It's official! John McCain has tapped a true reformer with an undeniable pro-life stance.
Obama's campaign will slam her for not having experience and say that she's only a heartbeat away from the presidency.
Big deal.
I'd much rather have a small-town reformer with results than an big-time celebrity with empty rhetoric and a flashy smile as my president. She's more qualified to serve as President than Obama. She has taken tough stands in a very short time, and she has at least lead something - the state of Alaska.
What has Obama done other than stand in the way of common-sense, pro-life laws and criticize Republicans every step of the way while offering no real alternatives?
What has he done to be President other than make some bombastic speeches from time-to-time?
Absolutely nothing!
McCain/Palin 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
Young Evangelicals, Abortion and Obama v. McCain
Many news articles have been written in recent days about young evangelicals. The assertion is that young evangelicals are concerned about issues other than just abortion and may vote for Barack Obama.
Because they care about the environment, energy, and the poor, their vote is in play as never before.
If this is true, we are right to question whether these young evangelicals are actually evangelical.
A true evangelical, young or old, simply cannot vote for Obama in this presidential election.
Recent articles about "young evangelicals" are missing this point. A true evangelical simply cannot vote for an unabashed advocate of abortion on demand. Biblically speaking, abortion must trump every other issue being debated. Christ died to rescue people. Abortion - the government sanctioned and funded murder of young babies - must be evangelicals' leading and vote-determining issue.
Obama can kill you with niceness. But, if you tease out what he really said during tonight's Leadership and Compassion Forum with Rick Warren, you will notice that he has no plan to stop the killing of unborn babies. His answer was full of "understanding" and "reducing" abortions, but he will not stop them; he will not appoint judges who will stop them. He will support women in the "difficult decision" to kill.
The best way to reduce abortions is to make them illegal. Obama does not want to reduce abortions. He wants to distort his view on abortion and reduce the chance that evangelicals will vote their conscience and keep him from the White House.
The best way for "young evangelicals" to make a difference on this issue is not to imply or even risk implying that not recycling is the moral equivalent of taking the life of a unborn child.
The young evangelicals who who are lovingly portrayed by the liberal media as vacillating in this election risk obliterating recent advances for the sanctity of human life in order to be seen as cultured, trendy, modern, hip, and more robust in their approach to politics.
As a young evangelical, I applaud this interest is other issues, but abortion must trump the other challenges before us.
I urge all young evangelicals to stop the charade and to stop equivocating.
If you're an evangelical, you are voting for John McCain (or a third party candidate who is more pro-life than McCain). You may disagree with McCain on taxes. You may disagree with him on labor issues. You may disagree with him on health insurance. You may disagree with him on immigration. You may disagree with him on welfare. You may disagree with him on Iraq. You may disagree with him on drilling for oil.
You may disagree with him on everything else, but you agree that abortion is murder, and it must be stopped.
You know McCain will appoint judges who will allow states to ban partial-birth abortions.
By contrast, you know Obama is no evangelical.
You know Obama is using the language of faith to deceive the faithful.
You know that a Democratic House, a Democratic Senate, and a Democratic President means turning back the clock on the strides we have made for life.
Christ gave His life for us. Certainly we can subordinate our pet issues for the sake of the unborn.
"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:4-5).
For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well (Psalm 139:13-14).
Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:4-5).
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41).
Because they care about the environment, energy, and the poor, their vote is in play as never before.
If this is true, we are right to question whether these young evangelicals are actually evangelical.
A true evangelical, young or old, simply cannot vote for Obama in this presidential election.
Recent articles about "young evangelicals" are missing this point. A true evangelical simply cannot vote for an unabashed advocate of abortion on demand. Biblically speaking, abortion must trump every other issue being debated. Christ died to rescue people. Abortion - the government sanctioned and funded murder of young babies - must be evangelicals' leading and vote-determining issue.
Obama can kill you with niceness. But, if you tease out what he really said during tonight's Leadership and Compassion Forum with Rick Warren, you will notice that he has no plan to stop the killing of unborn babies. His answer was full of "understanding" and "reducing" abortions, but he will not stop them; he will not appoint judges who will stop them. He will support women in the "difficult decision" to kill.
The best way to reduce abortions is to make them illegal. Obama does not want to reduce abortions. He wants to distort his view on abortion and reduce the chance that evangelicals will vote their conscience and keep him from the White House.
The best way for "young evangelicals" to make a difference on this issue is not to imply or even risk implying that not recycling is the moral equivalent of taking the life of a unborn child.
