Tuesday, September 29, 2009
Quote of the Year
There is usually only a limited amount of damage that can be done by dull or stupid people. For creating a truly monumental disaster, you need people with high IQs. -Thomas Sowell
Patrick Kennedy and Nancy Pelosi: Hypocrits On "Violent" Language
These hypocritcal Democrats are killin' me.
Patrick Kennedy :"Drawing on his family’s violent past, the Democratic congressman told roughly 75 people gathered at a private health-care forum Saturday morning that opponents of Democrat-backed health-care legislation had gone too far. He cited, as an example, 10,000 signs distributed at a recent Washington protest that read, “Bury ObamaCare with Kennedy.”
“It’s fine for people to debate the issue and attack the issue, but when they go and stoop to the level of the vitriolic rhetoric that we’ve seen this debate turn up, it’s very, I think, dangerous to the fabric of our country.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "I have concerns about some of the language that is being used ..."This kind of rhetoric is just, is really frightening and it created a climate in which we, violence took place and ... I wish that we would all, again, curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements that are made."
***Update***
Patrick Kennedy :"Drawing on his family’s violent past, the Democratic congressman told roughly 75 people gathered at a private health-care forum Saturday morning that opponents of Democrat-backed health-care legislation had gone too far. He cited, as an example, 10,000 signs distributed at a recent Washington protest that read, “Bury ObamaCare with Kennedy.”
“It’s fine for people to debate the issue and attack the issue, but when they go and stoop to the level of the vitriolic rhetoric that we’ve seen this debate turn up, it’s very, I think, dangerous to the fabric of our country.”
Speaker Nancy Pelosi: "I have concerns about some of the language that is being used ..."This kind of rhetoric is just, is really frightening and it created a climate in which we, violence took place and ... I wish that we would all, again, curb our enthusiasm in some of the statements that are made."
***Update***
News Update:
Taking a page from Democrats who disciplined Rep. Joe "You Lie" Wilson earlier this month, Republicans are seeking their own pound of flesh from a Democratic congressman who said Tuesday that the GOP wants Americans to "die quickly" if they get sick.
Rep. Alan Grayson,a first-term Democrat known for being provocative, made his comments on the House floor Tuesday night while criticizing Republican health care proposals. - Source
Republicans are pressing Democratic leaders to force Grayson to apologize.
"Will Pelosi hold vote to reprimand #Grayson?" Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., wrote on Twitter Wednesday, referencing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Or was JWilson reprimand just partisan politics after all?"
"Will Pelosi hold vote to reprimand #Grayson?" Rep. Patrick McHenry, R-N.C., wrote on Twitter Wednesday, referencing House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. "Or was JWilson reprimand just partisan politics after all?"
Ken Spain, spokesman for the House Republican campaign arm, said Democrats should be "lining up to call on him to apologize."
"House Speaker Nancy Pelosi now has an opportunity to condemn the very behavior and tone of this health care debate that she claims will 'incite violence,"' he said, referring to Democratic concerns that the bitter tone of the health care debate could lead to attacks.
End quote.
So Nancy, will you demand your guys to "curb their enthusiasm"? Kennedy, will you admonish your guys "when they go and stoop to the level of the vitriolic rhetoric"?
So far, she's quiet. As is Kennedy. How typically hypocritical of them. And by the way, its Obama who's repeatedly said if we reject his bill, people will die. Is that not fear mongering? Socialized medicine is hailed as the savior of people who aren't dying. This is insane.
Above: Joker-Bush from Vanity Fair, July 29,2008.
And who can forget the infamous Maxine Waters who incited the L.A. Riots back in the early 90's claiming "No justice, no peace!"
As Fox News' Bill Sammon reported back in August:
Quote:
When Bush visited Portland, Ore., for a fundraiser, protesters stalked his motorcade, assailed his limousine and stoned a car containing his advisers. Chanting "Bush is a terrorist!", the demonstrators bullied passers-by, including gay softball players and a wheelchair-bound grandfather with multiple sclerosis.
One protester even brandished a sign that seemed to advocate Bush's assassination. The man held a large photo of Bush that had been doctored to show a gun barrel pressed against his temple.
"BUSH: WANTED, DEAD OR ALIVE," read the placard, which had an X over the word "ALIVE."
Another poster showed Bush's face with the words: "---- YOU, MOTHER----!"
A third sign urged motorists to "HONK IF YOU HATE BUSH." A fourth declared: "CHRISTIAN FASCISM," with a swastika in place of the letter S in each word.
Protesters slashed the tires of several state patrol cruisers and leapt onto an occupied police car, slamming the hood and blocking the windshield with placards. A female police officer was knocked to the street by advancing protesters, badly injuring her wrist.
The angry protest grew so violent that the Secret Service was forced to take the highly unusual step of using a backup route for Bush's motorcade because the primary route had been compromised by protesters, one of whom pounded his fist on the president's moving limousine.
All the while, angry demonstrators brandished signs with incendiary rhetoric, such as "9/11 - YOU LET IT HAPPEN, SHRUB," and "BUSH: BASTARD CHILD OF THE SUPREME COURT." One sign read: "IMPEACH THE COURT-APPOINTED JUNTA AND THE FASCIST, EGOMANIACAL, BLOOD-SWILLING BEAST!"
Yet none of these signs were cited in the national media's coverage of the event. By contrast, the press focused extensively on over-the-top signs held by Obama critics at the president's town hall event held Tuesday in New Hampshire.
End quote.
Friday, September 25, 2009
Indoctrination of Children To Sing Praises of Leaders
In light of the recent news story about a group of children from a state government school, we should remember the same tactic is used with dictators in countries like Cuba and Venzuela, not to mention Germany in the 1930's.
USA Today photo and news story reported on 8-13-07:
"Congratulations Fidel on your day!" the children sang, clapping their hands as they kept time to the Cuban birthday song.
"What do I wish?" 7-year-old Dayron Gutierrez asked an Associated Press Television News crew, his mouth covered with frosting. "That he doesn't die. I love him."
"Congratulations Fidel on your day!" the children sang, clapping their hands as they kept time to the Cuban birthday song.
"What do I wish?" 7-year-old Dayron Gutierrez asked an Associated Press Television News crew, his mouth covered with frosting. "That he doesn't die. I love him."
Another shocking video showing children singing the praises of Obama during his campaign last year compared with the children singing the praises of Hitler. The lyrics in the Hitler Youth clip says:
"Adolf Hitler is our savior...our hero..He is the noblest being in the whole whild world. For Hitler we live.For Hitler we die. Our Hitler is our Lord. Who rules a brave new world."
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
When Being Nice Is Wrong
1Co 11:18 For, in the first place, when you come together as a church, I hear that there are divisions among you. And I believe it in part, 19 for there must be factions among you in order that those who are genuine among you may be recognized.
2Co 6:14 Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership has righteousness with lawlessness? Or what fellowship has light with darkness?
Excerpts From Apprising Ministries:
"The problem is that the needed reformation within evangelicalism won’t occur at all if false ideas that undermine our core theological convictions cannot be openly attacked and excluded. When peaceful coexistence “with our deepest differences” becomes priority one and conflict per se is demonized as inherently sub-Christian, any and every false religious belief can and will demand an equal voice in the “conversation.”
Indiscriminate congeniality, the quest for spiritual common ground, and peace at any price all naturally have great appeal, especially in an intellectual climate where practically the worst gaffe any thoughtful person could make is claiming to know what’s true when so many other people think something else is true. Besides, dialogue does sound nicer than debate. Who but a fool wouldn’t prefer a calm conversation instead of conflict and confrontation?"
..."Avoiding conflict is not always the right thing. Sometimes it is downright sinful. Particularly in times like these, when almost no error is deemed too serious to be excluded from the evangelical conversation, and while the Lord’s flock is being infiltrated by wolves dressed like prophets, declaring visions of peace when there is no peace (cf. Ezekiel 13:16). Even the kindest, gentlest shepherd sometimes needs to throw rocks at the wolves who come in sheep’s clothing.
