Houston Mayor Pastors and Christians!

While serving as a Youth Pastor in the 1990's I remember a fellow Youth Pastor used a drama during a weekend lock-in that got more attention than he first thought it would. During the evening Worship Service for this event he had armed people storm the worship service and take him out in handcuffs. Why? He was showing the teenagers and adults what could easily happen in America if we Christians did not wake up to the trends that were developing. This Youth Pastor was labeled a radical nut and public opinion from his own church and others followed those lines. In fact, I was instructed by our Pastor to NEVER try something like that with our people.

Today, such a skit is ill advised due to the shootings that have taken place in churches. But the message of this Youth Pastor was indeed spot on. Adults in the early 90's did not see coming what now has arrived. The following article describes the first in America shakedown and intimidation of preachers.

What should we do?

1. Every Pastor needs to stand with these men.  We cannot coward from this moment. Nor should these men fight this fight alone.

2. Every Christian in America needs to join in this fight. Your spiritual lives are being threatened.

3.  We need to fight and stand in a Christian manner. This is not a time to go off on tangents. Passion is needed. But controlled passion will show the real nature and character of Christ in this battle. We need people to see Christians stand in a Christian manner thus showing them the message of salvation found in Jesus.

4.  We need not politicize this moment. Certainly the Mayor of Houston is doing just that. But should we join in his methods the real message of the issue at hand will be lost.

5.  Pastors everywhere need to educate their people on what is taking place. This education must be delivered with a passion for heaven sent revival among ourselves. We have trusted in the "American" system and history for far too long. Apathy is present in American Christianity and we need to once again beg people to cry out to God for revival.

6.  Pastors must continue to preach showing no fear. But our preaching must be Biblical, including love for all and desiring all to be saved. Hate speech and emotional rants are not found in the Bible nor should they come from us Pastors.

7.  We must fervently pray! And then fervently pray more!

America has changed and is changing. We may lose more freedoms than we ever dreamed. We may be able to prevent the loss of many freedoms. But more important than that, are the lives entrusted to each of us Pastors to teach, preach, and disciple with the Truths of God's Word.   And it is here that we are being called to faithfulness. Children and adults in other parts of the world are standing for Christ to the point of death!

What will we do?

DOMA Gone - What does it mean?

Today the Supreme Court of America in a 5-4 decision struck down the Defense of Marriage Act.  And the Supreme Court decided the defense of Prop 8 had NO standing in California.  As the homosexual community celebrates, Christians must wake up and realize that America has indeed changed.

Religious Liberty is officially under attack!

Here are some questions that highlight this new day and the dangers therein:

1.  If churches deny marriage ceremonies to homosexual couples - what will the Government do?

2.  If a Pastor refuses to marry a homosexual couple - what will the Government do?

3.  If a church continues to preach and teach the Bible and what it says about homosexuality - what will the Government do?

And if that is not enough:

4.  If the Government says churches cannot discriminate against homosexuality - what will the churches do?

5.  If the Government says a Pastor must marry heterosexuals and homosexuals - will Pastors still participate in the marriage ceremonies?

6.  If the Government says the Bible cannot be taught where it deals with homosexuality - what will churches, Pastors, and people of faith do?

These questions are no longer hypothetical.  These questions today became real for Christians in America.

And by the way, it is not the fault of the Supreme Court of our President.  It is we Christians who have sat idle in our clubs excusing ourselves from witnessing for way too many years!  And when we did teach, we did so in such a weak manner that few learned much of anything!

We will now see what all of this means.  When will we wake up?

It is time we realize that our only path now in America is the path that Daniel lived within 2 evil forms of Government.  In both, he rose to power and even more importantly, he was respected.  Our conduct, words, actions, and ministry will now be under a microscope.

All is not lost!  God is still on the throne and we have NO excuses in realizing that Christianity must be busy about reaching people.  We must leave our club mentality at the altar and get out in the communities serving and sharing.  We must care and love!

We must be Christians!

Why the Trifecta of Scandals Should Matter to Christians

In a world of conflicting views about how faith and politics should interact we discover a defining moment in the current trifecta of scandals.  Benghazi, AP News Subpoenas, and the IRS targeting of individuals should be a wake up call to Christians in America.  For those who have had enough of the political involvement among evangelicals, you might want to revisit that thought.

