Categories
News Commentary

Challenging the gay rights crusade again

 http://www.syracuse.com/news/index.ssf/2011/07/california_gov_jerry_brown_sig.html

http://www.christianpost.com/news/michele-bachmanns-christian-counseling-center-targeted-by-pro-gay-group-52261/

These two news articles present two good reasons why gay marriage is not right for America.   This is not about them being able to secure additional rights; this is really about gay persons seeking society’s  approval for their immoral lifestyle.  Gov. Andrew Cuomo unconsciously acknowledged this when he spoke about giving gays legitimacy when he signed the bill approving gay marriage in New York State.   That is exactly the issue.   These activists are not happy unless they can force the rest of us to say their actions are okay.  As the attack on Bachman shows, it is not okay for others to believe or practice differently than they desire.    They are definitely not happy for the rest of us to simply “let them live” so to speak.  They insist that we also approve. 

But they cannot coerce our beliefs or our consciences. They cannot change the convicting words of Holy Scripture, either Old Testament or New Testament.   So they seek legitimacy through laws and education.    

As the California initiative indicates, now traditional family-values people of all faiths are the ones needing protection from their crusade to brainwash our children.   Teaching morality is the job of parents and churches first.  It is also the job of schools, but only as delegated servants of the parents.   Education divorced from morality is not education.   But when schools are forced by governmental authorities to teach something with which the majority of parents morally disagree, it is a grave injustice and it undermines the authority and legitimacy of the educational system.   No wonder the number of homeschoolers increases yearly.

Categories
Journal News Commentary

Another wrong-headed Supreme Court decision!

The Supreme Court

I could not believe that the Supreme Court of our land ruled that extremely violent video games for children are protected by the First Amendment!    This is an extreme libertarian position on a par with those who advocate the legalization of illegal drugs,  nonpayment of income taxes, etc.    Both of the dissenting judges, Breyer and Thomas, made allowance for the common sense need of parents and government to take responsibility for the effect of that which is allowed.   One of the fundamental responsibilities of government is to show some responsibility for the shaping of the future, at the very least, for the avoidance of destructive influences.   We are willing to do this in areas involving safety, pornography and obscenity, it seems to me that inciting violence –which is what these games do — is definitely an extension of safety.   The writer of the following article agrees with me.     We as a country seem to be moving more and more in the direction of freedom without the balance of responsibility.

As Alexander Solzhenitsyn observed, “It is time in the West to defend not so much human rights as human obligations.”    We want to be all about rights, but we don’t want to hear about responsibility or morality.   We want complete freedom of choice but no accountability as to the consequences of those choices whether it is our own choices, or the allowances that government makes. This is license not true freedom.

http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/op-eds/2011/06/scalia-wrong-thomas-right-violent-video-games

Categories
Journal News Commentary

An excellent argument for “Under God”

While the Syracuse Post-Standard has been trying my patience greatly of late with their rabid unbalanced advocacy of gay marriage, today I found an article on a different topic that I really liked. They included an opinion piece by Peter Johnson which is an eloquent defense of the phrase “under God” in the Pledge of Allegiance.  It also provides an informative history of how the phrase came to be included.   I highly recommend this article.

http://blog.syracuse.com/opinion/2011/06/flag_day_commentary_under_god.html

Categories
Journal News Commentary

A well-written and thoughtful article on religion and politics

It isn’t every day that you run into one of those.  But this definitely is one.  The distinctions it draws between separatism, fusion, and critical engagement are well thought out and wise.  If only more Christians understood the need to be critically engaged in the current debates in our country!

http://www.philly.com/philly/opinion/inquirer/123701709.html

Categories
News Commentary

Men Who Misbehave…

Here is an excellent commentary on the sexual misbehavior of prominent men in our world and how they do not get enough negative publicity for it.   I could not agree more.   As a holiness movement pastor, I believe our culture needs to begin to honor those whose character is worth emulating.  It seems like immorality in media figures only garners them more publicity.  As long as this is the case, our chilidren will not understand how wrong and destructive their behavior is.

http://blog.sojo.net/2011/05/26/zero-tolerance-trump-schwarzenegger-and-strauss-kahn/#disqus_thread

Categories
News Commentary

Blessed are those who remember the poor

http://www.christianpost.com/news/evangelicals-join-religious-left-to-defend-poor-against-budget-cuts-50014/

An alliance such as this on a given political issue is a powerful political force and is long overdue.   The Christian church is too often ignored by politicians because they are so divided.  When we can speak with a united voice, we cannot be scorned.  

In addition, from what I read, I am in total agreement that the proposed budget cuts fall too heavily on the poor and not heavily enough upon the large corporations, military-industrial sector and wealthiest Americans.    The poor have no lawyers and lobbyists on the payroll to help them out.

Categories
News Commentary

Why all the fighting in America?

I have been saying what Jerry Newcombe writes in this article or a long time. He has his “head on straight” and sees clearly!   And he says it very well!

http://www.christianpost.com/news/fast-food-mayhem-signals-need-for-religion-50007/

Categories
Church Leadership News Commentary

Answering a call for clergy leadership

 

Letter writer, David C. Ashley, in today’s Post Standard opinion page decried a lack of obvious clergy leadership in changing the climate of political discourse in our country.   I have good news for him.   Just such a leadership move has been in the works for awhile and at this crucial time has just begun to be publicized http://www.christianpost.com/article/20100326/conservative-liberal-christians-vow-to-model-civility/.  

This initiative is authored and signed by many prominent clergy of various denominational backgrounds.  It is called A Covenant for Civility: Come Let Us Reason Together.    It is inspiring to read and is very Biblically based.  If implemented, it would bring the Golden Rule back to American politics, something we haven’t seen since politicians discovered that slander via advertising works in election campaigns.    I have personally joined those signing this important document and encourage others to do so.  I found a signable copy and list of many of the chief signers at http://www.sojo.net/index.cfm?action=action.display&item=100308-civility-covenant.    I intend to honor it (I hope I already have been) as I blog and as I preach.

Categories
News Commentary

1/11/11 Human Trafficking Awareness Day

The following is copied from an email my wife received from World Hope International, an organization that has been in the forefront of addressing this issue for many years.  I include it to highlight the issue.  I am wearing blue today too. 

Human Trafficking Awareness Day – 1/11/11

Support & Celebrate Freedom – WEAR BLUE

By the end of 2011:

  • 27 million people will be classified as enslaved*
  • 1.2 million children will be sold into slavery**

 

Categories
News Commentary

The DREAM ACT should have passed

I’m very sad that the DREAM Act was turned back.  Our nation has been known for hospitality to immigrants.  The least we can do is give hospitality to children of immigrants.  It is Biblical to treat strangers living among us as native-born (Lev. 19:34).  
In the case of children of immigrants it cannot be a question of amnesty.  For it to be a question of amnesty, they have to have done something wrong, which they have not. 
I am one conservative Republican who will be putting pressure on the new Congress to fix the current travesty of justice which the DREAM act would have started to address.