This is quite interesting….
HT: Rated R for Reformed.
WWUTT: Hates the sin but loves the sinner? Not so fast dear!
2 Replies
Monthly Archives: April 2015
April 30, 2015 Truth2Freedom Daily News/Commentary Collection
Take away the cross of Christ, and the Bible is a dark book. —J.C. Ryle
Apr. 30, 2015
BLOOMBERG
Texas Governor Greg Abbott directed the commander of the Texas State Guard to keep an eye on “Operation Jade Helm 15,” a U.S. military training exercise scheduled for this summer that citizens feared could prove a prelude to martial law.
Congress faces a Monday deadline to repeal a new Washington, D.C., law that would prohibit employers from discriminating against employees who obtain abortions or use birth control, and after some internal debate, Republicans appear poised to employ a rarely used parliamentary maneuver to override the will of local elected officials.
Senator Marco Rubio of Florida has signed conservative activist Grover Norquist’s pledge to oppose and veto “any and all” tax increases if elected president, he announced on Twitter.
America’s young adults, who twice helped propel President Obama to victory at the ballot box, are lining up to support Hillary Clinton in 2016.
Consumer confidence declined to a six-week low as Americans took a less favorable view of their finances and the slowdowns at factories and oilfields soured attitudes among men.
Consumer spending climbed 0.4 percent in March, capping a lackluster first-quarter performance that was enough to keep the U.S. economy from shrinking.
Russia’s central bank, taking advantage of a record ruble rally and slowing inflation, cut interest rates for a third time this year to counter a looming recession and said it’s ready to ease further. The central bank cut the benchmark one-week auction rate to 12.5 percent from 14 percent.
Applications for U.S. jobless benefits declined last week to the lowest level in 15 years, showing employers view a first-quarter slowdown in the economy is probably temporary. First-time filings for unemployment insurance fell by 34,000 to 262,000 in the week ended April 25.
Saudi Arabia is burning through foreign reserves at a record pace as the largesse of the new king and regional turmoil ratchet up pressure on public finances already hurt by the oil price slump. The kingdom spent $36 billion of the central bank’s net foreign assets — about 5 percent of the total — in February and March.
AP Top Stories
Two Iranian destroyers, sent to the Gulf of Aden to protect commercial ships, have reached the entrance of Bab el-Mandab, a strategic strait between Yemen and Djibouti.
A Wall Street Journal report yesterday said that Apple’s Watch launch problems are related to a specific internal component of the device, one that’s essential for the device’s functionality and overall user experience: the taptic engine that produces vibrations on the wrist for various purposes.
A federal judge whose ruling striking down Kentucky’s ban on gay marriage led to an appeal heard this week in the U.S. Supreme Court died Wednesday. He was 66.
In what some might consider a terrifying development, the U.S. military has passed a key milestone in creating self-steering bullets.
Vietnam’s premier on Thursday hit out at the “barbarous crimes” of its wartime American foe as the nation marked four decades since the fall of Saigon, an event that delivered a communist victory and a painful blow to US moral and military prestige.
Nigeria’s military rescued another set of women and children who had been kidnapped by Boko Haram militia and were being detained in Sambisa forest where the Islamist group has been holed up, an army spokesman said on Thursday.
The United States now sees the Ukrainian rebels as a Russian force. American officials briefed on intelligence from the region say Russia has significantly deepened its command and control of the militants in eastern Ukraine in recent months, leading the U.S. to quietly introduce a new term: “combined Russian-separatist forces.”
Super Saturday -unlike any other in the history of sport – awaits. The most-anticipated fight of all time, the best-known horse race, the premier baseball rivalry, the NFL draft.
BBC
A court in north-west Pakistan has jailed 10 men for life for the attack on education activist Malala Yousafzai.
After a decade in space and four years in orbit, NASA’s Messenger spacecraft will end its mission on Thursday by crashing into the surface of Mercury.
A 15-year-old boy has been rescued from the rubble of a building in Kathmandu, five days after an earthquake that killed at least 5,500 people in Nepal.
More than 200 people were reported to have been injured in clashes between police and teachers protesting in the Brazilian city of Curitiba.
A South African court has granted a terminally ill man the right to die, in a landmark ruling for assisted suicide.
A court in Egypt has sentenced 69 Islamists to life in prison for setting fire to a church in a town near Cairo.
WND
In a small number of cities clustered in Los Angeles County, Calif., people are seeing their property and money seized by law enforcement through civil asset forfeiture, and it’s making police departments tens of millions of dollars.
Parents in South Carolina who are part of a nationwide revolt against Common Core say they are being threatened with “criminal accountability” if they prevent their children from taking the tests required by the controversial educational-standards program.
The World Health Organization says an increasing number of infections are no longer treatable because of growing antimicrobial resistance, putting the lives of millions of people at risk. The WHO study finds no region in the world is prepared to combat this serious global threat.
Top News – 4/30/2015
Christians are leaving the faith in droves and the trend isn’t slowing down
Furthermore, people are leaving Christianity in droves. About 106 million Christians are expected to switch affiliation from 2010 to 2050 while only about 40 million people are expected to enter Christianity. The religiously unaffiliated (athiests, agnostics) are expected to see the largest net gains from switching, adding more than 61 million followers.
Jonathan Cahn: ‘Follow Baal and go to hell’
“The justices of the Supreme Court took up their seats [in a hearing] on whether they should strike down the biblical and historic definition of marriage,” he said. “That the event should even take place is a sign this is America of [George] Washington’s warning … a nation at war against its own foundation.”
Israel Will Strike Iran First To Thwart Nuclear Attack
America, ostensibly Israel’s ally, is rumored to have ordered US warships to shoot down Israeli aircraft, should a strike on Iran appear to be in progress. According to Israeli newspapers, President Obama thwarted a planned 2014 Israeli attack against Iranian nuclear facilities, by threatening to shoot down the Israeli bombers.
Rush Limbaugh: ’12th imam’ like ‘Antichrist’
Rush Limbaugh has shocked listeners by warning the Iranian government’s hoped-for “12th Imam” is “equivalent to the Antichrist,” the prophesied end times figure believed by many to be the personification of evil.
Bachmann wars with Obama over ‘end of world’
‘Instead of laughing and mocking, president should be weeping’ “Michele Bachmann actually predicted I would bring about the biblical end of days,” Obama told the correspondents, who erupted in roaring laughter. “Now that’s a legacy. That’s big. I mean Lincoln, Washington, they didn’t do that.”
Earthquake of magnitude 6.9 strikes off Papua New Guinea
An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 struck off Papua New Guinea on Thursday, 154 km south of Rabaul, at a depth of 85 km (53 miles), the United States Geological Survey reported. There were no immediate reports of damages or casualties.
Greece signals concessions in crunch talks with lenders
Greece’s leftist government offered its biggest concessions so far in a race to remove roadblocks in crunch talks with lenders on a cash-for-reforms package on Thursday.
Kerry Told Iran He Wishes ‘U.S. Had a Leader like Iran’s Supreme Leader’
Secretary of State John Kerry told his Iranian counterpart that he wished the United States had a leader more like Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei, according to comments made by a senior Iranian cleric and repeated in the country’s state-run media.
Dempo volcano (Sumatra, Indonesia): seismic unrest, alert level raised
PVMBG raised the alert level of the volcano to 2 (waspada, “watch” on a scale of 1-4) because of increased seismic activity (mainly tremor and volcanic-tectonic earthquakes). It is recommended not to approach the crater within 1 km.
Russian spacecraft Progress M-27M ‘out of control’
A Russian spacecraft delivering supplies to the International Space Station (ISS) is out of control and will fall back to Earth, officials say. The unmanned cargo ship was launched from Kazakhstan on Tuesday, but contact was lost with it soon afterwards. Russia’s space agency says Progress M-27M is now orbiting in an uncontrolled spin.
Washington Muscles In On Russia’s Oil Deal With Greece
The Obama administration is playing defense. The latest strategy: get Greece to back out of its natural gas delivery deal with Russia’s Gazprom. Earlier this month, Russian energy giant Gazprom signed a deal with the Greek government to turn it into a transit station for natural gas into Europe. The deal is part of the Russian-Turkey pipeline project which would include Greece as a major transit hub for Gazprom in the E.U.
Charlie Hebdo’s Luz quits Muhammad cartoons
Charlie Hebdo cartoonist “Luz”, who designed the front page of the magazine that appeared after the Paris attacks, has said he will no longer draw the Prophet Muhammad. Renald Luzier has told French magazine Inrocks that drawing Muhammad “no longer interests me”. Twelve people were murdered when two Islamist gunmen burst into the Charlie Hebdo offices on 7 January.
Egypt Islamists get life for Kerdasa church attack
A court in Egypt has sentenced 69 Islamists to life in prison for setting fire to a church in a town near Cairo. Two minors were also jailed for 10 years for their alleged role in the blaze, which started when violence erupted in Kerdasa on 14 August 2013.
Nigeria working to identify nearly 300 rescued women, girls
Nigeria was on Wednesday seeking to identify nearly 300 women and girls rescued from Boko Haram, raising hopes they may include schoolgirls seized in a high-profile kidnapping last year.
Kilauea Volcano’s Lava Lake Overflows
For the first time in more than 30 years, lava is flowing on the floor of Halema’uma’u crater in Hawaii.
Marchers protest police violence in Baltimore, New York
Protesters marched against police violence in cities from New York to Denver on Wednesday, and a large demonstration in Baltimore ended peacefully two days after rioting over the death of a black man injured in police custody.
Former US commander: Take nuclear missiles off high alert
Taking U.S. and Russian missiles off high alert could keep a possible cyberattack from starting a nuclear war, a former commander of U.S. nuclear forces says, but neither country appears willing to increase the lead-time to prepare the weapons for launch.
Top Headlines – 4/30/2015
US official: Iran’s role in regional events could derail nuclear deal
Iran’s Zarif Says Congress Can’t Stop Obama
Senate amends Iran nuclear agreement oversight bill with passage in mind
Sanctions to be lifted within days of signing agreement, Iran’s FM says
US Senate rejects tying terrorism support to Iran sanctions relief
US asks India, others to go slow in boosting trade ties with Iran
Britain told UN monitors of active Iran nuclear procurement
White House says concerned about impact of Iran vessel seizure
Pentagon says US ‘able to respond’ if needed after Iran seizes cargo ship
After firing on ship, Iran says it’s committed to freedom of navigation in Persian Gulf
Kerry: Netanyahu’s Iran ‘Mythology’ Not Going to Happen
Iran’s Zarif: Netanyahu is sitting on 400 nuclear warheads
Report: Iran pushing Hezbollah to carry out attacks against Israel
‘Even if a missile strikes our operations, we will keep the IDF’s network running’
East Jerusalem residents protest police-enforced roadblocks amid rioting
Hamas police beat, arrest protesters at Gaza rally
Israel lets 14,000 tons of building material into Gaza
55 Ukrainian refugees land in Israel
Belarus president pans Minsk governor for not taking Jews ‘under control’
MTA Votes to Ban All Political Advertising After Judge OKs “Hamas Killing Jews” on City Buses
Charlie Hebdo cartoonist says he will no longer draw Prophet
France increases defence spending ‘to counter extremism’
Judicial sources: Egypt sentences 69 to prison for church attack
Iran FM: Demands for Assad’s ouster fuel Syria bloodshed
ISIS Militants Go Undercover as Gay Men Tricking Homosexuals Into Execution
Saudi Arabia’s king announces new heirs to throne
Washington touts US-Saudi ties in midst of leadership changes in Riyadh
Washington Muscles In On Russia’s Oil Deal With Greece
Images show N. Korea nuclear reactor may be operating again – experts
Former US commander: Take nuclear missiles off high alert
Op-Ed: Two-State-Solution? Try Baltimore. The US administration should fix America’s problems first.
US Activist Attacks ‘Racist’ Liberals for Excusing Black Rioters
Report: Freddie Gray may have intentionally tried to injure self in police van
Baltimore Public Defenders Overwhelmed By Hundreds of Arrests
Baltimore death sparks protests in New York, Boston, Philly
More than 60 arrested in New York City protests
National Guard trains for civil unrest, rioting in multiple states
Three shot amid violence in Ferguson
Ted Cruz says Obama has fueled racial tensions
Expert: Up to 400K Children Born To Illegal Immigrants in U.S. Annually, One In 10 Births
Fury rises at Disney over use of foreign workers
U.S. economic growth slows to 0.2 percent, grinding nearly to a halt
Fed removes calendar references on rate hikes
Negative interest rates put world on course for biggest mass default in history
David Stockman: ‘There Are No Markets, Just a Raging Casino’
Tattoos may stop Apple Watch from working
Mysterious Lights Spotted South of Downtown San Diego
Out-of-control Russian cargo ship plunging to Earth, official says
Virgin America Pilot Reports Seeing Drone on Approach Into Dallas Love Field
Ranger uses stun gun on man operating drone over lava lake
Kilauea Volcano’s Lava Lake Overflows
6.8 magnitude earthquake hits near Kokopo, Papua New Guinea
5.8 magnitude earthquake hits near Bristol Island, South Sandwich Islands
5.2 magnitude earthquake hits near Miyako, Japan
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Kermadec Islands region
5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Puerto El Triunfo, El Salvador
Nepal earthquake toll crosses 6,000; angry protests erupt in Kathmandu
Baby pulled from Nepal earthquake rubble after 22 hours
Nature seems to be against us: rain hampers Nepal rescue teams
California Governor Orders New Target for Emissions Cuts
Bird flu can now be found all over the U.S. (Map)
Flakka and The Rise of Dangerous Synthetic Drugs
EU top court says banning homosexuals from giving blood may be justified
Kentucky federal judge who overturned state’s gay marriage ban dies
Justice Alito: Why Not Let 4 Lawyers Marry One Another?
We will not obey’: Christian leaders threaten civil disobedience over gay marriage
Socialist Presidential Candidate Bernie Sanders is Unabashedly Irreligious
69 Egypt Islamists get life terms for torching church
If U.S. economic growth falls any lower, we are officially going to be in recession territory. On Wednesday, we learned that U.S. GDP grew at a 0.2 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2015. That was much lower than all of the “experts” were projecting. And of course there are all sorts of questions whether the GDP numbers the government feeds us are legitimate anyway. According to John Williams of shadowstats.com, if honest numbers were used they would show that U.S. GDP growth has been continuously negative since 2005. But even if we consider the number that the government has given us to be the “real” number, it still shows that the U.S. economy has stalled out. It is almost as if we have hit a “turning point”, and there are many out there (including myself) that believe that the next major economic downturn is dead ahead. As you will see in this article, a whole bunch of things are happening right now that we would expect to see if a recession was beginning. The following are 16 signs that the economy has stalled out and the next economic downturn is here… (Read More….)
Daily Digest
April 30, 2015
THE FOUNDATION
“Only a virtuous people are capable of freedom.” —Benjamin Franklin, Letter to the Abbes Chalut and Arnoux, 1787
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
First Quarter GDP Is a Harsh Reality Check
Other than the first quarter, last year was a better year for the economy. After contracting 2.1% to start off 2014, GDP jumped to 4.6% in the second quarter and 5% in the third quarter before slipping to 2.2% to round out the year. So, how’s 2015 looking so far? Well, chilly — literally, according to Democrats. The Commerce Department released initial numbers for the first quarter of 2015, and, at a sluggish 0.2%, GDP once again tempered America’s level of economic enthusiasm. And the “worse-than-expected” downtrend is inevitably being blamed on winter weather woes. Jason Furman, Chairman of the Council of Economic Advisers, said this latest estimate “was likely affected by notably harsh winter weather” — interesting considering we’re supposedly coming off the warmest year on record and had a record warm start to 2015. It’s also the same recycled excuse they used last year.
