The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is putting its money where its mouth is. According to public records, the party, which last weekend unveiled the most radical platform ever seen at a national convention, gave $25,000 to defeat California’s marriage protection amendment. As its nominee drifts even farther to the left, the DNC has been quick to follow with serious concessions in the platform, including the first-ever mention of repealing the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).

With this $25,000 gift, Democrats are making an unprecedented statement that marriage is no longer a valued institution within the party. Although DNC Chair Howard Dean is an outspoken proponent of same-sex “marriage,” he should know that a surprising percentage of the grassroots is not. At last count, 30 percent of California Democrats supported Proposition 8’s definition of marriage as the union of a man and woman.

Additional Resources
Baptist Press: Democratic National Committee gave $25,000 to defeat Calif. marriage amendment

I don’t care whether it’s the Republican Party, the Democratic Party, or my own mother… supporting same-sex marriage is wrong and is a slap in the face at thousands of years of both biblical teaching and common sense.  Does God love homosexuals?  Of course he does.  But there is no provision for their “marriage” in scripture, and neither should there be one codified into our own laws.  I am absolutely amazed that one of our major parties would take a stand to bless this direction in the culture while looking to block efforts of those who seek to defend tradtional views of marriage.

We need to be in serious prayer about the future of our country.

There is a lot of anger directed at the United States these days.  That’s not surprising since we are the wealthiest, most successful, and most blessed nation on the face of the earth.  What is surprising is how much of that anger is from Americans themselves.  Somehow, many Americans have been persuaded that America is the source of all wrong in the world.  If it weren’t for America, the world would be a much better place.  But I’m not buying it. Sure there have been failures.  Without question there are things I do not approve of and  am deeply concerned about.  But my country has risen to the occasion time and time again to come to the aid of the world when no one else would.  I am reminded on this day of an article entitled “The Good Neighbor” written by the Canadian, Gordon Sinclair in 1973 about this very subject.  Here’s what he said 30 years ago:

This Canadian thinks it is time to speak up for the Americans as the most generous and possibly the least appreciated people on all the earth.

Germany, Japan and, to a lesser extent, Britain and Italy were lifted out of the debris of war by the Americans who poured in billions of dollars and forgave other billions in debts. None of these countries is today paying even the interest on its remaining debts to the United States.

When France was in danger of collapsing in 1956, it was the Americans who propped it up, and their reward was to be insulted and swindled on the streets of Paris. I was there. I saw it.

When earthquakes hit distant cities, it is the United States that hurries in to help. This spring, 59 American communities were flattened by tornadoes. Nobody helped.

The Marshall Plan and the Truman Policy pumped billions of dollars into discouraged countries. Now newspapers in those countries are writing about the decadent, warmongering Americans. I’d like to see just one of those countries that is gloating over the erosion of the United States dollar build its own airplane. Does any other country in the world have a plane to equal the Boeing Jumbo Jet, the Lockheed Tri-Star, or the Douglas DC10? If so, why don’t they fly them? Why do all International lines except Russia fly American Planes?

Why does no other land on earth even consider putting a man or woman on the moon? You talk about Japanese technocracy, and you get radios. You talk about German technocracy, and you get automobiles. You talk about American technocracy, and you find men on the moon - not once, but several times, and safely home again.

You talk about scandals, and the Americans put theirs right in the store window for everybody to look at. Even their draft dodgers are not pursued and hounded. They are here on our streets, and most of them, unless they are breaking Canadian laws, are getting American dollars from ma and pa at home to spend here.

When the railways of France, Germany and India were breaking down through age, it was the Americans who rebuilt them. When the Pennsylvania Railroad and the New York Central went broke, nobody loaned them an old caboose. Both are still broke.

I can name you 5000 times when the Americans raced to the help of other people in trouble. Can you name me even one time when someone else raced to the Americans in trouble? I don’t think there was outside help even during the San Francisco earthquake. Our neighbors have faced it alone, and I’m one Canadian who is damned tired of hearing them get kicked around. They will come out of this thing with their flag high. And when they do, they are entitled to thumb their nose at the lands that are gloating over their present troubles. I hope Canada is not one of those.