First Benghanzi
How can any Christian condone the ease of which the Administration is brushing off the fact that 4 Americans died?  Where is the outcry?  Have we heard the reports of how these men were killed?  It was horrible! When an Ambassador is murdered along with other Government officials and we do not feel or see the outrage, we are in worse shape than many think as a country.  I find the Gosnell trial and little response on the horrendous acts of murder and the cover up of Benghanzi highlighting how pathetic our understanding is for the preciousness of life.  The endit movement to put an end to child sex slavery is important.  But we must remember it is equally important!  We must not forget that all life is valued and precious.  When the Government of our country so easily brushes the value of life away and when the President of the United States has the audacity to actually say to Planned Parenthood "God Bless You" - the evil we feared would come has actually already arrived!

Second AP/Fox News Scandel
A free press is vital to a free society.  A country that threatens and intimidates the press is a country where freedom is fleeing.   Christians should be the first to take note of such a dangerous course.  Yes we have had freedom for years.  Yes we have often abused such freedom.  But we cannot afford to allow such freedom to come to an end!  It is one thing to get beat - it is another to not put up a fight!  A move to control information is a move that will find itself seeking to control what is preached in churches across America.  Pastors are you ready for this climate?  Will you stand strong and preach the Word of God even if it means audits, harassment, and even jail time?

IRS Target of Specific People and Groups
This one gets to the core of the threat to the American way of life.  Did you read the title of this section carefully?  It was not only the Tea Party that got targeted.  Specific people were targeted.  I am told that more evangelical pastors have been audited under this administration than ever before.  When the IRS goes after specific people, America is no longer free!  This scandal ties in with the AP/Fox News scandal.  When the Government is allowed to target specific people due to their message and beliefs, while fast tracking and look away from others who are in agreement with the Governments position, you and I are seeing a day that has never ever been before in America.

And all is not over.  The fourth scandal will hit in October when we all discover that the overhaul of the healthcare system is a disaster unlike any we have ever seen.

Do Christians care?  When will we engage?  These scandals matter!  They matter more than you and I can even imagine!

When you are demonized....

Perception is everything these days.  Facts seem to be meaningless.  Perception has become the new fact.  How do you handle a situation when someone controls the perception of your ideas and beliefs?  How can you live in a manner that will overcome the specific action by others to demonize you because of your beliefs?

One of the best places to find such an example for us is in the Biblical book of Daniel.  We all know about Daniel and the lions den.  We know about the fiery furnace.  But what in Daniel have we missed?  He is a guy who lived as a difference maker in ungodly Governments.  He lived and he rose to high levels of influence in these Government systems without compromising his faith in God and the practice thereof.  Daniel had rulers call upon him to solve major issues.  And this was done knowing who Daniel was and where Daniel stood.  There are some timely lessons for us from the life of this man.

Purpose to be a Difference Maker 

Daniel was not out to make points and show his righteousness off for all to see.  He determined at a young age to impact people regardless.  We love scoring points.  We love to put something out to the masses that "hits the mark"!  But do we realize that our points make little impact?  And if no impact is made - why are we making the point.  Andy Stanley in an interview recently about his invite to preach the pre inaugural message in DC, made the following statement:

"Make a difference. Don't be satisfied with making a point." It's easy to make a point. If you have a computer, a blog, a Twitter account, you can make a point. But you're not going to make a difference with your points. We have been called to be difference makers."

This statement highlights exactly what I am speaking about in Daniels life.  It would have been easy for Daniel to make points about all of the evil doings in the ungodly Governments he lived under.  Equally, Daniel could have decided that he would go public and bash all leaders who did not agree with him and his beliefs.  Daniel had truth on his side.  But Daniel took a different path.  He determined to be a difference maker.

Purpose to Edify even in Confrontation

To easy for many of us is the trap to forget that our words matter.  The Bible says that we are to be slow to wrath and always edifying.  We know this is not an easy thing to do.  Yet when we edify and speak with with words of respect and value, we gain favor.  We tear down walls and open doors for greater influence.  All because of how we speak.  To encourage is to to earn the opportunity to develop a deeper relationship with those we may disagree with.  A harsh point made loses the opportunity for further discussion and speaks to a desire for no influence at all.  The apostle Paul said:

Col 4:6
6    Let your speech always be with grace, seasoned with salt, that you may know how you ought to answer each one.
(NKJ)

This type of speech is not easy when we are under attack.  Our emotions rise quickly.  Our warrior instinct swells to a point of battle readiness.  And yet it is at this moment, we risk the most.  When we are demonized we stand at a major crossroads.  We must remember this:

It means nothing for me to win a debate.  It means everything to earn the right to develop a relationship and become a difference maker in someones life.

