Useful Idiots

I was interviewed by a conservative talk show host, recently, who trotted out all the old liberal chestnuts about homosexual rights.

They are a much-maligned segment of society.
The government has no business in our bedrooms.
We can't legislate morality.
They have rights, too.

It was sickening! They are a much-maligned segment of society for good reason! They are seeking to destroy this society. Not the average person who engages in homosexual behavior but the Gay Rights Activists. You can't take your children to a Gay Pride Parade, for example. And, if they get their way, the "family" will forever be dismantled and destroyed. This is no small thing, the family being the Basic Building Block of Society!!!!

The government was NEVER in anyone's bedroom! They brought their bedroom out into the street and into our faces! The laws against homosexuality, in the old days, were about sodomy. Sodomy is a physically, emotionally and socially destructive practice, and every government has the right / responsibility to protect its citizens from harmful people and/or practices.

EVERY law on the books legislates morality! Highway speed laws, animal leash-laws, jay-walking laws, ALL legislate morality. In this world there are some things which are right and therefore good and some things which are wrong and therefore bad. Governments pass laws to support the good and limit the bad. That's legislating morality.

Everyone has the RIGHT to be stupid, but it's not a good idea for the majority to be this way. When a person or a society emphasizes Rights, the tendency is toward Anarchy. When Responsibility is being emphasized it tends toward Character. The "Right" to corrupt our children and co-opt the family is not a good thing. Society's "parents" have a responsibility to control for such things.

You know the inmates are running the asylum when 'conservatives' are convinced that the homosexual arguments are valid! They represent about 3% of the population of this country, they are almost single-handedly responsible for AIDS, and the spread thereof and are openly advocating for the right to have sex with children. They call it 'therapy,' in the psychological publications and articles where the idea is floated. I first saw it in Psychology Today, about 10 years ago. Ever hear of N.A.M.B.L.A.?

One day people like me will be put in jail for writing a blog like this. And you will be right next to me for simply reading I Cor. 6:9 out loud, in the presence of other people!

Such is the power of sin that good becomes evil and evil becomes good. And it will happen through the efforts of 'useful idiots' who see themselves being compassionate and tolerant where this vile behavior is concerned.

Happy Father's Day? Not Likely!

Noted Theologian and Sociologist, Bill O'Reilly, says "Marriage was invented to domesticate the male of the species." Raised a Roman Catholic, educated in Roman Catholic Schools, and this is what he learned?

There is apparently no human purpose to the monogamy of one man and one woman, for life. I know this because our society is being driven by a secular humanist mindset and this arrangement doesn't fit with their goals.

This, alone, should be ample proof that The Bible is true! If not true, at least reliable, because it is in The Bible that we find the genesis of marriage [pun intended]. God established what we now call The Traditional Family Structure.

But, is it all that necessary? The Feminists say No. The Gay, Lesbian, Transgender community say No. And the humanists aren't quite sure....yet. They're thinking about it.

Well, think about this. According to Drs Patrick F. Fagan and Kirk A. Johnson, in their book, "Marriage: The Safest Place for Women and Children," children in the care of single mothers are:
33 times more likely to be seriously abused (requiring medical attention)
73 times more likely to be killed.

In addition, according to U.S. Government Statistics [in the last decade], when it comes to children from fatherless homes, young people are more at risk for a host of really bad things
63% of suicides
85% of those exhibiting behavioral disorders
80% of rapists [motivated by displaced anger]
71% of school drop outs
75% of adolescent patients in chemical abuse centers
70% of juveniles in State-operated Institutions
U.S. News & World Report Feb. 1995

But The Traditional Family is not all that important, and Fathers are certainly not any more important to the mix than, say, two women, or two men, or three women, two men and a monkey.

It is not a Happy Fathers Day In America! Many fathers are missing out. And many parents are wondering "what went wrong?"

So, let's stay the course on "Alternative Families" and see what happens.
Can't hurt. No one but the children. It's still amazing: The Children Always Pay!

Where's The Beef?