Stand proud, America!
Wear it proudly!!

As an American I do stand proud.  I’m not proud of everything decision that has ever been made, but I am proud that our country still stands as a beacon of liberty and freedom to the entire world.  I’m proud that millions of Americans still affirm that this country was founded on Christian ideals and honor that heritage to this very day.  I’m proud that when all hope seems lost, it is America that people turn to.  I’m proud that America has opened it’s doors to the world while proclaiming, “Give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free; send these, the homeless tempest-tossed, to me; I lift my lamp beside the golden door.”

This is a country where freedom still rings loud and clear.  This is a country where the opportunity to be anything you want to be is still alive and real.  This is a country that has sent the truth of the gospel around the world and ministered to every physical need while doing so.  This is a country that I have served to protect and defend.  And I will continue to do so.

I LOVE MY COUNTRY!

BREAKING NEWS….. IT MAY NOT BE WORKING!

That’s right, according to an article in the USA Today, it actually may prove to be counter-productive. Check out this excerpt:

The result: Little Susie has made it through four years at her respected university. Phew.

She’s ready to launch, right? Not so fast. Many of these helicopter young’uns have absolutely no blooming idea what they should do next. They’ve been so busy with their internships and tests and labs that they’ve missed the essential purpose of all that frantic activity — figuring out their passion, following a stream as it flows into a larger river and then jumping on a boat and seeing where it takes them.

And they’ve also been so focused on achievement that they miss the larger point, says Madeline Levine, a San Francisco psychologist and author of The Price of Privilege: How Parental Pressure and Material Advantage Are Creating a Generation of Disconnected and Unhappy Kids. “Authentic success involves character, engagement, well-being, emotional intelligence and achievement,” she says. “We’ve got all our eggs in the achievement basket.”

“Authentic success involves character…” is a phrase you would typically expect to hear from someone in a pulpit on Sunday morning, not a San Fran psychologist. But that’s the interesting thing about God’s truth…even people who may not actually agree with it, will ultimately confirm it’s truth. All this running around usually serves to delay the growing-up process and leads to confusion about what’s really important.

Take a few minutes to go read the rest of the article at USA Today. Click here!

Here’s my question… do we as parents do this more for our children or more for ourselves? And if we are doing it for our children, does this article give any of you reason to reconsider?

This is frightening and enlightening on several levels.

FRIGHTENING

First of all this is a LEGAL matter as it relates to our country. Our Founding Fathers never envisioned a handful of people being able to decide policy and law for the population as a whole. That was and still is supposed to be the role of the legislative branch. It is the legislative branch that is duly elected directly by the people. That is why they are responsible for crafting laws and legislation. Every 2-6 years they must face the same people that elected them and answer directly for the choices they have made during that time. It is that direct accountability to the people that was designed to keep legislators in tune with the needs and moral code of the people they represent. The role of the judicial branch was to evaluate the legality of new laws in light of the U.S. Constitution, not based on their personal preferences and agendas. You see, the U.S. Constitution is the guiding document of our entire system of government. It was painstakingly and brilliantly written by men who wanted to lay the foundation for a system of government that would stand the test of time. And it has… until recent years. It amazes me how this country worked so well (that is not to say without error or flaws) for generations with the Constitution as our guide. But somehow we have reached a new age. An age where a small number or even individual judges can make legislation driven by thousands or millions of Americans and crafted by the legislators they elected meaningless. Further, we have reached an era when the judges who are accountable to no one can even dictate law, even though there is absolutely no provision for that in the document that we base our government on. What has happened to us?