For we are called to be Difference Makers!

 

The tough road of a conservative is...

If you are a person who believes in conservative values; financial, moral, Biblical, etc., then you probably know how difficult it is to voice the beliefs you cherish without a push back these days.  The road for a conservative today is looked upon like a dirt road surrounded by interstates - out of date and only used by those out of date themselves. This road is tough and it is not going to get smooth quickly.

The liberal bias in all branches of the media around the globe aid in the conservative struggle.  Love, compassion, intellect, and practicality seem to be captured only by liberals in our daily lives.  A simple mention of cutting spending, lowering taxes, abortion being murder, marriage between a man and women, no living together etc., will probably result in strange stares from people you work and attend school with.  The conservative values are easy to live out in this environment but are becoming increasingly difficult to share.  And we have only just begun!

How do you share the values you hold dear?  How do you promote these values to people who's lives are wreaking the consequences of their absence?  How do you share the values of your life with people intolerant of those very values?

It is no secret that our national media has long supported values and principles that are defined as liberal.  Yet today, our media is now joined by a growing young adult population, rapidly growing ethnic population, and locked in under 60 age population that share in their disdain for conservative values.  America has changed much!  We conservatives know we have poorly reached out to these other groups.  And when a reach did occur, we simply told history and our views.  We missed the opportunity to tell the conservative narrative with ties into peoples lives.  A truth and consequence if you will without the judgement present.  And this is the trap!

For conservative values to spread our approach of sharing must change.  Our current population is obtaining information quickly these days and from sources not norm to many aging conservatives.  When we jump into conversations with our values we must be sure of the illustrations being used and the statistics being quoted.  We must also understand the limits of usefulness to our stories and statistics.  People are not impressed.  There is a need for connection.  People long for a connection to be made before they will embrace or give thought to anything we share.  And connecting we have not done.  Conservative values are polar opposite what the vast number of people today have grown up with.  And as is so often the case, our methods of sharing are outdated and filled with little to draw people to contemplate and study.

Here are some simple things that will assist in sharing these values:

1.  Do not judge or be judgmental. 
2.  Listen much before speaking - you may learn more than you thought possible.
3.  Don't tell your story, connect with other peoples stories.
4.  Live what you share - people will see the difference and want to know more.
5.  Admit failures in the conservative journey.  Not all has worked perfectly.
6.  Know that many view you and your beliefs as hostile to their freedom of beliefs. 
7.  Kindness will get you further than preaching and arguing any day of the week.

These are just a few things that will help as you seek to share your values with others. 

In our next post we will discuss how to overcome being demonized. 

The Root of the Obvious American Problem

It is not wise for one to offer something as a sure fire answer to everything.  A know it all type person has little influence in the lives of others.  Much of the discussion these days relating to the vast changes occurring before our eyes in America fits this know it all baseline.  If not that, it most assuredly comes across as holier than thou to those listening and reading.  Yet ignored due to the preceding is the answer to the problem that we see and know is growing.  What is at the root of it?

I will offer two areas that I think will assist us in seeing the roots that are allowing all of this change to occur. 

First, we lost the battle on the homosexual issues by not understanding the homosexual agenda.  The agenda put forth was one of being recognized as a minority.  Since the late 1970's this idea has been allowed to fully develop without any challenge from those who differ.  More so, the silence from true minorities has been a booster shot to the homosexual movement.  By embracing the minorities, and the minorities embracing the homosexual agenda, the agenda has actually captured an apparent victory. 

To qualify as a minority, one must reproduce the same.  Homosexuals do not reproduce.  Homosexuals are NOT a minority.  They never have been and never will be, unless we change the definition of "minority"!  Had we simply begun the discussion, and continued it with this principle of fact, the influence of the agenda would have been severely held back.  We chose to argue and condemn and were thus easy targets to be labeled as hateful.  The influence of a behavior group would have been easily slowed had we kept the discussion here.  We should have been assisting the minority groups in their struggle while protecting them from this usurping.  We failed.

And yes, minority groups allowed this behavior agenda to steal the day and they have lost much as a result.