- John MacArthur
(The Jesus You Can’t Ignore: What You Must Learn from the Bold Confrontations of Christ, 17-19)Obama, Warren, and the Law of Unity And Struggle
Pres. Obama, in a speech to the UN today that sounded more like Ricky Warren and his P.E.A.C.E plan, than the president of the United States of America, spoke about differences among the nations, and a "hope" for "change" in a new direction. This has echoes of the Marxist idea of the Law of Unity and Struggle of Opposites.
Quote:
"I am well aware of the expectations that accompany my presidency around the world. These expectations are not about me. Rather, they are rooted - I believe - in a discontent with a status quo that has allowed us to be increasingly defined by our differences, and outpaced by our problems. But they are also rooted in hope - the hope that real change is possible, and the hope that America will be a leader in bringing about such change...Like all of you, my responsibility is to act in the interest of my nation and my people, and I will never apologize for defending those interests. But it is my deeply held belief that in the year 2009 - more than at any point in human history - the interests of nations and peoples are shared."
"That brings me to the second pillar for our future: the pursuit of peace. The United Nations was born of the belief that the people of the world can live their lives, raise their families, and resolve their differences peacefully. And yet we know that in too many parts of the world, this ideal remains an abstraction. We can either accept that outcome as inevitable, and tolerate constant and crippling conflict. Or we can recognize that the yearning for peace is universal, and reassert our resolve to end conflicts around the world."
End quote.
As Ingrid Schuelter noted previously when discussing Rick Warren's position on the social gospel:
Quote:
...key part of the Hegelian dialectic method so foundational to the very Marxism he decries. It’s called the Law of the Unity and Struggle of Opposites. I quote:
Between the opposites in a contradiction there is at once unity and struggle, and it is this that impels things to move and change.”–Chairman Mao Tse -tung
End quote.
This notion is more thoroughly explained at Crossroad:
"Dialogues and consensus-building are primary tools of the dialectic, and terror and intimidation are also acceptable formats for obtaining the goal.
The Hegelian dialectical formula: A (thesis) versus B (anti-thesis) equals C (synthesis).For example: If (A) my idea of freedom conflicts with (B) your idea of freedom then (C) neither of us can be free until everyone agrees to be a slave."
Barrack Hussein Obama wants to change foundational principles so that we all move in the same direction. However, his direction is toward socialism at the very least, and the terrorists' is toward Muslim dominence of the world. Neither of these directions can harmonize with the American principle of individual freedom and liberty within a democratic republic.
Good principles and values should never change, but that seems to be what he wants. When two idealogies clash, the right one should not ever capitulate to that which is wrong. Fundamental differences can never be smoothed over, rectified, or ignored---unles they were never truly there to begin with. Differences can be VERY GOOD when we are opposed to things that are evil, false, or just plain wrong. Unity at the cost of truth is not unity: its comformity.
Quote:
"I am well aware of the expectations that accompany my presidency around the world. These expectations are not about me. Rather, they are rooted - I believe - in a discontent with a status quo that has allowed us to be increasingly defined by our differences, and outpaced by our problems. But they are also rooted in hope - the hope that real change is possible, and the hope that America will be a leader in bringing about such change...Like all of you, my responsibility is to act in the interest of my nation and my people, and I will never apologize for defending those interests. But it is my deeply held belief that in the year 2009 - more than at any point in human history - the interests of nations and peoples are shared."
"That brings me to the second pillar for our future: the pursuit of peace. The United Nations was born of the belief that the people of the world can live their lives, raise their families, and resolve their differences peacefully. And yet we know that in too many parts of the world, this ideal remains an abstraction. We can either accept that outcome as inevitable, and tolerate constant and crippling conflict. Or we can recognize that the yearning for peace is universal, and reassert our resolve to end conflicts around the world."
End quote.
As Ingrid Schuelter noted previously when discussing Rick Warren's position on the social gospel:
Quote:
...key part of the Hegelian dialectic method so foundational to the very Marxism he decries. It’s called the Law of the Unity and Struggle of Opposites. I quote:
Between the opposites in a contradiction there is at once unity and struggle, and it is this that impels things to move and change.”–Chairman Mao Tse -tung
End quote.
This notion is more thoroughly explained at Crossroad:
"Dialogues and consensus-building are primary tools of the dialectic, and terror and intimidation are also acceptable formats for obtaining the goal.
The Hegelian dialectical formula: A (thesis) versus B (anti-thesis) equals C (synthesis).For example: If (A) my idea of freedom conflicts with (B) your idea of freedom then (C) neither of us can be free until everyone agrees to be a slave."
Barrack Hussein Obama wants to change foundational principles so that we all move in the same direction. However, his direction is toward socialism at the very least, and the terrorists' is toward Muslim dominence of the world. Neither of these directions can harmonize with the American principle of individual freedom and liberty within a democratic republic.
Good principles and values should never change, but that seems to be what he wants. When two idealogies clash, the right one should not ever capitulate to that which is wrong. Fundamental differences can never be smoothed over, rectified, or ignored---unles they were never truly there to begin with. Differences can be VERY GOOD when we are opposed to things that are evil, false, or just plain wrong. Unity at the cost of truth is not unity: its comformity.
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
The Serpent's Spokesman: Dr. Francis Collins of BioLogos; newly appointed "Christian" to the NIH by Obama
ICR reveals Obama's new pick to head the National Institute for Health (NIH) and what he believes while claiming to be a Christian. Here are some excerpts from the Serpent's spokesman proclaim, "Hath God said?":
About Adam, Eve, and the Fall
The familiar story of Adam and Eve is a staple of both Sunday school lessons and the stained glass motifs of Christianity's great cathedrals. But can this account fit into BioLogos? How does the Fall fit into an evolutionary history, where the Earth is billions of years old, and humans originated hundreds of thousands of years ago most likely in Africa?...
In this light, the Fall was not a historical event but an illustration of the common human condition that virtually everyone agrees is deeply flawed and sinful. In this view, it does not matter if Adam and Eve were historical figures. Their deeds simply represent the actions of all humans and remind us of this troubling part of our natures.
End quote. Read the whole article here, complete with footnotes.
Biblical Truth is optional for many "Christians". Look at who endorses Collins:
Tim Keller, Emergent/Seeker friendly Presbyterian speaker and pastor endorses BioLogos:
""Many people today, both secular and Christian, want us to believe that science and religion cannot live together. Not only is this untrue, but we believe that a thoughtful dialogue between science and faith is essential for engaging the hearts and minds of individuals today. The BioLogos Foundation provides an important first step towards that end."– Tim Keller, Pastor, Author, The Reason for God"
Philip Yancey, pro-homosexual writer also endorses BioLogos:
""Francis Collins and his colleagues may be the only people in the world capable of pulling off this project. They have courage as well as unquestioned respect from both sides of the debate, which has long begged for bridge-builders."– Philip Yancey, Author, Editor, Christianity Today"
Os Guiness, writer endorses this evolutionist, anti-Scriptural group:
"A wise, constructive rapprochement between faith and science is one of the world’s urgent needs, and this need will only intensify as the global era raises a host of new ethical issues. Few people have the expertise, wisdom, and prestige to make such a contribution. I welcome The BioLogos Foundation warmly."– Dr. Os Guinness, EastWest Institute
According to the "Christian"Post:
Quote:
"Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries, for example, admitted having some “profound disagreements” with Collins, who believes classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution. Still, Colson said he holds Collins in high esteem-both as a scientist and as a brother in Christ – “living proof that one can be a great scientist and a serious Christian.”
“He is a solid follower of Christ and an articulate defender of his views-both religious and scientific,” Colson stated."
End quote.
Given Coleson's embracing of a false religion like Romanism which teaches a works-justification and works-salvation, its no wonder he has no problem calling someone who denies a literal Fall and a literal Adam and Eve as "brother".
