thinks his own parents are hypocrites.
Many of us have heard that same excuse from non-believers about why they don’t want to become Christians or from Christians about why they don’t want to be part of a local congregation. The thing is: You don’t have to go to a church to find hypocrisy … it's rampant throughout the human race.
That’s one of the reasons Jesus gave us the golden rule: "Do to others as you would have them do to you” (Luke 6:31). He also cited “love your neighbor as yourself” (Leviticus 19:18) as one of the two greatest commandments (Matthew 22:39, Mark 12:31). If you actually follow those guidelines, they safeguard against hypocrisy. But it’s not our natural tendency; that’s why we need to be told.
The Lord knows that hypocrisy is always a temptation to us as human beings, even in the “religious" community. Remember what he said to his disciples about the “holy rollers” of their day: "Be on your guard against the yeast of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy” (Luke 12:1).
From what I’ve read, the words “hypocrite” and “hypocrisy” are derived from the Greek word for actor — literally "one who wears a mask.” Jesus used those two words over 20 times in the Gospels and never in a positive light. So if you know a person who says they hate hypocrisy, you could honestly reply, “I think you’d really like Jesus, then; He hated hypocrisy, too.”
But you know the difference? Jesus never acted hypocritically Himself. Instead, Philippians 2:6-8 says this about Him: "Who, being in very nature God, did not consider equality with God something to be used to his own advantage; rather, he made himself nothing by taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death — even death on a cross!”
In Hebrews 4:15, it also says, "For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are — yet he did not sin.”
If there ever was a person who had a legitimate excuse not to associate with people because they were hypocrites, it was Jesus. Yet he does choose to associate with us: "Both the one who makes people holy and those who are made holy are of the same family. So Jesus is not ashamed to call them brothers and sisters” (Hebrews 2:11). In fact, He goes a step further and says, "‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:40).
So let’s not be hypocritical when we talk about hypocrisy. As the old saying goes, “When you point your finger at somebody else, three of your own fingers point back at you.” Let’s point toward Jesus, and when the rest of our fingers point back toward us, let that remind us of how much we need Him and should try to be more like Him. |
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New CD BOGO (Choose from 45 Titles) |
Our 78th CD, Quite Ironic, is at the manufacturer and is expected to be in stock on June 9. We’ll begin shipping shortly thereafter. It features parodies of a dozen hard-rockin' hits from the late ‘60s through the early ‘80s.
Order now, and you’ll get the MP3 download immediately. You’ll also get an extra Quite Ironic CD free with every Quite Ironic CD you buy. Or choose from 44 other titles as your free extra CD(s).
CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO
The earlier you order, the quicker you'll get your CD(s); we'll process them in the order in which they are received. |
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The Story Behind Our New CD |
Here’s the story behind our new CD: When we started planning the 78th ApologetiX LP, our main objective was to rock relentlessly. Four of our previous five projects were composed primarily of pop parodies (with a few notable exceptions). It was time to crank up the amps again. As a centerpiece, we chose to spoof seminal songs by groups that could be considered the founding fathers of hard rock: Led Zeppelin, Iron Butterfly, Deep Purple, and Black Sabbath. Those tunes all came from 1968-70, as did a fifth we covered here by The Guess Who. To that we added parodies of late '70s and early '80s classics by Slade, Sweet, Styx, Rainbow, Boston, Van Halen, and Iron Maiden. No paper. No scissors. Just rock, rock, rock. This album opens with a song about the fall of Satan, followed by one about the fall of Adam and Eve. It close closes with a number about the defeat of the Antichrist. Those are reimagined remakes, respectively, of "Iron Man," Iron Butterfly, and Iron Maiden. Hence our title, Quite Ironic. Of course, another ironic thing is that people have traditionally thought of hard rock as the devil's music, but two of those tunes depict a double dose of defeat for him. To borrow a line from Deuteronomy 32:31, "For their rock is not like our Rock, as even our enemies concede." |
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We hope to release our ninth single of 2025 by the end of this weekend, Lord willing.
Here are your clues. Want to really impress us? See if you can spot all of the references in both entries. We counted a total of 22.
SONG #1
Hello there. Are you lonely tonight? Are you on the lookout for something more than just lookin’ out for number one? If you were to die right now, are you sure you'd go to Heaven tonight? Yeah, yeah, everybody knows the way of the world isn’t the way to Heaven, but are you ready to stop this game, let go, and surrender? It’s up to you.
SONG #2
Who’s that on your doorstep? Not the postman. It’s two people looking like holy rollers and working like tag-team partners. You know the type. They don’t realize their books and theology are full of little lies, so they smile, because ignorance is bliss. Others hide and hope they’ll go away, but God may use someone like you to reach them.