Moreover, as Nick Timiraos of The Wall Street Journal reminds us, revisions knocked last year’s initial first quarter growth down by a staggering two percentage points — from 0.1% to -2.1%. Is a repeat in the offing? Yesterday’s report continues a familiar trend under the Obama recovery — a roller coaster ride that features some signs of life along with harsh reality checks. Stability and sustainability are still lacking in the economy, which will continue through at least 2017.
Bernie Sanders Challenges Clinton for Democrat Nomination
At least the Democrat presidential primary got interesting. Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), the politician who described himself as a “democratic socialist” and who was described by the New York Times as an adherent to “that old-time religion” of populism, announced he is campaigning to win the Democrat Party’s nomination as its presidential candidate. The politician that was once too far to the Left for the Democrat Party told the Associated Press, “People should not underestimate me. I’ve run outside of the two-party system, defeating Democrats and Republicans, taking on big-money candidates and, you know, I think the message that has resonated in Vermont is a message that can resonate all over this country.” Right out of the gate, Sanders challenged Hillary Clinton’s succession to the throne by bringing the progressive rhetoric that splits rich versus poor and capitalizes on income inequality. “What we have seen is that while the average person is working longer hours for lower wages,” Sanders said, “we have seen a huge increase in income and wealth inequality, which is now reaching obscene levels.” Between the two candidates, Clinton still seems the greater threat. Sanders appears more harmless than calculating, and a Sanders nomination will pull the Democrat Party further from middle America.
Did Freddie Gray Try to Injure Himself in the Police Van?
If true, the death of Freddie Gray may not have anything to do with police brutality and more to do with an irrational man bent on self-harm. This in from The Washington Post: “A prisoner sharing a police transport van with Freddie Gray told investigators that he could hear Gray ‘banging against the walls’ of the vehicle and believed that he ‘was intentionally trying to injure himself,’ according to a police document obtained by The Washington Post.” This story has the ring of truthiness about it, but is it really? Jazz Shaw writes at Hot Air that the prisoner could be an unreliable witness — similar to the witnesses that said Michael Brown had his hands up. Furthermore, Investigative Reporter at Baltimore’s NBC affiliate TV station Jayne Miller said the Post’s account contradicts what the Baltimore Police Commissioner said a week ago. At the time, he said the prisoner described Gray as “mostly quiet.” The timeline is still being reconstructed. When we do get the complete and truthful story, what will happen if the rioters, who already destroyed much of Baltimore, do not get the conclusion for which they demanded?
Don’t Miss Alexander’s Column
Read 2016 Presidential Field on Guns and Liberty, on the remarks made by candidates for the Republican presidential nomination at the 2015 NRA Leadership Forum.
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FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
No, Riots Are Not a ‘Legitimate Political Strategy’
By Allyne Caan
 |
| Rioters and police clash in Ferguson during August’s unrest |
Reading the liberal media, you’d think the Baltimore rioters are the reincarnation of Lexington and Concord’s minutemen, bravely facing tyrants to defend their freedom. Well, Paul Revere might disagree. Somehow, ruining businesses and running off with condoms doesn’t quite equate to Patrick Henry’s speech “Give me Liberty or give me death.”
But the Left wants America to think it does.
A particularly absurd Salon headline this week reads, “Baltimore’s violent protesters are right: Smashing police cars is a legitimate political strategy.” The author’s argument is that non-violence is “a tactic, not a philosophy” and that black communities are struggling against “premeditated economic exploitation.” Riots are simply “reasonable responses to generations of extreme state violence, and logical decisions about what kind of actions yield the desired political results.”
According to Fordham University sociology professor Heather Gautney, “Riots like the ones we are seeing in Baltimore … should be viewed as rational responses to injustice. Riots highlight the injustice and violence that’s prevalent in impoverished neighborhoods in this country.”
And BuzzFeed’s Adam Serwer writes, “Violence — as harmful and self-destructive as it is — sometimes works.” Serwer claims that, for 80 years, the “recipe for urban riots” has been largely the same: “(a)n impoverished and politically disempowered black population refused full American citizenship, a heavy-handed and overwhelmingly white police force, a generous amount of neglect, and frequently, the loss of black life at the hands of the police.”
But is portraying lawless violence as a justified and effective quest for justice accurate?
A closer look at the facts says, “No.”
For starters, as Acton Institute Senior Editor Joe Carter points out, far from empowering black communities, urban riots leave lingering damage. In 2004, The National Bureau of Economic Research published research on riots that took place in the 1960s and 1970s, and Carter notes the research found not only a decline in the median black family income in riot-impacted cities but also declines in male employment rates and in the median value of black-owned property.
And as for “premeditated economic exploitation” and political disempowerment justifying violence, Rev. Jesse Lee Peterson notes that even during the era of Jim Crow laws, when institutionalized racism was both legal and praised, black crime was “relatively low” — no riots as a “legitimate political strategy ” then. And since Johnson’s infamous War on Poverty was launched, Peterson adds, there has been a “massive wealth transfer to black Americans in the form of welfare and other handouts.” Certainly, a case can be made for economic exploitation, but the indictment would be against those intent on keeping black voters dependent on the government for handouts.
Is violence, then, justified, or is it simply being used as an escape from tackling problems with resolution — not simply retribution — in mind? Just as profanity is often the discourse of those unwilling to develop a compelling vocabulary, so violence is often the discourse of those unwilling to develop compelling arguments.
And there is inarguably a need for compelling arguments. While America has made exceptional strides toward Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s goal of judging others based not on the color of their skin but on the content of their character, racism has sadly not yet breathed its last in America.
Yet, even amid racism, King himself held firmly his belief “that a riot merely intensifies the fears of the white community while relieving the guilt.” He continued, “I’ve been searching for a long time for an alternative to riots on one hand and timid supplication for justice on the other and I think that alternative is found in militant massive non-violence.”
When the colonists took up arms and declared independence from Great Britain, they had for 10 years prior sought reconciliation with the Crown and resorted to arms only when their repeated attempts at peace were disregarded. And in the Declaration of Independence, they set forth clearly their justifications for rejecting injustice.
In presenting a dignified argument against racism, Dr. King did the same. And in so doing, he made incredible strides forward for black Americans.
Tragically, the violence of lawless rioters is doing nothing to continue Dr. King’s work and much to undercut it.
Far from elevating violence to a level of rational discourse, endorsing riots as legitimate political strategy diminishes the quality of discourse and demeans the ability of Americans — black and white — to confront injustice not with stones and arson but with truth, which alone has the power to bring justice.
TODAY AT PATRIOTPOST.US
- ANALYSIS: Senate Needs to Act in Face of Iran’s Belligerence
- Bill Would Force Transparency in EPA’s Use of Science
- Baltimore Businessman Plans on Rebuilding — and Getting a Gun
- Councilman Apologizes for Describing Rioters as ‘Thugs’
- Obama Official Admits Religious Institutions May Be Punished
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
- Cal Thomas: Until the Court Do Us Part?
- Tony Perkins: Man on Admission: Verrilli Reveals Taxing Truth
- Larry Elder: Tell People They’re Victims — They’ll Act Like Victims
- Michael Reagan: Another Cover-Up for the Religion of Peace
For more, visit Right Opinion.
OPINION IN BRIEF
Cal Thomas: “The problem for traditionalists — especially those who believe scripture is the sole authority in such matters — is that in an increasingly secular society where younger people are less attuned to appeals about an Authority higher than themselves, how can they be persuaded that same-sex marriage is a bridge too far? After all, don’t they ‘know’ gay people, whom they regard as wonderful and kind? That ‘standard’ becomes subjective and when it reaches the level of personal feelings it becomes a shifting boundary that is drawn in invisible ink rather than set in stone. Only two years ago, in the case of ‘U.S. v. Windsor,’ which argued whether the IRS could give federal tax benefits to all legally married homosexuals, regardless of state law, Justice Kennedy warned it was wrong for courts to ‘put a thumb on the scales and influence a state’s decision as to shape its own marriage laws.’ And now this court could do precisely that. … If people worship pleasure and material things, they are more likely to get leaders who give them what they want instead of what they need to hold society together. If we erase the boundaries that have guided humanity for generations, we weaken our society.”
SHORT CUTS
Upright: “Baltimore is not America’s problem or shame. That failed city is solely and completely a Democrat problem. Like many failed cities, Detroit comes to mind, and every city besieged recently by rioting, Democrats and their union pals have had carte blanche to inflict their ideas and policies on Baltimore since 1967, the last time there was a Republican Mayor. … Poverty has nothing to do with it. This madness and chaos and anarchy is a Democrat-driven culture that starts at the top with a racially divisive White House heartbreakingly effective at ginning up hate and violence.” —Breitbart’s John Nolte
Race bait: “You don’t have to look too far from this magnificent hall to find children still living in poverty or trapped in failing schools. Families who work hard but can’t afford the rising prices in their neighborhood. Mothers and fathers who fear for their sons’ safety when they go off to school — or just to go buy a pack of Skittles.” —Hillary Clinton at Columbia University, referring to Trayvon Martin (For the record, the shooter, “white Hispanic” George Zimmerman, was acquitted. But he’s still guilty in Clinton’s eyes.)
Dezinformatsia: “All Baltimore City public schools were closed on Tuesday in response to violent protests breaking out across the city in response to Freddie Gray’s death. About 84 percent of students in city’s public schools receive free or reduced-price lunches, according to the school district’s website. The closings mean that these students were unable to access these lunches, and churches and community centers have been scrambling to fill the gap. That’s why it was so shocking to hear that Whole Foods and Five Guys had taken the initiative to provide free food for National Guard soldiers instead of for thousands of high-need children.” —Salon’s Joanna Rothkopf (The Leftmedia will do anything to slander our troops.)
Non Compos Mentis: “The [GOP budget] is no more balanced than the earthquakes they’ve had in Nepal.” —Harry Reid (“[W]e probably shouldn’t be shocked that Reid would use the Nepal earthquake to score some quick points. He’s leaving; why should he care.” —Hot Air’s Matt Vespa)
Late-night humor: “Hillary Clinton has temporarily changed her campaign logo to rainbow colors in support of marriage equality. Of course, her idea of marriage equality is both of you should get to be president.” —Seth Meyers
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.
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| China and Russia Navies to Hold First Mediterranean Joint Drills
Posted: 30 Apr 2015 08:24 AM PDT The navies of China and Russia plan to hold joint drills in the Mediterranean Sea for the first time in mid-May, China’s Defense Ministry announced Thursday, in the latest expansion of the growing informal partnership between the two militaries. The exercises also illustrate China’s continued engagement with Russia at a time when Moscow has been shunned by much of the international community over its support for separatist rebels in Ukraine. The “Joint Sea 2015″ exercises will feature nine surface ships, including three from China that are currently taking part in anti-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia, ministry spokesman Geng Yansheng told a monthly news conference. The drills involve rescue, resupply and other missions, including the firing of live ammunition, Geng said. “The purpose of the exercise is to strengthen the friendly exchanges between the two sides … and to improve the capability of the two navies to deal with maritime threats,” Geng said. He said the drills did not target any third parties and were not a response to fighting and instability in places such as Libya and Syria, he said. China and Russia frequently align on major international issues and Beijing has refused to join in the condemnations and economic sanctions leveled against Moscow for its backing of the Ukrainian rebels. In a further show of support, Chinese President Xi Jinping plans to attend commemorations of the 70th anniversary of the end of World War II in Moscow on May 9. Most Western leaders are staying away from the event featuring a massive military parade, in which a 112-strong honor guard from the Chinese army, navy and air force will also take part. MORE The post China and Russia Navies to Hold First Mediterranean Joint Drills appeared first on . |
| Are We Being Psychologically Conditioned To Accept Martial Law In America?