But something occurred inside many churches that equally allowed for the changing thoughts on sin and other things in America.  American churches became soapbox churches.  We have those who rally around the Bible and shout about people NOT living moral lives while we ignore the sin within.  We loved the shouting and failed to reach people with Jesus Christ.  We also have those that were/are determined to reach people and began to offer a more pragmatic form of teaching that led to little discipleship and an embracing of little moral truth.  These soapbox type churches are now a majority in America.  One may find it difficult to hear any clear teaching on the simple things of life, including human life, for fear of offending.  And when one finds truth, often it is wrapped in self righteous indignation and not in the power and love of the Holy Spirit.

The soapbox approach has developed due to one simple practice among us preachers. 

Most American Pastors have abandoned Expository Preaching and most Bible Study groups are more focused on felt needs!  We we fail to teach the Bible from cover to cover, verse by verse, and so we produce little in discipleship.  And what little is done, is extremely weak. I have found it amazing to teach through Genesis and discover the depth of truth about understanding creation and life that is so easy to see and equally applicable today.  I don't have to go off on a soapbox.  The Bible speaks for itself with grace and in love to all who will receive. And Genesis actually covers homosexuality!

And don't forget, the Bible even tells us the itching ears and the leaving behind of sound doctrine will occur as we approach the return of Jesus Christ.  We should not be so surprised that we are seeing it. 

We should also be quick to repent of the fact that we actually aided in the progression of such.

The Great American Christian Question

The history of America is without honest question.  This nation was founded on Biblical principles.  From those principles God blessed and America grew beyond anyone's dreams.  The power of such growth resulted in an incredible world protector for liberty and religious freedom.  That was then!

What about now!

Christians in America need to answer this question quickly.  We must also pray and be determined to get the right answer.  For the right answer is our path from now forward.  We will find the right answer by looking at our past failures.  Yes, our past failures highlight the answer needed today.

We begin by admitting that we as American Christians have failed to understand that our primary purpose was and is to lead people to Jesus Christ.  Without Jesus, people are simply sinful people with NO hope for changing.  We have fought hard the culture war.  We have lost.  We lost because we were not focused on leading people to the one true God who could and will save them through Jesus Christ.  Our biggest failure as American Christians is found in that we did not reach the multitudes of people that God allowed to come to America.  We had it all set up to reach world!  We failed.  Without a changed heart, people will not adopt an ideology that is Christian based.  Our worldview will not make sense to them at all!  We tried via many methods while avoiding the one and only method that works - leading people to Jesus!  We begin to find our answer when we admit to this failure!

The absence of the power of the Holy Spirit evidenced in our lives is also a big failure!  American Christians learned to play at church.  We learned that real well.  We developed many of our systems and programs in our churches by copying the world.  The greatest one being Sunday School.  We copied the American education system.  We set up directors, had roll books, and some churches even use to ring the bell!  We established programs, and I do mean many programs.  We built our church schedules around the work culture of the 50's and 60's and we grew children's ministries/missions ministries for children right out of boy/girl scouts.  The club mentality anchored our approach.  For adults the same was true.  In all of this, the programs became the focus in place of the power of the Holy Spirit living in and working through our lives.  We taught for education sake.  We learned many facts but we failed to experience the power God via the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We were so focused on knowing about that we never realized we were not living in.  Again, we failed.

This led to neglect of some key Biblical disciplines.  In particular, fasting!  There are those few types of churches that practice this and have for years.  But many American Christians in our older age groups never were taught or led to develop fasting in their lives.  Without fasting there can be no power of the Holy Spirit.  Our lives were simply being lived through a mental ideology.  An ideology that requires the power of the Holy Spirit.

So caught up in our programs and structure we embraced a salesman approach to sharing the gospel.  We tweaked our services in some cases and in others demanded that we NOT change a thing.  Time was always our focus and comfort and familiarity followed in our priorities.  We began trying to attract people instead of sharing Jesus by living in Him.  It worked for a while - maybe, maybe not.  But soon we could not do enough to up what had already been done.  People caught on to our sales pitch and began tuning us out.  Again we failed.

People without Jesus began to see that those who professed to have him were not that much different.  In fact, often times Christians were worse.  We were mean, lacked compassion, ugly, holier than thou, and were more focused on we wanted and bragging about what we claimed to have, that people failed to see in us a compassion for them.  We were anything but passionate for people.  Love was not found for anyone, just for those we liked.  And the slide continued.  Only now, other religions and ideologies were being embraced.  And we could go on and on...!