The young evangelicals who who are lovingly portrayed by the liberal media as vacillating in this election risk obliterating recent advances for the sanctity of human life in order to be seen as cultured, trendy, modern, hip, and more robust in their approach to politics.
As a young evangelical, I applaud this interest is other issues, but abortion must trump the other challenges before us.
I urge all young evangelicals to stop the charade and to stop equivocating.
If you're an evangelical, you are voting for John McCain (or a third party candidate who is more pro-life than McCain). You may disagree with McCain on taxes. You may disagree with him on labor issues. You may disagree with him on health insurance. You may disagree with him on immigration. You may disagree with him on welfare. You may disagree with him on Iraq. You may disagree with him on drilling for oil.
You may disagree with him on everything else, but you agree that abortion is murder, and it must be stopped.
You know McCain will appoint judges who will allow states to ban partial-birth abortions.
By contrast, you know Obama is no evangelical.
You know Obama is using the language of faith to deceive the faithful.
You know that a Democratic House, a Democratic Senate, and a Democratic President means turning back the clock on the strides we have made for life.
Christ gave His life for us. Certainly we can subordinate our pet issues for the sake of the unborn.
"Whoever then humbles himself as this child, he is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven."And whoever receives one such child in My name receives Me; but whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to stumble, it would be better for him to have a heavy millstone hung around his neck, and to be drowned in the depth of the sea (Matthew 18:4-5).
For You formed my inward parts;
You wove me in my mother's womb.
I will give thanks to You,
for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
Wonderful are Your works,
And my soul knows it very well (Psalm 139:13-14).
Now the word of the LORD came to me saying,
"Before I formed you in the womb I knew you,
And before you were born I consecrated you;
I have appointed you a prophet to the nations" (Jeremiah 1:4-5).
When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:41).
Saturday, August 9, 2008
China and the Olympics - Let's Get Real
As we enjoy the Olympics, there are a few things we need to bear in mind as we watch the "China of Today."
You only see what the Chinese government and the liberal media outlets want you to see. What they are not reporting is far more newsworthy than what they are reporting.
For example, weeks before the games, the government rounded up Christian pastors in the area and threw them in prison. They are not enjoying the games. They are wondering if they will every see their families again on this side of heaven.
When I saw a special on NBC this morning, they showed a correspondent sampling various foods. The line of workers in government-issued uniforms had no choice in the matter. They were enlisted by the government, they were told what to wear, where to stand, to smile at all times, and to do it all for the love of a government which oppresses its people and encourages the murder and/or disregard of its little girls.
So, when you watch the Olympics, enjoy the athletes. Enjoy their hard work coming to fruition. But, by all means, do not believe the conspiracy of propaganda striving to put a smiling face on Communism.
Finally, pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in China. Pray they will be stronger than we have ever had to be. Pray that they will be effective witnesses in a world of deceit and oppression.
You only see what the Chinese government and the liberal media outlets want you to see. What they are not reporting is far more newsworthy than what they are reporting.
For example, weeks before the games, the government rounded up Christian pastors in the area and threw them in prison. They are not enjoying the games. They are wondering if they will every see their families again on this side of heaven.
When I saw a special on NBC this morning, they showed a correspondent sampling various foods. The line of workers in government-issued uniforms had no choice in the matter. They were enlisted by the government, they were told what to wear, where to stand, to smile at all times, and to do it all for the love of a government which oppresses its people and encourages the murder and/or disregard of its little girls.
So, when you watch the Olympics, enjoy the athletes. Enjoy their hard work coming to fruition. But, by all means, do not believe the conspiracy of propaganda striving to put a smiling face on Communism.
Finally, pray for our brothers and sisters in Christ in China. Pray they will be stronger than we have ever had to be. Pray that they will be effective witnesses in a world of deceit and oppression.
Tuesday, August 5, 2008
Preaching and Children
Yesterday, as I was listening to “positive and encouraging K-Love,” I was blindsided by a commercial with an implicit and dangerous message about preaching – a message which reflects the overall attitude of Americans who have made a god of the entertainment culture and fundamentally do not understand the vital importance of practicing the discipline of hearing the spoken Word of God in community with other believers.
Admittedly, I only heard about half of the blurb, but what I heard was enough. The announcer boasted that the event would not only include great preaching but fun and games for students and kids as well.
The implication is clear. Great preaching is not enough these days, and it most certainly is not what our children need.
This is a far cry from what we find in Nehemiah 8:1–3 where, “all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel. Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law.”