The problem is that people who claim Christ, sit in the seat of scoffers and mimmick what the Serpent said in the Garden to Eve, "Hath God said?". They speak the words of God's Adversary, the Devil, the Evil One, Satan. Just like the woman, they ponder the words of the Father of Lies, finding "truth" in it, and then partaking of it. This is no less than pure, unadulterated unbelief. God has already told us how He created all things:
Gen 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light...31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Heb 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Heb 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
People seem to neglect the truth of Hebrews 11 about faith:
Heb 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." What do we put our faith into? What's one of the FIRST THINGS we have faith in? That God is Creator and He created by His Word.
Deny a literal 6 Day Creation, then deny a literal Adam and Eve and Fall. Deny that and one MUST deny a literal Savior who is the Second Adam and who literally died in the place of sinners and was literally resurrected from the dead! There is no difference between this garbage of "Theistic evolutionism" and evolutionism. Its plain unbelief.
For "Christian" leaders to endorse this absolute filth to "bridge" faith (in what???) and science (evolution isn't science..its a theory and a belief system based on man-centered hatred toward God), is unbiblical, unloving, and pathetic.
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
Psa 1:2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psa 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
2Co 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
2Co 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you..
I guess Keller, Guiness, and Yancey see God's Word as optional.
Then again so do most "Christians"--even "solid" ones.
About Adam, Eve, and the Fall
The familiar story of Adam and Eve is a staple of both Sunday school lessons and the stained glass motifs of Christianity's great cathedrals. But can this account fit into BioLogos? How does the Fall fit into an evolutionary history, where the Earth is billions of years old, and humans originated hundreds of thousands of years ago most likely in Africa?...
In this light, the Fall was not a historical event but an illustration of the common human condition that virtually everyone agrees is deeply flawed and sinful. In this view, it does not matter if Adam and Eve were historical figures. Their deeds simply represent the actions of all humans and remind us of this troubling part of our natures.
End quote. Read the whole article here, complete with footnotes.
Biblical Truth is optional for many "Christians". Look at who endorses Collins:
Tim Keller, Emergent/Seeker friendly Presbyterian speaker and pastor endorses BioLogos:
""Many people today, both secular and Christian, want us to believe that science and religion cannot live together. Not only is this untrue, but we believe that a thoughtful dialogue between science and faith is essential for engaging the hearts and minds of individuals today. The BioLogos Foundation provides an important first step towards that end."– Tim Keller, Pastor, Author, The Reason for God"
Philip Yancey, pro-homosexual writer also endorses BioLogos:
""Francis Collins and his colleagues may be the only people in the world capable of pulling off this project. They have courage as well as unquestioned respect from both sides of the debate, which has long begged for bridge-builders."– Philip Yancey, Author, Editor, Christianity Today"
Os Guiness, writer endorses this evolutionist, anti-Scriptural group:
"A wise, constructive rapprochement between faith and science is one of the world’s urgent needs, and this need will only intensify as the global era raises a host of new ethical issues. Few people have the expertise, wisdom, and prestige to make such a contribution. I welcome The BioLogos Foundation warmly."– Dr. Os Guinness, EastWest Institute
According to the "Christian"Post:
Quote:
"Chuck Colson, founder of Prison Fellowship Ministries, for example, admitted having some “profound disagreements” with Collins, who believes classical religious teachings about God are compatible with the modern scientific understanding about biological evolution. Still, Colson said he holds Collins in high esteem-both as a scientist and as a brother in Christ – “living proof that one can be a great scientist and a serious Christian.”
“He is a solid follower of Christ and an articulate defender of his views-both religious and scientific,” Colson stated."
End quote.
Given Coleson's embracing of a false religion like Romanism which teaches a works-justification and works-salvation, its no wonder he has no problem calling someone who denies a literal Fall and a literal Adam and Eve as "brother".
The problem is that people who claim Christ, sit in the seat of scoffers and mimmick what the Serpent said in the Garden to Eve, "Hath God said?". They speak the words of God's Adversary, the Devil, the Evil One, Satan. Just like the woman, they ponder the words of the Father of Lies, finding "truth" in it, and then partaking of it. This is no less than pure, unadulterated unbelief. God has already told us how He created all things:
Gen 1:1 In the beginning, God created the heavens and the earth...3 And God said, "Let there be light," and there was light...31 And God saw everything that he had made, and behold, it was very good. And there was evening and there was morning, the sixth day.
Heb 1:2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.
Col 1:13 He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved Son, 14 in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins. 15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation. 16 For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities--all things were created through him and for him. 17 And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.
Heb 11:3 By faith we understand that the universe was created by the word of God, so that what is seen was not made out of things that are visible.
People seem to neglect the truth of Hebrews 11 about faith:
Heb 11:1 "Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." What do we put our faith into? What's one of the FIRST THINGS we have faith in? That God is Creator and He created by His Word.
Deny a literal 6 Day Creation, then deny a literal Adam and Eve and Fall. Deny that and one MUST deny a literal Savior who is the Second Adam and who literally died in the place of sinners and was literally resurrected from the dead! There is no difference between this garbage of "Theistic evolutionism" and evolutionism. Its plain unbelief.
For "Christian" leaders to endorse this absolute filth to "bridge" faith (in what???) and science (evolution isn't science..its a theory and a belief system based on man-centered hatred toward God), is unbiblical, unloving, and pathetic.
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
Psa 1:2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Psa 1:3 He is like a tree planted by streams of water that yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither. In all that he does, he prospers.
2Co 6:15 What accord has Christ with Belial? Or what portion does a believer share with an unbeliever?
2Co 6:16 What agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; as God said, "I will make my dwelling among them and walk among them, and I will be their God, and they shall be my people.
2Co 6:17 Therefore go out from their midst, and be separate from them, says the Lord, and touch no unclean thing; then I will welcome you..
I guess Keller, Guiness, and Yancey see God's Word as optional.
Then again so do most "Christians"--even "solid" ones.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Pure Christianity
"The church has lost her testimony. She has no longer anything to say to the world. Her once robust shout of assurance has faded away to an apologetic whisper. She who one time went out to declare now goes out to inquire. Her dogmatic declaration has become a respectful suggestion, a word of religious advice, given with the understanding that it is after all only an opinion and not meant to sound bigoted.""Pure Christianity, instead of being shaped by its culture, actually stands in sharp opposition to it." -A.W. Tozer
California as a warning for America
The Orange County Register here in California printed Tom McClinton's speech to the House of Representatives on July 13,2009. He explains how we got into this dire condition as a state and warns the nation's leaders if they follow us with our implimentation of horrific policy (and they have), the whole country will end up in as dire straits as us.
Excerpts from the article:
Congressman Tom McClintock offered remarks in Washington, D.C., on Friday to
the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Pacific Research Institute that
clearly illustrate why California is facing such a large fiscal mess. His
beginning joke is so funny because it is so true:
[Quote]:
"I know that everybody likes to poke fun at California - but I can tell you
right now that despite all of its problems, California remains one of the
best places in the world to build a successful small business. All you have
to do is start with a successful large business."
Here is the rest of the speech:
Laugh if you will, but let me remind you that when these policies finish wrecking California, there are still 49 other states we can all move to -and yours is one of them.
I should also warn you of the strange sense of da-ja-vu that I have every day on the House floor as I watch the same folly and blunders that wrecked California now being passed with reckless abandon in this Congress.
We passed a "Cash-for-Clunkers" bill the other day - we did that years ago
in California.
Doubling the entire debt every five years? Been there.
Increasing spending at unsustainable rates? Done that.
Save-the-Planet-Carbon-Dioxide restrictions? Got the T-Shirt.
To understand how these policies can utterly destroy an economy and bankrupt
a government, you have to remember the Golden State in its Golden Age.