So what is the answer?

1.  Know our purpose is to live obedient to the command of our Lord to lead people to Jesus!

2.  Know that we must fucus on living in the power of the Holy Spirit daily!  Without this power lives will not be changed.

3.  Know that following Biblical disciplines must become a priority.  Seek to learn these and apply them daily.  The power of the Holy Spirit depends upon it.

4.  Know that we love and thus show this love of people daily!  People come in all shapes and backgrounds.  We are to love them!  Period!

We begin with these four!  Until these four are evident, nothing else will matter!  It is only through these four that Revival will come!  And our greatest need right now is not political nor ideological. 

Our greatest need is REVIVAL!

The Importance of Hobby Lobby vs Obama Care

On Friday, Hobby Lobby decided to ignore the US Governments threat of fines for not following the mandate in Obama Care to provide free birth control in their medical insurance for employees:

“They’re not going to comply with the mandate,” said Kyle Duncan, general counsel of The Beckett Fund for Religious Liberty, which is representing the company. “They’re not going to offer coverage for abortion-inducing drugs in the insurance plan.”

Opinions on both sides are all over the internet and in the news shows.  There are even some Christians decrying the decision. 

Is this stand important?  If so, why?

Yes this decision is important!

1.  Free birth control is NOT a medical insurance necessity.  It is a choice made by a person.  Lumping this mandate into the Obama Care package is an attempt to make something necessary that any normal thinking person knows is not. 

2.  Hobby Lobby is defending the rights of the unborn!  While everyone else is so concerned about their own rights and choices, Hobby Lobby has drawn a line in the sand and decided to stand with the unborn when few else are doing so.

3.  Hobby Lobby is NOT denying medical insurance to anyone.  They are simply saying that if you desire to use birth control and chose to do so, then you pay for it.  Why should any person or company be required to fund a choice made by another individual that DOES NOT fit under "medical" necessity.  I understand if it is prescribed for health reasons unrelated to pregnancy and this could be and is covered now.  But to fund birth control because people chose to participate in sex and do not want the consequences is absurd.

4.  Hobby Lobby has a right as a company to chose the medical plan they desire to offer employees.  Period!  The Government does not have the right to tell us what we have to provide. 

5.  Hobby Lobby and any other corporation have the right to NOT fund murder!  The US Government is doing all it can to ignore this and forcing it's beliefs of abortion NOT being murder on those of us who do believe it is!   I understand that we are "funding" abortions with tax money.  It sickens me.  But that funding DOES NOT open the door for nor justify increase funding by individuals when their beliefs/conscious says NO!  If people do not like the coverage Hobby Lobby offers, they can chose to work somewhere else.

6.  The mandate forces corporations, free corporations, to act as religious neutral.  The US Government has NO right to do so.   Free corporations are in fact free.  Free corporations have a right to decide how they will fund and what they will fund.  When the government is allowed to remove this freedom, it has thus opened the door to tell people, businesses, non profits, schools, churches, etc. what they can and cannot do.  This is NOT an American idea and clearly violates the US Constitution First Amendment:

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

 Every American today needs to read the above carefully.  The Obama Care mandate clearly violates the First Amendment.  Clearly.  No law can be made that prohibits the free exercise thereof...!

7.  Thank God for David Green and family!  I pray their tribe increase.  I pray that more Christians will awaken to the travesty that is upon us.  We have been lulled to sleep for years hearing preachers telling us this day is coming.  Well, this day has already come.  We are now in over our heads into the attacks on Christianity by the US Government while the same Government guarantees religious liberty to thugs who have sought to kill Americans.  Terrorists have more religious liberty today in America than American Christians have.

 8.  Republicans and Democrats are equally at fault!  This is NOT a slam at just one party.  This is the progressive movement that has entered into the thought lines of both parties.  Politics will not produce a solution.  Politics is the chosen method for implementing the problem!

Even one Hollywood Liberal Film Director acknowledges this fact.  I do not agree with Oliver Stone on much, but the following comment highlights where we are, even to a liberal. I disagree with his blanket assessment of the Bush years!  But for a known and proud liberal to accurately nail the events of the current administration and decry them is fact alone that points to the depth that we as a nation have fallen.

The US is codifying thousands and thousands of new, political laws that compel citizens to live according to the State's desires.  America was established as a Republic by the people and for the people!  We are NOT a state led nation.

