It sits on the tarmac near the hanger with the cockpit open awaiting the pilot.  The F-16 fighter jet is known the world over as a premier fighting machine.  It is as agile in flight as its sleek design would lead one to imagine.  The bubble shaped canopy that covers the cockpit is a very distinctive feature of this jet which makes it easy for the pilot to keep a 360 degree awareness of his surroundings at all times.  The performance factor of its engine and the pound per thrust ratio make it a superb aircraft.

The F-16 is only one of several fighting aircraft in the U.S. arsenal.  And then, there are those under development.  These aircraft are some of the best in the world.  They are highly sophisticated in their electronic warfare capability.  They can track multiple targets simultaneously and they can carry hefty payloads of very lethal and very accurate armament.

What the F-16 is to armies today, is very similar to what the horse was to armies way back then.  Back before the era of jet fighters, tanks, armored personal carriers and missiles, there was the horse.  The horse, in times past, has been a symbol of military strength.  In medieval times, a horse was outfitted with layers of thick covering draped over its sides and face, for the purpose of shielding the horse from arrows and swords of opposing armies. A soldier riding such a horse, had a tremendous advantage over an opposing soldier who was merely on foot.

For the purpose of this article, I am going to call the F-16 jet fighter an “Iron Horse.”  I could use a tank, which might seem more appropriate but, for this article, I am choosing the jet fighter. We, as a nation, have put our trust in the Iron Horse.  We, as a people, have put our trust in what we can build with our hands.  We, as a people, have put our trust in our ability to develop and fabricate highly technical and ultra-sophisticated electronic warfare devices. In the process of the time span covering the era of such high-tech warfare, we, as a nation, have marginalized our trust in God, and have instead begun to do what the Bible refers to as putting trust in the strength of a horse.  We read in Psalm 33:16-18 “No king is saved by the multitude of an army; A mighty man is not delivered by great strength. A horse is a vain hope for safety; Neither shall it deliver any by its great strength. Behold the eye of the Lord is on those who fear Him, On those who hope in His mercy.” 

Here is the problem.  For every F-16 sitting on runway, you need a pilot to fly it. Not only do you need a pilot, but you also need maintenance personal, parts and fuel.  Then, once airborne, the pilot will need the support of air traffic control, ground tracking info and eventual landing and refueling location.  All of this requires a tremendous and expensive and elaborate support system.  Lots of money.  When looking at the money issue, we have even built one model of jet fighter (F-22 Raptor) that proved to be too costly to fly and maintain. Even now, the plane chosen (F-35 Joint Force Fighter) as the alternative, is proving to be very costly and by the time all the top military officials get their add-on features incorporated into the project, it will most likely end up being as expensive as the F-22. A serious threshold to be sure, but the money issue isn’t where I’m going with this.  There is something more serious.

What I see for our country that is the more serious issue, more than money, is the absence of a belief in God and the absence of vision for the future as a Christian society. This may sound old fashioned but, when one contemplates the transition that has begun, the future of our society looks anything but promising. We, as a nation, are going headlong into a post-Christian era.  Some, upon reading this may say “yes, this is a good thing.”  The arrogant, atheist intellectual may think he will one day live in a world free of all religion, but such an individual is naïve.  Mankind has been religious from the beginning, and will be in the end.  Imagining a world in which there is no religion, is the product of the mind of a person who has insulated himself from the rest of the world.     

The United States of America is drifting away from God.  The United States of America is transitioning from a Christian nation to a post-Christian nation.  If history proves correct, such a transition will not go smoothly.  We, as a people, have put our trust in the Iron Horse that we made with our hands.  We thought if we could build such technologically innovative and superior war machines that they, of and by themselves, would keep us safe and secure as a nation.  What we have failed to realize is that it is in God, and in Him alone where our security is to be found.  Once we abandon the foundation of faith and trust in God, then all is lost. Once we start putting our faith and trust in our own man made devices, all is lost.  It is the Lord who delivers a nation, not man.  It is the Lord who provides peace, safety, security and comfort, not man. If our future is left in the hands of mere men, then only misery awaits.

As important as it was to design and build the F-16, it was equally important to ensure that you had pilots to fly them.  As a nation, we needed to ensure that we were training up pilots we could trust and pilots who had the same vision and hope for the future.  We, as a nation, have failed in this area. It is the unity of vision and values in our society that is slipping away.  In other words, the dilemma rapidly overtaking us is “so what, if we are able to build the best jet fighters in the world.  If we don’t have loyal pilots to fly them, what good are they.” And, this is where I see our society heading at a rapid pace. It is coming down to the issue of trust.  Who do you trust to put on the Iron Horse?  If you cannot find soldiers you can trust and you cannot face an enemy with a unified force, you will lose the battle.  This is the dilemma we are facing as a nation.

We have chosen to put our faith and trust and in ourselves and the work of our hands rather than putting our faith and trust in God. So what, if we can build the sophisticated Iron Horse.  If our nation is rotten and corrupt on the inside, if our society has turned its back on God, if our people have gone headlong into a lifestyle of sin, then no degree of sophistication or lethality of our military Iron Horse can save us.  We are doomed. God will leave us to our own devices and we will fragment and begin fighting each other.  The Bible tells us in Proverbs 28:19 “Where there is no vision (prophetic revelation), the people perish (cast off restraint).  We, as nation have lost our vision. 

So, there on the runway sits the new Iron Horse.  Who will fly it?  What will be the loyalty of the pilot who sits in the cockpit?

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The pride of man is much like a computer virus. Have you ever had a computer virus? I once had one on my computer that was called a Trojan virus. If you are ever thinking about downloading a free song online from one of those sites that offer such service and a warning pops up that says “This file may be corrupted. Do you still want to download?” please click on the button which says “No.”            

You see, in my case, my song was already at ninety-nine percent download. And I just had to click “Yes.” Within seconds of doing so, the image of an ugly beastly-looking creature took over my computer screen, flashing in bold letters the words “TROJAN VIRUS! TROJAN VIRUS!” No matter what I did, I could not get the beast off of my screen. Whenever I clicked the “x” to close the window, another would just pop up to replace it. This happened again and again and again. Finally, I had to unplug the computer and take it in to a specialist to have the virus removed.

Similarly, the popping-up of pride in a man’s heart is something we all must deal with as Christians. Nobody is exempt. Sometimes it feels like we keep clicking the “x,” but it keeps on coming up again. So, we humble ourselves before the Lord, calling on the name of Jesus. Through and by the graceful working of the Holy Spirit, God then begins to set things straight in our hearts. Praise God for his sin-virus specialist!

In Titus 3:2-6 we read a reminder that the Apostle Paul writes to his son Titus concerning the attitude a believer should have toward an unbeliever in light of all the “viruses” which Jesus has healed us of by the stripes he bore for us on the cross. I encourage you to examine it carefully. It reads:

“Remind the people…to be ready to do whatever is good, to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men. At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures. We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another. But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of righteous things we had done, but because of his mercy”

We can see from this Scripture that the Apostle Paul is wanting Titus to remind the people who have come out of a very deep place of darkness, to remember who they were before the love of God was revealed to them. He felt it vital to recall that they were only brought from slavery and into freedom when God unveiled the curtain to them to show them the “new and living way” spoken of in Hebrews 10:20. It is in this light that the people are reminded to, again, “slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate and to show true humility toward all men.”

What Paul is referring to here is an attitude of heart that only comes from the crushing of human pride at the cross of Christ. This “true humility” can only be in us because we truly believe the truth of God’s grace and it has affected us in the inner man. This broken spirit, created by the Spirit of Grace, must remain in us if we are to be used to draw those to the Father who are “foolish, disobedient, deceived and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.” This humility cannot be reproduced and it cannot be imitated in order to reach the lost. God will not be mocked and, most of the time, neither will unbelievers. This is why God, speaking through Paul, calls the humility which we are to show forth “true humility.” I say to you, if the humility in us has been re-manufactured, then it has been replaced by something sinister.  Therefore, I ask rhetorically, is it time to take the computer in? Is it possible, as II Peter 5-9 discusses, that we are not gathering harvest because we have forgotten that we were cleansed of our past sins?

Now, if we possess an authentically grateful heart to God, there will be no limiting of the praise that flows from the fountains of our hearts. The Holy Spirit will dwell in our hearts by faith and through Him we will sing that freedom song in us which declares “Praise the Lord, all you nations; extol him, all you peoples. For great is his love toward us, and the faithfulness of the Lord endures forever. Praise the Lord (Psalm 117).” This is the Spirit-formed declaration we need in order to obey our dear Lord Jesus’ command found in Matthew 28:18-20 which states:

 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples

of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,

and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always,

to the very end of the age.”

In this humble faith, which produces praise, we are then lifted up by the hand of the Almighty himself. For He has promised us in James 4:6 that “God opposes the proud, but gives grace to the humble.” This is the grace in which enables us to operate in the entirely unlimited authority of our great Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ and, by it, we have the full capability to go and make disciples of all nations!

However, I want to remind you that we do have an enemy, named the devil. And even though, according to Colossians 2:13-15, Jesus has disarmed the devil by taking the Law of Moses and “nailing it to the cross,” this devil is still a very good deceiver and is constantly wanting us to turn away the grace offered us at Calvary. It is the blood sacrifice of Jesus Christ that has forever defeated him, and he knows this. Therefore, Satan must get our eyes as far away from that reality as possible to have success in stopping us– not only for our sake, but for the sake of the people we might bring to God by our authentic faith in Jesus. He does not want you, the nations, or anybody to glorify God through Him!