Posted: 30 Apr 2015 06:53 AM PDT Have you noticed that we are starting to be bombarded with images of troops in the streets? Have you noticed that the term “martial law” is coming up a lot in movies, news broadcasts and even in television commercials? In recent years, it seems like the solution to almost every major crisis involves bringing in troops. In fact, it has already gotten to the point where when something really bad happens a lot of Americans immediately cry out for troops to be brought in. And we are seeing the same patterns over and over again. Just remember what happened in Ferguson – protesters were whipped up to a frenzy, when the riots began the police were ordered to stand down and not intervene, and finally National Guard troops were brought in as the “solution” to a crisis that had escalated wildly out of control. This is the exact same pattern that we are witnessing in Baltimore, and as you will see below, National Guard troops all over the nation have been training for this exact type of scenario. A couple of decades ago, many Americans would have regarded the notion of “martial law in America” as absolutely unthinkable, but these days the threat of civil unrest is causing an increasing number of Americans to embrace the idea of troops patrolling our city streets. The anger toward the police that we see in the city of Baltimore is very real, but there also seem to be a lot of signs that the events of the past several days have been orchestrated and manipulated. This is something that I covered in my previous article entitled “12 Unanswered Questions About The Baltimore Riots That They Don’t Want Us To Ask“. But what we have found out since then is that high school kids appear to have been “herded” by the police into the Mondawmin neighborhood in Baltimore when school was let out on Monday…MORE The post Are We Being Psychologically Conditioned To Accept Martial Law In America? appeared first on . |
| Michigan Proposes Bill to Require Official Visits to Parents Homeschooling Their Children
Posted: 30 Apr 2015 06:49 AM PDT The busybodies in Michigan have proposed a new bill directed at children who are homeschooled, which will require two annual home inspections and official state registration. Stephanie Chang, a Michigan State Representative, is worried that homeschool parents will abuse their children while no one is watching. Apparently, the state wants to be the sole authority on child abuse; including indoctrination, a daily statist pledge for 5-year-olds, and the distribution of criminal records to teens who decide to smoke a plant. Like dogs and sex offenders, the state wants children registered. As a result, thousands of decent and caring homeschool parents may soon be forced to allow an inspection of their family or be in violation of the law. The tragedy the state is pointing to in order to push this bill is a 2012 case in which two homeschooled children were tortured, killed, and then left in a freezer by their mother. As tragic as this is, using it to create a new law to infringe on the privacy and sovereignty of 48,000 homeschooled children in Michigan is wrong. Obviously, that mother was crazy and deranged.I would argue that it is clearly not the norm for homeschool parents who have consciously chosen to have a larger role in raising their children to then go on and torture them. MORE The post Michigan Proposes Bill to Require Official Visits to Parents Homeschooling Their Children appeared first on . |
| Hundreds flee as Indonesia’s Sinabung Volcano violently erupts again
Posted: 30 Apr 2015 06:42 AM PDT Mt. Sinabung erupted again on Tuesday night, forcing hundreds of residents to flee from Gurukinayan subdistrict, Payung district, Karo regency, North Sumatra, and damaging 14 homes, including four Karo customary houses. The Indonesian Volunteers Community (MRI) said that no fatalities had been reported from the houses that were ignited from the pyroclastic flows, but revealed that of the houses damaged, four were traditional Karo houses. “We checked the area this morning and there were no fatalities,” MRI chairman Susanto Ginting told The Jakarta Post in Kabanjahe on Wednesday. Ginting said that volunteers had begun to enter Gurukinayan subdistrict around midnight, after the pyroclastic flow stopped, to help extinguish the fires and prevent them from spreading to other villages. The team of volunteers, he added, worked for over three hours to extinguish the fires. Susanto expressed concern that the Karo regency administration had been slow to act when the volcano erupted. No regency official, he claimed, had been seen in situ during Tuesday’s eruption. “They were all too fearful to go into the area,” said Susanto, a resident of Gurukinayan. Susanto also said that a total of 812 families had been evacuated from Gurukinayan and were currently sheltering in makeshift shelters at a junction on Jl. Kabanjahe – Kutabuluh. The head of Karo Regency Disaster Mitigation Agency (BPBD), Subur Tambun, confirmed that a number of houses in Gurukinayan had been razed by fire following the eruption of Mt. Sinabung on Tuesday evening. Subur said that since his agency had not yet dared to enter the affected area, he could not confirm the number of houses lost to fire. “Areas hit by pyroclastic flows are categorized as a red zone. MORE The post Hundreds flee as Indonesia’s Sinabung Volcano violently erupts again appeared first on . |
| New Zealand’s Ruapehu Volcano is shaking like it did before the 2006 eruption
Posted: 30 Apr 2015 06:35 AM PDT GNS Science is warning that intermittent tremors coming from Mt Ruapehu are at a level last seen during the 2006 eruption and 2007 lahar. Volcanic tremors coming from Mt Ruapehu over the last 2-3 weeks were “moderate to strong,” GNS said in a release, and were some of the strongest measured in the last eight years. “The signals are similar to those in 2006 and 2007 but weaker than those recorded in 1994/1995.” It cautioned that, historically, a direct relationship between volcanic tremors and eruptions had not been established, but said it was a signal often present before, during or after enhanced volcanic unrest. Mt Ruapehu remains at Volcanic Alert Level 1 (minor unrest) with the scale ranging from 0 to 5, and GNS Science continues to closely monitor the volcano through GeoNet. The 2006 eruption sent a plume of water 200 meters into the air with waves of up to 6m hitting the walls of the crater lake. The 2007 lahar took place after a wall of the crater lake composed of volcanic material gave way, sending an estimated 1.4 million cubic metres of mud, rock and water down the Whangaehu River. No one was injured but roads were closed and one property was cut off after the lahar destroyed its access road. A spectacular eruption in 1995 sent a huge plume of ash high into the air and the crater lake was emptied. Air travel was disrupted and surrounding areas were blanketed in volcanic ash. More The post New Zealand’s Ruapehu Volcano is shaking like it did before the 2006 eruption appeared first on . |
| Dempo volcano (Sumatra, Indonesia): seismic unrest, alert level raised – La Réunion volcano eruption warning
Posted: 30 Apr 2015 06:30 AM PDT INDONESIA – PVMBG raised the alert level of Indonesia’s Dempo volcano to 2 (waspada, “watch” on a scale of 1-4) because of increased seismic activity (mainly tremor and volcanic-tectonic earthquakes). It is recommended not to approach the crater within 1 km. The volcano’s crater contains a large acid lake and a very active hydrothermal system. Phreatic or phreatomagmatic explosions could occur any time and would pose a significant risk. The last eruptions in 2006 and 2009 were both phreatic. –Volcano Discovery Piton de la Fournaise volcano (La Réunion) activity update: unrest, eruption warning A new eruption could be on its way at the volcano. A sharp increase in volcanic CO2 emissions, significant deformation of the Dolomieu crater, and a migration of earthquakes from deep to shallow (7 km) levels, as well as earthquakes near the surface itself that have appeared over the past weekend suggest new magma is on its rise to a possible new eruption, which would be the second in 2015. The prefecture raised the alert to level 1 (“eruption likely”) and closed access to the Enclos Fouqué this morning. The volcano observatory considered two scenarios most likely: – Magma has risen from a deep source and is now close to the surface, ready to produce a new eruption. Or – Magma has risen from a deep source but stopped at approx. 2 km depth, but destabilizes pockets of older magma in shallower areas, which creates the observed seismic activity. The next days will probably give an answer to what is happening. –Volcano Discovery Dukono volcano (Halmahera, Indonesia) activity update The volcano continues to produce significant ash emissions – a plume extending 20 nautical miles E was observed Saturday (Darwin VAAC). Source The post Dempo volcano (Sumatra, Indonesia): seismic unrest, alert level raised – La Réunion volcano eruption warning appeared first on . |
| 16 Signs That The Economy Has Stalled Out And The Next Economic Downturn Is Here
Posted: 30 Apr 2015 06:23 AM PDT If U.S. economic growth falls any lower, we are officially going to be in recession territory. On Wednesday, we learned that U.S. GDP grew at a 0.2 percent annual rate in the first quarter of 2015. That was much lower than all of the “experts” were projecting. And of course there are all sorts of questions whether the GDP numbers the government feeds us are legitimate anyway. According to John Williams of shadowstats.com, if honest numbers were used they would show that U.S. GDP growth has been continuously negative since 2005. But even if we consider the number that the government has given us to be the “real” number, it still shows that the U.S. economy has stalled out. It is almost as if we have hit a “turning point”, and there are many out there (including myself) that believe that the next major economic downturn is dead ahead. As you will see in this article, a whole bunch of things are happening right now that we would expect to see if a recession was beginning. The following are 16 signs that the economy has stalled out and the next economic downturn is here…MORE The post 16 Signs That The Economy Has Stalled Out And The Next Economic Downturn Is Here appeared first on . |
| Mysterious object spotted Watching International Space Station
Posted: 30 Apr 2015 06:18 AM PDT The clip posted on YouTube shows what appears to be a small white disc floating near to the huge space station before it disappears out of shot. Sceptics claim a plethora of alleged UFO sightings on the live feed, available to anyone online, are down to NASA’s bad camera, and the latest is likely to be simply a distorted view of the Moon. The camera has led to a string of YouTube uploads from alien hunters claiming to have captured the moments other beings observe the ISS, but the footage is invariably dismissed just as quickly by sceptics who argue it is down to poor-quailty camera equipment used by NASA for the feed. The latest UFO was posted by Streetcap1 on his YouTube channel, which has previously shown similar clips.Scott C Waring, a self-styled UFO expert, said of the latest sighting: “Streetcap1 was taking a look at the live NASA space station cam when he caught glimpse of a small metallic disk in the distance. At first it looks like the disk is moving, but I believe it has matched speed with the space station.However, hoax and rumour-debunking website, Snopes.com, is not convinced by any of the sightings and said: “NASA has also admitted that its video setup is far from perfect. In fact, the HDEV experiment was started in an effort to find and develop better camera equipment for future missions.” MORE The post Mysterious object spotted Watching International Space Station appeared first on . |
| NORAD to Conduct Test Flights Over Washington, D.C., Area
Posted: 30 Apr 2015 06:09 AM PDT The North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) will conduct training flights over the Washington, D.C., area next week in preparation for responding to “unknown and potentially threatening aircraft.” NORAD, an aerospace defense collaboration between the United States and Canada, announced in a press release that it will fly calibration flights over the southeastern Washington, D.C., area on Monday and Tuesday next week. The flights “will be performed by a civilian Beechcraft King Air aircraft flying patterns at approximately 3,000 feet above ground level,” according to a NORAD release. “These flights have been carefully planned and will be closely controlled,” said NORAD. “The flights are intended to assist in calibration of systems and equipment, and training, and will serve to refine and improve our ability to response to unknown and potentially threatening aircraft.” The operations are part of NORAD’s Operation Noble Eagle, which was launched following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Similar test flights have been carried out throughout both the United States and Canada as part of the operation. MORE The post NORAD to Conduct Test Flights Over Washington, D.C., Area appeared first on . |
| Top US Official Issues Veiled Threat to Israel on Withdrawing UN Support
Posted: 29 Apr 2015 06:11 PM PDT The US is mulling a drastic change to its approach to the two-state solution, and not in favor of Israel, a top US State Department official confirmed. Speaking to a gathering of Reform Jewish leaders near Washington, DC on Monday, Undersecretary of State for Political Affairs Wendy Sherman warned that the emerging coalition government in Israel would have serious implications for Washington’s support in the international arena. “We will be watching very closely to see what happens after a new government is formed on this issue of working toward a two states living side by side in peace and security,” Sherman said. “If the new Israeli government is seen as stepping back from its commitment to a two-state solution – something that all of you, and a vast majority of American Jews, support – that makes our jobs in the international arena a lot tougher because our ability to push back on efforts to internationalize,” she added. “Israeli-Palestinian issues has depended on our insistence that the best course in achieving a two-state solution is through direct negotiations between the parties.” Sherman’s veiled threats are the latest in new rhetoric coming from the White House following the re-election of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on March 17. MORE
The post Top US Official Issues Veiled Threat to Israel on Withdrawing UN Support appeared first on . |
Walt Disney To Air Series Based On Life On Anti-Christian Homosexual Activist Dan Savage
The Disney/ABC television network have announced plans to air a series called “Family of the Year,” based on the life of the notorious X-rated sex-columnist and homosexual activist Dan Savage.
“For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet.” Romans 1:26,27 (KJV)
Walt Disney Studios is doubling-down on their commitment to promote the LGBT and their radical anti-Christian agenda. For years now, Disney has sponsored their yearly “Gay Days” at their theme parks. Every year since 1991 Disney World in Orlando Florida has allowed thousands of homosexuals, lesbians and trans-genders to hold a coming out party in the Magic Kingdom on the first Saturday of June.The first Saturday in June is typically the first Saturday during the summer break from school when tens of thousands of children are in the theme park. Now comes the television series glorying the life of the unbelievably foul-mouthed, anti-Christian, gay sex columnist Dan Savage to be broadcast on the Disney/ABC “family” channel.
Gather round, kiddies, the show’s about to start!
Savage, who is “married” to his male partner, is well-known for his hateful, profanity-laced rants against Christian and conservative values. The decision to air a sit-com based upon his life marks a dramatic break with any moral responsibility once shouldered by the Disney/ABC Television Group.
Savage himself has expressed surprise that despite working as a “sex-advice columnist who traffics in the sleaziest sex practices known to man,” he has been embraced as a mainstream pundit, welcome on cable news channels.
Among Dan Savage’s numerous appalling statements, he said as recently as 2013 that he sometimes thinks abortion should be “mandatory” to stop population growth, and was caught on camera telling a crowd of high school students during one speech to ignore the “bulls**t in the Bible,” and then lambasted those students that stood up and walked out on him for being “pansies.”
Most troubling is Savage’s violent attitude and verbal assaults on Christians and political conservatives. In addition to saying that he wishes “the Republicans were all f***ing dead”, Savage claims that “the Bible is a radically pro-slavery document,” and that Christians who believe in the sinfulness of homosexual activity are directly responsible for encouraging suicides among gay persons.
And while Savage champions the legalization of gay “marriage,” he has said that he thinks monogamy is an “unrealistic expectation” that “destroys families” – making it clear that he has engaged in numerous sexual relationships outside of his own “marriage.”
The planned sit-com will not only likely celebrate the homosexual lifestyle while belittling traditional family values, but it puts Savage himself in a position to substantially enhance a career of corrupting and destroying the reverence of children for healthy sexuality and family.
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Operation Jade Helm 15 Huge Step Closer Towards Permanent Military Presence On Main Street
America in 2015 has become the Germany of 1933
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” – George Santayana
“That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government” – Declaration Of Independence, 1776
For me, as someone who extensively studied the Third Reich and the rise of tyranny in Nazi Germany in school, what’s happening in 2015 under the reign of the Muslim king Barack Hussein Obama in America sets off warning bells of every kind. The parallels are so similar that it is actually unbelievable it is happening. But to quote Elaine from Seinfeld, “oh, it be happening”.
Right now, in the city of Baltimore, 5,000 National Guard troops have been deployed to “keep the peace” since the race baiters began busing in out of town agitators to set the place on fire. The same thing happened a few months ago in the town of Ferguson. But guess what? In both cases, these “riots” were funded and created by Democratic operatives bankrolled by George Soros. You can read all about it here. Adolf Hitler knew quite well that in order to justify a military presence on civilian streets, you had to create a compelling reason for them to be there. Obama has studied Hitler’s playbook and has become an expert in Nazi-style domestic warfare.
Since main stream America continues to blindly accept these hostile advances without much question, and the lapdog American media – Fox included – will not bring to light Obama’s nefarious deeds, the tide is rolling on and the stakes are getting higher. The military occupation of a peacetime America has already begun, and Operation Jade Helm 15 is proof of that.
The Washington Times reports that The White House tried to reassure Americans and the governor of Texas Wednesday that a planned special U.S. military training operation in several southwestern states is no cause for alarm.
The plans for Operation Jade Helm 15 have raised fears among some Texans of a federal occupation.
“In no way will the constitutional rights or civil liberties of any American citizen be infringed upon while this exercise is being conducted,” said White House press secretary Josh Earnest.
The military exercise is called Operation Jade Helm 15, and will involve about 1,200 special forces training over eight weeks that will simulate special operations in hostile territory. Texas Gov. Greg Abbott has ordered members of the Texas State Guard to “monitor” the federal troops in the upcoming exercise.
Asked by a reporter in the White House press corps whether Texans were expressing “paranoia” or whether their concerns were justified, Mr. Earnest refuted reports that the special forces would be “incognito.”
At a special meeting Monday of the Bastrop County, Texas, commissioners, U.S. Army Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria tried to assure local residents that the training operation will be routine and said it’s vital to prepare soldiers for real operations.
“The terrain is very challenging and it’s going to make our soldiers sweat, and sweating in peacetime is what we want because it’s going to reduce the bleeding in wartime,” he said.
But his presentation didn’t allay the concerns of some residents.
“It’s the same thing that happened in Nazi Germany,” Bob Wells of Bastrop told the Austin American-Statesman. “You get the people used to the troops on the street, the appearance of uniformed troops and the militarization of the police. They’re gathering intelligence. That’s what they’re doing. And they’re moving logistics in place for martial law. That’s my feeling. Now I could be wrong. I hope I am wrong. I hope I’m a ‘conspiracy theorist.’”
Yes Bob, it is exactly what happened in Nazi Germany, excellent observation. And no, recognizing this does not make you a “conspiracy theorist”, it makes you a wide-awake observer.
Remember a few years ago we had the Boston Bombings? There was an event that happened there that was almost completely unreported by the media, and yet to me, it was the turning point in Obama’s plan to roll out martial law. For a 24-hour period, martial law was declared over the entire city of Boston as they “searched the streets” for the cowering little punk who was founding hiding in a fishing boat in someone’s backyard.
This is the moment Obama knew America would accept martial law:
And for the entire 24 hours, homes were entered with no warrants, people were not allowed on the streets, the United States Constitution effectively suspended. What was the result, you ask? The result was that the brainless, mindless sheeple of Boston actually cheered the militarized police presence that had just locked down the town. I contend that it is was this very moment that Barack Obama, watching this play out in real time, knew he could absolutely install a permanent military presence on main street. All he would have to do is to keep the preplanned riots and attacks coming.
This is exactly what Adolf Hitler did, and it is exactly what Barack Hussein Obama is doing. And the American people are laying down for Obama just the same as the German people laid down for Hitler. We have learned nothing, not one thing, in the aftermath of WWII and Adolf Hitler. All these urban “war exercises” that you’ve been seeing during Obama’s administration will continue to get more frequent and closer together until troops on American streets are a permanent presence. America was there to rescue the world from Hitler and the Nazis, there is no one to rescue America from Obama and his minions.
Look out your windows, America, history is repeating itself. Now go back to watching Bruce Jenner transition into a woman, endless hours of sports, and continue drinking yourself into “happy hour” oblivion. You’re doing exactly what they need you to do.
Game over. You lose.
The post Operation Jade Helm 15 Huge Step Closer Towards Permanent Military Presence On Main Street appeared first on Now The End Begins.