 Read the following statement from Oliver Stone:

I think under the disguise of sheep’s clothing President Obama has been a wolf. Because of the nightmare of the Bush presidency that preceded him, people forgave him a lot. He was a great hope for change. The color of his skin, the upbringing, the internationalism, the globalism, seemed all evident. And he is an intelligent man. He has taken all the Bush changes and basically put them into the establishment, he has codified them. That is what is sad. So we are going into the second administration that is living outside the law and does not respect the law and foundations of our system and he is a constitutional lawyer, you know. Without the law, it is the law of the jungle. Nuremburg (sic) existed for a reason and there was a reason to have trials, there is a reason for due process – ‘habeas corpus’ as they call it in the United States.

 Yes, this issue is more than important! 

What will we do about it? 

What will you do?

Remember this:  Every nation that has ever fallen, has fallen from within!

Nothing has changed - only more clear!

Tuesday night did not show any kind of a change.  I am sorry for those who have wasted energy and emotions thinking that something changed.  I truly am.  The problem is now more clear than ever - America has been changing for years and we tried to deny it.  In fact, we neglected it!  Tuesdays results are the by product of the already changed America.  And it is NOT a political change that has occurred. 

Now what will we do about it?

Christians must realize quickly that elections ARE NOT our hope.  Never have been and never will be!  My sixteen year old has now seen more anti-God Government in his life time than somewhat pro God Government.  Think about that for a moment.  This is not a new situation - it has been brewing for some time - since the 1940's.  The change has been occurring.  It is now just clearly being seen!

The problem?

American Christianity has been the keeper and builder of the club rather than be on mission doing what God called us here to do.  I looked at the political maps last night and today and I realized something - they mirror the American churches.  We do not reach and have not reached the other people groups that God has sent to us.  And our society is showing this in a clear way!  Angry conservatives who tell people how to live will NOT change lives.  Angry Christians will not open doors for sharing Jesus with self righteous talk and name calling.  Our speech by the way is suppose to draw people to Jesus, NOT "push" them away.  Our cries from fear and frustration are only more signs that we are NOT sold out to the mission that God placed us here for.  We should be salt and light living lives showing agape love to all!  This we have NOT done!

The people of this generation ARE NOT being discipled nor reached!  We as Christians have not sought to love them and to make a difference in their lives.  Even the Bible belt of America is seeing the gap narrow. 

This coming Sunday I will be dealing with this subject in a straight forward way!  The message will be available here for anyone who cares to see what we as American Christians MUST change.

I just pray we do!

Why?

Our current generation is living, and thus will die, without Jesus!  Hell will be their eternal place!

And that is breaking my heart!

If we do not fight the culture...?

I have suspected for some time now that a day would come in the USA when we would see more than rhetorical attacks against Christianity and Biblical principles.  I suspected that these attacks would come in my life time.  I did not suspect that these attacks would come so soon.  But enter the Chick Fil-A saga.  And here we are.

When Dan Cathy acknowledged his beliefs about marriage he ignited a storm that has brought Americans to a crossroads.  As a citizen, Cathy simply simply stated that marriage should be between a man and women.  As a citizen he has every right to say what he believes.  But there are those in America who disagree with that right depending upon the content of what is said.

The crossroads is not tricky.  As a country we will either take a right hand turn and once again be a Republic of freedom and constitutional law or we will turn left, and lose our freedoms while traveling down a road mixed with tyranny and the absence of religious freedom.  Yes, the crossroads is now in front of us.  We are waiting for the moment.  The decisions of which way we turn are upon us.

Why now?

Over the past few years the fight for right and wrong has been hit with apathy and left leaning ideology.  The hits that came were NOT from those outside of Christianity.  Our attacks have come from within Christianity.  Gone are the leaders who rallied us in the past.  Their replacements have presented a different model.  A model that frowns on culture wars and embraces naively the idea that people will accept all the differences and NO one will be harmed.  We have been told by these few that discrimination will not occur.  For once we cease the war, our love will earn the respect of those different from us.

They have been and are WRONG!

We have paved the road that has brought us to this crossroads.  We ceased from fighting.  We compromised our beliefs.  We joined the culture.  And we are paying for all the above dearly.

Men and women died so you and I could be free.  No politician or elected official has the right to tell a business owner or church or group of Christians, what they can and cannot say.  NOT in America. 

Or can they?