So, what is Satan’s weapon or what fiery dart does he use to accomplish such a thing? He plays on human pride– that evil desire that produces judgment, as seen by the fruit of the Pharisees. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans 10:3 about them “Since they did not know the righteousness that comes from God and sought to establish their own, they did not submit to God’s righteousness.” The Gospels declare in Luke 18:9 that these Pharisees were “confident in their own righteousness, and looked down on everybody else.” It is pride that causes men to turn from grace, to desire self-glory and to look down on others. This is the same desire the devil had in the beginning when he said “I will ascend…” The Pharisees ascended in their hearts above the rest of the people. This is one the reasons why Jesus called the devil the father of the Pharisees.

What I am saying to you is that the most vile people we come across as believers can and must be reached. We must see people through the eyes of the Holy Spirit and always remember that “it is by grace we have been saved, through faith– and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God–not by works, so that no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8).” We ourselves must remain at the cross to preach the cross rightly.

Therefore, in light of this we ought to easily show forth true humility towards even the most perverse of men and keep our mouths shut concerning slander toward them. This will be a huge surprise to such a person because, even in the world, sinners constantly slander other sinners for the sins they have committed. If you doubt me, you should go get a job in an office building sometime!

In getting to the heart of the matter, the words of Jesus recorded in Mark 12:31 need to get burnt into our souls, especially concerning those in danger of suffering in hell for eternity. Jesus said “Love your neighbor as yourself.” It is in this kindness that we must go, living the holy life offered to us in Jesus Christ. We also must open our mouths to testify, without fear, of the reason why this is possible.  Simply put, since we do not want to go to hell, we should not allow a neighbor to go there either– not without a fight. We must love their souls as we love our own.

Let me close with some practical advice in terms of personal evangelism, in light of God’s mercy toward us. Remember, this is not a formula, but merely advice for someone getting started:

1. Be Patient To use a fishing analogy, sometimes we must give someone a chance to take a hold of the “hook” and not be so quick to reel the line in. We must fish, with patience, like the person’s soul depends on it, remembering that it actually does. A fish will sometimes nibble, much like a person who is becoming interested in the truth. The Holy Spirit will tug with urgency on your heart when it is time to bring them in. It is Jesus who makes you a fisher of men.
2. Pray in the Spirit, asking the Lord for the wisdom in reaching these souls (James 1:5). We need wisdom to win souls as Proverbs 11:30 states: “He who wins souls is wise.” Let us pray without ceasing for fields placed before us, remembering we were in that field once. Also pray for other Christians working in fields around the world. God is listening and will respond to us.
3. Use the Word of God You do not have to have it all “figured out,” so relax and allow the Holy Spirit to work through you. We do not use Him, but he does use us. So, if you are in conversation with a person and it feels as though God may be “in it,” pray to God (in your mind) for guidance. Often, a Scripture will come into your heart that you know. This is the Holy Spirit handing you the tailor-fit Word you need for that situation. Just open your mouth and say “You know, the Bible says…..”  You may be surprised at everything coming out of your mouth and at the ensuing results. While the goal is to have such a person turn to Christ right at that moment, we must learn to take only what the Holy Spirit gives us. Take it boldly and in the anointing He provides. If nothing else you will have planted a seed and that seed, God’s Word, will not fail, but will accomplish that which it was sent to do (Isaiah 55:10). Praise the Lord!

Submitted By Jeremiah Cullett

January 20, 2010

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Are Christians destined to take over the world before Jesus returns?  Is there a requirement found in the scripture that Christians must take over the world before Jesus can return?  Or, has Jesus already returned and now, in a corporate sense He manifests Himself in the lives of all believers in the Earth and all Christians are now commissioned to take over the Earth?  Will there be a rapture?

The above questions are being asked within the rank and file of the Body of Christ and you may be very surprised to learn some of the answers to these questions.  Some of the sacred and age old theological beliefs of the church are now being redefined by some in the Body of Christ.  For more than a couple of decades now, we have witnessed an emphasis within certain camps of the Body of Christ on what has evolved to now be known as “Dominion Eschatology”.

Now some of you may be asking at this point “what is he talking about?”  If you are that person, then you need to read this post most of all.  Let’s begin by looking at an article found in the October 2009 edition of Charisma Magazine.  On page 20 you will see an article entitled “Last Days Fever” and as part of this debate there is an inset of two views of the rapture found on pages 22 and 23.  Pay attention to page 23 and C Peter Wagner’s article entitled “The Case For Dominion”.  In this article we see Wagner state “I now regard my former pre-tribulationism and pre-millennialism as escapist eschatology”.  Next, he says “My favorite term is dominion eschatology.  Why? Because Jesus did not give His great commission in vain”.  And finally, Wagner states “We are aggressively retaking dominion, and the rate at which this is happening will soon become exponential”. 

So, what is Wagner talking about?  C Peter Wagner and his ministry is a vanguard for what is known as the Dominion Movement.  This movement and its theology has gone by several names over the last couple of decades.  If you have heard the terms “Kingdom Now”, “Kingdom Dominion” or “7-Mountain Doctrine” they are all one in the same.  You will note that by his own statements, on the issue of the rapture, Wagner does not hold to the orthodox position of the church.

To put it in street, what the Dominionsts are saying is that Christians are supposed to be about the business of taking over the world, and once this has been accomplished, then Jesus can return, and note the emphasis on “can”.  Still not convinced that this theology is all that developed?  I invite you to take a look at the posting titled “Dominionism and the Rise of Christian Imperialism” by Sarah Leslie.  This article can be found at http://www.crossroad.to/articles2/05/sarah-leslie/dominionism.htm.  In this article, you will see a quite comprehensive description of the development of the Dominion Movement and the theology associated with this movement.  I don’t quite agree with all  that you will find on this particular website but, this overview of Dominionism is too thorough to ignore. And, it proves rather quickly that Dominionism is not a secret.  

Still not convinced?  Perhaps you are thinking, this group is on the “fringe” of Christianity, plus the writer quotes some dubious sources.  OK, fair enough.  Let me ask you then, have you heard of President Clinton?  Of course you have.  Well, he had a high-ranking advisor named Sidney Blumenthal.  Mr Blumenthal has a son named Max Blumenthal.  And, Max Blumenthal has written a book titled “Republican Gomorrah”.  This book has become a media sensation and has been critiqued extensively in the national media. Simply go to You Tube and type in “Republican Gomorrah” and see for yourself. 

In his book, Blumenthal pulls no punches in his all out attack on the Republican Party for what he describes as the hypocrisy of the many Republican leaders who have fallen into various sex scandals.  To be “fair and balanced”, some of Blumenthal’s criticism is justified.  In saying that, mind you, I am certainly not overlooking all of the Democrat sex scandals.  But, that is not the focus of my article.  What I want to point you to is that also in his book, Blumenthal has the dual thesis of chronicling what he perceives as a rising movement within Christianity to vicariously “take over the world” through the Republican Party. 

In his book, Blumenthal comes as close as any secular writer or reporter I have seen, to “connecting all the dots”.  Let’s talk plainly here.  If you are a Jew, a Muslim or an atheist and you hear certain Christian leaders talk of “taking control of the governments of the world” then, don’t you think you are going to get their attention?  I can assure you, they are listening. One thesis in Blumenthal’s book is that he believes there is an underlying design, on the part of the Christian Right, to take control of the government.  I see two theses in Blumenthal’s book.  He himself indicates as much in an interview on “Morning Joe” which can be seen at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BqeqRf9czAY or, type in “Morning Joe – Max Blumenthal – Has The GOP Been Driven Outside The Mainstream”. 

What I am saying to all my Christian brethren out there is that the secular media has connected the dots of Dominion Eschatology.  If you are an adherent to this particular theology, and you think all of this strategy to “take over the world” is a “well kept secret” then, think again.  You cannot ignore the reality I am laying out in this post.  I was just listening to a news program the other day and a leading liberal news commentator stated that Max Blumenthal’s book is quickly becoming a primary source of information for those wanting to know about the strategy of the “Radical Christian Right” and its designs on influencing government.  I am telling Christian leaders out there, if you ignore such a thing as this, then you are shirking your responsibility to be “in the know” about developments concerning the Body of Christ.

You can go to Amazon.com and type in “Republican Gomorrah” and then go to the book review link and see for yourself the “firestorm” of debate going on between liberals and conservatives over this book. I can tell you, if the Dominionists continue to push this doctrine and move ahead with their attempts to implement these goals, things are going to get very ugly, very quickly.

Did Jesus say He needed Christians to be in control of all systems of society in order for Him to return?  I don’t read anywhere in the Bible where Jesus says that.  Let’s look at Luke 4:6 where, after showing Jesus all the kingdoms of the world, Satan tempts Jesus when he says “All this authority I will give You, and their glory; for this has been delivered to me, and I give it to whomever I wish”.  It is serious theological error to assume by this verse that Satan is actually in control of the Kingdoms of this World.  This was a falsehood spoken by Satan and Jesus knew it.  How do we know this?  Look at Daniel 2:20-21 “Daniel answered and said: Blessed be the name of God forever and ever, For wisdom and might are His. And He changes the times and the seasons; He removes kings and raises up kings; He gives wisdom to the wise and knowledge to those who have understanding. He reveals deep and secret things; He knows what is in the darkness,  And light dwells with Him”.   Next, look at Daniel 4:17 “This decision is by the decree of the watchers, And the sentence by the word of the holy ones, In order that the living may know That the Most High rules in the kingdom of men, Gives to whomever He will, And sets over it the lowest of men”. 