A generation ago, California spent about half what it does today AFTER adjusting for both inflation and population growth.
And yet, we had the finest highway system in the world and the finest public
school system in the country. California offered a FREE university
education to every Californian who wanted one. We produced water and
electricity so cheaply that many communities didn't bother to measure the
stuff. Our unemployment rate consistently ran well below the national rate
and its diversified economy was nearly recession-proof.
One thing - and one thing only - has changed in those years: public policy.
The political Left gradually gained dominance over California's government
and has imposed a disastrous agenda of radical and retrograde policies that
have destroyed the quality of life that Californians once took for granted.
End quote.
Go here for the rest of the speech.
Excerpts from the article:
Congressman Tom McClintock offered remarks in Washington, D.C., on Friday to
the Competitive Enterprise Institute and Pacific Research Institute that
clearly illustrate why California is facing such a large fiscal mess. His
beginning joke is so funny because it is so true:
[Quote]:
"I know that everybody likes to poke fun at California - but I can tell you
right now that despite all of its problems, California remains one of the
best places in the world to build a successful small business. All you have
to do is start with a successful large business."
Here is the rest of the speech:
Laugh if you will, but let me remind you that when these policies finish wrecking California, there are still 49 other states we can all move to -and yours is one of them.
I should also warn you of the strange sense of da-ja-vu that I have every day on the House floor as I watch the same folly and blunders that wrecked California now being passed with reckless abandon in this Congress.
We passed a "Cash-for-Clunkers" bill the other day - we did that years ago
in California.
Doubling the entire debt every five years? Been there.
Increasing spending at unsustainable rates? Done that.
Save-the-Planet-Carbon-Dioxide restrictions? Got the T-Shirt.
To understand how these policies can utterly destroy an economy and bankrupt
a government, you have to remember the Golden State in its Golden Age.
A generation ago, California spent about half what it does today AFTER adjusting for both inflation and population growth.
And yet, we had the finest highway system in the world and the finest public
school system in the country. California offered a FREE university
education to every Californian who wanted one. We produced water and
electricity so cheaply that many communities didn't bother to measure the
stuff. Our unemployment rate consistently ran well below the national rate
and its diversified economy was nearly recession-proof.
One thing - and one thing only - has changed in those years: public policy.
The political Left gradually gained dominance over California's government
and has imposed a disastrous agenda of radical and retrograde policies that
have destroyed the quality of life that Californians once took for granted.
End quote.
Go here for the rest of the speech.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
We Are Not All Kanye West
With what Kanye West did to Taylor Swift the other night at the MTV awards, and West's apology since, I've been thinking about some things...
We live in a generation where there is little to no self control anymore. People "live in the moment" (thanks Oprah) and behave without thinking of the consequences, both immediate and long term, for themselves, but also for others.
There are no such things as (negative) consequences anymore. Our society has the view to do as you please, apologize later, then continue on your merry way. Apologies are a dime a dozen, meaningless, and just a formality now. And that's because we LET them be so. Our society rewards both bad and good behavior as equal, and that is absolutely wrong.
There is no shame in our society. Today, airing our your personal, dirty laundry (a la Kate and Jon; Real World; Facebook, Youtube), is considered a good thing. Again, no negative consequences...just applause for "being real" and "who you really are". If what you do is wrong, just say "oops! Sorry!" and you are given a free pass to move on to act just as you did before.
One other thing....its easy for Christians to put us all on par with the Kanye Wests or Ted Bundy's of the world and I don't see how that is biblical. Rather,
2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
2Co 5:15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
2Co 5:16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2Co 5:18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
Certainly, outside of Jesus Christ, we are dead in our sins and trespasses, enemies of God, in the flesh, without hope in the world, able ONLY to sin. But in Him...NO LONGER. We are not "all" Kanye West.
We live in a generation where there is little to no self control anymore. People "live in the moment" (thanks Oprah) and behave without thinking of the consequences, both immediate and long term, for themselves, but also for others.
There are no such things as (negative) consequences anymore. Our society has the view to do as you please, apologize later, then continue on your merry way. Apologies are a dime a dozen, meaningless, and just a formality now. And that's because we LET them be so. Our society rewards both bad and good behavior as equal, and that is absolutely wrong.
There is no shame in our society. Today, airing our your personal, dirty laundry (a la Kate and Jon; Real World; Facebook, Youtube), is considered a good thing. Again, no negative consequences...just applause for "being real" and "who you really are". If what you do is wrong, just say "oops! Sorry!" and you are given a free pass to move on to act just as you did before.
One other thing....its easy for Christians to put us all on par with the Kanye Wests or Ted Bundy's of the world and I don't see how that is biblical. Rather,
2Co 5:14 For the love of Christ controls us, because we have concluded this: that one has died for all, therefore all have died;
2Co 5:15 and he died for all, that those who live might no longer live for themselves but for him who for their sake died and was raised.
2Co 5:16 From now on, therefore, we regard no one according to the flesh. Even though we once regarded Christ according to the flesh, we regard him thus no longer.
2Co 5:17 Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.
2Co 5:18 All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation;
Certainly, outside of Jesus Christ, we are dead in our sins and trespasses, enemies of God, in the flesh, without hope in the world, able ONLY to sin. But in Him...NO LONGER. We are not "all" Kanye West.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Ray Comfort: Going Deeper With Liberals
Worldnetdaily reports
"Evangelist Ray Comfort is inviting Christians to join him at Living Waters
ministry's upcoming Deeper conference near Atlanta.
Along with Comfort, the lineup of speakers includes actor and co-host of "The Way of the Master" television show Kirk Cameron and well-known apologists Ravi Zacharias and Greg Koukl.
More details are available at Deeperconference.com
End quote.
Ravi Zacharias has gone liberal in proclaiming a Christian can be a homosexual (video here), Henri Nouwen as a great Christian leader (although he was an Eastern mystic Romanist), and has also tried to close the gap between Mormons and Christians.
Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason ministry questions "Is the Bible Sufficient?" which Martin Bobgan of Psycho-heresy Awareness Ministry critiques and says:
"One of Koukl’s arguments supporting his insufficiency-of-Scripture position is his view of what he calls "Wisdom from the Heathen." Koukl’s position implies that if the Bible contains wisdom taken from heathens, then Christians can use wisdom from psychology heathens or others. Koukl says:"The Wisdom Literature of the Amenomope is a body of work from the Middle East that pre-dates Proverbs. It’s of interest because it contains a section of material almost identical to Proverbs 22:17-24:22. It’s highly probable that the authors of the latter part of Proverbs borrowed this material from the Amenomope and inserted it into the inspired text."
End quote.
Let's remember what God says:
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Is. 8: 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
A homosexual will not inherit the Kingdom of God (see-1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
So much for discernment coming from Ray Comfort. Perhaps he could gleen some wisdom from Scripture and J.C. Ryle who said:
"The victories of Christianity, wherever they have been won, have been won by distinct, doctrinal theology. But depend on it: If we want to do good things and shake the world, we must fight with the old apostolic weapons and stick to dogma. Without dogma there will be no fruit. Without positive evangelical doctrine there will be no evangelization."
There is today a current spirit abroad that we ought to get together with Roman Catholicism. We have Roman Catholics and evangelicals promoting alliances in our day. Listen to what J. C. Ryle said: "The times require of us an awakened and livelier sense of the unscriptural character of Romanism. There is no longer that general dislike, dread and aversion to popery which was once almost universal in this realm. Some profess to be tired of all religious controversy and are ready to sacrifice God's truth for the sake of peace. Some try to persuade us that Romanism has changed, and is not nearly so bad as it used to be."
"There is a silly readiness in every direction to believe everybody who talks cleverly, lovingly, and earnestly, and a determination to forget that Satan often masquerades himself "as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). There is a wide-spread "gullibility" among professing Christians: every heretic who tells his story plausibly is sure to be believed, and everybody who doubts him is called a persecutor and a narrow-minded man."