This is the crossroads.  If Chick Fil-A is attacked for her owners remarks, then why not go ahead and attack churches of all types?  You think I am crazy?  Think about the following.  In Chicago where the mayor is a former presidential Chief of Staff (who claimed that chick Fil-A was NOT welcome in Chicago) their zoning laws are allowing a strip club to go up next to a catholic home for the elderly run by nuns.  Just a few years ago the outcry over this type of decision would have been more than vocal.  Today, there is silence.

There is something wrong here!  Terribly wrong!

Though I am Baptist, I praise the Catholic church for fighting against many of the provisions in the healthcare reform bill.  Many Baptist have been silent.  Are Catholics now going to be targeted in the manner of Chick Fil-A?  Ask the priests and Bishops of the Catholic churches what they teach about same sex marriage.  Are they no longer welcome in Chicago, Boston, or San Fran?  Are Baptists next?  We see defense of criminal non profit groups like Acorn and yet we see attacks on non profits who support values and Biblical principles. 

If we do not get back into the fight we will lose the right to do what we are doing now as ministers and churches.  If we do not get back into the fight our children will live in a country with freedom only as a history point (if they even mention it at all).  And if we do not get back into the fight, we will have NO ONE to blame but ourselves.  For the weapons used against us were NOT more mighty.  We just ceased from using our weapons and thus allowed strongholds to build up in our lives, communities, and culture.

It is true that Christianity has always been more productive when freedom was lacking.  I do not for one moment think that fighting the culture will solve all the problems.  But I do know that abandon the fight will bring about attacks on Christianity like we in America have never seen nor experienced.  We are forgetting the real issues at stake.  We are forgetting we are salt and light.  We are blowing that which was bought and paid for with blood and ultimate sacrifice.  How dare we.

We cannot afford to sit out the fight any longer!

Double Standards Multiplying

Life is getting more and more complicated.  Calls ring out for inclusion.  Pleas are made for love and mercy, acceptance and equal protection.  Standards once thought to be grounded in cement are now shown to sit atop sinking sand.  What is taking place in America and American Christianity?

The clear visual for us today is seen in the uprising over Chick Fil A.  The owner of the company, a private company, speaks his mind about what he believes to be true, and mainstream media outlets go ballistic.  People who practice the freedom of speech suddenly want to attack the owner of a successful business for doing the same.  A boycott is called for of the chicken serving establishments. City officials are pressured to rule these establishments as unwanted in their cities.

So what has happened to free speech?

I think this is an honest question.  America has been under attack for years from the homosexual community.  No doubt that much has been gained by there attacks.  But how can this community of people use the rail of free speech and equal protection while denying the same to people who speak opposite.  Important in the thought process is understanding that Chick Fil A has never NOT served a homosexual.  They have never been accused of showing bias on any level.

This double standard is the result of compromises made over the years to the homosexual community.  It is a price that we will now have to pay and somehow work through.  We allowed a small group to gain a foothold in our decision process.  Chaos is now an everyday norm.  And there is not found a visible end anywhere down the road.  Honesty is passing from the Christian community.  In some circles today, what was once called homosexual activity is now passed as only battles due to previous life events.  When Christians accept the double standard, the path to deliverance and true freedom are lost.  When we allow this double standard to exist, we join the attack on the Gospel of Jesus and His Word.

How do we move forward?

I serve in a community that has one of the highest homosexual populations in all of Tennessee.  Homosexuals attend our services weekly.  I do not soften the Word of God as to the sin of homosexuality nor do I compromise limits for their involvement.  Yes I have been questioned on this.  Yes I get an occasional letter or email.  Once I even got a visit to the office.  But never have I ever been called unloving or homophobic for my beliefs and how those beliefs are taught and lived out on a daily bases.

People talk of building bridges these days.  We must remember that we cannot build anything of substance on sand.  Sin will not uphold the truth of God's Word.  Sin allowed and justified cannot a bridge of biblical ministry support.  Teaching the truth in love will drive a wedge often between people.  The bible says of itself that the Gospel is an offense.  Rants are not needed.  But neither should compromise be found in this discussion.  Many have come out of the homosexual lifestyle because of the work of God in their lives.  And this will continue to be the case if we keep the Word of God out front in this discussion.  The "if" is the key. 