So, after reading the above scriptures, it is clear that God is in control of the systems and governments of the world.  Understanding this, could it be possible that Satan today, is using the same trickery and temptation with certain religious leaders to get them to think that the kingdoms of the world are “up for grabs” and thus he is using the thought of being in control of these governments as a temptation once again.

Let me talk plainly.  I see that the Dominionists have gotten way off base theologically.  They are more worried about taking over the world rather than “winning the world for Christ”.  They are more worried about being an “Apostle” rather than preaching the Gospel of Christ.  These certain leaders have fallen for the very temptation that Satan tried to tempt Jesus with in the wilderness.  These certain leaders are being tempted with power, wealth, glamour, prestige and control.  It is very dangerous and it is bringing undue and intense criticism against the Body of Christ. 

Pastors and Christian leaders had better “get up to speed” on this.  This theology has made substantial inroads into the Body of Christ. Dominionism was even “in play” in the recent Presidential election.  And, I might add, it is one of the reasons the Republicans lost.

As Christians, we must remember the words of Jesus as found in John 18:36 “My kingdom is not of this world.  If My kingdom were of this world, My servants would fight…”

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It is no longer a matter of if, but rather when we will begin to see organized governmental opposition and persecution of the church in the United States. The new Hate Crime Bill in congress will give those who oppose the church a template or mechanism by which serious legal challenges can be brought against Christians, Pastors and ministries that make public declarations against homosexuality.

The freedom of the church in the United States is now on the edge of a knife. The freedom, for the Christian to read and interpret the Bible and to develop a systematic theology about what the Bible is saying, now faces the most severe threat in the history of our nation.

Remember a few articles back I was saying that it has gotten to the point in our society that the rights and freedoms of the various groups and interests within our society would begin clashing with each other. And, that we would eventually see one group denied certain rights and freedoms in order for another group to be able to express theirs. Well, I announce to you as of this posting, that day has arrived and it has come in the form of the Hate Crime Bill.

There is much debate about this bill, its meaning, its intent, its purpose. But, I can tell you, after doing research on this matter, it appears that in some regard, the very formulation of this bill was to set up a device or mechanism within government that would give the homosexual community the tool they needed to go after conservative, evangelical Christians. And, I can tell you plainly, once the Hate Crime Bill becomes law, they will have everything they need. The homosexual community knows this very well. Let’s take a look at some recent events and statements.

In an MSNBC article titled “D.C. gay rights march misses mark” dated October 10, 2009 we read that “March organizers have said they’re no longer willing to quietly wait for Democratic office holders to make good on decades-old promises”. This comment is the “canary in the coal mine” concerning all things about gay rights. We are hearing that some of the leaders of the homosexual community are no longer willing to wait. And, it is what they are waiting for that presents a gravely serious challenge for true Christians.

Upon reading the many news reports covering President Obama’s speech to the Human Rights Campaign one cannot help but be alarmed by the many statements made not just about discrimination against homosexuality but rather, an outright acceptance of such lifestyle. In other words, to hear the thoughts of many of the leaders of the gay community, you get the feeling that even if you think that being gay is wrong, then you are committing a crime. The intensity and ferocity in the tone exhibited toward those who disagree with the gay lifestyle is unfortunately an indicator of things to come. We are headed for a rocky road.

What the Hate Crime Bill will do is give the gay community a template within the government to bring serious legal charges against Christians, the churches they attend and ministries. It will no longer be a question of “can they do it?”. With the Hate Crime Bill, it can and will be done. You will see individual suits and class-action suits brought against Christian ministries.

The sobering reality is that once law, the Hate Crime Bill will allow such lawsuits and then the Christian or Ministry being sued will be at the mercy of the legal interpretation of such law and the charges brought forward. It will no longer be the question of “if” such a thing can happen. It will happen and by and large, most courts are going to rule against Christians and Christian ministries. Christians are getting ready to see how important the U.S. Supreme Court nominations really are.

Some will interject at this point, “but what about the Muslims and their rejection of homosexuality. I doubt we would see such a law because of the conflict and tension this would create with them”. True, Islam does not accept homosexuality and in some Muslim countries, homosexuals are dealt with severely. But, the real truth of the matter is, the Muslims in America aren’t really too worried about all of this. Because, when “push comes to shove” the Muslims are going to do what they want to do, anyway. In a sense, the Muslims have a degree of autonomy from our legal system already and this autonomy will only increase.

Furthermore, most Western governments are fearful of the Muslim culture. The point is, I doubt very seriously if you are going to see a Muslim Imam thrown in jail for speaking out against homosexuality. Never, in the United States will you witness such a thing. On the contrary, you are getting ready to see Christian Ministers thrown in jail for speaking out against homosexuality. This objective, for the larger part, has become a primary motivation for getting the Hate Crime Bill passed. This bill would allow formal charges to be brought against said Christian Minister that he would then be forced to defend against in court, and then after giving his defense, be subject to the interpretation and judgment of such court. This, my friend, is a game changer. Christians in America have never faced such a thing. The gay community and their advocates are simply “looking the other way” when it comes to Islam and the issue of homosexuality. They are thinking that somehow, Muslims in America will assimilate into our culture of freedom and social diversity, which includes gay rights. However, when you consider the overall socio-religious climate of the world, this strategy appears short-sighted.

The Hate Crime Bill could in a sense be described as a device designed to give one group within our society certain “rights” while at the same time, taking away such “rights” from another group. To put it in street, “For me to have the right to openly and publicly do what I want to do, I have to take away the right of another to openly and publicly criticize my behavior”. Never has such a precedent been set in our legal system.

It won’t simply stop with homosexuality. If this can be done once, it can be done twice. I envision that the legal environment could become so hostile against Christianity that if a Pastor were to read John 14:6 and by his interpretation of such scripture make the statement that “Jesus is the only way to get to Heaven”, even this could be construed as “hate speech” in the sense that such a statement creates tension in society and fosters hostility between different groups within our society.

My purpose for writing this post is to exhort Christians to first of all be aware this is going on. Secondly, Christians better start preparing for the challenges we will be facing in the days ahead. Every Christian needs to dig deep into the things of the Holy Spirit. Every Christian needs to have a well developed theology from the Word of God. Every Christian must know what they believe and why they believe it. The hour is late for a Christian to not know where he or she stands on this issue.

Take for example the introduction speech given by Joe Solomonese at the recent Human Rights Campaign dinner at which the President spoke. You can go to You Tube at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EWraxDFU8Aw or, type in “HRC President Joe Solomonese Speaks Before President Obama” and watch this now on You Tube. In his remarks, Solomonese talks about “hate violence”, “a time of great impatience”, “enemies of change” and at the 3:54 mark of this video he makes a most telling remark as he refers to “hate rhetoric”. OK, let’s try and define “hate rhetoric”. Is it when someone says hateful things in the course of acting out violence against another person? Or, could you interpret “hate rhetoric” as someone saying something against homosexuality that could be considered inflammatory or perhaps as possibly inciting violence if someone hears it.

OK, let’s cut to the chase. Let’s say a Preacher is in his pulpit on a given Sunday morning and decides to preach from Romans 1:27 and I Corinthians 6:9-10. After reading these two portions of scripture, the Preacher states that according to his interpretation of these scriptures and according to his moral conviction he believes homosexuality is a sin. Sounds simple and clear cut, right? Not so. Under the Hate Crime Bill, this Preacher could be sued and brought to court for hate speech which incites violence against homosexuals. This is exactly, by and large, the intent of the Hate Crime Bill. And, I guarantee you; in fact, I prophesy to you that it will be used for this purpose.

It doesn’t stop here. Go back to You Tube at  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8B_uLSHniik or, type in “Andrew Sullivan Blasts HRC’s Joe Solomonese”. Some of you may be familiar with Sullivan. He is often found on news talk shows. He is intelligent, super-articulate, speaks with a very nice British accent, very insightful on the issues, he is a Roman Catholic, a political conservative, and……he is gay. That got your attention. In the video you can see Sullivan saying that the Joe Solomonese and the rest of the gay leadership have failed in their efforts on gay rights. At one point, Sullivan says “We gay people are being betrayed by our leadership”.

So, what are we hearing by this and other comments such as Solomonese’s “this is a time of great impatience”. We are hearing that the hour is upon us when the gay rights agenda is going to move forward in a very big way. It is no longer “if”. It is only weeks away that this bill is going to be introduced in the U.S. Congress.

For the serious Christian, this gets even more complicated. I cannot, for the life of me, understand why certain camps within conservative, evangelical Christianity are so silent on this impending development. For example, I just read in the October 2009 edition of Charisma Magazine, on page 23, where C Peter Wagner has an article entitled “The Case For Dominion”. This article is a response to the question on the Rapture of the Church (which it seems Wagner does not hold the view of orthodox Christianity) and in this article we see Wagner make a striking statement when he says in the last paragraph “We are aggressively retaking dominion and the rate at which this is happening will soon become exponential. The day will come when The Kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever”.

First of all let me say that I believe Jesus has all power and authority in Heaven and on the Earth and that He reigns from Heaven above. Having said that, I must also direct the reader’s attention to what Wagner is referring to when he says the kingdoms of this world and dominion eschatology. To capsulate, what Wagner is talking about is Kingdom Now or Kingdom Dominion theology. It is also known as 7-Mountain Doctrine. Basically, this doctrine teaches that there are 7 pillars of control/influence in a given society. These pillars are also referred to as “mountains” thus “7-Mountain”. And, the 7 Mountains are: Government, Media, Arts and Entertainment, Education, Family, Religion and Business.