"Evangelist Ray Comfort is inviting Christians to join him at Living Waters
ministry's upcoming Deeper conference near Atlanta.
Along with Comfort, the lineup of speakers includes actor and co-host of "The Way of the Master" television show Kirk Cameron and well-known apologists Ravi Zacharias and Greg Koukl.
More details are available at Deeperconference.com
End quote.
Ravi Zacharias has gone liberal in proclaiming a Christian can be a homosexual (video here), Henri Nouwen as a great Christian leader (although he was an Eastern mystic Romanist), and has also tried to close the gap between Mormons and Christians.
Greg Koukl of Stand To Reason ministry questions "Is the Bible Sufficient?" which Martin Bobgan of Psycho-heresy Awareness Ministry critiques and says:
"One of Koukl’s arguments supporting his insufficiency-of-Scripture position is his view of what he calls "Wisdom from the Heathen." Koukl’s position implies that if the Bible contains wisdom taken from heathens, then Christians can use wisdom from psychology heathens or others. Koukl says:"The Wisdom Literature of the Amenomope is a body of work from the Middle East that pre-dates Proverbs. It’s of interest because it contains a section of material almost identical to Proverbs 22:17-24:22. It’s highly probable that the authors of the latter part of Proverbs borrowed this material from the Amenomope and inserted it into the inspired text."
End quote.
Let's remember what God says:
Psa 1:1 Blessed is the man who walks not in the counsel of the wicked, nor stands in the way of sinners, nor sits in the seat of scoffers; 2 but his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night.
Is. 8: 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, they have no light of dawn.
A homosexual will not inherit the Kingdom of God (see-1 Corinthians 6:9-10).
So much for discernment coming from Ray Comfort. Perhaps he could gleen some wisdom from Scripture and J.C. Ryle who said:
"The victories of Christianity, wherever they have been won, have been won by distinct, doctrinal theology. But depend on it: If we want to do good things and shake the world, we must fight with the old apostolic weapons and stick to dogma. Without dogma there will be no fruit. Without positive evangelical doctrine there will be no evangelization."
There is today a current spirit abroad that we ought to get together with Roman Catholicism. We have Roman Catholics and evangelicals promoting alliances in our day. Listen to what J. C. Ryle said: "The times require of us an awakened and livelier sense of the unscriptural character of Romanism. There is no longer that general dislike, dread and aversion to popery which was once almost universal in this realm. Some profess to be tired of all religious controversy and are ready to sacrifice God's truth for the sake of peace. Some try to persuade us that Romanism has changed, and is not nearly so bad as it used to be."
"There is a silly readiness in every direction to believe everybody who talks cleverly, lovingly, and earnestly, and a determination to forget that Satan often masquerades himself "as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). There is a wide-spread "gullibility" among professing Christians: every heretic who tells his story plausibly is sure to be believed, and everybody who doubts him is called a persecutor and a narrow-minded man."
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Washington DC Tea Party - B. Hussein Obama, Did You Hear Us?
C-Span aired the Tea Party in Washington D.C. I have to say, those of you who went, I'm very proud of you! Its time Americans stand against socialism.
The signs I saw were awesome. Lots of creativity.
Citizens carried hand-made signs that read:
2010: Vote all incumbents out!
Our Constitution has termites!
We are under attack by our own government
Stop the march of socialism
You can put lipstick on communism, but it's still communism
My family, my doctor
Obamacare makes me sick
Go green: Recycle
Congress
I'm not your ATM
We had a dream. We got a nightmare
Is this Russia?
You Lie!
The video played at the beginning was chilling, the speakers I have seen thus far were very good. I'm sorry I missed it---we were there a week ago. I did pray as we visited various places like the Supreme Court and the Capitol.
Now VOTE accordingly! Be passionate, have the facts, and don't give up our God-given liberty!
Socialism isn't Freed.
Fear God.
Vote Biblically.
Don't Compromise.
The signs I saw were awesome. Lots of creativity.
Citizens carried hand-made signs that read:
2010: Vote all incumbents out!
Our Constitution has termites!
We are under attack by our own government
Stop the march of socialism
You can put lipstick on communism, but it's still communism
My family, my doctor
Obamacare makes me sick
Go green: Recycle
Congress
I'm not your ATM
We had a dream. We got a nightmare
Is this Russia?
You Lie!
The video played at the beginning was chilling, the speakers I have seen thus far were very good. I'm sorry I missed it---we were there a week ago. I did pray as we visited various places like the Supreme Court and the Capitol.
Now VOTE accordingly! Be passionate, have the facts, and don't give up our God-given liberty!
Socialism isn't Freed.
Fear God.
Vote Biblically.
Don't Compromise.
A Reminding of God's Basic Truths
Gil Rugh and JC Ryle
Ryle spoke of the condition of the church of his day about these matters that I want to read to you. I want you to note that he wrote this over 100 years ago. But I think you will agree that it sounds like it was written yesterday for our situation. I will not be reading consecutively, and I will not take the time to tell you where the breaks are, but I will read what is pertinent. I will not violate the context of what He is saying.
"There is much in the attitude of professing Christians in this day which fills me with concern and makes me full of fear for the future. There is an amazing ignorance of Scripture among many, and a consequent want of established, solid religion. In no other way can I account for the ease of which people are, like children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine. There is an Athenian love of novelty abroad and a morbid distaste for anything old and regular, in the beaten path of our forefathers. Thousands will crowd to hear a new voice and a new doctrine without considering for a moment whether what they hear is truth. There is an incessant craving after any teaching which is sensational and exciting and rousing to the feelings. Inability to distinguish differences in doctrine is spreading far and wide, and as long as the preacher is clever and earnest, hundreds seem to think it must be all right, and call you dreadfully narrow and uncharitable if you hint that he is unsound."
That was from the first part of the book. Let me read you from the last part: "The times require at our hands distinct and decided views of Christian views of Christian doctrine. I cannot withhold my conviction that the professing church of the 19th century is as much damaged by laxity and lack of distinctness about matters of doctrine within as it is by skeptics and unbelievers without. Today a myriad of professing Christians seem utterly unable to distinguish things that differ. Like people afflicted with color blindness, they are incapable of discerning what is true and what is false, what is sound and what is unsound. They are destitute of spiritual sense, apparently, and cannot detect error. These people live in a kind of mist, or fog. They are eaten up with a morbid dread of controversy, and an ignorant dislike of 'party spirit', and yet they really cannot define what they mean by these phrases.
"The explanation of this boneless, nerveless, jelly-fish condition of soul is not difficult to find. Above all, the natural heart generally likes the praise of others, shrinks from collision, and loves to be thought charitable and liberal. For your own soul's sake, dare to make up your mind what you believe. Dare to have positive, distinct views of truth and error. Never, yes never, be afraid to hold decided doctrinal opinions. And let no fear of man, and no morbid dread of being thought party-spirited, narrow or controversial, make you rest contented with a bloodless, boneless, tasteless, colorless, lukewarm, undogmatic Christianity."
If Strong Doctrine Is Missing, So Is Authority
"Mark what I say! If you want to do good in these times, you must throw aside indecision, and take up a distinct, sharply cut doctrinal religion. If you believe little, those to whom you try to do good will believe nothing."
That is the danger in churches today where they get a thin guise - very little - of biblical teaching. They are going to raise a generation that believes nothing. If you believe little, those to whom you try to do good will believe nothing.
J.C. Ryle continues: "The victories of Christianity, wherever they have been won, have been won by distinct, doctrinal theology. But depend on it: If we want to do good things and shake the world, we must fight with the old apostolic weapons and stick to dogma. Without dogma there will be no fruit. Without positive evangelical doctrine there will be no evangelization."