The Briefing
1) Tragedy of Baltimore points to breakdown of trust and family in society
Baltimore Enlists National Guard and a Curfew to Fight Riots and Looting, New York Times (Sheryl Gay Stolberg)
As Baltimore Residents Clean Up, National Guard Steps In, Wall Street Journal (Scott Calvert)
Mapping the Clashes Between Baltimore Police and Protesters, New York Times
What Came Before Baltimore’s Riots, New York Times (Editorial Board)
The Blue-City Model, Wall Street Journal (Editorial Board)
Rand Paul cites a ‘lack of fathers’ in Baltimore. Here’s what the data actually show., The Washington Post, (Philip Bump)
2) Abercrombie brand ultimately damaged by highly sexualized advertising strategy
Abercrombie & Fitch Dials Back The Sex, Wall Street Journal (Suzanne Kapner and Joann S. Lublin)
3) In midst media reportage of Baltimore, remember those serving and loving their community
Can we please start sharing the good news of Baltimore?, Washington Post (Trillia Newbell)
In other news…
Saudi king resets succession to cope with turbulent times, Reuters (Angus McDowall)
The Childless Millennial, The Atlantic (Olga Khazan)
How Lincoln Became Our Favorite President, The New York Times (Joshua Zeitz)
Love, Marriage and Music, The New York Times (Frank Bruni)
The Dangerous Doctrine of Dignity, The Atlantic (Jeffrey Rosen)
Harvard poll finds Millennials have little faith in government, media, USA Today (Caleb Diehl, Lewis & Clark College)
Printing business has First Amendment and RFRA right to refuse to print gay pride festival T-shirts, Washington Post (Eugene Volokh)
Islam and the Omaha Tri-Faith Initiative
End-time Ecumenism on overdrive…..
Currently underway in the Heartland of America is an experiment in interfaith dialogue and coexistence: the Tri-Faith Initiative in Omaha, Nebraska. The goal of the Tri-Faith Initiative is to have a synagogue, a mosque, and a church located on a common piece of land, each with its own separate building; the Tri-Faith hopes to later add a fourth building as a shared Tri-Faith Center. The location for this venture is 35 acres in the Sterling Ridge development in Omaha.
12 Unanswered Questions About The Baltimore Riots That They Don’t Want Us To Ask
But could it be possible that the anger that the people of Baltimore are feeling is being channeled and manipulated for other purposes? The following are 12 unanswered questions about the Baltimore riots that they don’t want us to ask…
#1 Why are dozens of social media accounts that were linked to violence in Ferguson now trying to stir up violence in Baltimore?…
State threatening anti-Common Core parents with jail?
Parents in South Carolina who are part of a nationwide revolt against Common Core say they are being threatened with “criminal accountability” if they prevent their children from taking the tests required by the controversial educational-standards program.
Tamra Hood, a member of South Carolina Parents Involved in Education, said the state Education Department’s Chief Operating Officer, Elizabeth Carpentier, warned parents could spend 30 days in jail if even a single day of testing is missed, Breitbart News reported.
Hellbent – Hal Lindsey
Something dreadful is happening on Planet Earth, and to most people it seems inexplicable. That’s because most people don’t understand that the battle between good and evil is primarily a spiritual battle.
Post-modern people have tossed aside something they all knew in childhood — that deep in the darkness of evil, there exists a monster. It is a person, an entity — vicious and depraved — an adversary to God and to all that is right and good. People have given this being many names down through the centuries. The Bible usually calls him Satan, or the devil.
Israel Will Strike Iran First To Thwart Nuclear Attack
America, ostensibly Israel’s ally, is rumoured to have ordered US warships to shoot down Israeli aircraft, should a strike on Iran appear to be in progress. According to Israeli newspapers, President Obama thwarted a planned 2014 Israeli attack against Iranian nuclear facilities, by threatening to shoot down the Israeli bombers.
Civil Unrest Has Begun In Baltimore And This Is Only Just The Start Of Something MUCH Bigger
I also want to share with you another video, but I need to warn you about it first. This YouTube video strings together a bunch of clips of some of the worst of the violence, but it also contains some very graphic language. So please don’t let any young children watch this. I felt that it was important to share this because we need to really understand what is happening to our cities. America is changing, and not for the better. This is what social decay looks like…
Nigeria Rescues Hundreds of Girls from Boko Haram
Nigeria’s military says it has rescued nearly 300 girls and women from Boko Haram in the northeastern region of the country.
The announcement was made via Twitter.
There were 200 girls and 93 women among those rescued, but none are from the group of girls kidnapped one year ago from Chibok.
Christian Printer Punished by the Gov’t for Refusing to Print Gay Pride T-Shirts Just Scored a Major Victory
A Christian printer who was previously found guilty of discrimination for refusing to print T-shirts for a gay pride parade won big Monday after a court ruled that he can decline to print messages that run in opposition to his religious views.
“We will not obey”: Christian leaders threaten civil disobedience if Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage
by Marsha West
Berean Research reports:
“We will not obey.”
That’s the blunt warning a group of prominent religious leaders is sending to the Supreme Court of the United States as they consider same-sex marriage.
“We respectfully warn the Supreme Court not to cross that line,” read a document titled, Pledge in Solidarity to Defend Marriage. “We stand united together in defense of marriage. Make no mistake about our resolve.”
Jonathan Cahn Warns: “A Nation At War Against Its Own Foundation”
“If this court should overrule the word of God and strike down the eternal rules of order and right that heaven itself ordained, how then will God save it?” he asked. “Justices, can you judge the ways of God? There is another court and there another judge, where all men and all judges will give account. “If a nation’s high court should pass judgment on the Almighty, should you then be surprised God will pass judgment on the court and that nation? We are doing that which Israel did on the altars of Baal,” he said. …………. Click here for full story
Israel Will Strike Iran First To Thwart Nuclear Attack
There is no doubt an attack is on the drawing board – the Israeli Defence Forces have admitted they are training for an attack on Iran. Iran may pose a grave existential threat to Israel – at least Israel believes they do and they appear to have good reasons for their concerns. According to an Israeli report written in 2008, Iran regularly state that Israel will shortly be wiped from the face of the Earth. The Iranian nuclear programme will provide Iran with the means to fulfill this terrifying threat………… Click here for full story
Big Brother Finds EZ Way To Secretly Spy On Drivers
The city and state of New York have installed a network of wireless-reader devices to monitor the locations of drivers who use the E-Z Pass tag to electronically pay bridge and tunnel tolls. The program – meant to monitor traffic patterns, according to officials – came to light when a privacy activist hacked his E-Z Pass transponder and programmed it to make a sound each time the device was being remotely read. He discovered a network of locations in Lower Manhattan, far from any toll plazas, where his presence was being monitored. ……….. Click here for full story
Israelis Who Hate Israel—And The Christians Who Fund Them
While most Israelis celebrated 67 years of independence last week, a fringe Israeli non-governmental organization (NGO) hopes this year will be the last for the Jewish state. Zochrot, a tiny radical anti-Zionist group, was established with the aim of “raising public awareness of the Palestinian Nakba (“Catastrophe” in Arabic)” and “recognizing and materializing the right of return,” an agenda equivalent to calling for the abolishment of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people ……….. Click here for full story
The Great Falling Away? Christians Leaving The Faith In Droves
People are leaving Christianity in droves. About 106 million Christians are expected to switch affiliation from 2010 to 2050 while only about 40 million people are expected to enter Christianity. ………. Click here for full story
Christian Headlines Daily – Thursday, April 30, 2015
http://www.christianheadlines.com/
Top Headlines
Colliding Visions of Marriage at the Supreme Court
Indonesia Executes 8 People, Convicts Praise God before Death
Mike Huckabee: “We Are Moving Rapidly Toward The Criminalization Of Christianity”
Baltimore Residents Unite to Clean Up City after Riots
Nepal Earthquake: Man Explains How He Survived in Rubble for 82 Hours
Hillary Clinton Wants to Change Religion to Accept Abortion
Christians are leaving the faith in droves
200 Women and Girls Rescued from Sambia Forest are Not from Chibok
Supreme Court Divided on Gay Marriage after Hearing Arguments
Nigerian Troops Rescue 200 Girls, 93 Women, Says Military
Opinion
Why Southern Baptists Canceled an Appearance by Ben Carson
Supreme Court Argument on Same-Sex Marriage Puts Religious Liberty in the Crosshairs
What Should the Church Say to Bruce Jenner?
Do We Rely Too Heavily on Science?
In Defense of Marriage, the Rule of Law, and Ordered Liberty
“My Last Day” — the Jesus Anime
9 powerful minutes of animation that begins with a thief behind bars watching the scourging of Jesus, and it ends with the thief dying next to Jesus, and waking to see Him in a beautiful place.
The dying thief: What was so great about his faith?
There are many acts of extraordinary faith in the Bible. The one that has impressed me the most concerns the dying thief on the cross. We could take the approach that he had nothing to lose, so he decided to cast his lot with Jesus. But this makes absolutely no sense of the text and the context.
In this conversion we have a specific fulfillment of Christ’s first words on the cross. No sooner had Christ spoken the words, “Father, forgive them,” had the Father answered that prayer by turning a once-reviling criminal into a Christ-glorifying saint. While the soon-to-be converted criminal was not directly responsible for Christ’s death, he nevertheless joined with those who were and was thus indirectly addressed when Christ asked for God to forgive “them.”
Christ, the sinless one, was numbered with or counted among the transgressors (Isa. 53:12; Luke 22:37), all of whom have a bigger problem than the day-to-day sins they commit. They hate Christ, the God-man. Anyone who has a master other than the Lord Jesus hates him (Lk. 16:13; Gal. 4:8). That these two criminals loathed him is clearly manifested during the crucifixion: “And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way” (Matt. 27:44).
When the criminal who was converted was doing his worst against Christ, Christ was doing his best for this criminal.
The conversion of the one criminal was most extraordinary and testifies to the power of Christ’s prayer and the grace of God. Why?
This criminal’s faith did not come at a time such as when Christ turned water into wine; or performed miracles, such as walking on water, opening the eyes of a blind man, or raising Lazarus from the dead. No! The criminal believed on the Messiah while he was hanging as one cursed upon a tree. The criminal trusted in and boldly defended the one whose disciples had abandoned him. Jesus was at his lowest when this criminal asked to be remembered in Christ’s kingdom.
When he was on the cross, did anyone publicly cry out, as John the Baptist did, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29)? But this is essentially what the dying thief did. Little wonder, then, that Christ should promise him a place in his kingdom: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43).
The criminal acknowledged he was guilty; he acknowledged that Christ was not (“this man has done nothing wrong”); he feared God; but, and here is the key: the criminal did not merely want to be in a better place. He wanted to be with Christ in a better place: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk. 23:42). The criminal believed “against all hope”.
Heaven is a better place because that is where Christ is. Everyone wants to go to heaven, but not everyone wants to go to Christ’s heaven. Not so with this criminal: he saw, with his eyes, Christ at his worst; but with the eyes of faith, he believed that Christ would soon be at his best, and so put his faith in a dying king.
Christ is always – always! – willing to save even the most miserable of sinners. A recognition of guilt (Lk. 23:40) and a confidence in him and not ourselves (Lk. 23:42) will always lead to the most assuring truth a sinner can receive: the Savior welcomes such into his paradise!
“One is saved, and we may not despair; the other is lost, and we may not presume.” Spurgeon
Our Time is Short
Ready to start your new life with God?
Who do you think that I am?
With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.
Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.
Consider what the Bible says about Him: Read more
Look to Jesus
Have you ever felt a little lost and wished there was a quick-start guide to your relationship with God? This is it!
30 Day Next Steps
John Beckett, a leading Christian businessman, has written a series to read over 30 days for new believers.
New Believers Guide
The New Believer’s Guide is a series of articles designed to show you how to walk in the new life Christ has given you— a life of faith and freedom.
Jesus Booklet
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Discover who Jesus is today in this series.
About Christianity
Know Jesus Christ and your life will be transformed
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(Alternative News, Apologetics, Current Events, Commentary, Opinion, Theology, Discernment Blog, Devotionals, Christian Internet Evangelism & Missions Activist)
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April 30, 2015 Truth2Freedom Daily Christian Blogroll Collection
Take away the cross of Christ, and the Bible is a dark book. —J.C. Ryle
Jesus on Homosexuality
Homosexual conduct cannot be defended on the basis of a supposed silence of Jesus Christ. And we must remember: silence is not golden, it is yellow. Christians need to speak out against it as a political movement, and reach out to those trapped in a homosexual lifestyle and offer them the grace of God. For as Paul adds in the 1 Cor 6 passage referenced above: “Such were some of you; but you were washed, but you were sanctified, but you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and in the Spirit of our God” (1 Cor 6:11).
PCUSA Stalling Korean Church’s Effort to Leave Denomination?
“The largest Presbyterian denomination in the United States, PCUSA has garnered much controversy over its growing acceptance of homosexuality and gay marriage. Decisions at their General Assembly meetings over the past few years have annually prompted scores of churches to vote to leave the denomination.”
GoFundMe Shuts Down Fundraising Page for Oregon Bakery Owners
A supporter of the Kleins had set up the fundraising page after an Oregon judge on Friday set a fine of $135,000 for the couple as punishment for declining to bake a wedding cake for two lesbians. The page had raised more than $66,000 before GoFundMe shuttered it. GoFundMe said the Kleins would be able to access the money raised so far…. In the meantime, the Kleins said supporters could donate to their cause through Samaritan’s Purse.
College Students and the Church (2): A Challenge to Students
Would the pastor or elders or members of the church notice if you failed to attend on a Sunday? If the answer is no, then this is another sign that your spiritual health is in danger. We need accountability, and we need it within the defined committed body of a congregation. The college years are no exception.
Supreme Court: Obama Admin Can’t Make Religious Groups Obey Pro-Abortion HHS Mandate
In an order issued last night, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito prevented the federal government from enforcing its contraceptive mandate against a range of Pennsylvania-based religious organizations including Catholic Charities and other Catholic schools and social service organizations connected with the Diocese of Erie and the Diocese of Pittsburgh. The Supreme Court has previously protected the Little Sisters of the Poor, Hobby Lobby, Wheaton College, and the University of Notre Dame.
Backgrounds to My Thought
I should say something more about John Murray. It was common in those days for students to say that they had come to Westminster for Van Til but that they stayed for Murray. Murray was not well known outside Reformed circles, but as a theologian he was peerless. Murray, Clowney, and Van Til are the authors I refer to most often today. Murray’s Collected Writings are a wonderful treasury of exegesis and theological reflection. The present-day criticism of Murray in Reformed circles is in my judgment unworthy of him.
Defective, Yet Delightful
While on earth, Jesus cured the physically diseased, healed the physically disabled, and straightened the physically deformed. He did so out of compassion for broken individuals, but he also did so to show his authority and power to save the depraved. Therefore, spiritually, Jesus takes defective men and women and does more than merely save them; he sanctifies them and ordains them to be a “kingdom of priests” or his “holy priesthood.”
Gay Marriage, Part Four – Church & Culture Blog
*Editor’s Note: As the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on same-sex marriage this week, the Church & Culture Team felt it timely to take a recent address by Dr. White on the matter and turn it into a four-blog series that will be issued Monday-Thursday of this week. This is part four of that series. To read earlier installments, click here.
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Which brings us to gay marriage, which in many ways, we’ve already answered. Not just today, but throughout this series.
Ronnie Floyd’s Continuing Slide into New Age Dominionism
by Marsha West
Jeff Maples of Psalm 12 expresses his concern over the direction the Southern Baptist Convention is moving in, as its current president encourages Baptists to participate in occult practices:
As anyone who’s been following my blog knows I’ve been highly critical of Ronnie Floyd and the SBC’s 2015 Annual Meeting theme, “Great Awakening.” I believe the Southern Baptist Convention has spun out of control under current president Floyd, and is heading downhill faster than ever. Ronnie Floyd is no stranger to questionable practices and teachings, and has been exposed for his mishandling of Scripture to teach Robert Morris’ first fruits tithing heresy, as well as ties to a New Age ministry that practices a borderline form of witchcraft, known as prayer circles. He also endorses New Ager Mark Batterson’s book, The Circle Maker, which also promotes an unbiblical form mystical prayer.
Answering Questions About New Atheism
by Michael
In the comment section of a previous blog entry, atheist makagutu asked:
And what really is new atheism and who made Jerry a leader.