There is supposed to be a leader or head authority over each of these seven areas of influence. And, the objective is that Christianity will not only gain influence in all of these areas but, eventually out-right control. And, once Christians are in charge of all these areas of influence and control, then, Jesus can return. Note I said “can”. This is the very serious problem with this doctrine. But, that discussion is for another day and I want to keep my focus on this article. Oh, by the way, what was it Jesus said “My Kingdom is not of this world”.

My point is, it looks like someone has been “asleep at the wheel of the Government mountain” or someone has been “asleep in the guard shack at the base of the Government mountain”. What I am saying is, how in the world can Wagner claim that Christians are “aggressively retaking dominion” and this retaking rate will soon become “exponential”? How is this so when you look at what is getting ready to happen in the U.S. Congress with the Hate Crime Bill? How can these guys claim all this power, influence and authority in our society when the most serious threat to our religious freedom since the existence of our nation is just about to come into law? It is double-talk. This group is saying one thing but, the world and its governments are going exactly the opposite.

I can assure you, by taking the above stated position that I will be put into category of the “anti-Christ”. That’s OK. It won’t be the first time. You know what, the truth can withstand examination. So, I challenge the reader who opposes my assessment of this doctrine to systematically and theologically defeat my position. I can tell you now; I won’t be losing any sleep. I am warning my Christian brethren, there is a severe price to be paid if you buy into this particular theology.

So, getting back to my question and bewilderment at the absence of voice of some of these so-called leaders concerning the Hate Crime Bill. I am going to ask a very bold, but not so far-fetched question. Could it be that one of the reasons we are not seeing a ground-swell of specific resistance to the Hate Crime Bill is because there still remains within the leadership of the various prophetic groups some who are sympathetic toward the gay rights movement? Sympathetic either because of their personal desire to gain power and influence by not offending such a large and politically active (and wealthy) segment of our society and/or perhaps there are some within the leadership of these groups who are gay.

Before you get out of shape by this suggestion, you only need to look at the recent history of Christian leadership within the ranks of these particular Dominionist groups to understand the qualification of my question. It is a question, and, I will leave it at that.

Because the Hate Crime Bill so intertwines politics and religion, I could write for a week and still not cover all the issues involved. This is an enormous development in our society and nation. It will affect us all. I am afraid though, that I have only touched on the easy part of the debate in this article. I am fearful for our country in that I believe the Hate Crime Bill, once passed, will turn out to be a “nation-breaker”.

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Upon reading Republican Gomorrah by Max Blumenthal one cannot help but get the sense that they are reading an attempt to catalogue all the examples of religious hypocrisy to ever occur within the ranks of the Republican Party.  It reads like a grocery store tabloid laundry list of Republican politicians and/or conservative preachers who have committed adultery or have participated in homosexual affairs. 

To be sure, there are many examples of blatant and sordid sexual encounters that have occurred within the ranks of the Republican Party leadership and the conservative evangelical community over the last several years.  Without doubt, some of the criticism offered by Blumenthal is justified. 

Having said that, I will also point out that it is not just the Republicans who are committing such sins, but, the Democrats as well.  One has to only think for a very short moment or two until many examples of Democrat Party leaders who also have committed hypocrisy in the sexual arena also pop up on the list.  Let’s see, one such example I can think of right away would be former U.S. Senator John Edwards of North Carolina.  I mean…you could write a book on just that situation alone.  Anyway, you get my point.  Hypocrisy, religious hypocrisy, marital infidelity are not just specific to Republicans or conservative evangelical leaders.  For every Republican politician you can point to who was/is involved in a sex scandal, you can just as easily name a Democrat.  But, to read Blumenthal’s book, one is left with the impression that only Republicans and Christians commit such sins.  

OK, let’s take a look at the book.  By the title “Republican Gomorrah” it is clear that Blumenthal is making a strong and not so subtle statement about what he perceives as religious hypocrisy within, not only the Republican ranks, but also within the ranks of Christians in general.  Let’s be sure on one thing, this book is not friendly to Christianity.  Perhaps, Blumenthal’s sequel will be “Democrat Sodom”?

Next, the writing style of Blumenthal leaves a lot to be desired.  When reading the book, you sometimes get the feeling that you just happened to have been walking by a newsroom, back in the 1980’s, and someone forgot to turn off the UPI news ticker and you happened to stop by to read the latest news reports streaming in from the various media outlets.  And, these news stories have no rhyme or reason or correlation but, they are none-the-less news stories.  “Republican Gomorrah” has way too much detail and discusses way too many people, way too many incidents without really offering much in-depth analysis.  “Republican Gomorrah” is like an old UPI news ticker that someone forgot to turn off.

So, after having inundated the reader with a plethora of news stories and names, Blumenthal attempts to tie them all together into a vast Republican, Right Wing, Religious Conspiracy.  He fails.  It’s just way too much stuff, way too many names, way too much history, way to much religious history to try and “tie off” in the simplistic way that Blumenthal attempts to do.  Blumenthal makes no attempt to differentiate or separate-out those evangelical Christian, Republican politicians having been involved in sex-scandals from the overall pool of the evangelical Christian population.  Also, Blumenthal eqautes being an evangelical Christian as synonymous to being a Right Wing Christian Radical wanting to “take over the world”.  He makes no attempt to defferentiate within the overall evangelical population.  This is “intellectual dishonesty” as the liberals like to say.      

Next, we see Blumenthal rely heavily on the influence of Erich Fromm.  It seems even, at some places in the book, that Blumenthal appears to be offering his own psychoanalysis of certain people and events. 

Let’s get started by looking at the Introduction.  It is clear that Blumenthal seeks to portray conservative, evangelical Christians as extreme.  And, he makes absolutely no attempt to differentiate between the various groups or camps of Christians.  This is a grievous mistake by any analysis, no matter who you are.  There are many camps within Christianity. There are many denominations within Christianity.  There are many and very differing views held by Christians on a variety of subjects.  So, to simply attempt put all Christians “in a box” is a foolish way to approach one’s analysis.  

Here in the Introduction is where Blumenthal begins his psychoanalysis by quoting President Eisenhower on page 5, paragraph 3, as he states “…the rise of extreme movements could be explained only by the psychological yearnings and social needs of their supporters.”   Then, on page 9, paragraph 4, Blumenthal makes a feeble attempt to be a theologian as he states “The Christian right as a whole is called the pro-Family movement, and movement allies are known as friends of the Family.  In an actual family, blood ties are required, however, joining the Christian right requires little more than becoming born-again, a process of confession, conversion, and submission to a strict father figure.” 

By the above analysis given by Blumenthal, one can see that you will not be getting a very sound or critical theological review by reading his book.  Blumenthal’s casual reference to major doctrines of the Christian faith are simply jaw-dropping.  One cannot take Blumenthal seriously after this point when it comes to his analysis of anything Christian.  It appears that Blumenthal really doesn’t understand what it means to be a Christian.  Therefore, if he doesn’t understand what it means to be a Christian, how then can he possibly give an accurate analysis about anything Christian?

To prove my point further, just go over to page 10, paragraph 1 and see Blumenthal compare the crucifixion and sufferings of the Savior, as depicted in “The Passion of The Christ”, to, in Blumenthal’s words, “two hours of unrelieved pornographic masochism.”  This is an extremely inflammatory statement by Blumenthal.  I believe it represents a lot of personal anger and hatred coming from Blumenthal towards Christians and Christianity.  By making such a statement, Blumenthal shows a reckless disregard for all Christians and Christianity in total.  Such vulgarity is just unbelievable.  In my thinking, this proves that Blumenthal does not understand Christianity.  Blumenthal making such a statement appears to be a feeble attempt to sound esoteric, as he attempts to portray Christians as mentally unstable and weak minded.  I am surprised that we don’t see any quotes from Karl Marx.

Next, let’s look at page 32, paragraph 1, as Blumenthal takes aim at Howard F Ahmanson.  I just can’t help but point out that in this paragraph as Blumenthal states that Ahmanson lives in Newport Beach, he actually feels that he needs to tell the reader where Newport Beach is located.  I mean, come on already!  Perhaps, Blumenthal should have told us where California is located as well?  Anyway, back to Ahmanson.

Notice on page 33, paragraph 4, as Blumenthal portrays Ahmanson as a misguided psychopath who happened upon his wealth by default and didn’t know what to do with it until, in his weak-minded state, he linked up with the Christians.  This is exactly the picture Blumenthal wants the reader to see, not only of Ahmanson, but of all conservative, evangelical Christians.

Indeed, Blumenthal has been reading Fromm so much, too much, that he seems to think that he now is a “psychologist for the world.” 

Next, on page 37, paragraph 2, look at how Blumenthal attempts to downplay the prominence of the character of “Frodo” in the book/movie titled “Lord of The Rings”.  We see Blumenthal state that Frodo was “…the Hobbit protagonist of Tolkien’s novels who must destroy a magical ring in order to save the world”.  Let’s see, the last I heard, the three part movie series titled  “Lord of The Rings” had so far grossed over $4,000,000,000, and this ranks number 2 of all time.  I think it is somewhat of an understatement and somewhat casual to refer to something so significant to the people of the world, as Blumenthal does. 