Dr. Al Mohler, President of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in his blog, references the trend among young Jewish adults who are polarizing between the Orthodox and the Secular. [http://www.albertmohler.com/2010/06/10/the-briefing-from-young-restless-and-jewish-to-peter-singer-and-the-pope/]

It seems, however, that the fastest growth is among the Orthodox. The Secular Orthodox are not reproducing themselves, either physically or spiritually. Dr. Mohler draws some obvious parallels with Contemporary Christianity, at least in this country.

He references Collin Hansen's article in Christianity Today to make his point. [http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/september/42.32.html]

Apparently younger evangelicals are being drawn away from the fluff and emotion that constitutes much of the Contemporary Christian scene, just as much as they are from their parents' brand of Church.

The trends seem to support the idea that young people, being idealistic at heart, and yearning for a more significant spiritual expression, gravitate to the Contemporary Churches or those which offer a Contemporary Service and lots of opportunities for ministry as well as social activities.

Having spent some time there, a growing number are becoming disenchanted. The assumption is that the more exciting, attractive and active churches are more 'alive' than the old, dull and dead churches.

But wait! A growing number are being attracted to the Reformed traditions. If you aren't aware what that means, it means churches where the Bible is actually taught, much like in a Bible College! It means Bible Doctrine takes Center Stage! It means these young people recognize the need for spiritual 'food' and where to find it!

If The Lord tarries, we may see more and more young adults growing up to see the emptiness of busyness that characterizes much of organized Christianity today. You can do just so many Missions Trips, Youth Activities and Social Events, before you start wondering "where's the beef?"

A Brave New World?

Events are Cascading:

The Middle East is heating up.
The Gospel is all but ignored and/or marginalized in the West.
Christianity is becoming more entertainment than spiritual strength / hope.
Societies are becoming more crude and crass.
Life is becoming less valuable, at every level.
Morality is becoming increasingly more subjective.
Sex is dominating our attention and our lives.
Education is evermore critical and fewer are being educated.
Digital communities [Facebook, etc] are robbing us of real connectedness.
Natural disasters are making us more uneasy.
Everything is revolving around computers and numbers.
The cashless society bankers and law enforcement favor, is becoming a reality.
The bad economy is pushing us into a global society.

Is all this simply the natural evolution of societies? Or is it being orchestrated by intelligent forces?

The cumulative effect is to decentralize the individual, desensitize him in the critical areas of life, deconstruct our traditional support systems and push us toward a global dependency, without national identity.

And it just so happens this is exactly what The Bible predicts will be the situation at the End of the Age!

What Do Young People Teach Us?

Each year, Beloit College publishes their Mindset List, describing what incoming freshmen have been exposed to since birth. For 2010 this means children born around 1992/1993. The limited context of these young people is always startling for older folks.

For example: This Freshman Class has known only two presidents: Bush and Obama.

But what about the vast array of social, moral, political and economic issues that inform our society? What constitutes their historical context?

Generally, they have a limited understanding of Western Civilization.
They have a limited (and biased) understanding of our Founding Principles.
They have always known a Government that takes care of the poor.
They have have always known sex education in public school.
They have never known a time when people did not have access to credit.
They have never been without a computer, cell phone, or mp3 player.
They get their news from The Colbert Report or the Daily Show.
They view sex as recreational.
They do not comprehend the idea of conservative. For them, everything is disposable.
They have never known a world without AIDs, public homosexuality or porn TV channels.

As a consequence, when older people speak of the breakdown of society, these young people can't relate. When we bemoan the loss of our heritage (Western Civilization), they don't know what we're talking about. And when we speak of morality, they think of the relative morality which makes everything right....for me.

EX: When a senatorial candidate can reference his Vietnam military experience, over a period of several years, when in fact he never served in Vietnam. Then blame the media for not understanding his words, and have a sizable number of people accept that as reasonable, you know we're in trouble.

But, then, it probably depends on the the definition of "is."
Another bit of cultural trivia these young people don't understand.

What Is The Gospel?