I replied:
Google is your friend. From Wiki:
“New Atheism is a social and political movement in favour of atheism and secularism promoted by a collection of modern atheist writer”
and
“While The Four Horsemen are arguably the foremost proponents of the New Atheism, there are a number of other current, notable New Atheists including: Lawrence M. Krauss (author of A Universe from Nothing[28]), Jerry Coyne (Why Evolution is True[29] and complementary blog[30] which specifically includes polemics against topical religious issues),”
Makagutu then had more questions.
Trusting Your Wise and Generous Father
In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus teaches us about our heavenly Father. He describes the birds of the air, telling us that our heavenly Father feeds them, and aren’t we of more value than they are? In Matthew 6:32, after describing the pressures of our human need to obtain food, drink, and clothing, he […]
Don’t Pitch Your Tent Next to a Pit
Think for a minute about how many things you do in a day to avoid a result you don’t want. You wear a coat so you won’t be cold. You wear a seatbelt in a car so you’ll be protected in case of a crash. You wash your hands so you won’t get the next thing you touch dirty and to get rid of germs that could make you sick.
Questions to Ask Yourself
So what do you do to avoid sin? What are you doing to recognize and deal with temptation? If sin is a result you don’t want—and I hope it is—then what are you doing to identify, prevent, or flee sin in your life? These are big questions, but questions we need to consider.
Widely Held Myths About Ancient Sources
In late 2013 Dr. Craig Blomberg taught a thirty-session class for Credo Courses on the historical reliability of the New Testament Gospels. This blog is a transcript (with some organizational elements and graphics added) of the first session of that course.
A Collection Of Apologetics Podcasts
Finishing Up Review/Rebuttal of David Gushee “Reformation Project” Presentation
Finished up a five hour response to David Gushee on his presentation identifying the biblical view of homosexuality as a message of “contempt.” We hope to put the entire five hours into a single audio file available for download.
The “good” in God’s plan for you life
Here is an exchange on Twitter that occurred this evening.
The Prosperity gospel/Word of Faith that the Osteens and their kind promote is a deathly error. It drags away the unwary, it devastates the witness of the true Christians, and it condemns the Osteens to hell.
The “good” plan for your life, according to the Osteens, is a healthy checkbook, a large house, health, and happiness.
However the “Good” that Jesus plans for us may or may not include any of the above. Peter was told by Jesus that Peter will stretch out his hands and go where he will not want to go (crucifixion. John 21:18). Paul was told he will be tormented in every city will he ever travel to.
“And now, behold, bound in spirit, I am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what will happen to me there, except that the Holy Spirit solemnly testifies to me in every city, saying that bonds and afflictions await me.” (Acts 20:22-23)
Stephen was bashed in the head with rocks, dying a martyr’s death. This does not sound like “a good plan for your life.”
What satan offered Eve was a temptation involving the lust of the flesh, the pride of the eyes and the pride of life. (1 John 2:16). In other words, the world. And the Osteens offer the world, too, wrapped in a veneer of prosperity and ‘happiness’.
Was Stephen happy when he was being stoned? No but yes. He was in pain but also saw the Jesus in glory standing at the right hand of the Father. Was Paul “happy” when he was beaten and left for dead? Or put in chains in jail? No but yes. He wrote in Philippians 4:4, “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice.”
I have a feeling if Victoria Osteen was beaten and left for dead she would not have the wherewithal nor the capacity to shout Rejoice! That is because the Osteens attach happiness to their worldly circumstances. Paul did no such thing. He rejoiced with friends at supper, while teaching in the synagogue making disciples, sewing a tent, or while sitting in chains in the sewer sludge. That’s because his ‘happiness’, prosperity, joy, came from above, not the world.
The ‘good’ in God’s plan is Good not because we receive pleasant things from the world. It is good because:
- God made the plan and everything God does is good. We proclaim this by faith, and
- All things work together for the good of those who love Him, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Romans 8:28, and
- God receives glory from the perfect outworking of His plan. The good is the glory He gains when saints acknowledge Him as good, no matter their circumstances. The ‘good’ in our lives is Jesus, not the world nor the things in it.
We do not seek the things the world calls good, but the things that God calls good.
We do not say in our greetings and our letters and our prayers, “I want a mansion, perfect health, and a fat checkbook for myself” but we say –
May mercy, peace, and love be multiplied to you (Jude 1:2) because it was multiplied to us. Now that’s good!
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Further Reading
Al Mohler: The Osteen Predicament
What’s Causing the Scandal of Domestic Abuse in the Church?
There’s Only One Way to Achieve Patience (and It’s Not Very Fun)
Looking for a Reason to Believe? Take Your Pick, There are Only about 10,000 or so…
Knowledge
In Hosea 4:6, we read, “My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge (HCSB).” It was not because they had no access to it, but (as the rest of the verse says) because they “rejected” it.
3 Ways to Fight Fatigue
Anxiety zaps your energy, messes with your mind and body, and leads to fatigue.
Among the reasons for increasing anxiety today are tough economic times, terrorist threats, and cultural redefinition of the family.
Perfect? Not in this life.
by Phil Johnson
I’ve said before that I despise all kinds of perfectionist doctrine. During college and after, I was enthralled with a kind of perfectionism for a few years. Far from being any help or encouragement to my sanctification, perfectionism was a constant cause of frustration and failure.
I finally purged every conscious taint of perfectionism from my thinking after reading volume 2 of B.B. Warfield’s excellent Studies in Perfectionism. To this day, that book ranks pretty high in the top five whenever I’m asked to list the books that have influenced me the most.
My contempt for perfectionism (and not merely a doctrinaire commitment to Calvinism) is actually the main reason I’m something less than a fan of Charles Finney and his disastrous long-term influence on American evangelicalism.
As a matter of fact, my disapproval of Finneyism and my abhorrence of perfectionism are more than matched by the animus certain perfectionists have directed at me in return.
For those who imagine that they have attained perfect holiness in this life, I think more in-depth self-examination might disabuse you of that idea. Here are some questions to consider:
The first and great commandment is “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind” (Matt. 22:37). How’s your obedience to that commandment? Perfect? If imperfect, how close to perfection do you actually come? In other words, how does your level of “perfection” compare to Christ’s absolute perfection?
Seriously: Is your love for God really something that moment-by-moment consumes your entire heart, soul mind, and strength? Have you managed to banish lustful and covetous thoughts forever from your mind? And if not, how frequently and how passionately do you repent of your sin against the First and Great Commandment?
Do you believe you can summon the willpower to obey even the Second Great Commandment (Matthew 22:39) perfectly? Is your love for your neighbor really equal to your self-love?
Reading perfectionist writings, ranging from Charles Finney to his latter-day heirs, one gets the impression they think their salvation ultimately hinges somehow on how well they obey from now on. Search your heart; if that’s the way you think—and yet you still have hope that you will be saved, then you have not truly come to grips with what Scripture teaches about human depravity. You have too much confidence in the flesh.
This is precisely what I despise most about Finneyism and all forms of perfectionism: while talking a lot about “repentance,” holiness, and sanctification, these views actually amount to a denial of what Scripture teaches about the depth of human sinfulness.
In other words, that kind of “repentance” (the kind that leaves a person thinking his own future performance is necessary to secure his salvation) is no repentance at all, but a stubborn refusal to acknowledge how truly sinful we really are.
When the Church Hurts You
Her eyes were brimming with tears. As she shared her story of betrayal by the church of her childhood, the tears slid quietly down each cheek. The noise was almost deafening in the restaurant, and although she could barely mouth her painful story, her communication was loud and clear: The Church had let her down.
This wasn’t the first time I’d witnessed a heart broken by a church.
Too many conversations have included stories of disappointment, betrayal, pain, and abuse from the hands of a church.
Jesus spilled His blood for the Church. How can we turn away from what He gave His life for?
Before we go any further, I need to make a clear distinction between the Church and your church. If your church is a body established on the foundational doctrines of orthodox Christianity (the virgin birth of Christ, salvation through the atonement of Christ, the inerrancy of Scripture, to name just a few), then your church is a part of the universal Church (capital “C”) that consists of all the believers of the ages.
The Church is what Jesus loves. It is His Bride. The Church is who Jesus gave His life for. But today, many are turning their back on the Church because of the failures of their church. I’ll admit, I’m not too happy with the Church at large. It seems to be a mess.
- Churches fight.
- Churches split.
- Churches slander.
- Churches lie.
- Churches default on loans.
- Churches break promises.
- Churches get busy with the wrong things.
- Churches neglect the poor.
- Churches forget about the widows and orphans.
- Churches lose sight of the gospel.
- Churches play “church.”
All of that is true, but I still love the Church. It breaks my heart. It makes me sick. But I still love the Church. The main reason I love the Church is because Jesus loves the Church.
“Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself up for her, so that He might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, that He might present to Himself the church in all her glory, having no spot or wrinkle or any such thing; but that she would be holy and blameless . . . for no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as Christ also does the church” (Eph. 5:25–29).
Jesus spilled His blood for the Church. How can I turn away from what He gave His life for? How can I call irrelevant what He established and desires to use to display His grace?
God’s desire is for you is to benefit from, and contribute to, the Church—bringing Him glory.
The thing we must keep reminding ourselves is that all churches are made up of individuals. Every church has a lot of messy people: immature believers, self-centered believers, selfish believers, pride-filled and obnoxious believers, and yes, even some “professing believers” who are actually still spiritually dead—they aren’t even truly believers.
When you have a hodgepodge like that, it’s no wonder the Church hurts people.
But as messy as the Church is, God’s desire for you is not for you to walk away from His Bride. No, His desire is for you is to benefit from, and contribute to, the Church—bringing Him glory:
“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them” (Rom. 12:4–5).
If you’ve pulled away from the Body of Christ, then you’ve removed your gifts from functioning within that body. You’re harming yourself as well as the members of your church.
You need the “stimulation” that comes from functioning within a body and the growth that comes through receiving the teaching and preaching of God’s Word.
“Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful; and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more as you see the day drawing near” (Heb. 10:23–25).
You may have given up on the Church, but Jesus hasn’t. That is still His “Plan A,” and if you are in Christ, you are out of God’s will by walking away from the Church. To function as a member of the Church at large, you must be functioning in an actual church body.
“Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us, to him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen” (Eph. 3:20–21).
My friend who confided in me about how her church hurt her? She has since become a true believer in Christ and is functioning in her new church body. I am so thankful that God is still at work in the Church!
I want to hear from you. What are some ways you are blessed by your church? How are you bringing God glory in your church?
If you enjoyed this post, you may want to read “Walking Away from the Church.”
God, State Constitutions, and Your Kids
God, natural rights, religious freedom — all great topics, but NOT for public school classrooms, right? Wrong. You can talk about these things in public schools.
Listen Now | Download
Short Answers 16: If God, Why Evil?
Dr. Andy Bannister answers the question “If God, why is there evil?” Want to read more widely on this subject? Check out Sharon Dirckx’s book, Why? Looking at God, Evil and Personal Suffering.
This video is episode 16 of RZIM’s Short Answers to Big Questions series, in which Andy Bannister and Nathan Betts take 50 of the most common questions and objections about Christianity and attempt to give short, succinct answers to each of them. In such short videos, we realize we can only often scratch the surface: nevertheless, we hope to give you lots of food for thought.
We encourage you to circulate these videos to friends, share them on social media, or use on your own website or blogs.
Previous Short Answers to Big Questions:
4 Strategies from Proverbs for Breaking the Grip of Porn
You’re reading the third of a three-part BCC Grace & Truth blog miniseries on Biblical Counseling and Addictions. In today’s post, Luke Gilkerson, of Covenant Eyes, shares 4 strategies to break the grip of porn. Continue reading →
Ugliness repels, beauty persuades
Ray Ortlund shares an excerpt from Jerram Barrs’ Francis Schaeffer: The Man and his Message (which is well worth reading in its entirety).
Unseen letters from pen of John Knox reveal new side to preacher
This is very interesting:
Professor Jane Dawson of Edinburgh University, who uncovered the letters exchanged with Knox’s best friend Christopher Goodman, has now written a landmark new book called John Knox, launched at St Giles in the Scottish capital on Wednesday.
It is claimed the book will shatter the perception that Knox had no impact outside of Scotland where he remains a significant character.
It will describe how he was a proud member of the European community of Reformed Churches and deeply involved in religious reformation in England, Ireland, France, Switzerland, and the Holy Roman Empire.
How I overcame my fear of writing (and you can, too)
Jesse Wisnewski:
Writing was—and still is—something I labor over. It’s not easy work. From research, thinking, writing, editing, and then rinse and repeat, writing can be a long and arduous process. A process I wasn’t interested in until my mid-twenties. But the strangest thing happened to me one day after I turned a graduate paper into a pamphlet: Somebody liked it.
How faith works in the prosperity gospel
Yep.
12 Ways Millennials Can Serve the Local Church
Chris Martin:
Young people: church is not about you and your feelings. Church isn’t about personal fulfillment as much as it is about selfless service.
Stop treating church like a Broadway show or a therapy session and start serving people. Here are 12 ways to do it.
5 Reasons I’m Glad My Parents Were Strict
Joy Pullmann:
Buzzfeed is calling for all the kids who had strict, conservative, fundamendalist parentsto grouse about how horrible it was to grow up guided by two strong pairs of hands. I guess they wouldn’t know it from, you know, observing other people, but perhaps the only thing worse than having strict parents is having lax parents.
The Daily Discovery (April 30, 2015)
Embers to Flames: A Pastor’s Perspective on the Baltimore Riots – “We love Baltimore and it saddens all of us to see what has transpired in the last few days. The senseless acts of vandalism, looting, arson and destruction of our own neighborhoods, in addition to violent attacks against innocent by-standers and the public servants of our city, have nothing to do with justice and everything to do with the depravity of the sinful human heart. Any claim to be concerned about justice cannot be taken seriously while a CVS is burnt to ashes and cinderblocks are thrown at keepers of the peace.”
Are Science and Theology Opposed? – “Absolutely. In the same way that the thumb and fingers are opposed, according to William Bragg. Apart from this opposition, nothing can be grasped. Science gives us facts, incredibly useful and life-enhancing facts at that. Smartphones, treatments for cancer and fibre-optic cables have massively augmented the lives of people I love. Yet for all the strides we’ve taken thanks to science, without theology – it remains blind to the meaning of life.”
How Disagreement Makes Us Civil – “Over the past few weeks, I’ve been chewing on the subtitle for this event: How Disagreement Makes Us Civil. When I first saw that phrase, I wanted to nitpick it by adding a word: “can.” Disagreement can make us civil, but it doesn’t always, right? Just read through internet comment streams or watch protestors heap insults on passersby. Disagreement is present; so is incivility. And the danger of disagreement devolving into violence never seems far away. Disagreement can make us civil, but it doesn’t necessarily do so. The more I’ve considered that statement, however, the more I am convinced that adding the word “can” would blunt the claim. It’s true that disagreement makes us civil, once we reconsider the nature of disagreement.”
Perfect? Not In This Life – “I’ve said before that I despise all kinds of perfectionist doctrine. During college and after, I was enthralled with a kind of perfectionism for a few years. Far from being any help or encouragement to my sanctification, perfectionism was a constant cause of frustration and failure.”
One Nation under Allah? – “There have been a couple of incidents (here and here) where a school has asked a Muslim (or perhaps just an Arabic-speaking student) to recite the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance in Arabic. This has prompted some people to ask me if it’s appropriate to say “One nation under Allah” as part of the Pledge—that is, if it’s appropriate to use “Allah” and “God” interchangeably when speaking in English.”
SERMON:
Kent Hovind – Young Earth Creationism
VIDEOS:
Preaching at Joel Osteen’s “Night of Hope”
Who Created God?