By this, it seems to me that more than pointing out the failings of Republicans, the real goal of Blumenthal is to strike against anything Christian.  Not convinced, well let’s look at page 45, paragraph 5, as Blumenthal makes an attempt at giving Ahmanson a psychiatric diagnosis and implies that conservative, evangelical Christians are neurotic.  Perhaps, Blumenthal could suggest a medication regime for Ahmanson as well?

Next, we see on pages 224 and 225 as Blumenthal takes on the movie “Braveheart” and he attacks Mel Gibson and attempts to portray the quest of Christian men to be masculine as some sort of latent attempt to cover up homosexual tendencies that “all Christian men have”.  In no uncertain terms, Blumenthal concludes that conservative, evangelical Christians choose to be what they are, because they are trying to escape or hide from some form of inner sexual perversion. 

Next, we see on page 298 where Blumenthal mocks the Biblical manifestation of Speaking in Tongues, and expresses disdain for an African Pastor, and unsuccessfully attempts to describe what certain Christians were praying about.  Then, on page 299 Blumenthal takes a shot a Governor Sarah Palin’s religious beliefs as he suggests that she apparently believes in witchcraft.  Here, it might be pointed out that God has plenty to say about witches and witchcraft in the Bible.

So, in short, Blumenthal has failed in his attempt to psychoanalyze all Christians of the world.  Blumenthal has failed at his attempt to be a theologian.  Blumenthal has failed in his attempt to give a broad and comprehensive political analysis as he portrays Republicans and even more so, Christians as the source of all the ills of the United States of America.  Blumenthal “splashes” all of these stories into one book and then plays the psychologist for us all and tells us how we should interpret the facts.  Blumenthal attempts to compress decades of religious and political history into a few esoteric sound bites.  It just doesn’t work.  The world is more complex than that. 

Finally, Blumenthal attempts to portray Jesus as an anthropomorphic manifestation of misguided, narrow-minded, neurotic, ego-dystonic homosexual Christians.  Blumenthal attempts to get the reader to believe that American Republicans are the only people in the world who are serious about their Christianity.  And, that because of this they are evil and dangerous.  In reality, Blumenthal’s book doesn’t seem to be about Republicans so much as it really appears to be a book written to ridicule and make a mockery of Christianity.             

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Jesus said to Nicodemus “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3

Romans 3:23 tells us “…all have sinned and fall short of the Glory of God.”

So, what happened to man?  Why do we need to be “born again”, as Jesus said?  To answer these questions and to understand what being born again means, one must go back to the beginning, back to the Garden of Eden.  For it is in the Garden of Eden that we see everything set in motion for mankind. 

Adam and Eve were created by God and they were created to live forever.  They were, in their original state, perfect and without sin.  Being perfect and without sin meant that they would live forever, if, they obeyed God’s command concerning a certain tree in the Garden of Eden. 

But, as we know, it didn’t take long before Adam and Eve fell to the temptation of the Devil to be “like God” and to know the difference between good and evil.  They both disobeyed God and with their disobedience, sin entered into the world and sin entered into the human race.  So, everyone born thereafter was born into a sinful state of existence and born with a sin nature. 

With the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden we see that sin and all of its consequences entered into the world.  These consequences include sickness, disease, pain, suffering, heartache, fear, anger, depression, jealously, envy, strife and the flesh nature of man.  It wasn’t supposed to be this way, but this is how it ended up.  Also, with the Fall of Man, we see that Adam and Eve lost the “life connection” they had with God.  Adam and Eve lost their eternal life, and now one day they would die.  But, there was still hope.    

A note at this point.  For those who challenge Christianity as being the legitimate religion of the world today and challenge the origin of Christianity, it must be noted that Christianity began in the Garden of Eden at the time of the Fall of Man.  It began with God’s prophecy to Adam, Eve and Satan concerning the coming Messiah who would be called Jesus.  Therefore, for those skeptics, who say that Christianity is an “invention” of someone’s mind that evolved late in the overall history of mankind, that is simply an inaccurate and underdeveloped analysis.  Adam and Eve were the first human beings.  And, we see a Messianic prophecy introduced to Adam and Eve at the very beginning of man’s existence on the Earth, therefore, how can anyone say that Christianity “came later” than the other religions of the world.  To say such a thing would mean that the other non-Christian religions of the world would have to have existed…before… Adam and Eve.   

At the time of the Fall of Man in the Garden of Eden, we see a prophecy come forth concerning all that had happened and the state of sin that man now found himself.  God says, at that time, these words to Satan “…And I will put enmity between you and the woman, And between your seed and her Seed, He shall bruise your head (tread your head underfoot) and you shall bruise His heel.”  This is the first prophecy in the Bible and it is a prophecy about Jesus Christ who would be born into the world centuries later. 

So, getting back to the Fall of Man.  Now we see that Adam and Eve and every human being subsequently born into the world are now separated from God and have a sin problem that they have no power or ability to get rid of.  And, according to God’s holiness, if a man does not get rid of his sin, he can never be in the presence of a Holy God.  So, what is a man to do?

At first, in the Old Testament days, God required animal sacrifices for sin.  We see in Leviticus 17:11 that God says “For the life of the flesh in the blood, and I have given it to you upon the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood that makes atonement for the soul.”  This is one of the most important verses in all of the Bible.  The importance of which we’ll visit later. 

We see that God, at first, set up a system of animal sacrifices for man’s sins.  The innocent animals were having to die for the sins of men.  This is the way that God set it up.  You simply have to accept this reality.  Our sins are unbecoming and ugly in God’s eyes, so, in turn, the “ugliness” of sacrifice was required to deal with sin.

So, finally, after many long centuries and many additional prophecies about the coming Messiah, we see in the Book of Matthew where Jesus arrives on the scene.  We see Jesus being born of the Virgin named Mary into the human race.  Jesus a God Man.  The first ever of His type, and the last of this type.  He is the Alpha and Omega, the First and the Last.  Jesus was both man and God at the same time. 

There is a pop song that has a line in it that goes “What if God was one of us, just trying to make it”.  Well, in fact, in the person of Jesus Christ, God was one of us and…He did “make it.”  Jesus did make it through all the trials and temptations of being a man without ever sinning. 

Then, we see in the Bible where Jesus came to the moment of allowing Himself to be taken prisoner by the Romans guards under the authority of the Pharisees and religious leaders of the day and falsely accused of crimes against the Roman government.  After a bogus trial, Jesus was beaten and then crucified on a cross where He bleed and died.

Then, on the third day after Jesus’ death, we read in the Bible where Jesus rose from the dead, appeared to many, ate food with the disciples, gave some final words of  instruction and then ascended into Heaven where He sat down at the Right Hand of The Father. 

So, today, as a human being, we must first recognize and accept the fact and reality that we have sin in our lives that must be forgiven.  Jesus says in Mark 1:15 “Repent and believe in the gospel.”  This means that we must ask God to forgive us for our sins.  Now at this point, there is a newly developing debate that you need to avoid.  Some are saying that it is impossible to remember all the sins you ever committed so, therefore, how can anyone ask for forgiveness for sins they can’t remember.  This argument is futile and comes from the Devil and it is a device to rob men’s souls.  Don’t go there. 

To ask forgiveness for your sins simply means that you acknowledge before God that you are a sinner and then ask Him to forgive you of all your sins (in general) that you have ever committed.  This covers all those you may have forgotten and I might add at this point, this also covers “all those sins you have committed that you didn’t even realize were sins in God’s eyes”.  So, to say that any one human being could even possibly know about and categorize every sin they may or may not have ever committed would in essence make that person equal with God.

At the same moment you are asking God to forgive you of your sins, you must ask Jesus to come into your life and be your Lord and Savior.  This is part of getting saved.  It is the blood sacrifice of Jesus that cleanses you of your sins.  And, by acknowledging Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you are saying that you accept His sacrifice for your sins.  It is extremely important that you understand this.  Remember the verse we looked at in Leviticus 17:11.   If the “life of the flesh is in the blood” then, this means that the life of Jesus was in His blood.  Jesus gave His “life” in order that you might live. 

So, if you have prayed this prayer with understanding, then, you are saved.  You are born again as Jesus said.  It is a spiritual re-birth.  Remember Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden.  They died spiritually on that day.  That is why we must be “re-born” or born again as Jesus said.   If you have said this prayer, then welcome to the family of God.  Amen.

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We read in Luke 13:3-5 where Jesus says “…unless you repent, you will all likewise perish”.   Next, we read in I John 1:9 which says “…If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins”.  Finally, we read in Acts 3:19 where a person must “…repent therefore and be converted”.

By the above scriptures we see that repenting of one’s sins is necessary for salvation.  You cannot be saved unless you repent to God for your sins.  You will not go to Heaven unless your sins are forgiven.  Jesus offers us that forgiveness through and by His blood sacrifice on the cross.  This is the gospel message.

Unfortunately, a new group has emerged on the scene and this group is saying that the concept of asking God to forgive you of your sins is a “works” gospel.  They are even saying that the tried and true, old-fashioned alter calls for salvation are “demonic” because in their words “it is works oriented”.  They are saying in simple terms that the idea of repenting involves an “action” or “effort” on our part and therefore somehow means that we are “working to earn” our salvation vs accepting salvation as a free gift.  This may sound unbelievable but, it is true. 

This same group is saying that simply having “faith” that Jesus exists is what saves the soul.  They quote many verses about simply “believing on the Lord” and they say that the idea that you have to do anything to be saved (including asking forgiveness for your sins) is a doctrine of works and therefore wrong. 