ENLIGHTENING

In many ways, this is similar to what we as Christians have done with our guiding document - The Bible. You see, the Bible is supposed to be our source of truth. It is “a light unto our feet and an light unto our path”. We declare it to be the inspired written word of God to us. It is the source of our faith and where we go to learn more about our faith…. and about our founder.. Jesus Christ. But a funny thing has happened in recent years. All of a sudden, it seems to be open to interpretation. As if God didn’t really mean what he said. I guess he was just old-fashioned and out of touch. Surely the fact that WE are more enlightened now should allow us to make adjustments and even changes to what God put in place. Just because something made sense back then doesn’t mean we should abide by it today, does it? Shouldn’t we be free to legislate from our own bench? We should be able to dictate what faith should be today instead of being restricted by a document that was written a long time ago shouldn’t we? This is part of the allure of the New Age movement and what Oprah Winfrey is promoting these days.

I marvel at how frustrated I can be with our wandering away from our national founding documents, but how I can at times justify my own wandering from the dictates of God’s Word. It’s amazing how we can be so committed to certain principles as long as they don’t threaten our preferences. But as soon as our personal agendas begin to clash with other demands, suddenly we become very willing to put long-standing wisdom and principles at risk. What is it about us in our humanness that always thinks that our reality is different…that our situation changes the playing field…that we suddenly know better than the collective wisdom of the ages…or the truth of God?

Further, this is enlightening in that those of us who care about the moral code and foundation of our nation (Christian and non-Christian alike) must make our voices heard. You can be guaranteed that voices are being heard that contradict ours. And those voices are winning the day more and more often. One of the clearest ways to be heard is through your vote. It’s time to realize that our votes may be more important for those who will be supported and placed in judicial roles than in legislative or presidential roles.

Please pray for our country. And please ask God for help to place the proper value and role on his Word in our own lives. I know I am.

Please go and read the entire article by clicking here. I must tell you that this disturbs me greatly. But we are coming to a point in our culture where no one believes that someone can speak into your life anymore and show you a better way. It’s bad enough when it’s peer to peer, but when adults, and more specifically parents, don’t believe they can guide a child into a better way, our future is in deep trouble.

Lord, help us… and help this family.

Dr. Harvey Fineberg of the Institute of Medicine was the only one in this anti-abstinence group to maintain a sense of scientific integrity by quietly answering yes. On the positive side, Dr. Stan Weed, the lone pro-abstinence health expert at the hearing, testified solidly on behalf of the positive impact of abstinence-centered education. He presented research that demonstrates the effectiveness of abstinence programs across the country, including two of his own studies that showed decreases in rates of sexual initiation by 45 and 50 percent in youth when compared to non-program groups. Missing from the discussion was the fact that the Chairman’s own state has never accepted federally allocated Title V money for abstinence education–and its teens are suffering greatly for it. California is a tragic example of what can happen in today’s culture in the absence of strong abstinence-centered education. Since rejecting the abstinence funds in the first year they were offered to states, the rates of STIs in California youth exploded at an estimated 1.1 million new cases per year in 2005. Congressman Waxman should recognize the dire need of young people in his own state and stop protecting entities that promote high-risk behavior to youth.

END OF ARTICLE

Quite honestly, I have mixed emotions about this. On the one hand I am stunned at the pig-headed resistance expressed in the highlighted sentence above. What these experts are saying is that they are committed to making sure that our teenagers are active sexually, evidence be damned. They remind me of the old adage, “My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the facts.” You just have to shake your head in utter disbelief at such statements as the one above. On the other hand, if we did a better job in the church and in our families, perhaps this wouldn’t be as critical an issue as it currently is. So while I think we MUST actively engage where possible in the political arena to promote values that we KNOW are good for our nation, our families, and our children, we MUST ALSO do a better job in our own arena. We cannot count on the culture to teach our children what is right and proper. Would it be preferable to what now passes as education? Certainly. But let’s work to do a better job on the homefront in our own congregations.

Thanks to the suggestion of AR in the comments below, I have added this video clip of the highlighted question. Watch this and be amazed. Thanks AR.