“If you alter or obscure the Biblical portrait of God in order to attract converts, you don’t get converts to God, you get converts to an illusion. This is not evangelism but deception.” – John Piper
The Lord’s Baptism
Q. Can you explain why Jesus did not get baptized until approximately 30 years old?
Restoring Our Fellowship With God
Q. In your commentary on Psalm 121 you discussed the benefit of confession. With the many ways human religion has clouded this issue, would you clarify the Biblical view of confession? Exactly what is required to restore my fellowship with the Lord? What about the sins of thought that we might forget about? Do we have to remember each sin in order to ask forgiveness? Or is asking to be forgiven from all sins sufficient? Thank you for your help in this matter!
Believers Missing The Rapture?
Q. Re: Matt 24:48-51: “But and if that servant say in his heart, My lord delayeth his coming: and shall begin to beat the menservants and maidens, and to eat and drink, and to be drunken; the Lord of that servant will come in a day when he looketh not for him, and at an hour when he is not aware, and will cut him in sunder, and will appoint him his portion with the unbelievers.”
I know some doubt there is such a scripture in the Bible. For they don’t believe it is possible for a person who is a professing believer to be left behind with unbelievers at the rapture. But this seems to be what this verse is saying. For here pictured is one who is a servant looking for his lord’s coming. But he is living carelessly, eating and drinking as in Noah’s day, enjoying the pleasures of life without regard to the soon-approaching rapture. He is also found mistreating his fellowman. What happens?
Featured Blogs
“My Last Day” — the Jesus Anime
9 powerful minutes of animation that begins with a thief behind bars watching the scourging of Jesus, and it ends with the thief dying next to Jesus, and waking to see Him in a beautiful place.
The dying thief: What was so great about his faith?
There are many acts of extraordinary faith in the Bible. The one that has impressed me the most concerns the dying thief on the cross. We could take the approach that he had nothing to lose, so he decided to cast his lot with Jesus. But this makes absolutely no sense of the text and the context.
In this conversion we have a specific fulfillment of Christ’s first words on the cross. No sooner had Christ spoken the words, “Father, forgive them,” had the Father answered that prayer by turning a once-reviling criminal into a Christ-glorifying saint. While the soon-to-be converted criminal was not directly responsible for Christ’s death, he nevertheless joined with those who were and was thus indirectly addressed when Christ asked for God to forgive “them.”
Christ, the sinless one, was numbered with or counted among the transgressors (Isa. 53:12; Luke 22:37), all of whom have a bigger problem than the day-to-day sins they commit. They hate Christ, the God-man. Anyone who has a master other than the Lord Jesus hates him (Lk. 16:13; Gal. 4:8). That these two criminals loathed him is clearly manifested during the crucifixion: “And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way” (Matt. 27:44).
When the criminal who was converted was doing his worst against Christ, Christ was doing his best for this criminal.
The conversion of the one criminal was most extraordinary and testifies to the power of Christ’s prayer and the grace of God. Why?
This criminal’s faith did not come at a time such as when Christ turned water into wine; or performed miracles, such as walking on water, opening the eyes of a blind man, or raising Lazarus from the dead. No! The criminal believed on the Messiah while he was hanging as one cursed upon a tree. The criminal trusted in and boldly defended the one whose disciples had abandoned him. Jesus was at his lowest when this criminal asked to be remembered in Christ’s kingdom.
When he was on the cross, did anyone publicly cry out, as John the Baptist did, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29)? But this is essentially what the dying thief did. Little wonder, then, that Christ should promise him a place in his kingdom: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43).
The criminal acknowledged he was guilty; he acknowledged that Christ was not (“this man has done nothing wrong”); he feared God; but, and here is the key: the criminal did not merely want to be in a better place. He wanted to be with Christ in a better place: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk. 23:42). The criminal believed “against all hope”.
Heaven is a better place because that is where Christ is. Everyone wants to go to heaven, but not everyone wants to go to Christ’s heaven. Not so with this criminal: he saw, with his eyes, Christ at his worst; but with the eyes of faith, he believed that Christ would soon be at his best, and so put his faith in a dying king.
Christ is always – always! – willing to save even the most miserable of sinners. A recognition of guilt (Lk. 23:40) and a confidence in him and not ourselves (Lk. 23:42) will always lead to the most assuring truth a sinner can receive: the Savior welcomes such into his paradise!
“One is saved, and we may not despair; the other is lost, and we may not presume.” Spurgeon
Our Time is Short
Ready to start your new life with God?
Who do you think that I am?
With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.
Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.
Consider what the Bible says about Him: Read more
Look to Jesus
Have you ever felt a little lost and wished there was a quick-start guide to your relationship with God? This is it!
30 Day Next Steps
John Beckett, a leading Christian businessman, has written a series to read over 30 days for new believers.
New Believers Guide
The New Believer’s Guide is a series of articles designed to show you how to walk in the new life Christ has given you— a life of faith and freedom.
Jesus Booklet
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Discover who Jesus is today in this series.
About Christianity
Know Jesus Christ and your life will be transformed
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April 30, 2015 Christian Persecution Update
Human Rights Watch slams Cambodian “collusion” with Vietnam in Christian Montagnard persecution
With Cambodian authorities failing to process the ever-growing number of Vietnamese Christian Montagnards seeking refuge in its jungle, Human Rights Watch appealed to the country’s authorities “to recognize its obligations under the Refugee Convention to protect asylum seekers regardless of their origin, and cease colluding in Hanoi’s dirty work of repressing the Montagnards”.
Islamic State fighters smash Christian graves in Iraq
Images posted on social media networks on 16 April show Islamic State (IS) militants taking sledgehammers to Christian graves in Mosul, Iraq, and gouging out the crosses that are engraved on Christian headstones.
Ethiopia: They Died Because of Their Love for Jesus and Family
The story of three Ethiopian martyrs who claimed Christ and sought better lives for their struggling families to the end
By Troy Augustine and Abebe Kibret…
Boy in Pakistan Burned Alive Because He Admitted He Was A Christian
On April 09, 2015, Noman Masih, 14, was burned alive by a group of unidentified Muslim youth in Lahore because of his religious identity as a Christian.
Daily Prayer – Thursday 30 April 2015
In Pakistan, the government has issued a new law concerning the punishment of terrorists.
Operation Nehemiah: News Update #182
Spain – Police break up jihadist cell plotting beheading in Catalonia
Spanish police broke up a cell known as the Islamic Brotherhood for the Preaching of Jihad, on 8 April in Catalonia.
Hindu activists storm two Christian schools in India, demanding closure
A mob of over 60 Hindu activists attacked two Christian schools in the city of Hazaribagh, in India’s north-eastern Jharkhand state, on 21 April.
Uzbek Christian jailed and fined for distributing a Christian leaflet
Doniyor Akhmedov was stopped by police in Uzbekistan’s Ahangaran District on 16 March after he gave a Christian leaflet to a passer-by on the street.
Nigeria: 160 More Women, Children Rescued from Boko Haram Camp
ICC Note: Just days after liberating 293 women and young girls from the clutches of Islamic terror group Boko Haram, the Nigerian military has rescued another 160 women and children from the Sambisa Forest area in northern Nigeria.
Hindu Radicals “Mercilessly” Beat 15 Christians in Northeast India
ICC Note:
An entire Christian community was attacked and “mercilessly” beaten by a mob led by Hindu radicals in India’s northeastern Assam state. On April 17, a mob of around 100 wielding swords, sticks, and stones attacked Christians attending a prayer service.
Vietnam’s Two Faces: Religion-Law Reforms Awaited Amidst Violence against Christians
ICC Note: The topic of religious freedom in Vietnam is one that is affected by many varying intricacies. Though, according to reports, Vietnam is on the verge of reform which would allow for greater religious freedom, persecution against Christians continues to take place in the form of “surveillance, intimidation, harassment.” The potential for reform of Vietnam’s religious laws hopes to allow for a more open approach to religious issues as well as a reduction of restrictions nationwide.
Pakistani Anti-Terrorism Court Remands 47 Christians
ICC Note:
Forty seven Christians in police custody have been remanded by an Anti-Terrorism Court in Lahore for allegedly lynching two Muslims following the bombings of two churches last month.
U.S. Report Documents Significant Escalation of Persecution in India
ICC Note:
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has slammed India in its recently released annual report on international religious freedom. The reports notes that attacks on religious minorities and the general state of religious freedom has significantly deteriorated over the past year.
Two Christians in Xinjiang Sentenced to 11-Day Administrative Detention
ICC Note: Two Christians in western China’s Xinjiang region were detained for 11 days under the charges of “utilizing religion to disturb public order.” The charges came about when it was found that the two individuals were teaching babysitting lessons based on Bible passages.
Kenya ‘Ignored Garissa University Raid Intelligence’
ICC Note: The officer in charge of security in Kenya admitted that officers ignored intelligence leading up to the Garissa University College attack on April 2 that resulted in 148 deaths of mostly Christian students.
Nepal update – Christians report from the earthquake zone: Help us to help them
“I was about to conclude my sermon,” said Bal Krishna Sharma, Principal of the Nepal Theological College, who was preaching in a church in Kathmandu when Saturday’s 7.8-strong earthquake hit.
Three Attacks in 30 Days: Anti-Christian Violence Continues in India’s Mahabubnagar District
By ICC’s India Correspondent
4/30/2015 Washington D.C. (International Christian Concern) – Mahabubnagar District is known to be one of the toughest districts for Christians to live in.
The Door to Heaven is Narrow (Luke 13:22-30)
This is a message that will tell you how you can go to heaven when you die. There are two doors after death: destruction or delight, and we choose which door we will pass through while we are alive; either the narrow door to heaven or the wide door to hell. Many of you are already believers and know you are going to heaven, so you may wonder why I’m speaking on this topic. The Bible makes it clear that many people think they are going to heaven, but they are mistaken. So it’s good to occasionally clear our minds of all of our preconceived notions and consider how a person can go to heaven. Heaven can only be entered through a narrow door. Have you found heaven’s narrow door? Let’s read about it in Luke 13:22-30.
Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as He made His…
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Robert Gagnon debates gay activist Jayne Ozanne on Bible vs homosexuality
Gay activist vandalizes pro-marriage sign
I am tempted to say that this is the best podcast I have ever heard on the Unbelievable show. Do anything you have to do in order to listen to this podcast.
Details:
Prof Robert Gagnon has become a well-known voice advocating the traditional biblical view on sexuality. In a highly charged show he debates the scriptural issues on sexuality with Jayne Ozanne, the director of Accepting Evangelicals who came out as gay earlier this year.
If you can only listen for 15 minutes, then start at 49 minutes in and listen from there.
The following summary is rated MUP for made-up paraphrase. Reader discretion is advised.
Summary:
Intro:
- Speaker introductions
- Gagnon: scholars who support gay marriage agree that the Bible doesn’t support it
- Gagnon: scholars who support gay marriage agree Jesus taught male-female marriage
- Ozanne: I went to…
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Answering Questions About New Atheism
In the comment section of a previous blog entry, atheist makagutu asked:
And what really is new atheism and who made Jerry a leader.
I replied:
Google is your friend. From Wiki:
“New Atheism is a social and political movement in favour of atheism and secularism promoted by a collection of modern atheist writer”
and
“While The Four Horsemen are arguably the foremost proponents of the New Atheism, there are a number of other current, notable New Atheists including: Lawrence M. Krauss (author of A Universe from Nothing[28]), Jerry Coyne (Why Evolution is True[29] and complementary blog[30] which specifically includes polemics against topical religious issues),”
Makagutu then had more questions.
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Godlife: What should you do when you’re feeling down?
Scripture: “Praise the Lord! Praise the Lord, O my soul! I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being.” Psalm 146:1-2
What do you do when you feel down or discouraged?
Next time you’re feeling that way, remember to praise the Lord! The Bible says that God’s grace is sufficient for us – that alone is all the reason we need to praise God. Even in your weakest moments praise God because He loves and cares for you.
Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction
by Mike Ratliff
1 I solemnly charge you in the presence of God and of Christ Jesus, who is to judge the living and the dead, and by His appearing and His kingdom:2 preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort, with great patience and instruction. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but wanting to have their ears tickled, they will accumulate for themselves teachers in accordance to their own desires, 4 and will turn away their ears from the truth and will turn aside to myths. (2 Timothy 4:1-4 NASB)
The Lord’s Day approaches. While many will go to church in a few days and hear expository preaching and worship God in spirit and truth, many more will hear sermons that the preacher bought from Sermons.Com or some other source. While I understand the pressures these men…
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Twitter Theology That Makes Me Sigh
No, it isn’t. The Kingdom of God is about God’s reign and rule. It is about the power of God to deliver people from sin, death, and hell. It is about repentance and conversion and restoration, to God. The Kingdom of God is about God, consists of God, subsists in God and has as its aim, God.
The Kingdom is NOT about you, your betterment, your improvement, your personal prosperity, or your hopes and dreams and wishes.
The view expressed in this heretical tweet is nothing but the ‘prosperity gospel’ in a new dress.
SIN, REPENTANCE AND THE CROSS OF CHRIST
SIN, REPENTANCE AND THE CROSS OF CHRIST
“But God forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the world.” Galatians 6:14
“For I resolved to know nothing while I was with you but Jesus Christ and him crucified.” 1 Corinthians 2:2
“He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live for righteousness, for by his wounds you have been healed” 1 Peter 2:24
It grieves me deeply that so much of the focus of popular “Christian” teaching and preaching today deemphasizes or even ignores sin – the very reason Jesus came to earth – and instead focuses on more humanistic things such…
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April 29, 2015 Truth2Freedom Daily News/Commentary Collection
Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. —A.W. Tozer
Apr. 29, 2015
BLOOMBERG
President Obama said he plans to visit Baltimore once the unrest in the city has calmed down to address underlying tensions after a black man was fatally injured while in police custody.
Unrest in Baltimore subsided as National Guard troops and police flooded the streets to enforce a curfew, preventing a second night of looting and violence.
President Obama’s plan to expand protections for waterways is in jeopardy as builders and farmers have won the support of even some Democrats in Congress to block it. The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency wants to put under federal oversight any pond or stream that has a “significant nexus” to a navigable waterway, even if the smaller body of water flows just a few weeks a year. Opponents fear it could mean permission would be needed to even dig a small ditch or build a road.
Iranian forces boarded a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz, the U.S. said, denying an earlier report that the seized vessel was American.
The economy in the U.S. barely grew at a 0.2 percent rate in the first quarter, buffeted by slumps in business investment and exports after oil prices plunged and the dollar surged.
The European Central Bank raised the amount of emergency liquidity available to Greek banks, while signaling that access to such funds may become more difficult if bailout talks remain deadlocked.
Less than four months into his reign, Saudi Arabia’s King Salman is consolidating power around the next generation of leaders as the world’s top oil exporter plays a more prominent role in the region’s power struggles.
The share of middle-class families saving for college dropped below 50 percent for the first time in five years.
The number of Americans who signed contracts in March to buy previously owned homes climbed 1.1 percent after the biggest increase in more than four years, a sign for further progress in the housing recovery.
AP Top Stories
A Nepalese women pleaded for food, shelter and anything else the helicopter might have brought on an in-and-out run Wednesday to this smashed mountain village near the epicenter of last weekend’s mammoth earthquake that killed more than 5,000 people.
Indonesia faced a storm of international protest Wednesday for putting seven foreign drug convicts before a firing squad, but Filipinos rejoiced after a compatriot was spared at the last minute.
An unmanned Russian cargo spacecraft, The Progress, ferrying supplies to the International Space Station is plunging back to Earth and apparently out of control, an official said on Wednesday. The Progress was carrying “1,940 pounds of propellant, 110 pounds of oxygen, 926 pounds of water, and 3,128 pounds of spare parts, supplies and scientific experiment hardware,” NASA said. The next delivery to the ISS is planned by SpaceX’s Dragon cargo ship on June 19.
Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott on Tuesday asked the State Guard to monitor a U.S. military training exercise dubbed “Jade Helm 15” amid Internet-fueled suspicions that the war simulation is really a hostile military takeover.
North Korea’s Kim Jong-Un ordered the execution of 15 senior officials this year, including several who complained about the young leader’s policies, South Korea’s intelligence agency said Wednesday.
Texas A&M-Galveston Prof. Irwin Horwitz, has shaped many young minds in his 20 years of teaching at the university level. But this semester Professor Horwitz found himself doing something he has never done in his two decades in higher education: Failing his entire Strategic Management class. Horwitz cited students’ incompetency as young adults getting ready to enter the real world in his email to the class where he announced that everyone would be receiving a failing grade.
Two former small town police officers in South Carolina were sentenced to prison time Monday for unnecessarily shocking a mentally disabled woman with a Taser at least eight times.
BBC
Aid has begun to reach remote regions near the epicentre of Saturday’s devastating earthquake in Nepal. The 7.8-magnitude quake killed more than 5,000 people. Many survivors were in desperate need of food and water.
A faulty app caused American Airlines to ground dozens of its jets on Tuesday. The glitch caused iPad software, used by the planes’ pilots and co-pilots to view flight plans, to stop working.
There have been fresh evacuations in the area surrounding the Calbuco volcano in southern Chile after it started spewing ash again on Tuesday.
The Nigerian military said it has rescued 200 girls and 93 women from an area where the Islamist militant group Boko Haram is active. However, it said the girls abducted from a school in Chibok in April 2014 were not among them.
Saudi Arabia has arrested 93 people suspected of belonging to Islamic State (IS) and foiled several plots, the interior ministry has announced.
WND
Just seven of 21 federal agencies that received identical Freedom of Information Act requests in January have provided full responses in the months since, despite a legal requirement to respond to such requests within several weeks of receiving them.
ISIS is taking advantage of racial tensions in the U.S. by attempting to recruit dissatisfied Muslims among the American black population.
ISIS terrorists have taken to subterfuge to root out homosexuals, get them to admit their homosexual tendencies – and then kill them.
Top News- 4/29/2015
Two CIA Agents Arrested by Minutemen while Crossing Mexican Border with 1300 Pounds of Cocaine
The incident took place…., in the Chihuahuan desert, near the Texan city of El Paso. A group of seven minutemen saw a large black SUV drive rapidly across the border. They chased the vehicle in their own trucks and achieved to immobilize it after a chase of more than 15 miles. The vigilantes arrested the two men on board and called the border patrol, who proceeded to search the vehicle. They discovered dozens of packages of cocaine, totalling an incredible 618.4 kilograms (1363 pounds).
‘We will not obey’: Christian leaders threaten civil disobedience if Supreme Court legalizes gay marriage
“We will not obey.” That’s the blunt warning a group of prominent religious leaders is sending to the Supreme Court of the United States as they consider same-sex marriage.
6.2 Earthquake Rattles Fiji Islands
A strong earthquake shook the Fiji Islands and the area northeast of New Zealand Tuesday. The 6.2 magnitude quake struck at 8:39 a.m. Pacific time about 18 miles south of Fiji’s Ndoi Island and 223 miles west of Tonga’s capital Nuku’alofa.
US Activist Attacks ‘Racist’ Liberals for Excusing Black Rioters
When the mayor of Baltimore, Mayor Stephanie Rawlings-Blake, said her forces had tried to “deescalate” recent riots by allowing rioters to destroy property, many in the US were shocked.
Two-State-Solution? Try Baltimore
Considering Baltimore, the Obama Administration ought to think twice before lecturing Israel about adopting a “two-state-solution.” Baltimore is where an incident of alleged police brutality led to a fatality and to days of looting, burning and rioting. It’s still going on as we write. Inner-city unrest is something we will have to fix for ourselves and we do not need outsiders telling us what to do or how to behave.
Thousands of new Lerner emails found
Treasury’s inspector general for tax administration (TIGTA) said it found roughly 6,400 emails either to or from Lerner from between 2004 and 2013 that it didn’t think the IRS had turned over to lawmakers, the congressional committees said. The committees have yet to examine the emails, aides on Capitol Hill said.
An Easy Boycott: Al Jazeera (Qatar)
People often complain that they would love to boycott one of the many countries with horrible human rights, but cannot do so as those countries do not make or export anything of value. Well, here’s the good news: Qatar brings Al Jazeera direct to many homes in your country.
Iran Seizes Cargo Ship Under US Protection in Strait of Hormuz
Iranian naval forces have seized a commercial cargo ship in the Strait of Hormuz and are redirecting the vessel to southern Iran, FARS news service reported late Monday. The ship, the M/V Maersk Tigris, is a Danish vessel flying under the flag of the Marshall Islands. The United States has full authority and responsibility under treaty for the security and defense of the Marshall Islands.
16 Year-Old: ‘Taliban Leaders Abused Then Sent Me to Suicide-Bomb Attack’
A 16 year old boy who was on the way to carry out a suicide bombing but was arrested en route, told the NDS that Taliban commanders gang-raped him before sending him out for the attack.
CME TO MISS EARTH
Yesterday, a massive filament of plasma exploded away from the sun’s northeastern limb. The CME it hurled into space (movie) is not expected to hit Earth.
Oil dips on oversupply after Saudi reshuffle
Oil prices slipped on Wednesday on oversupply after news that King Salman of Saudi Arabia had altered the kingdom’s line of royal succession in a dramatic reshuffle.
Saudi Arabia’s king announces new heirs to throne
Saudi Arabia’s new king has announced a major cabinet reshuffle that puts in place a new generation to succeed him. King Salman has appointed his nephew, the powerful Interior Minister Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, as crown prince. The king’s son, Prince Mohammed bin Salman, has been made deputy crown prince and the foreign minister, Prince Saud al-Faisal, has been replaced.
Forest fire breaks out near Chernobyl nuclear plant
A fire has broken out in woods near Ukraine’s disused Chernobyl nuclear plant, the site of a meltdown in 1986. Interior Minister Arsen Avakov said about 400 hectares of forest was alight in the exclusion zone around the plant Up to 200 firefighters, along with scores of trucks and aircraft, were tackling the blaze about 15 to 20km (9 to 12 miles) from the nuclear plant.
France increases defence spending ‘to counter extremism’
French President Francois Hollande says defence spending will rise by nearly €4bn to tackle extremist threats “at home and overseas”. He said the increase would take place over the four years from 2016, and this year’s budget would be ring-fenced. A deployment of 7,000 soldiers to protect sensitive sites across France will become permanent, he said.
Israelis who hate Israel—and the Christians who fund them
…Zochrot, a tiny radical anti-Zionist group, was established with the aim of “rais[ing] public awareness of the Palestinian Nakba (“Catastrophe” in Arabic)” and “recognizing and materializing the right of return,” an agenda equivalent to calling for the abolishment of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people. With no local support base or constituency, Zochrot operates only through generous funding from a coterie of foreign Christian aid organizations.
Chileans brace for volcano’s impact on livestock, farming
The eruption of Chile’s Calbuco volcano threatens to cause widespread and lasting economic damage, turning cattle pastures barren and choking fish with volcanic ash in one of the world’s top salmon-producing countries.
Saudi Arabia ‘arrests 93 members of Islamic State cells’
Saudi Arabia has arrested 93 people suspected of belonging to Islamic State (IS) and foiled several plots, the interior ministry has announced. The official Saudi Press Agency reported that the arrests had taken place since December and that all but five suspects were Saudi nationals.
Defying International Outcry, Indonesia Executes Eight Drug Convicts
Indonesia in the early hours of Wednesday executed eight men for drug offenses, including seven foreign nationals, but the life of Philippines national Mary Jane Fiesta Veloso was unexpectedly spared, media reports said.
How Will Greece Default? Let Us Count The Ways
What was once anathema has become conventional wisdom, and lately the only question when discussing the fate of Greece is not if but when it will default. Actually, there is another question: how? Because as the following UBS flow chart shows, when it comes to the matter of picking an obligation on which to not make a payment, Greece has a truly 5 star menu selection.
EU wants Iran to play ‘major but positive role’ in Syria
The European Union’s top diplomat on Tuesday voiced the hope that Iran would play an important but constructive role in a renewed United Nations push to restart negotiations aimed at ending the four-year civil war in Syria.
Iran diverts Marshall Islands cargo ship in Strait of Hormuz
Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps ships intercepted a Marshall Islands-flagged commercial cargo vessel in the Strait of Hormuz on Tuesday, forcing it “further into Iranian waters,” the Pentagon said. Multiple U.S. government sources said there were no Americans aboard the Maersk Tigris.
Top Headlines – 4/29/2015
Top US official intimates UN veto policy could change
Turkey joins Qatari bid to broker Israel-Hamas deal
Hamas Welcomes UN’s Blaming Israel for Attacks on UNRWA Schools
‘Israel won’t allow weapons transfer to terrorist groups’
No Israeli involvement believed in overnight strike on Hezbollah
Two projectiles fired from Syria land in Israeli Golan Heights
Syria accuses Turkey of aiding terror groups
EU wants Iran to play ‘major but positive role’ in Syria
Report: Iran opens fire at and detains US cargo ship in Gulf
US Navy called in after Iran fires at cargo ship in Persian Gulf
Saudi-led coalition bombs Yemen runway to stop Iranian plane landing
Official: Saudi-led raid on Sanaa hits airliner, damages airport
Saudi says foiled suicide car bombing plot against US embassy
State news agency: Saudi Arabia arrests 93 Islamic State suspects
300 rescued in Nigeria, but schoolgirls kidnapped by Boko Haram still missing
Mali Tuareg rebels fire on UN peacekeepers outside Timbuktu
Massive outcry in Australia after ‘cruel and unnecessary’ executions in Indonesia
Analysis: No miracle in sight for nuclear-free Middle East
US to speed up warhead dismantling, issues warning to N. Korea
US, Japan boost defense relationship with eyes on threats from China, North Korea
Top Iranian general: America was behind 9/11 attacks
Police arrest New York protesters calling for destroying all nuclear arms
ISIS Spotted On The Streets Of Baltimore Smashing Police Cars?
Social media analysis suggests links between Baltimore and Ferguson violence
Intel report warns gang attacks on white cops could spread nationally
Brutal Baltimore Beatings Worry Press Advocates
Riots in Baltimore force Orioles to play game in empty stadium closed to public
Troops descend on Baltimore after riots
Baltimore Braces for Another Violent Night; Police Enforce Curfew
Baltimore mom who smacked son during riots: “I don’t want him to be a Freddie Gray”
President Obama Condemns Both the Riots and the Nation’s ‘Slow-Rolling Crisis’
Dr. Alveda King on Baltimore Riots: MLK Jr. Would ‘Be Heartbroken’
DHS: No regrets for bypassing Congress on immigration
Report: 36,000 foreign ‘birth tourists’ here to make U.S. babies
How Will Greece Default? Let Us Count The Ways
New Earth dawns: supercontinent slowly takes shape
Researcher says a sinking Santa Catalina could pose tsunami threat
At least 52 missing, feared dead in Afghanistan landslide
Chileans brace for volcano impact on livestock, agriculture and fishing industries
Chile volcano eruption costs region $600 mn: official
Colima volcano in Mexico erupts to 25,000ft
Sinabung volcano in Indonesia erupts to 14,000ft
Earthquake swarm on Tjornes Fracture Zone near Iceland
6.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Ndoi Island, Fiji
5.5 magnitude earthquake hits near Palomares, Mexico
5.3 magnitude earthquake hits near Yaguachi, Ecuador
5.1 magnitude earthquake hits near Piis, Micronesia
5.0 magnitude earthquake hits near Haebaru, Japan
Up to 250 missing after avalanche hits Nepal trekking route
Nepal’s PM says earthquake death toll could reach 10,000
UN says 1.4 million people victimized by Nepal earthquake need food assistance
Quake also devastates impoverished Nepal’s economy
White House omits Tibet from earthquake condolence list
Dozens of Israeli Gay Couples Seeking Surrogacy in Nepal Are Evacuated Home
U.S. top court divided on gay marriage, Kennedy appears pivotal
The 9 most awkward moments in the Supreme Court’s gay-marriage arguments
Analysis: On Gay Marriage, Will Five Judges Reject Deliberative Democracy?
Faith leaders demand that liberal justices sit out gay marriage case
Pole Dancing Robots Draw Crowds to Major London Tech Startup Event
Genetic testing moves into world of employee health
California’s school immunizations bill passes another committee
North Carolina hospital admits patient with Ebola-like symptoms
New bird flu cases probable in Iowa, millions of birds affected: Iowa
Gov. Jerry Brown seeks fines of up to $10,000 a day for water wasters
Venezuela rations power as demand soars on hot weather
Forest fire threatens Ukraine’s Chernobyl nuclear zone
Vatican and U.N. team up on climate change against skeptics
UN chief praises pope for framing climate change as moral imperative, says encyclical
New York rabbi becomes Catholic knight
Jamal Bryant Doubles Down on Incitement: “Police have been ISIS to us”
Andy Stanley Removes Shame from Homosexual Sin
Powers: Saint Hillary seeks to save Christians from Christianity
Obama’s Lawyer: Religious Institutions May Lose Tax-Exempt Status If Court Rules for Gay Marriage
Why did the Baltimore riots seem like they were perfectly staged to be a television event? Images of police vehicles burning made for great television all over the planet, but why were there abandoned police vehicles sitting right in the middle of the riot zones without any police officers around them in the first place? Why was the decision made ahead of time to set a curfew for Tuesday night and not for Monday night? And why are Baltimore police officers claiming that they were ordered to “stand down” and not intervene as dozens of shops, businesses and homes went up in flames? Yes, the anger over the death of Freddie Gray is very real. Police brutality has been a major problem in Baltimore and much of the rest of the nation for many years. But could it be possible that the anger that the people of Baltimore are feeling is being channeled and manipulated for other purposes? The following are 12 unanswered questions about the Baltimore riots that they don’t want us to ask… (Read More….)
Daily Digest
THE FOUNDATION
“Nothing is more dreaded than the national government meddling with religion.” —John Adams, Letter to Benjamin Rush, 1812
TOP RIGHT HOOKS
Same-Sex Marriage Decision Hinges on Justice Kennedy
In the oral arguments over the Supreme Court case that may institute same-sex marriage nationwide, the Court appeared to split along its usual lines, with Justice Anthony Kennedy once again becoming the justice on which the whole decision rests. Like many, Hot Air’s Allahpundit saw Justice Kennedy sympathetic to the arguments made by the pro-same-sex-marriage lobby. Allahpundit believes the Court will rule against traditional marriage; the only question now is by what vote. Nevertheless, some justices were cautious. For thousands of years, marriage has been defined as between a man and a woman. Then, the Netherlands changed its definition of marriage in 2001. “You’re not seeking to join the institution,” Chief Justice John Roberts said. “You’re seeking to change what the institution is.” He added, “One of the things that’s truly extraordinary about this whole issue is how quickly has been the acceptance of your position across broad elements of society.” The plaintiffs’ attorneys have been practicing for months, running moot courts and rehearsing responses to Justice Antonin Scalia’s style of questioning. The goal, The New York Times reported, is not just win, but “win big.” If SCOTUS rules in their favor, then they already have. More…
National Guard, Curfew Quell Second Night of Baltimore Unrest
The rioting Monday night in Baltimore left 19 buildings and 144 vehicles burned, 20 police officers injured and 235 people arrested. But what we saw by dawn on Wednesday is that Tuesday’s violence was subdued. Two thousand National Guard members and 400 state troopers enforced a 10 p.m. city-wide curfew. Baltimore was hesitant at first to crack down on the initial stages of unrest because many of the unruly were youth, but then the violence evolved. “When we deployed our officers yesterday, we were deploying for a high school event,” Baltimore PD spokesman Capt. Eric Kowalcyzk said. “I don’t think there’s anyone that would expect us to deploy with automatic weapons and armored vehicles for 13-, 14- and 15-year olds.”