This same group is placing an inordinate emphasis on the 1611 King James Bible.  There are videos on You Tube of various ministers of this group who are ripping apart and throwing the NIV Bible on the floor as they preach in order to emphasize their point that the NIV is “demonic” as compared to the 1611 KJV. 

This group is so adamant about their belief that Christians should only use the 1611 KJV that it is cultish.  It almost seems as if they are worshipping the 1611 KJV Bible, rather than the God and Savior that the Bible speaks of.  They seem to be worshipping the ink and paper of the 1611 KJV Bible rather than Jesus Christ that the pages and words talk about.  One could say that a new “1611 KJV Cult” has emerged within the ranks of Christianity. 

This group leaves absolutely no room whatsoever for the Holy Spirit to operate in the life of the believer today.  They relegate the Holy Spirit to a “retired status” theologically as though His work is complete and that His power and presence is no longer necessary.  This group believes that I Corinthians 13:10 is referring to the canonized 1611 KJV of the Bible.  Go to You Tube, type in Spiritual Retardation and Speaking in Tongues pt2 and drop down to the comments section and see for yourself that this is, in fact, what they believe.  While you’re at it, also type in Pentecostal Speaking in Tongues = Being Demon Possessed and see what is transpiring with this group. 

This group is also adamant about the doctrine of “Eternal Security”.  In other words, they believe that once a person is saved, then, that person’s spiritual status can never change.  Never change no matter what that person may do, get involved in, or even believe, after they have been saved or, in their words “expressed their faith in Jesus”.   They do not believe that a person can fall away from the faith as is clearly described and warned about in Hebrews chapter 6. 

Speaking of their emphasis of “having faith”, it seems that, according the 1611 KJV group that even “expressing” faith in Jesus would be a form of “action” and therefore could be considered “works”.  In other words, just to exercise one’s mind and simply “think” that Jesus exists would be a “works salvation”.

Let’s look further into the emphasis on the 1611 KJV.  If someone is going to say that we must only follow the 1611 KJV because it is the “original version” of the Bible, then, logically, if you are going to follow that track of reasoning then, one would have to continue and say “but wait, where did the writings or material or manuscripts from which the KJV was derived come from”?  Perhaps, going back to those writings would be the more sure way of theological accuracy.  Perhaps, the early century Catholics had it right when they believed that the scriptures should be kept in and only read in Latin.  So, that would make the Latin Vulgate the true source of scriptural authority.  But, then what about the old Hebrew and Greek manuscripts.  Or wait, what about the language that Jesus spoke in, was it a now-extinct form of Aramaic?  If so, we’re now all in trouble, because no one living today could ever translate such a language, and adding to this dilemma is the fact that such manuscripts don’t exist.  And, we are not finished.  If you are going to say that we have to establish the authority of the language, or the original language in which scriptures were written, then one has to ask the question:  “What language did Adam and Eve speak in?”  This would be the source of true written  and recorded scriptural authority.  I mean, if anyone could “take us to school” about knowing God, understanding the nature and character of God, what works with God, and most definitely what does not work with God, it would have been Adam and Eve. Indeed.  Only one problem.  No one knows what language Adam and Eve spoke in and there are certainly no manuscripts written by Adam and Eve in our bookshelf. 

The only way out of this dilemma is to be led by the Holy Spirit.  We allow the Holy Spirit to bear witness in our hearts as to what is true or not true, as to what is of God and what is not of God, as to what we should believe is the true record and what is not genuine and inspired by God.  Only by the Holy Spirit can this be done. 

Furthermore, to say that I Corinthians 13:10 is talking about the 1611 KJV, and that with the canonization of the 1611 KJV all gifts of the spirit ceased to operate is totally illogical and cannot be supported theologically.  One quick question here that immediately pops into mind is if the 1611 KJV is what I Corinthians 13:10 is talking about, and if the gifts of the spirit ceased with the fulfillment of I Corinthians 13:10, and also, as this group believes, if the gifts of the spirit were dispensational and operated only in the time of the early 1st Century church, then, what about the 1500 year gap between the 1st Century and 1611?  What was the status of the gifts for this time period?  For that matter, I would like to ask if this group believes anyone could have been “saved” between 100 A.D. and 1611 A.D.?

It seems these fellows are painting themselves into a theological corner.  This new emerging group is a cult. 

Finally, on the question of Eternal Security which is also known as “Once Saved, Always Saved”, I have this observation.  The life that Jesus offers us through His blood sacrifice is a covenant.  It is known as the New Covenant or New Testament.  And, our relationship, as a body of believers to Jesus is described, even by Him, as that of a marriage.  So, to use the very analogy of Jesus, if we today, are going to say “Once Saved, Always Saved”, then, one would also have to say “Once Married, Always Married”. 

So, you are thinking of how many examples why you simply cannot say that.  You cannot say of a marriage today “Once Married, Always Married”.  It would be utter foolishness to speak in such terms, knowing that so many failed marriages in our society today are proof enough that you cannot make such a proclamation as a fact.   So, just the same, to say “Once Saved, Always Saved” does not hold water theologically. 

Sure enough, the New Covenant written in the  Blood of Christ will stand forever.  The New Covenant in Jesus Christ is established forever and cannot be altered, changed or negotiated.  We, as human beings, have the choice to join in this New Covenant with Jesus and accept His sacrifice for our sins.  And, we also, just as in a marriage covenant, have the prerogative and free will to “walk away” from such covenant if we choose.  We can walk away from our covenant with Jesus and simply say we don’t want to be in the relationship anymore.  It is the human choice that “breaks” the covenant with Jesus, for Jesus would never break covenant with us, so long as we desired His companionship. 

The problem with “Once Saved, Always Saved” or “Eternal Security” is that it takes away or bypasses the free will of man.  It is almost as if you don’t have a choice in the matter to begin with and that, once in the relationship, you cannot make the choice to “get out of it”.  This is totally illogical and it cannot hold water theologically.  It simply doesn’t work.  And, then, to make matters worse, if someone does walk away from their relationship with Jesus and falls away, the 1611 KJV group says “well, they weren’t saved in the first place”.  To say this would  be like seeing a couple get married, stay married for 10 years, have several children, live under the same roof and pay taxes together for 10 years, then, get a divorce.  And, upon getting a divorce someone would say of this same couple “well, they weren’t married in the first place”.  That would be illogical you say.  That would not be true you say.   Exactly.  Just as the fallacy of the doctrine of Eternal Security is not true.

There is a vagueness about what those who promote Eternal Security really believe.  They say that once a person is saved, then that person’s state of “being saved” can never change.  Even if this same person goes out and sins and participates in things like stealing, lying, getting drunk, doing drugs, participating in violence towards others etc.  In the theology of Eternal Security, once you are saved, you cannot sin again.  That’s right.  This is the pulse beat of this doctrine.  For you see, if once you have been saved, and God has said that your salvation can never be lost, then, it would be impossible for such person to do anything that God would look upon as sin.  For if such a Christian person did do something that was sinful in God’s eyes, then, that person would have to ask forgiveness for that sin.  But, in the view of those who believe in Eternal Security, it is impossible for the Christian to ever sin again and thus place his or her soul in jeopardy.  Therefore, what they are really saying is that once a person is “saved”, then even if this same person participates in what most would consider “sinful” behavior, God does not consider it sin anymore for this person because to do so God would be contradicting Himself, because in order for God to deal with this person’s sin, He would have to forgive this person who is supposed to be “eternally secure”. 

In reality the doctrine of Eternal Security or Once Saved, Always Saved is, in fact, a license to sin.  And, there is an escape device in this theology.  Let’s say such Christian really gets “out there” in their sinful behavior and really walks away from the Christian faith.  The answer to such a scenario given by the Eternal Security folks is “well, he wasn’t saved to begin with”. 

So, you can see how this doctrine works.  It is not too much dissimilar to the modalist doctrine which says that “a Christian’s body is separate from his spirit; therefore, what one does with their body does not affect their spirit man”.  Again, this is a license to sin.  For to believe this way, a Christian is not accountable for any behavior either good or bad.   So, this is how the Eternal Security folks are able to believe that once saved, always saved because once saved, you can no longer sin in God’s eyes.  It is a heresy.

Mark 1:15 – Jesus said “…The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel.”   

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Who is shaping the future of America?  What is the future of America?  Do people even care anymore?  Or, are Americans more interested in who will win the next American Idol competition more than what type of world we are heading towards?

It seems almost as if it has become “uncool” to even think and have an opinion anymore.  Our society has become so lethargic and indifferent to certain realities that one could say that America is suffering from “reality avoidance”.

I remember years ago sitting in Economics class while in undergraduate school.  I distinctly remember learning about what is called “diseconomies of scale”.  It is a very interesting and very real thing that can happen to a large corporation.  And, I believe it can also happen to the Body of Christ.  It could be coined a “spiritual diseconomies of scale”.

First, let’s look at what is known as diseconomies of scale in regards to an industry functioning within our capitalist economy.  Let’s imagine a large corporation that has 100,000 employees here in the U.S.  With an organization of this size it is extremely important to keep track of what everyone is doing in order to prevent duplication and even outright competition between the various and different departments of such organization.  When such a breakdown does occur, that is, duplication of effort and competition among departments, it is called diseconomies of scale.  And, if the diseconomies of scale becomes pervasive enough, it can ruin the organization. 