In February, FRC helped to host Abstinence Day on the Hill, where students and teachers came to D.C. to educate members and their staff about the benefits of abstinence programs. Now, proponents of teen sex are mustering their forces–led by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) — to gut abstinence programs. This Wednesday Waxman is holding a hearing in his committee that is clearly a sham. Waxman is inviting seven witnesses to testify against abstinence education, but only two in favor! Indeed, some of those testifying against abstinence education support “comprehensive sex-education” programs, which often teach young teens to engage in highly risky sexual behaviors and fail to provide information on condom failure. Waxman’s witnesses support children’s sexual and reproductive health services without parental consent, the use of emergency contraceptives over-the-counter, and the radical view that abstinence violates human rights. His target is the Community Based Abstinence Program and the Title V abstinence state grant program. The hearing could also undermine other abstinence programs. FRC is working hard to protect abstinence education on all fronts. Please urge members of the committee to support abstinence education programs.

I never cease to be amazed at how those who promote immoral, unethical and risky behavior shamelessly promote such lifestyle choices while doing everything in their power to shut down those who differ. It is revealing how those who support “pro choice” can be so adamantly opposed to offering a “choice” when it comes to educating our children about their options. There seems to be such peer pressure from “authority figures” for our teenagers to give themselves over to every sexual urge they feel. It’s almost as if they don’t want teenagers to think they have any option to exercise self-control. I just don’t understand it. And while those who would lead our teens into self-destructive behavior have no reservations about doing so, those of us who would follow the teaching of Jesus Christ continue to be the “silent” majority. When will we find our voice? When will we find our backbone?

The blogging world continues to expand in very cool directions for me. I am learning, I am meeting new people, I am being challenged, and I am loving it. One of the latest stretches for me is a blogging tournament run by the guys over at Planting Space. It’s a blog geared toward the DNA-freaks that become church planters. Anyway, they’ve decided to stage this blogging tourney pitting church planters from around the web-world against each other blogging on assigned themes. Votes will be cast, and winners will advance. This week’s topic is “Does the Presidential Election Matter?” My response is below, but it would be really cool if you would drop by and cast a vote beginning 4/3/08 ……….(CLICK HERE TO VOTE): ………

Official Competitive Entry -

As the fires still burned and the carnage became more starkly real, we heard, “Yesterday, December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy, the United States of America was suddenly and deliberately attacked by naval and air forces of the Empire of Japan.“

As the Cold War waned on, and the battle of national will and the undying human spirit spurred him on, Reagan challenged his Russian counterpart, “General Secretary Gorbachev, if you seek peace, if you seek prosperity for the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe, if you seek liberalization: Come here to this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, open this gate! Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall!”

As a nation strove with itself, standing before what remained of a bloody battlefield, Lincoln reminded us that “Four score and seven years ago our fathers brought forth on this continent, a new nation, conceived in Liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.”

Do elections matter?…… Did it matter after Pearl Harbor?

Do elections matter?…… Did it matter in Berlin?

Do elections matter?…… Did it matter at Gettysburg?

Does the election matter? I can only echo the words of Jefferson, “We hold these truths to be self-evident.”

End of post (they’re limited to 200 words or less).

But at least here, I can expand on that question just a bit. Without question, our number one priority is to the work of Jesus Christ and the kingdom of God. Jesus repeated over and over that he came to “seek and save what is lost”, not to refine government. And I must admit that in the past, I have been skewed more toward political answers than spiritual ones. Maybe it’s because it seems more concrete. Maybe it’s because it feels as if we have more to say about what actually happens (not that we as humans like to control things). I thought for years that I may even eventually run for office. But life and experience has taught me to temper my expectations of politicians and raise my expectations of God. Every time I have placed faith in a politician, he has failed me somewhere along the way. However, every time I have placed faith in the power of Jesus Christ, he has met and exceeded my expectations. Hmmm, Dorothy….what have we learned?