We Need to Be Reminded of Truth
In 2 Peter 1, verses 12-15, Peter is going to place a strong emphasis on his responsibility to remind these believers of biblical doctrine and of their responsibility to remember it. We note in this passage that God's plan for His people has not changed. It is that they be constantly focusing on the truth that God has given. We need nothing new. We need nothing more. We need nothing else. We need constant reminders of the old truth.
Ryle spoke of the condition of the church of his day about these matters that I want to read to you. I want you to note that he wrote this over 100 years ago. But I think you will agree that it sounds like it was written yesterday for our situation. I will not be reading consecutively, and I will not take the time to tell you where the breaks are, but I will read what is pertinent. I will not violate the context of what He is saying.
"There is much in the attitude of professing Christians in this day which fills me with concern and makes me full of fear for the future. There is an amazing ignorance of Scripture among many, and a consequent want of established, solid religion. In no other way can I account for the ease of which people are, like children, tossed to and fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine. There is an Athenian love of novelty abroad and a morbid distaste for anything old and regular, in the beaten path of our forefathers. Thousands will crowd to hear a new voice and a new doctrine without considering for a moment whether what they hear is truth. There is an incessant craving after any teaching which is sensational and exciting and rousing to the feelings. Inability to distinguish differences in doctrine is spreading far and wide, and as long as the preacher is clever and earnest, hundreds seem to think it must be all right, and call you dreadfully narrow and uncharitable if you hint that he is unsound."
That was from the first part of the book. Let me read you from the last part: "The times require at our hands distinct and decided views of Christian views of Christian doctrine. I cannot withhold my conviction that the professing church of the 19th century is as much damaged by laxity and lack of distinctness about matters of doctrine within as it is by skeptics and unbelievers without. Today a myriad of professing Christians seem utterly unable to distinguish things that differ. Like people afflicted with color blindness, they are incapable of discerning what is true and what is false, what is sound and what is unsound. They are destitute of spiritual sense, apparently, and cannot detect error. These people live in a kind of mist, or fog. They are eaten up with a morbid dread of controversy, and an ignorant dislike of 'party spirit', and yet they really cannot define what they mean by these phrases.
"The explanation of this boneless, nerveless, jelly-fish condition of soul is not difficult to find. Above all, the natural heart generally likes the praise of others, shrinks from collision, and loves to be thought charitable and liberal. For your own soul's sake, dare to make up your mind what you believe. Dare to have positive, distinct views of truth and error. Never, yes never, be afraid to hold decided doctrinal opinions. And let no fear of man, and no morbid dread of being thought party-spirited, narrow or controversial, make you rest contented with a bloodless, boneless, tasteless, colorless, lukewarm, undogmatic Christianity."
If Strong Doctrine Is Missing, So Is Authority
"Mark what I say! If you want to do good in these times, you must throw aside indecision, and take up a distinct, sharply cut doctrinal religion. If you believe little, those to whom you try to do good will believe nothing."
That is the danger in churches today where they get a thin guise - very little - of biblical teaching. They are going to raise a generation that believes nothing. If you believe little, those to whom you try to do good will believe nothing.
J.C. Ryle continues: "The victories of Christianity, wherever they have been won, have been won by distinct, doctrinal theology. But depend on it: If we want to do good things and shake the world, we must fight with the old apostolic weapons and stick to dogma. Without dogma there will be no fruit. Without positive evangelical doctrine there will be no evangelization."
There is today a current spirit abroad that we ought to get together with Roman Catholicism. We have Roman Catholics and evangelicals promoting alliances in our day. Listen to what J. C. Ryle said: "The times require of us an awakened and livelier sense of the unscriptural character of Romanism. There is no longer that general dislike, dread and aversion to popery which was once almost universal in this realm. Some profess to be tired of all religious controversy and are ready to sacrifice God's truth for the sake of peace. Some try to persuade us that Romanism has changed, and is not nearly so bad as it used to be."
This is a reminder that things have not changed. These comments sound as if they were written to the church at the end of the 20th century, not at the end of the 19th century. And we are reminded that the devil does not change his tactics. He constantly is working to move the church of Jesus Christ away from its solid, doctrinal, biblical foundations. That is where Peter is concerned as he writes this second letter. He is concerned about the infiltration of false teaching and false doctrine. He is concerned enough to remind believers of the truth That is been given to them because the best defense against error, against false doctrine, is a thorough knowledge of the truth which you are to implement every day of your life.We Need to Be Reminded of Truth
In 2 Peter 1, verses 12-15, Peter is going to place a strong emphasis on his responsibility to remind these believers of biblical doctrine and of their responsibility to remember it. We note in this passage that God's plan for His people has not changed. It is that they be constantly focusing on the truth that God has given. We need nothing new. We need nothing more. We need nothing else. We need constant reminders of the old truth.
Warning #5 to the Church by JC Ryle
J.C. Ryle Speaks
Note what the First Epistle to Timothy says: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith" (1 Timothy 4:1). Note what the Second Epistle of Peter says: "There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies" (2 Peter 2:1). Note what the First Epistle of John says: "Do not believe every spirit. Many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). Note what the Epistle of Jude says: "Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men have secretly slipped in among you" (Jude 1:3, 4). These things were written for our learning.
What shall we say about these texts? How they may strike others I cannot say. I only know how they strike me. To tell us, as some do, in the face of these texts, that the early Churches were a model of perfection and purity, is absurd even in Apostolic days, its appears, there were abundant errors both in doctrine and practice. To tell us, as others do, that pastors ought never to handle controversial subjects, and never to warn their people against erroneous views, is senseless and unreasonable. If we did this then we would have to ignore most of the New Testament. Surely the dumb dog and the sleeping shepherd are the best allies of the wolf, the thief, and the robber. It is not for nothing that Paul says, "If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 4:6).
A plain warning against false doctrine is especially needed in the present day. The school of the Pharisees, and the school of the Sadducees, those ancient mothers of all mischief, were never more active than they are now.
--Between men adding to the truth on one side, and men taking away from it on the other.
--Between those who bury truth under additions, and those who mutilate it by subtractions.
--Between superstition and infidelity.
--Between Roman Catholicism and neology [New Theology].--Between Ritualism and Rationalism.
Many things combine to make the present inroad of false doctrine peculiarly dangerous. There is an undeniable zeal in some of the teachers of error: their "earnestness" makes many think they must be right. There is a great appearance of learning and theological knowledge: many fancy that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe guides. There is a general tendency to free thought and free inquiry in these latter days: many like to prove their independence of judgment, by believing novelties. There is a wide-spread desire to appear charitable and liberal-minded: many seem half ashamed of saying that anybody can be in the wrong. There is a quantity of half-truth taught by the modern false teachers: they are incessantly using Scriptural terms and phrases in an unscriptural sense. There is a morbid craving in the public mind for a more sensuous, ceremonial, sensational, showy worship: men are impatient of inward, invisible heart-work. There is a silly readiness in every direction to believe everybody who talks cleverly, lovingly, and earnestly, and a determination to forget that Satan often masquerades himself "as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). There is a wide-spread "gullibility" among professing Christians: every heretic who tells his story plausibly is sure to be believed, and everybody who doubts him is called a persecutor and a narrow-minded man. All these things are peculiar symptoms of our times. I defy any observing person to deny them. They tend to make the assaults of false doctrine in our day peculiarly dangerous. They make it more than ever needful to cry aloud, "Do not be carried away!"
If any one should ask me, What is the best safeguard against false doctrine?--I answer in one word, "The Bible: the Bible regularly read, regularly prayed over, regularly studied." We must go back to the old prescription of our Master: "Diligently study the Scriptures" (John 5:39). If we want a weapon to wield against the plans of Satan, there is nothing like "the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God." But to wield it successfully, we must read it habitually, diligently, intelligently, and prayerfully. This is a point on which, I fear, many fail. In an age of hurry and activity, few read their Bibles as much as they should. More books perhaps are read than ever, but less of the one Book which makes man wise to salvation. The Roman Catholic Church and new theology could never have made such havoc in the Church in the last fifty years, if there had not been a most superficial knowledge of the Scriptures throughout the land. A Bible-reading congregation is the strength of a Church.