One of the by-products of diseconomies of scale, that is described in Wikipedia, is called “isolation of decision makers from the results of their decisions”.  I encourage the reader, at this point, to refer to the Wikipedia article as it is very good at explaining all of this. 

To expand upon the term, as found in Wikipedia, I will say that what we are seeing today is “isolation of those who are making bad decisions from the consequences of their bad decisions”.  In street, the people who are making a mess of things are not having to deal with the mess they are creating.  Or, even worse, some decision makers don’t have a clue as to the unintended effect of their decisions.  Let’s take a closer look.

As a nation, the United States is facing what I believe to be an impending and devastating diseconomies of scale.  In particular, this problem is occurring in the area of interpretation of law, and the writing of law.  And, the church in America is setting directly in the crosshairs of the negative and unintended (or, in some cases intended) consequences of bad law.  But, it’s not just the church.  In reality, our society as a whole will have to deal with these consequences.  Let’s look at some current and pending examples.

In Massachusetts we see the debate going on about the rights of transgendered persons to have unrestricted access to either Men’s or Women’s restrooms, depending on which gender they have “chosen” to be.  This is impossible to interpret now, and it will be impossible to interpret in the courts once the lawsuits start coming in.  On a practical note, one of the reasons that cities and towns are even open to such a law is because the idea of building, retrofitting and paying for a “third” class of restroom at all public locations is prohibitive.  So, we see cities and towns falling back on the legal system for a way out, but, it will be even worse in the end.  It would be an “unenforceable” law.  Here’s an example.  Let’s say it’s 10:00 p.m. at a highway rest area stop and a young mother of 25 years of age who weighs maybe 120 lbs and her young daughter who is 4 years old start walking toward the Women’s public restroom.   Then, upon making their way to the restroom, the mother notices a large masculine appearing person who is let’s say 6’3” tall and weighs around 230 lbs.  And, this person is, as they say in bodybuilding, “ripped”.  But, upon noticing the hesitation of the mother to go any further toward the Women’s restroom, the person says to the mother “Oh, it’s OK, I’m transgendered”.  At that point, what is the young mother to do?  Would she say “prove it”? 

One can clearly see by the above scenario that such a “law” will be unenforceable.  Let’s look at another example of an unenforceable and un-interpretable law.  The pending Hate Crime law before congress which is designed to give protection to and special rights to the homosexual community.  Let’s say a Pastor of a large urban Baptist church preaches a sermon that includes a discussion of homosexuality and same-sex marriage in his discourse.  And, in the course of his message, this particular Pastor states that, according to his interpretation of the Bible, he believes that homosexuality and same-sex marriage are sinful and that anyone practicing such behavior will go to Hell.  This is his religious belief.  But, then, a gay person who happens to be sitting in his audience takes a CD of the message to the downtown police station and asks that the Pastor be arrested for “Hate Speech”.  Could such a thing happen?

Here is the complexity and what I see as a “political diseconomies of scale”.   The Hate Crime law, at this point, is un-interpretable and unenforceable.  Because, in order to arrest the Pastor for violating the “rights” of the homosexual, the police will, in turn, have to deny the Pastor his freedoms of speech and religion.  So, which is our society going to choose?  We are getting ready to see a legal environment in which the rights and freedoms of some groups are going to be taken away so that a different group can be free from what they perceive as public expression that they believe violates their rights.

So, we now see that the lawmakers (congress) who are promoting and passing such laws are fitting into the category that we see in the definition of characteristics of “diseconomies of scale”.  In other words, some of the very congressmen and congresswomen that are passing such laws will be “isolated from the consequences of their bad decision making”.  Isolation of decision makers from the consequences of their bad decisions.

It doesn’t stop here.  There is still one developing factor that will dwarf all that we have looked at thus far.  The issue I am referring to is Sharia Law.  This is the body of law that is practiced by Islamic countries.  You may be saying, “Well, what does that have to do with us here in the U.S.?”  Before we get to that point, let’s look at the concept of law and government for a moment.

I remember sitting in an undergraduate class called Federal, State and Local Government.  The professor of this course was a seasoned veteran who had taught for decades.  He was a classic liberal and he and I had an amicable professor/student relationship.  I remember it well, one day in class when a fellow student (the kind of student who thought he was the teacher rather than a student) made the statement “imagine a Presidential election in which the vote count margin came down to just a one vote difference between the two candidates and the winner wins by just one vote!  Imagine what that would do for democracy!”  Then, I’ll never forget the professor’s response (and, this was some 26 or 27 years ago) as the professor said “that really might not be such a good thing”.  And then, the professor went on to explain why he saw it as problematic, as if almost to prophetically describe what we all witnessed in 2000. 

It was this same professor who taught that one of the hallmarks of a government, one of the most legitimizing factors of a government, is to set a body of law and then set a framework to interpret and enforce such law.  So, we now see today, a serious and slowly developing effort on the part of Muslims to set up the practice and enforcement of Sharia Law within our society.  So, what happens when a Muslim and a non-Muslim are involved in a legal dispute over something and both sides are using two different bodies of law to interpret what has transpired and how the matter should be judged?  Which side will carry the most weight? Which carries more legal weight, Constitutional Law or Sharia Law? 

Perhaps, seeing the problem as described above, we could set up yet another 3rd body of law and a 3rd party of law making and law enforcement to weigh out the matter and find the “common ground” between the two other bodies of law? Or, if that doesn’t work, maybe set up a 4th group to try and “work it out”.                       

But, it doesn’t stop here.  Did you see in the news where just recently, the Hizb ut-Tahrir held a “conference” in a Hilton Hotel just outside of Chicago.  The theme of the conference was “The Fall of Capitalism and The Rise of Islam”.  It is reported that several Arab States as well as Russia do not allow this group to operate within their borders.  But, the U.S., in the name of freedom of speech and religion, will allow it.  This represents more political diseconomies of scale.  In other words, this extreme, radical religious group that wants to overthrow the U.S. system of government has every right to express themselves.  It is their “right” to do so.  To put it in street “it is their right to promote and organize as a group and overthrow the very government that “gives them the right to do so”.  Then, the rights and freedoms of expression that used to exist under the old government will no longer exist.  This is exactly the scenario that is developing right before our very eyes.  It is already happening to a serious degree in England, France and Holland. 

So, the Christian church is caught in the crossfire of all this and the rights of the church are slowly slipping away in our society.  The respect that the church once enjoyed in the U.S. is no more.   We, as Christians, must give up our religious freedoms in the name of diversity.  We, as Christians, must give up our freedoms in order that those who want an entirely different body of law and government can have what they want.   Things are getting very interesting.  Perhaps, as a society, we are entering into a period of which the old Chinese proverb could apply.  “May you live in interesting times.”  I think with all the “pushing and shoving” between the different groups within our society, it is naïve to think that things are not going to get interesting.   

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We read in John 17:21 where Jesus prays to the Father “…that they all may be one, as You, Father, are in Me, and I, in You…”. 

Then, in the preceding verse of 17:20 we see that Jesus was clearly talking about the believers of that present day and all future Christians.  This is very important.  Jesus specifically denotes that He was praying about, and praying for, those who had believed on Him and had accepted Him as Savior of their souls.  Jesus was not talking about those of other, non-Christian religions.  Jesus was not a schizophrenic.

Jesus made it very clear that He and He alone is the Son of God and that He and He alone is the only way to get to Heaven.  Jesus says exactly this in John 14:6.  So, having established Himself as the Savior of mankind, and as the only way to get to Heaven, then, it would be completely inconsistent with His message to all of a sudden suggest that others, who did not (or, in the future would not) believe that He was the Savior, were somehow now included in this prayer to the Father that all believers and non-believers would somehow dwell in unity.  Such an interpretation is just plain crazy. 

To say that Jesus was praying this prayer for the unity of anybody and everybody, regardless of what they believe, is simply an attempt to take away words that Jesus actually said, and in turn, attempt to “put into Jesus’ mouth” words that He never said.  Jesus was praying for the Father to bless those who had believed on Him.  If you don’t believe in Jesus, then these words of blessing are not for you.  You can torture the scripture, you can philosophize “until the cows come home” but it won’t change the fact and reality.  In order to receive eternal life and experience the good things of God to come, one must accept Jesus as Lord and Savior. 

If you are a believer in Jesus, then His emphasis on unity directly and without question apply to you.  It is God’s desire that all believers dwell in unity.  This starts with the local church body of believers.  Show me a church that has even the slightest degree of unity within its walls and I’ll show you a church with some power.  Show me a church where the congregation is of one purpose and of one mind and I’ll show you a church where you can see the miracle power of God!

Unfortunately, we see some ministers, particularly some of those of national prominence, who have imposed it upon themselves to launch out on a quest to bring unity in the world.  They are going about speaking to this group and that group talking about a philosophy of love and acceptance that does not have Jesus Christ at the center.  There is talk of “finding the common ground” and “meeting in the middle” and “focusing on the issues we agree about” and on and on.   All of this sounds good, if you are a politician seeking to win votes in the next election.  But, if you are a true Christian, such talk and philosophy is all very contrary to the actual words of Jesus. 

When it comes to Jesus, His deity, His blood sacrifice for sin, His exclusive status as Savior of mankind, there is no compromise and there certainly is no “middle ground”.  Look at it this way, Jesus said that He is the only way to Heaven, so, where is the point of “middle ground” or “common ground” on this issue.  What “part” of Jesus being the only way to Heaven is the Christian supposed to “give up” to get to the “middle”.  It cannot be done.  So, all this talk about the “family of man” and the “Dawning of the age of Aquarius” and the “Dawn of a new age” and all that, these are in essence Satanic counterfeits to the true unity of believers that Jesus prayed about. 