Now it may sound as if I am suggesting that elections and politics actually DON’T matter. But that’s not what I’m saying at all. I’m saying they will never provide the answers and solutions that Jesus offers. So let’s re-prioritize. But a shift in priority doesn’t mean abandonment. I still firmly believe we are called to be good citizens. It is what makes our nation work. Jesus didn’t condemn government. In fact, he made it clear that government is actually instituted by God for the good of man. So where does that leave us? It means that it matters. It means we participate. It means we vote. It means we let our voice be heard. Does it matter who leads? Of course it does. Does it matter who sits on the Supreme Court deciding what our laws actually mean? Without a doubt. We need to be a part of the process. But in so doing, let’s not forget where our real hope is….where our real future is….and where the answers for all of life’s questions can actually be found…..in Jesus Christ.

I have added an entire page that gives you links to go explore the movie, what it’s all about, watch trailers, win free tickets, and gather resources that you may find helpful. Click on the “Expelled” tab at the top of the page and dive in.

If you have a few minutes, watch the super trailer. If time is short, watch the teaser trailer. Either way, you’ll get an idea of what this movie is up against and what he’s taking on.

We want everything fast today. I’m as guilty as anyone on this count. We want what we want yesterday. Today is not good enough anymore. I can’t even stand waiting for 2-3 minutes in the line at McDonalds anymore. And the the 2:30 wait for a bag of popcorn to pop seems interminable to me at times. We live in a 24 hour news cycle so that we never have to wait to know what’s going on or what the weather is in a part of the country we don’t even live in.

With that cultural template as our guide, we blindly accept most of what we hear and see without ever taking the time to personally dissect and investigate for ourselves. That is a dangerous place for us all to be in. Especially when it comes to questions that impact eternal destinies.

Thanks to the authors of some very helpful websites, I was able to find the following information for your consideration (stick with this to the end and you’ll find where Oprah enters into this discussion):

The New Age Movement is in a class by itself. Unlike most formal religions, it has no holy text, central organization, membership, formal clergy, geographic center, dogma, creed, etc. They often use mutually exclusive definitions for some of their terms. The New Age is in fact a free-flowing spiritual movement; a network of believers and practitioners who share somewhat similar beliefs and practices, which they add on to whichever formal religion that they follow. Their book publishers take the place of a central organization; seminars, conventions, books and informal groups replace of sermons and religious services.

Quoting John Naisbitt:

“In turbulent times, in times of great change, people head for the two extremes: fundamentalism and personal, spiritual experience…With no membership lists or even a coherent philosophy or dogma, it is difficult to define or measure the unorganized New Age movement. But in every major U.S. and European city, thousands who seek insight and personal growth cluster around a metaphysical bookstore, a spiritual teacher, or an education center.” 1

The New Age is definitely a heterogeneous movement of individuals; most graft some new age beliefs onto their regular religious affiliation. Recent surveys of US adults indicate that many Americans hold at least some new age beliefs:

• 8% believe in astrology as a method of foretelling the future
• 7% believe that crystals are a source of healing or energizing power
• 9% believe that Tarot Cards are a reliable base for life decisions
• About 1 in 4 believe in a non-traditional concept of the nature of God which are often associated with New Age thinking.
• 11% believe that God is “a state of higher consciousness that a person may reach”
• 8% define God as “the total realization of personal, human potential”
• 3% believe that each person is God.

The group of surveys cited above classify religious beliefs into 7 faith groups. 2Starting with the largest, they are: Cultural (Christmas & Easter) Christianity, Conventional Christianity, New Age Practitioner, Biblical (Fundamentalist, Evangelical) Christianity, Atheist/Agnostic, Other, and Jewish, A longitudinal study from 1991 to 1995 shows that New Agers represent a steady 20% of the population, and are consistently the third largest religious group. 2

New Age beliefs:

A number of fundamental beliefs are held by many New Age followers; individuals are encouraged to “shop” for the beliefs and practices that they feel most comfortable with:

• Monism: All that exists is derived from a single source of divine energy.
• Pantheism: All that exists is God; God is all that exists. This leads naturally to the concept of the divinity of the individual, that we are all Gods. They do not seek God as revealed in a sacred text or as exists in a remote heaven; they seek God within the self and throughout the entire universe.
• Panentheism: God is all that exists. God is at once the entire universe, and transcends the universe as well.
• Reincarnation: After death, we are reborn and live another life as a human. This cycle repeats itself many times. This belief is similar to the concept of transmigration of the soul in Hinduism.
• Karma: The good and bad deeds that we do adds and subtracts from our accumulated record, our karma. At the end of our life, we are rewarded or punished according to our karma by being reincarnated into either a painful or good new life. This belief is linked to that of reincarnation and is also derived from Hinduism
• An Aurais believed to be an energy field radiated by the body. Invisible to most people, it can be detected by some as a shimmering, multi-colored field surrounding the body. Those skilled in detecting and interpreting auras can diagnose an individual’s state of mind, and their spiritual and physical health
• Personal Transformation A profoundly intense mystical experience will lead to the acceptance and use of New Age beliefs and practices. Guided imagery, hypnosis, meditation, and (sometimes) the use of hallucinogenic drugs are useful to bring about and enhance this transformation. Believers hope to develop new potentials within themselves: the ability to heal oneself and others, psychic powers, a new understanding of the workings of the universe, etc. Later, when sufficient numbers of people have achieved these powers, a major spiritual, physical, psychological and cultural planet-wide transformation is expected.
• Ecological Responsibility: A belief in the importance of uniting to preserve the health of the earth, which is often looked upon as Gaia, (Mother Earth) a living entity
• Universal Religion: Since all is God, then only one reality exists, and all religions are simply different paths to that ultimate reality. The universal religion can be visualized as a mountain, with many sadhanas (spiritual paths) to the summit. Some are hard; others easy. There is no one correct path. All paths eventually reach the top. They anticipate that a new universal religion which contains elements of all current faiths will evolve and become generally accepted worldwide
• New World Order As the Age of Aquarius unfolds, a New Age will develop. This will be a utopia in which there is world government, and end to wars, disease, hunger, pollution, and poverty. Gender, racial, religious and other forms of discrimination will cease. People’s allegiance to their tribe or nation will be replaced by a concern for the entire world and its people

Now that’s a lot of info to digest there. But let me highlight the key phrases from that information:

• Unlike most formal religions, it has no holy text, central organization, membership, formal clergy, geographic center, dogma, creed, etc.
• Most graft some new age beliefs onto their regular religious affiliation
• Individuals are encouraged to “shop” for the beliefs and practices that they feel most comfortable with:
• A longitudinal study from 1991 to 1995 shows that New Agers represent a steady 20% of the population, and are consistently the third largest religious group

Here’s the essential truth regarding NEW AGE beliefs - There is no ultimate truth. There is no text to read from and follow. Instead, there is an encouragement for you to “find your own way. Make up your own set of beliefs. Keep what you like and throw out what you don’t.” My friends, that is insanity. Truth is not a “pick and choose” sport. But that is exactly what New Age is promoting. So most people are apparently keeping some of their original faith teachings (but only the ones they really personally like) and adding a few others here and there. It’s a veritable smorgasbord of faith. Isn’t it wonderful? That’s certainly what practitioners would want you to believe. But what happens when the ingredients in the smorgasbord are not only tainted, but dangerous? How wonderful is it then? Sadly, according to this information, New Agers now represent approximately 20% of the population. And in today’s cultural climate of instant gratification and lazy approaches toward truth, that number is likely to grow.

And now, enter Oprah. She has become in some ways the worlds leading evangelist. Millions of people love her and trust her. That is a powerful to position to be in. And one of great responsibility. And where has Oprah decided to direct her millions of followers? Into the gumbo stew of pick-and-choose, find your own ingredients, faith. And if you should doubt that her latest venture is not, in fact, a New Age evangelistic outreach, here is the icon found at the bottom of the aforementioned website that provided the New Age information above:

Do not simply listen to me and take my word for it. Be a miner of truth. Find out where she is leading. Discern the truth. Take your time. Due your due diligence. She may be leading, but it is up to you to follow or choose a different direction.