The simple answer to this questions is found in I Cor. 15, where Paul declares that he preached the Gospel: ...which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the scriptures; And that he was buried, and that he rose again the third day according to the scriptures: [15:3,4]

But, what does all that mean? It means our sinful nature and ways stand between us and a Holy God! It means there's nothing we can do to fix that! It means that God had to send His Son to die in our place. All of that, "according to the scriptures," which means it was not an after-thought.

It means Jesus was God's promised Messiah [Christ], and that his death on the cross was real! He was buried.

It means He did not stay dead and buried, but was given New Life after three days! A resurrected life. Becoming the "first-fruit" of many to come. Those who would also die....to sin.

This is called, in Scripture, The Gospel of The Lord Jesus Christ. It is not to be confused with any other gospel. It is The Gospel of Life, not good health or financial independence. It is The Gospel of forgiveness, not inclusiveness. Sinners are not given a false hope, because they're 'in church' or because they've prayed 'the sinner's prayer,' or because they're doing good works.

The race is sin-sick, desperately wicked and hell-bent. Easy-believism, Inclusivism, Mysticism, Egalitarianism and Phariseeism are no substitute for Repentance of sin and commitment to God, in Christ!

"Church" has become a Party or a Seance in America! The Gospel has been dumped on the scrap heap and a wide-range of new 'gospels' have taken it's place in the minds and hearts of people.

It's a New Reality! And, as with all new realities, we need to be prepared to live by the new standards and expectations it produces. One thing it does NOT produce is New Creatures, in Christ!

The World Is Descending Into Chaos!

It is the nature of man to seek improvement of his world. In this effort he often comes up with "solutions" that create more problems than they solve. He is not aware that they will do such, or he would not choose them. But, man cannot improve upon God's plan.

Take, for example, those guiding our economic plight. We are told that a large part of our problem came about as people ran up large, unsecured, debt. In addition, people borrowed money they could not afford in order to purchase a home. Home ownership is the proverbial "passport" to wealth.

Now, our government is seeking to "solve" the economic crises, created this way, by borrowing and spending our way into stability and prosperity. If all goes as planned, we will run a $1.6 trillion deficit in 2010. By 2020, they hope to borrow $18 Tril, with a National Debt of $8.5 trillion. THEN we'll be solvent?

Then there's the environment. Human beings are selfish, greedy and wasteful. We are destroying the delicate balance of nature and something must be done to stop it.

In the 1970's an effort was made to cowl us into submission with the warning that the world was descending into a global ice age. When that did not appear, we were told that it was global warming and man was responsible through his destructive practice of burning carbon-based fuels.

Now, the earth's average temperatures are moderating and the ice is building up in the antarctic. But we're still going to proceed with carbon credits and the monitoring of energy usage in every home. One can't be too careful with an eco-system.

Then came the eruption of a volcano in Iceland! How much carbon was spewed into the atmosphere, no one will ever know. What we do know is it closed down most of Northern Europe for weeks! It cost airlines hundreds of millions of dollars and has put pressure on both business and governments.

Then there was an explosion on an oil rig in the Gulf of Mexico! That, right after the president opened the door to off-shore drilling! How ironic.

The safe-guards were not in place. The well-head did not close as it is designed to do, and efforts to cap it or diminish it have failed. BP estimates 2 to 3 months, to drill new wells in order to reduce the pressure and stem the flow of oil. Livelihoods along the Gulf Coast are in jeopardy, as well as the eco-system in the area and even up the Atlantic Coast.

This week a man tried to set off a car bomb in Times Square. He bought a ticket to Dubai and boarded a plane at JFK. The door to the plane was shut and the pilots were preparing to taxi out when the call came to wait. Law Enforcement personnel boarded the plane and escorted Faisal Shahzad off! It seems someone didn't check the most recent "Do Not Fly" list.

Human governments just can't catch a break! There's just too much going on. But increased monitoring of financial transactions as well as energy usage will go a long way toward bringing this world under control. We need more and greater computerization, as well as camera and other forms of surveillance. Every move, of every person, must be monitored and controlled. Your privacy is not as important as your security!

But, then, that's what The Bible predicted, 2000 years ago! "For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape." [1Thess 5:3] Not to mention the infamous Mark of the Beast, 666. A system for tracking and approving all financial transactions, numerically.