Note what the First Epistle to Timothy says: "The Spirit clearly says that in later times some will abandon the faith" (1 Timothy 4:1). Note what the Second Epistle of Peter says: "There will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies" (2 Peter 2:1). Note what the First Epistle of John says: "Do not believe every spirit. Many false prophets have gone out into the world" (1 John 4:1). Note what the Epistle of Jude says: "Contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints. For certain men have secretly slipped in among you" (Jude 1:3, 4). These things were written for our learning.
What shall we say about these texts? How they may strike others I cannot say. I only know how they strike me. To tell us, as some do, in the face of these texts, that the early Churches were a model of perfection and purity, is absurd even in Apostolic days, its appears, there were abundant errors both in doctrine and practice. To tell us, as others do, that pastors ought never to handle controversial subjects, and never to warn their people against erroneous views, is senseless and unreasonable. If we did this then we would have to ignore most of the New Testament. Surely the dumb dog and the sleeping shepherd are the best allies of the wolf, the thief, and the robber. It is not for nothing that Paul says, "If you point these things out to the brothers, you will be a good minister of Christ Jesus" (1 Timothy 4:6).
A plain warning against false doctrine is especially needed in the present day. The school of the Pharisees, and the school of the Sadducees, those ancient mothers of all mischief, were never more active than they are now.
--Between men adding to the truth on one side, and men taking away from it on the other.
--Between those who bury truth under additions, and those who mutilate it by subtractions.
--Between superstition and infidelity.
--Between Roman Catholicism and neology [New Theology].--Between Ritualism and Rationalism.
Many things combine to make the present inroad of false doctrine peculiarly dangerous. There is an undeniable zeal in some of the teachers of error: their "earnestness" makes many think they must be right. There is a great appearance of learning and theological knowledge: many fancy that such clever and intellectual men must surely be safe guides. There is a general tendency to free thought and free inquiry in these latter days: many like to prove their independence of judgment, by believing novelties. There is a wide-spread desire to appear charitable and liberal-minded: many seem half ashamed of saying that anybody can be in the wrong. There is a quantity of half-truth taught by the modern false teachers: they are incessantly using Scriptural terms and phrases in an unscriptural sense. There is a morbid craving in the public mind for a more sensuous, ceremonial, sensational, showy worship: men are impatient of inward, invisible heart-work. There is a silly readiness in every direction to believe everybody who talks cleverly, lovingly, and earnestly, and a determination to forget that Satan often masquerades himself "as an angel of light" (2 Corinthians 11:14). There is a wide-spread "gullibility" among professing Christians: every heretic who tells his story plausibly is sure to be believed, and everybody who doubts him is called a persecutor and a narrow-minded man. All these things are peculiar symptoms of our times. I defy any observing person to deny them. They tend to make the assaults of false doctrine in our day peculiarly dangerous. They make it more than ever needful to cry aloud, "Do not be carried away!"
If any one should ask me, What is the best safeguard against false doctrine?--I answer in one word, "The Bible: the Bible regularly read, regularly prayed over, regularly studied." We must go back to the old prescription of our Master: "Diligently study the Scriptures" (John 5:39). If we want a weapon to wield against the plans of Satan, there is nothing like "the sword of the Spirit, the Word of God." But to wield it successfully, we must read it habitually, diligently, intelligently, and prayerfully. This is a point on which, I fear, many fail. In an age of hurry and activity, few read their Bibles as much as they should. More books perhaps are read than ever, but less of the one Book which makes man wise to salvation. The Roman Catholic Church and new theology could never have made such havoc in the Church in the last fifty years, if there had not been a most superficial knowledge of the Scriptures throughout the land. A Bible-reading congregation is the strength of a Church.
Democrats Boo Pres. Bush During 2005 State of the Union Address
Everyone's mad at Joe Wison for yelling "lie!" to B. Hussein Obama during his speech to the House and Senate last week. How rude! they cry. How uncivilized!
Well, here's the Democrats booing down Pres. Bush in 2005 during his STATE OF THE UNION address, which was FAR more important that B. Hussein Obama's fear mongering to Congress to pass his Death Care bill.
Hypocrisy is brazen, its not even funny.
Well, here's the Democrats booing down Pres. Bush in 2005 during his STATE OF THE UNION address, which was FAR more important that B. Hussein Obama's fear mongering to Congress to pass his Death Care bill.
Hypocrisy is brazen, its not even funny.
Friday, September 11, 2009
9-11: Eight Years Later
Who would have thought that eight years after 9-11 our presidents, our politicans, our "Christian" leaders would try to tell us that Islam isn't the problem, just extreemism is?
Who would have thought that eight years later we'd be offering prayer carpets and airport rooms solely for Muslims to practice their violent religion, but elsewhere like in schools put a stranglehold on Christians reading Scripture or singing Christmas carols or praying?
Who would've thought eight years later we'd free the terrorists from GITMO and worry about their comfort and saftey?
Who'd have thought on 9-11-01 that our government would make the terrorists the victims and the CIA the terrorists?
Who would have thought eight years ago we'd watch our ally free the PanAm Flight 103 terrorist bomber to the joy of so many people?
Who would've thought any of this on 9-11 or 9-12, 2001?
Has Islam changed or have we?
Who would have thought that eight years later we'd be offering prayer carpets and airport rooms solely for Muslims to practice their violent religion, but elsewhere like in schools put a stranglehold on Christians reading Scripture or singing Christmas carols or praying?
Who would've thought eight years later we'd free the terrorists from GITMO and worry about their comfort and saftey?
Who'd have thought on 9-11-01 that our government would make the terrorists the victims and the CIA the terrorists?
Who would have thought eight years ago we'd watch our ally free the PanAm Flight 103 terrorist bomber to the joy of so many people?
Who would've thought any of this on 9-11 or 9-12, 2001?
Has Islam changed or have we?
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Michael W. Smith, David Crowder, Greg Laurie, RTS professor Reggie Kidd Speak at Emergent Conference
From Lighthouse Trails Research:
Quote:
The 2009 National Worship Leader Conference took place on July 20-23 in Leawood, Kansas and brought together a convergence of contemplative/emerging speakers.
Michael W. Smith has most likely sent tens of thousands to the feet of mysticism proponent Brennan Manning through his endorsement of Manning. In light of Manning's spiritual views, that is very troubling. For instance, in Manning's book, Above All (in which Smith wrote the foreword), Manning echoes the words of Thomas Merton biographer and mystic William Shannon when Shannon (and Manning) rejected the idea that a loving God would send His son to a violent death: THAT God does not exist, they both insisted. 2 What's more Manning actually teaches mantra-like meditation is his book, The Signature of Jesus.
David Crowder [of the David Crowder Band], also at the conference, is the author of the contemplative-promoting book, Praise Habit (referring to the habits worn by Catholic nuns). In an interview with LifeTeen.com (a web site for Catholic teens), Crowder admits: "Much of the Catholic traditions and writings have been influential in my formation of faith ... I've found much inspiration there." These Catholic traditions referred to are those emulated by monks such as Thomas Merton and Thomas Keating.
The conference offered numerous workshops interspersed with the above speakers' lectures. Just as an example, a workshop taught by Reggie Kidd, professor at Reformed Theological Seminary and on faculty at the very contemplative Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, included instructions on worshipping through the "Eucharist prayer" and through "chanting the psalms." 3 Videos presented at the conference included those by emerging figures Shane Claiborne, Richard Twiss, and others.
Many of our readers may be wondering why Greg Laurie would be speaking at this clearly contemplative/emerging conference. Laurie's head pastor, Chuck Smith, made it very clear a few years ago that Calvary Chapel would NOT be going in the contemplative/emerging direction. But, come to think of it, Chuck Smith also said at that time that Calvary Chapel had to reject the Purpose Driven movement, but on August 9th, according to Greg Laurie's website he spoke at Saddleback Church at a number of services.