There was no consideration of “how to keep the kid’s attention.” The subject – God’s Word – was riveting enough! If they were old enough to understand, they were old enough to listen respectfully as the Word of God was proclaimed for half the day. These days, a sermon is considered too long if it strays longer than 30 minutes.
Of course, the dilemma we find ourselves in is not entirely the fault of those in the pew. Some preachers have a special penchant for preaching about themselves, culture, politics, leadership, vision, or pop psychology while barely touching the unfailing truths in the Word of God. In this case, fun and games are better for our children.
But, we must not judge the value of preaching by looking at bad preachers. Both history and the Scriptures demonstrate that the health of the church is inextricably linked to its preaching. Indeed, the church was born following Peter’s rousing sermon (Acts 2).
David L. Larsen in The Company of Preachers, v. 1, is not overstating the case when he declares, “the history of the Christian church is the history of preaching” (13). P. T. Forsyth has said, “With it’s preaching, Christianity stands or falls.” (quoted from Larsen, p. 13).
As Christians, we must remember that God works by the hearing of His Word. Because this is true, we should not seek to delay our children’s exposure to good preaching but to introduce it as soon as understanding is possible! This does not mean complete understanding – just an ability to pick up the gist of what is being said. If we continue diluting our teaching and lowering our expectations for a child’s behavior and attention span, we should not be surprised when older kids drop out of church when it is finally time to “go to big church.”
Sermons do not stop when the invitation is given. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, writes “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.”
Real sermons – those which explain the written Word and exhort the human heart – stick with you. They stick with kids too! But, sermons only stick when people listen intently – seeking to receive the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit work the Word in and through them. Indeed, "there is no such thing as great preaching if there is not great listening" (Larsen, 15).
When we adults are once again eager to hear and receive the Word, perhaps the children who look up to us will be eager as well.
What does this mean for "children’s church?" Stay tuned.
Admittedly, I only heard about half of the blurb, but what I heard was enough. The announcer boasted that the event would not only include great preaching but fun and games for students and kids as well.
The implication is clear. Great preaching is not enough these days, and it most certainly is not what our children need.
This is a far cry from what we find in Nehemiah 8:1–3 where, “all the people gathered as one man at the square which was in front of the Water Gate, and they asked Ezra the scribe to bring the book of the law of Moses which the LORD had given to Israel. Then Ezra the priest brought the law before the assembly of men, women and all who could listen with understanding, on the first day of the seventh month. He read from it before the square which was in front of the Water Gate from early morning until midday, in the presence of men and women, those who could understand; and all the people were attentive to the book of the law.”
There was no consideration of “how to keep the kid’s attention.” The subject – God’s Word – was riveting enough! If they were old enough to understand, they were old enough to listen respectfully as the Word of God was proclaimed for half the day. These days, a sermon is considered too long if it strays longer than 30 minutes.
Of course, the dilemma we find ourselves in is not entirely the fault of those in the pew. Some preachers have a special penchant for preaching about themselves, culture, politics, leadership, vision, or pop psychology while barely touching the unfailing truths in the Word of God. In this case, fun and games are better for our children.
But, we must not judge the value of preaching by looking at bad preachers. Both history and the Scriptures demonstrate that the health of the church is inextricably linked to its preaching. Indeed, the church was born following Peter’s rousing sermon (Acts 2).
David L. Larsen in The Company of Preachers, v. 1, is not overstating the case when he declares, “the history of the Christian church is the history of preaching” (13). P. T. Forsyth has said, “With it’s preaching, Christianity stands or falls.” (quoted from Larsen, p. 13).
As Christians, we must remember that God works by the hearing of His Word. Because this is true, we should not seek to delay our children’s exposure to good preaching but to introduce it as soon as understanding is possible! This does not mean complete understanding – just an ability to pick up the gist of what is being said. If we continue diluting our teaching and lowering our expectations for a child’s behavior and attention span, we should not be surprised when older kids drop out of church when it is finally time to “go to big church.”
Sermons do not stop when the invitation is given. Paul, writing to the Thessalonians, writes “And we also thank God continually because, when you received the word of God, which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but as it actually is, the word of God, which is at work in you who believe.”
Real sermons – those which explain the written Word and exhort the human heart – stick with you. They stick with kids too! But, sermons only stick when people listen intently – seeking to receive the Word of God and let the Holy Spirit work the Word in and through them. Indeed, "there is no such thing as great preaching if there is not great listening" (Larsen, 15).
When we adults are once again eager to hear and receive the Word, perhaps the children who look up to us will be eager as well.
What does this mean for "children’s church?" Stay tuned.
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