How long will Chick Fil A hold out?  Will they cave in to the pressure?  I pray NOT!  For more is at stake than one mans right to speak publicly about his beliefs.  The whole foundation of allowing the Word of God to speak and direct on this subject is on the line.  If we lose this fight, we lose the path of sharing the Gospel to the American community as a whole - we lose our own credibility.  And that my friends will be disastrous.

Double standards multiplying are more serious than many think!  And the homosexual community is NOT the only place that this is occurring.

How times have changed Part 2

Just in case you think that things in America are not as bad as some are saying, the following article sheds a little more light on the subject.  It is ironic today that everything Christians stand for and everything patriotic Americans stand far, when deemed in conflict with a foreign group, is allowed to be disallowed!

An article you can read hear spotlights this incredible movement in America.  At first glance many could reason with premise that if wearing a flag causes disruptive behavior then...!  However, think about it for just a moment.  If being an American and celebrating being an American is disruptive, one might ask to whom?  The answer - those not Americans.

The irony of using the freedom in America that was paid for by thousands of American men and women losing their lives, to prevent the celebration of America over another country and way of life is to much to pass on.  Granted the Judge in this case is clearly NOT America oriented in his thinking.  But more scary is the fact that this judge is NOT alone.

Here is a thought - try going to Mexico and celebrating the 4TH of July openly.  Try going to Cuba and doing the same.  No way!  This would not be allowed. 

But here in America, fear is now the tool being used to trample our freedoms and transform this country into something it has not been. 

Do we really realize how much times have changed?  What if my preaching on Sundays offends.  Will they come after us next?  Mark my words, those days are here.

How indeed have times changed!

Mormons, Beck and Politics

In reading what many have written regarding the Beck rally and even more, Becks Mormon religion, I thought I would make an observation or two. In the height of duplicity, we see bloggers living true to form. A guy says he is a Mormon and so we bash. We proceed to bash others that associate with him and we bash those who dare to say otherwise. We attack patriotism or at the least seem to impose that many view it as a religion of some sort. I will deal with more on this point later.

On Mormonism - I do not under any reason think that one who is simply a practicing Mormon knows what it means to be a Christian from experience. I do think they can know the Theology. On the other hand, I do think that someone who has been a Mormon and yet ministered to by Evangelicals who have shared the Gospel with them, can accept Christ and yet be slow to leave the Mormon church.

On Patriotism - I find it odd that several in Theological circles fail to see the value of turning America back to the roots. I fully realize that Americanism will not save a single person from hell. I fully understand that we cannot legislate morality. But it is in the return to basic American principles that we find our protection for Freedom of Religion and more. I am not a patriot for material reasons. I am a patriot for Spiritual reasons. Now living in America more than any other time in our history are indeed the peoples of the world. At a time when the Gospel is needed, I wonder why so many are so quick to forget that defending our rights and freedoms as Americans is more important to the spreading of the Gospel than we act like we know.

On Beck - I watched a show Friday where Beck sat with some well known Evangelical Leaders, Pastors of churches. These guys were not as famous as Falwell Jr or Franklin Graham, but they were and are extremely loyal to the Gospel of Jesus Christ. I have been watching Beck and listening very closely. Whether it is in a forum with the men above, or even just on his Fox News show, I have noticed a change in his language and view of Christianity. Is Beck revealing what may have or may be working in his own life? I can only go with what I see and hear. This I do know, he gives a better presentation of the Gospel than many that sit in a pew on Sunday in most Evangelical churches.

Summary - I think we ought to stop bashing Beck and those around him and start praying that indeed there is fruit to their work in Becks life and in the life of America. We are closer than ever to losing the very freedoms we have been blessed with to share Jesus here in America. With the world in our front and back yards, what a shame it would be to lose the freedom to share with the masses.

As a patriot, I am excited to see an awakening of the sleeping giant. I sense a true movement in America that may pave the way for more roads to the sharing of the Gospel than ever before. We would be foolish to throw this all away. It just might be God's plan! And I would hate to see the day when theological arrogance actually cost us the very freedoms that would allow millions to hear the Gospel like has never before been available.

You may not like Beck at all. But I think we need to get off our prideful horses and stop to think that just maybe we do not know all that God may be up to. A saved Mormon that takes awhile to leave the Mormon church needs to know Christians love and do care about him and his eternity. And if God can use a Cup bearer to lead out and rebuild His city, who is to say that He would not use Beck to do something similar in America. I know this - most pulpits are silent today. That is a real shame!

And I did not even mention Sarah Palin until now...!