Once the new single is released, we'll announce it in our news bulletin, on our website, and on our Facebook page. |
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Congrats, Keith! Sorry They Got Your Name Wrong Again |
ApologetiX bassist Keith Haynie recently got his license to perform weddings. Last Saturday, he officiated at the ceremony for his nephew Brandon Speer and Brandon’s bride, Arianna. The two had specifically requested he do the honor, which is what provided the impetus for him to get licensed.
As a “thank you” gift, they got him a customized mug as shown in the photos below. Arianna later revealed that the people who made the mug originally mistakenly wrote Keith’s name as “Jacob.” Keith’s favorite band is Bachman-Turner Overdrive, and one of our BTO spoofs was “Jacob’s Name Is Israel,” so now apparently, Keith’s name is Jacob. |
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If you've been following ApX for a while, you know that Keith has been called by the wrong name so many times over the past 30 years, that we keep a list. We're not talking about nicknames, either. For some reason, many people get Keith's first name wrong, yet he's rarely called by the same wrong name more than once. It all started back in 1996 at a Waffle House in Georgia, when a waitress mistakenly called him "Stan.”
For those of you keeping track at home, here's the current list:
Stan (Waffle House in Georgia – 1996)
Ted (Ohio – 1997)
Gary (Bradford PA – 1998)
Stu (Lock Haven PA – 1999)
Curly (McDonald's in Ohio or Indiana – 1999)
Kevin (on the job in Pennsylvania by a thankful customer – 1999)
Baby (all-night diner in Reading PA – 1999)
Kenny (Denny's in Albany NY – 1999)
Rich (church in Donora PA – 1999)
Speedo (church in Donora PA – by a pastor – 1999)
Lee (concert in Houston TX – 2000)
Mr. Galparin (airplane on Texas trip – 2000)
John Crawford (I can't remember where but it happened – 2000)
Brian (concert in Kansas – 2000)
Frank (I can't remember where, but it happened – 2000)
Sean (concert in Austin TX – 2001)
Mark (concert in Sept/Oct 2001 - can't remember where)
Omar (same concert in Sept/Oct 2001 - can't remember where)
Cliff (photographer who took publicity shots – 2001)
Ryan (member of Poor Baker's Dozen called him that at a concert in Minnesota – 2001)
Ed (some lady said this to Keith's wife, Krista, in October 3 2001)
Kent (Mickey Hall in Oklahoma July 2002, according to her husband, Tom)
Heath (lady at hotel desk in Lansdale PA - May 2003)
Pete (concert promoter in Lansdale PA - May 2003)
Brad (DJ Dave Purin at the WJLU in Daytona/Port Orange FL - September 2003)
Naynie (stage plot in Colorado Springs CO - August 2005)
Kelly (person at Bismarck ND concert - December 2005)
Jeff (lady at his church in a Christmas card - December 2005)
Ken (TSA guy at the Pittsburgh Airport - May 2006)
Craig (concert helper in La Quinta CA - May 2006)
Billy (fan in Bradenton FL - March 2007)
Pete (fan in Bradenton FL - March 2007)
"Dale ... no, Don!" (Redding CA - June 2009)
Mike (bass player in Donegal PA - July 2010)
Greg (introduced with his wife Krista as "my friends Krista and Greg" by longtime friend Zack Shack - April 2011)
Chad A. Kennedy (name on Keith's insurance card - February 2013)
Bob (at a Golden Corral in Erie PA - August 2015)
That's almost 40 … and those are just the first names! His last name has been misinterpreted as Haynes, Hiney (a couple of times — most recently over a loudspeaker at the Minnesota airport in July 2006), and Hayner, in a Grand Rapids newspaper article in June 2006.
Remember: We don't count it if somebody tries to give Keith a new name. The beauty of this list of names is that they were names used by people who unintentionally got Keith's name wrong. No cheating! |
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Get ApX Complete Library, USBs, Songbook |
To get the complete ApologetiX library, ApX USB thumb drives, and/or the new ApX digital songbook — or to get more info about them — just click on the item(s) you want below. |
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We began our latest trip through the Bible on Wednesday, April 3. Note: If you don't have a Bible handy, you can look up these passages for free on Bible Gateway. They have about 60 different English translations/versions there to choose from, plus translations in many other languages, many of which also have multiple translations/versions. |
CLICK HERE to see the reading plan for the whole year. |
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If you'd like to donate to the ministry of ApologetiX, there are a couple ways you can do it. |
If you prefer to mail a check or money order, please make it out to "ApologetiX" and send it to:
ApologetiX
208 Charlemma Drive
Pittsburgh PA 15214-1414
Although the donations are not tax-deductible, they will be received very gratefully and used immediately. Thank you! |
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What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? God will judge those outside. 1 Corinthians 5:12-13 |
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P.O. Box 101705
Pittsburgh, PA 15237
USA
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