How can true Christians be yoked in any way whatsoever with another religion that denies that Jesus is the Christ?  For the Christian to compromise on this issue, is for that particular Christian to relinquish his or her very salvation. 

It is becoming increasingly clear that the world is growing ever so hostile, even violent toward Christianity.  We hear all this talk about equality, rights, dignity, self-worth, self-esteem, human dignity, human rights, freedom, freedom of religion, freedom to vote, freedom of self-determination etc.  All of this is promoted for anyone and everyone except the Christian.  Let a conservative Christian give his or her opinion in the national news media and watch how the very news company employees themselves go after that Christian and cut him to shreds.   

My friend, the media industry has set a tone that has gotten to the point to where it is OK to discriminate against a Christian simply because that person is a Christian.  It is open season on Christians and Christianity.  We are entering into a period in history the likes of which the world hasn’t seen since the Ancient Roman Empire.  It is a perplexing quandary how the leaders are talking about all these “rights” but at the same time, blatantly discriminate against Christians. 

Getting back to the concept of unity.  Today’s Christian needs to be extremely cautious when they see a Christian leader launch out on his own initiative to attempt to bring unity among the world’s religions.  It cannot be done.  Who is going to compromise their position?  The Muslims?  The Hindus?  The Mormons?  The Jehovah’s Witnesses?  The Baha’i? The Black Hebrew Christians?  The Messianic Jews?  The Oneness or Jesus Name Christians?  The Dominionists?  The Christian Evolutionists?  The Atheists?  The Church of Satan? Which one of these groups is going to compromise their position to “make the other group happy?” None.

The reality is that none of these groups are going to give one single inch.  For the true Christian to even think for one second that such an idea has any possible chance of working is naïve at best, and jeopardizes that particular Christian’s eternal destiny at worst. 

The deity, sovereignty, majesty, holiness, rank, and position in Heaven that Jesus holds is not up for negotiation.  For any man, even a national Christian leader, to think that he has the authority to negotiate the person and position of Jesus to the world, is most treacherous.  The world has to accept Jesus as He is, not as the world would like Him to be.  The world must come to God on God’s terms, not the other way around.

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Just recently published is an ESPN documentary done by John Barr on various professional athletes and their financial contributions to Christian ministries.  I must say, this documentary is a real “hack job”.  The name of the program is called “ESPN Outside The Lines”.  But, after having watched the two clips on You Tube, one could call the documentary “Out of Bounds”.  You can see these two clips by going to You Tube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=92nvUixQm1c or, typing in “Pulpit Pimpin’ + Rich Athletes = $$$ (Part 1)”.

In this documentary we see several athletes who have been singled out by John Barr because they happen to attend Christian churches at which the doctrine of tithing is preached.  We know, according to scripture, that in Matthew 23:23 Jesus clearly endorses the practice of tithing.  Check it out.  So, for anyone to imply that the concept of tithing was “invented” by “greedy prosperity preachers”, then that person does not know what he or she is talking about.  Furthermore, if you are going to call any preacher who preaches the doctrine of tithing a “Pulpit Pimp”, then are you ready to call Jesus a “Pulpit Pimp”, because He too endorsed the doctrine of tithing.  You cannot have it both ways.

So, let’s start with the segment on former heavy weight boxing champion Evander Holyfield.  In the documentary we see Holyfield actually being interviewed by John Barr.  The issue of tithing is brought up and Holyfield says that he does tithe and that he tithes 10% of his earnings to his church.  Holyfield attends Creflo Dollar’s church in Atlanta.  The documentary cites the Holyfield/Tyson fight from which Holyfield earned a profit of $35,000,000.  Then, in the interview, Holyfield states that he tithed $3,500,000 to the church.  And, this is 10%.  Then we see John Barr go on to imply that this is an exorbitant amount of money to be giving to a church.  John Barr states “3.5 million, that was a heck of a payday for the church”.

Let’s look at what is happening here.  First, let’s back up about ten steps and think about the environment that would support a boxer earning $35,000,000 for just one, single fight.  The analysis must include the entirety of the sports world and this would include Las Vegas, gambling, the shadowy underworld of professional boxing (that we all know exists), the ringside seats that are sold for “tens of thousands” of dollars each, casinos, mobsters etc.  This is the environment that can produce a cash flow of such magnitude that a professional boxer could get paid $35,000,000 for one fight.  So, if John Barr and ESPN are going to attempt to interpret morality for the viewer on the subject of tithing, then, ESPN also must give an account for the entire shadowy world of the professional sports gambling empire.  So, John Barr and ESPN we don’t need your “self-righteousness”, especially when it comes to the subject of money. 

John Barr and ESPN want to talk about money, tithing and churches.  Well, let’s also talk about professional football players who make so much money that some of the leading linebackers in the NFL make $45,000 per tackle in the games they play.  Let’s see, $45,000 a year would be the salary of many policemen and school teachers.  But yet, some of our sports figures make that amount of money on one, single play in a game.  No, ESPN we don’t need a lecture on money.   Then, you ask us to attend these games and shell out $150 – $200 to take the family to a game.  You ask the general public to pay hundreds of millions of dollars in tax revenue to build these new stadiums, but, let a pastor build a nice church.  Exactly!

So, let’s see, we were talking about Evander Holyfield and his tithing 10% to his church as if it is exorbitant, questionable, maybe even “illegal”.  But, yet the American Sports Empire thinks nothing of paying the same athlete 10 times that much to fight in the boxing match.  Why does it pay so much? It pays so much because the American Sporting/Gambling Empire makes hundreds of millions of dollars off such an event.  Ever heard of gambling addiction and the father who gambles away his family’s food money.  Oh, let’s don’t talk about that, it’s a personal matter for the person who has such a problem.  Listen, the sports world executives want you gamble and gamble a lot.  They could not care less about the well being of your children.

Furthermore, why are so many African-American athletes used in this documentary?  It almost seems like; here we go again, the white man thinking for the black man because he needs someone to think for him.  Look, if Evander Holyfield wants to tithe 10% to his local church, that’s his business.  If Holyfield feels it is his moral conviction to tithe according to how he interprets the Bible, then, who is John Barr and ESPN to think that Holyfiled needs help with his personal moral conviction.  It is offensive to the professional athletes listed in this documentary to think that they cannot make choices or decisions in their own best interest, especially, when it comes to personal moral convictions that evolve out of the teachings of their church!

Next, we see John Barr interviewing Pastor Creflo Dollar.  Barr states during the interview “In many different faiths, religious leaders take a vow of poverty”.  This is a very simplistic analysis.  Barr’s statement suggests that “because monks in the Middle Ages took a vow of poverty, that all Christian Pastors today should do the same”.  Look, monks don’t have children to feed and clothe.  Plus, monks are usually associated with the Roman Catholic Church, and, I’m not Catholic.  Furthermore, no where in the Bible does it say that a minister of the gospel of Jesus Christ is bound to take an “oath of poverty”.  So, we can conclude that John Barr is uninformed. 

Next, we see that the old news of the Senator Grassley investigation is thrown into the mix.  And, once again we hear from Ole Anthony who heads up The Trinity Foundation.  Let’s cut to the chase.  Ole Anthony thinks he has the right to tell other Christians how they are supposed to interpret the Bible when it comes to money.  He is trying to get the government to tell other Christians and their churches how they are supposed to conduct their financial affairs.  And, I might add, this is all being done from the framework of how Ole Anthony is interpreting the Bible.  So, in essence, Ole Anthony is attempting to “force” his religious beliefs and Biblical interpretation on the rest of us.  It is astounding that Ole Anthony thinks he has the right to criticize T.D. Jakes and the fact that The Potter’s House Church chose to advertise the Baptism of a couple of professional football players.  Now, let me get this straight.  A pastor decides he wants to advertise a particular Baptismal service at his church.  And, Ole Anthony thinks that he shouldn’t be doing such a thing and somehow we’re supposed to give Ole Anthony the authority to tell the Pastor that he cannot do such a thing?  Seems that one could say that Anthony might be a control freak.  Whether or not anyone thinks Jakes choosing to advertise a Baptism is less than tactful,  far, far more disturbing than a Pastor advertising a Baptismal service, is the thought of another man (a non-Pastor) thinking that somehow he has the moral authority to stop such activity.  The freedom and Constitutional rights issues of such a thing are staggering.

Finally, in the documentary we see Kurt Warner being interviewed.  It is implied that because Warner, as a Christian, also believes in tithing that somehow, some Pastor somewhere is getting too much money.  It is implied that Warner doesn’t know what he is doing.  It is implied that Christians should all be poor and destitute.  Warner sums it up perfectly when he responds to Barr by saying “…should I not have (nice things) because I’m a Christian?”

Apparently, there are some in the ESPN network who are anti-Christian.  They have portrayed these athletes as if they are unable to think for themselves.  ESPN has portrayed these athletes as if somehow they are being taken advantage of because they believe in tithing to their local church.  ESPN has portrayed the doctrine of tithing as perhaps something that is illegal.  I would say that such an analysis on the part of ESPN is “out of bounds”.

So, the next time you want to take your family out to an NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL game, and you end up paying $200 – $300 to do so, just think about the things we have discussed and ask yourself “who is the real chump here?” 

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