End quote.
**NOTE**also see: Saddleback's joy of hosting Laurie here.
****Note**** Go here to read more on the Laurie/Rick Warren hand-holding.
At Roman Catholic LifeTeen, and here is what they define as "Life Teen Spirituality":
Because of our deep Eucharistic devotion, Life Teen has developed a spirituality that is:
100% Catholic
Obedient to the Magisterium
Centered on the Eucharist
Scriptural
Liturgical
Catechetical
Sacramental
Focused on social justice
Comprehensive
End quote.
There is no question this is a thoroughly Romanish ministry.
I found this answer from David Crowder's interview intersting and really, not very biblical:
Quote:
Smith: Your music is everything but predictable. Where do you find creative inspiration?
I think an artist's role is to simply pay attention to life, to the living of it. Art helps interpret experience. It helps us interpret what it means to be alive and human and, in our particular case, what it means to be alive and human in relationship with the divine. So I think it would be fair to say that I find more inspiring moments watching life unfold than say, watching a movie or reading or listening to music, although I love all of those things as well. I think it is less an artist's role to interpret life from another's perspective and more to participate
End quote.
Nothing about Scripture. Nothing about Jesus Christ. Its all about subjective experience, personal introspection, sprinkled with some New Age/Mysticism verbage like "the divine".
Crowder goes on with his Romanist influence:
Quote:
Smith: You are not Catholic, but on your Illuminate album, you sing a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. What's your connection?
Much of the Catholic traditions and writings have been influential in my formation of faith and to be quite contradictory of what was stated earlier, I've found much inspiration there. St. Francis is a figure I'm equally attracted to and repelled by. I long for his powers of disassociation from the trappings of "stuff." I'm beset with consumption and materialism, and he is a compelling symbol of contentment. His contentment and way of suffering terrify me.
...Ludicrous and offensive, it is the Divine's intrusion into our condition.
End quote.
Michael W. Smith's endorsement of Manning isn't surprising; he's never been doctrinally sound, really. Music is his interest, not biblical Truth. And that's from a person who used to really enjoy his music, one upon a time.
As for Greg Laurie and Calvary Chapel, I got some heat for stating that I saw CCOCM going emergent. The evidence is increasing. Denying something and then behaving in favor of the same thing shows that not only is there hypocrisy going on, but the actions speak louder than words. Why it is that some public pastors deny the Emergent Church Movement, then turn around and endorse it by speaking at its conferences and sharing its leaders' platforms is beyond me. Do professing Christians only hear the weak "denials" and ignore the actions? Its certainly true so often in the political arena, which is why so many Obama supporters are backing away from him now--his actions are not in accordance with his earlier "claims" to the people and thus they are surprised and upset.
So deny PDL and ECM, then join them in their promotion of heresy? Folks, its time to wake up and see the truth. Those who are in error do not promote themselves as erroneous, but as "one of us".
How do you suppose false teachers secretly sneak in among you?
Quote:
The 2009 National Worship Leader Conference took place on July 20-23 in Leawood, Kansas and brought together a convergence of contemplative/emerging speakers.
Michael W. Smith has most likely sent tens of thousands to the feet of mysticism proponent Brennan Manning through his endorsement of Manning. In light of Manning's spiritual views, that is very troubling. For instance, in Manning's book, Above All (in which Smith wrote the foreword), Manning echoes the words of Thomas Merton biographer and mystic William Shannon when Shannon (and Manning) rejected the idea that a loving God would send His son to a violent death: THAT God does not exist, they both insisted. 2 What's more Manning actually teaches mantra-like meditation is his book, The Signature of Jesus.
David Crowder [of the David Crowder Band], also at the conference, is the author of the contemplative-promoting book, Praise Habit (referring to the habits worn by Catholic nuns). In an interview with LifeTeen.com (a web site for Catholic teens), Crowder admits: "Much of the Catholic traditions and writings have been influential in my formation of faith ... I've found much inspiration there." These Catholic traditions referred to are those emulated by monks such as Thomas Merton and Thomas Keating.
The conference offered numerous workshops interspersed with the above speakers' lectures. Just as an example, a workshop taught by Reggie Kidd, professor at Reformed Theological Seminary and on faculty at the very contemplative Robert E. Webber Institute for Worship Studies, included instructions on worshipping through the "Eucharist prayer" and through "chanting the psalms." 3 Videos presented at the conference included those by emerging figures Shane Claiborne, Richard Twiss, and others.
Many of our readers may be wondering why Greg Laurie would be speaking at this clearly contemplative/emerging conference. Laurie's head pastor, Chuck Smith, made it very clear a few years ago that Calvary Chapel would NOT be going in the contemplative/emerging direction. But, come to think of it, Chuck Smith also said at that time that Calvary Chapel had to reject the Purpose Driven movement, but on August 9th, according to Greg Laurie's website he spoke at Saddleback Church at a number of services.
End quote.
**NOTE**also see: Saddleback's joy of hosting Laurie here.
****Note**** Go here to read more on the Laurie/Rick Warren hand-holding.
At Roman Catholic LifeTeen, and here is what they define as "Life Teen Spirituality":
Because of our deep Eucharistic devotion, Life Teen has developed a spirituality that is:
100% Catholic
Obedient to the Magisterium
Centered on the Eucharist
Scriptural
Liturgical
Catechetical
Sacramental
Focused on social justice
Comprehensive
End quote.
There is no question this is a thoroughly Romanish ministry.
I found this answer from David Crowder's interview intersting and really, not very biblical:
Quote:
Smith: Your music is everything but predictable. Where do you find creative inspiration?
I think an artist's role is to simply pay attention to life, to the living of it. Art helps interpret experience. It helps us interpret what it means to be alive and human and, in our particular case, what it means to be alive and human in relationship with the divine. So I think it would be fair to say that I find more inspiring moments watching life unfold than say, watching a movie or reading or listening to music, although I love all of those things as well. I think it is less an artist's role to interpret life from another's perspective and more to participate
End quote.
Nothing about Scripture. Nothing about Jesus Christ. Its all about subjective experience, personal introspection, sprinkled with some New Age/Mysticism verbage like "the divine".
Crowder goes on with his Romanist influence:
Quote:
Smith: You are not Catholic, but on your Illuminate album, you sing a prayer of St. Francis of Assisi. What's your connection?
Much of the Catholic traditions and writings have been influential in my formation of faith and to be quite contradictory of what was stated earlier, I've found much inspiration there. St. Francis is a figure I'm equally attracted to and repelled by. I long for his powers of disassociation from the trappings of "stuff." I'm beset with consumption and materialism, and he is a compelling symbol of contentment. His contentment and way of suffering terrify me.
...Ludicrous and offensive, it is the Divine's intrusion into our condition.
End quote.
Michael W. Smith's endorsement of Manning isn't surprising; he's never been doctrinally sound, really. Music is his interest, not biblical Truth. And that's from a person who used to really enjoy his music, one upon a time.
As for Greg Laurie and Calvary Chapel, I got some heat for stating that I saw CCOCM going emergent. The evidence is increasing. Denying something and then behaving in favor of the same thing shows that not only is there hypocrisy going on, but the actions speak louder than words. Why it is that some public pastors deny the Emergent Church Movement, then turn around and endorse it by speaking at its conferences and sharing its leaders' platforms is beyond me. Do professing Christians only hear the weak "denials" and ignore the actions? Its certainly true so often in the political arena, which is why so many Obama supporters are backing away from him now--his actions are not in accordance with his earlier "claims" to the people and thus they are surprised and upset.
So deny PDL and ECM, then join them in their promotion of heresy? Folks, its time to wake up and see the truth. Those who are in error do not promote themselves as erroneous, but as "one of us".
How do you suppose false teachers secretly sneak in among you?
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