Meanwhile, about 50 protesters were demonstrating in Ferguson, Missouri, last night when a man was shot in the lower leg. While it’s not clear if the shooting is connected to the demonstrations, police threatened to use “chemical munitions” to clear the crowd. Later, a group set fire to trashcans and a portable toilet. Even after all this time, violence still lingers in the St. Louis suburb. However, Barack Obama wasn’t about to say the riots are due to a malformed relationship between cops and citizens. No, for him, the problem is Republicans. He said at a press conference yesterday, “I’m under no illusion that out of this Congress we’re going to get massive investments in urban communities … But if we really want to solve the problem, if our society really wanted to solve the problem, we could.” Leftists believe the answer to everything is more money. More…
Obama: Congress Is Just Afraid of a Little Globalization
In pushing for a free-trade agreement with countries arrayed around the Pacific Ocean, Barack Obama has managed to enter the rare political situation of gaining opponents in both Democrat and Republican parties. Democrats, led by the likes of Elizabeth Warren, bray that the Trans-Pacific Partnership will hurt the middle class. Republicans, well, they have a right to be suspicious, because the administration that “led” the U.S. economy on its slowest recovery to date wants to negotiate a trade deal that will have huge economic implications. Furthermore, Obama is seeking approval for this treaty in a simple yes-no vote, a move that speeds up the negotiation process, but one that also cheapens Congress’ role in negotiating treaties. In an interview with The Wall Street Journal, Obama called the skeptics of the Trans-Pacific Partnership scared of a little globalization. After all, if the U.S. does nothing, then China will establish its trade agreements and earn influence over that corner of the globe. “What we can’t do, though, is withdraw,” Obama said. “There has been a confluence of anti-global engagement from both elements of the right and elements of the left that I think [is] a big mistake.” There is a reason why the Constitution grants Congress the power to approve treaties, and the argument that we’re running out of time is no excuse to trust the judgment of one man. More…
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FEATURED RIGHT ANALYSIS
Why Is SCOTUS Even Considering Same-Sex Marriage?
By John J. Bastiat
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Since the very definition of marriage is up for grabs at the U.S. Supreme Court this week — SCOTUS entertained oral arguments Tuesday on a number of cases consolidated under the central issue of the un-constitutionality of states’ ability to deny gay marriage — we thought this an appropriate point to interject reason into the debate, strengthened by an understanding of history — Constitutional history. Let’s start with the basics: The Constitution of the United States has nothing to say about marriage, “gay” or otherwise. What does that mean?
Well, if you know nothing about civics, it means nothing. Unfortunately, that’s the take the religiously zealous supporters of same-sex marriage are trying to foist off on the Supremes this week. Their approach, of course, doesn’t admit to this, or even begin to touch on the truly core issue — Federalism — for the same reason abortionist supporters of Roe v. Wade did not: They would otherwise lose. Let’s walk through this Matrix together, Neo.
The Constitution is the foundational legal document governing our nation. For almost 200 years it served as the backbone behind the body of laws under which the lowliest individual to the U.S. President operated. All of that changed with the Progressive Movement of the late 1800s and early 1900s, FDR’s New Deal and a host of other progressive assaults on the concept of the Rule of Law. Wiser-than-the-rest-of-us progressives rejected this idea in favor of the arrogation that some people (read: them) are better suited to rule than others (read: you), and accordingly pushed to make the Constitution a “living, breathing document” (read: changeable to suit progressives’ needs). The practical upshot of this “breathing” is that Rule of Law is all but a dead letter in our nation. But we digress.
Since the progressives’ constitutional onslaught, the model formerly known as “federalism” has died yet another — virtual, if not actual — death. The Constitution originally gave power to the federal government to make and enforce certain, very particular laws across the land. These so-called “enumerated” powers were so called because they were very limited in scope, though unlimited within the span of that scope. Such laws were applicable to the entirety of the United States and evolved from the previous federal power failures of the former bedrock document, the Articles of Confederation. For example, the power to regulate commerce among the states — a power itself abused over the past century by an overly-ambitious SCOTUS interpretation of the term “interstate commerce” — is specifically granted to Congress under Article I of the Constitution. Likewise, the power to enter treaties — another power very recently abused, since the current office holder ignores the prerequisite Senate consent to such power (“He shall have Power, by and with the Advice and Consent of the Senate, to make Treaties… “) — is specifically granted to the president under Article II.
However, the rest of governmental power is vested within the states. This structural component was codified under the Tenth Amendment, which reads, “The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.”
In a nutshell, the Tenth Amendment is saying if We-the-People didn’t give you-the-federal-government a particular power in the Constitution, we are keeping that plenary power for individual states to make those calls. The rationale behind this principle, as aptly annunciated in the opinion section of Tuesday’s Wall Street Journal, is that the “Founders believed that social mores should be reflected in law through the democratic process, not judicial command.” Indeed.
Unfortunately, over a century of assaults on the Tenth Amendment have withered it to a bare thread of what it once was. Were this not the case, the issue before SCOTUS wouldn’t even be here. It would be among each of the 50 states to decide for themselves. Sadly, that option was foreclosed with SCOTUS’s unreasonable shoot-down of the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), whose primary focus was the assertion of individual states’ rights to choose for themselves whether or not to recognize same-sex marriage. Ultimately, that means the decision of whether to recognize same-sex marriages rests not with individual states, but rather with an arbitrary and often-fickle Supreme Court.
The real issue is whether a state’s free people can decide for themselves whether they can choose one such path or another. The more the Tenth Amendment is eviscerated by the Court, the less likely they can. The Founders envisioned the states as political laboratories to experiment with governmental models. Those that worked encouraged people to move and join in the prosperity of successful models; those that didn’t encouraged people to vote with their feet. Let’s hope the Supreme Court learns its lesson from Roe v. Wade and decides the Founders’ model is best. If history is any guide, however, we’re not overly optimistic.
TODAY AT PATRIOTPOST.US
- Krauthammer: To Help Inner Cities, Embrace School Choice
- Due to Finances, Clinton Foundation Placed on ‘Watch List’
- Earnest: You Know Who’s Really at Fault for ISIL’s Rise?
- Vietnam Veteran to Rioters: Do Something With Your Lives
- Iran Flexes Naval Might by Seizing Cargo Ship
BEST OF RIGHT OPINION
- Star Parker: Defending Traditional Marriage
- Terence Jeffrey: Give Every Child in Baltimore a $17,329 School-Choice Voucher
- Michelle Malkin: Debunking Obama’s Bilious Baltimore Babble
- John Stossel: What Creates Jobs
- Walter Williams: California’s Water Problem
OPINION IN BRIEF
Star Parker: “[I]f leaders in these various institutions of our nation’s left-wing elite look in the rearview mirror to their own family histories, histories of Christians and Jews arriving and settling in America, they most certainly, overwhelmingly, will find families — parents, grandparents, great-grandparents — defined by the very traditional values that their offspring today throw to the trash. Central to the propaganda being sold is the notion that embracing sexual behaviors that our religions prohibit represents progress. But in fact, these behaviors are more ancient than our religions. Our religions were the answer to these destructive behaviors. And no, this is not about freedom. Few do not believe or accept that every American should be free to live as he or she chooses. This is a battle about redefining the values of our nation’s culture and, hence, redefining our nation itself.”
SHORT CUTS
Insight: “The real freedom of any individual can always be measured by the amount of responsibility which he must assume for his own welfare and security.” —Author Robert Welch (1899-1985)
Non Compos Mentis: “I’m under no illusion that under this Congress we’re going to get massive investments in urban communities. And so we’ll try to find areas where we can make a difference around school reform, and around job training, and around some investments in infrastructure in these communities trying to attract new businesses in.” —Barack Obama, faulting Republicans for the rioting in cities like Ferguson and Baltimore
“The fact is that al-Qaida was not in Iraq prior to President Bush’s decision to commit significant American resources on the ground in that country. That is a historical fact.” —Obama spokesman Josh Earnest, shooting back at George W. Bush after he criticized his successor’s foreign policy
Dezinformatsia: “You get into Baltimore, you can’t find a job with a short commute. And that’s, to me, the problem that’s behind all of this [rioting]. … [The jobs] went to the right-to-work states … where the unions didn’t have any power. You could get people to work for nothing and the stuff wasn’t that good that was made down there.” —MSNBC’s Chris Matthews
Village Idiots: “[Baltimore] policemen and firemen have the right to work in the city and live in the suburbs. Some live as far away as … Pennsylvania. And so they come in as an occupying force, not as neighbors. So, often people are afraid of them, because they’re not taxpaying neighbors whose children go to school with their children. So there is this gap between police and people. And you really ought to have residential requirements for policemen and firemen. Those who get nectar from the flower should sow pollen where they pick up nectar.” —Jesse Jackson
And last… “Sixth-year president blames fourth-month GOP Congress for blocking agenda which would’ve aided city run by Democrats for decades. #Baltimore” —twitter satirist @hale_razor
Semper Vigilans Fortis Paratus et Fidelis!
Managing Editor Nate Jackson
Join us in daily prayer for our Patriots in uniform — Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen, Marines and Coast Guardsmen — standing in harm’s way in defense of Liberty, and for their families.
“The Patriot Post (http://patriotpost.us/subscribe/ )”
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Forest fires heading for Chernobyl nuclear plant Posted: 29 Apr 2015 07:14 AM PDT The Ukrainian National Guard has been put on high alert due to worsening forest fires around the crippled Chernobyl nuclear power plant, according to Ukraine Interior Minister Arsen Avakov. “The forest fire situation around the Chernobyl power plant has worsened,” a statement on Avakov’s Facebook page says. “The forest fire is heading in the direction of Chernobyl’s installations. Treetop flames and strong gusts of wind have created a real danger of the fire spreading to an area within 20 kilometers of the power plant. There are about 400 hectares [988 acres] of forests in the endangered area.”Police and National Guard units are on high alert. Ukraine’s Prime Minister personally went to the affected area to oversee the firefighting. He says the situation is under control, “but this is the biggest fire since 1992.” However, in comments to Russia’s Moscow Speaks radio, a representative of Greenpeace Russia said that the situation is much worse: “A very large, catastrophic forest fire is taking place in a 30-km zone around the Chernobyl power plant. We estimate the real area of the fire to be 10,000 hectares; this is based on satellite images. This hasn’t been officially acknowledged yet.” The potential danger in this fire comes from the radioactive contaminants the burning plants have absorbed, ecologist Christopher Busby told RT. “Some of the materials that were contaminating that area would ahve been incorporated into the woods. In other words, they land on the ground in 1986 and they get absorbed into the trees and all the biosphere. And when it burns, they just become re-suspended. It’s like Chernobyl all over again. All of that material that fell on the ground will now be burned up into the air and will become available for people to breathe.” Christopher Busby is the scientific secretary of the European Committee on Radiation Risks. MORE The post Forest fires heading for Chernobyl nuclear plant appeared first on . |
| AT&T will now charge customers for opting out of internet surveillancePosted: 29 Apr 2015 07:07 AM PDT
In response to Google’s rollout of its advanced “Fiber” network, which reportedly delivers internet browsing speeds of up to 1,000 megabits (1,000 Mbps), or 1 gigabit (1 Gb), per second, AT&T has announced the rollout out its “GigaPower” fiber optic service as part of U-verse that offers this same high-speed internet access to customers in select markets. But reports indicate that users of the service will have to opt out of having their internet surfing habits monitored by “Ma Bell” for the purpose of targeted advertising and emails. According to ITProPortal.com, GigaPower subscribers who choose not to allow AT&T to track their browsing habits for customized advertising will have to pay at least $29 more than other customers for access. The idea behind the tracking program is to see what GigaPower users are searching for and doing online in order to deliver this data up to third parties for marketing purposes (and data will presumably be shared with government agencies). If a GigaPower user searches for cycling equipment, for instance, AT&T may sell this data to marketers who will target the user with customized biking equipment ads. GigaPower service is already quite expensive at $139 per month, which is decreased to $110 for users who agree to AT&T’s so-called “Internet Preferences” package. But if you want to use GigaPower service in anonymity (and even this is questionable under the opt-out program), you’ll have to pay more and be treated like a second-class customer. “[T]he media may be lauding AT&T for putting a $29 monthly price on the value of consumer privacy. But when I look at the practice, I see a company that has little competition, manipulating consumers into choosing to give up their privacy,” wrote Stacey Higginbotham about the service on Gigaom.com. MORE The post AT&T will now charge customers for opting out of internet surveillance appeared first on . |
| Huge crowd of concerned Texas citizens protest Jade Helm at Bastrop Commissioners CourtPosted: 29 Apr 2015 07:00 AM PDT
A diverse array of Americans was present at the Bastrop County Commissioners Court at 9:00 AM on April 27, 2015. Citizens filled the seats in the courtroom, lined the walls and crowded the hall outside. Most of them were anxious to attend the meeting that would take place two hours later, where Operation Jade Helm 15 would be discussed. By 11:00 AM, the crowd had more than doubled. Veterans, concerned citizens and even the county commissioners were astonished by the huge turnout, especially by how many younger persons showed up, informed through alternative and social media. The crowd was too large for the courtroom, so a separate viewing room was set up downstairs, where a TV relayed the court proceedings via Skype, which cut out intermittently to the immense frustration of the local citizens, many of whom never heard their questions answered or concerns addressed. County Judge Paul Pape presided over the meeting and said its purpose was to inform and answer questions about Jade Helm, not entertain conspiracy, advocate political viewpoints or try to change constituents’ minds on the matter. Judge Pape began the meeting and introduced two representatives for Operation Jade Helm, which he referred to as “this project.” Director of Public Affairs of the U.S. Army Special Operations Command Lt. Col. Mark Lastoria would be providing most of the information during the meeting, and he was joined by Thomas Meade, the operations planner for Jade Helm. MORE The post Huge crowd of concerned Texas citizens protest Jade Helm at Bastrop Commissioners Court appeared first on . |
| Starving sea lions now fight U.S. fishermen for food as West Coast ecosystem collapsesPosted: 29 Apr 2015 06:54 AM PDT
The West Coast ecosystem is in a state of dire collapse. The Southern California sea lion population is dwindling to new lows as countless hungry and emaciated pups wash ashore. There’s simply not enough food to go around for the mammals. Some believe the acidity of the waters is intensifying, not allowing certain species of fish to survive. The sudden decline in sardine biomass off the West coast is directly impacting larger animals in the food chain like the Southern California sea lions. A record number of these beautiful sea mammals have been rescued since 2013, when an unusual “mortality event” was declared. As the animals struggle to find food, some appear to be getting vicious and may now attack humans for food. In fact, a fisherman recently had a violent altercation with a sea lion at a San Diego marina. As he was holding a large fish and posing for a picture, a sea lion jumped from the water, hopped on deck and lunged at the man and his prized catch. The sea lion effectively took the fish and pulled the man into the ocean. Authorities said the man was injured. San Diego Fire Rescue spokesman Lee Swanson reported that the violent altercation resulted in the fisherman being carried underwater for 15 breathtaking seconds. When the man was rescued, he was taken to a local hospital and treated for cuts on his arm and hand. Official sources may propose that global warming is causing mass migration of fish away from the West coast, resulting in starving sea lions, but slight fluctuations in water current temperature may be part of larger cycles and shifts that naturally occur in the ocean. MORE
The post Starving sea lions now fight U.S. fishermen for food as West Coast ecosystem collapses appeared first on . |
| Negative interest rates put world on course for biggest mass default in historyPosted: 29 Apr 2015 06:46 AM PDT
Here’s an astonishing statistic; more than 30pc of all government debt in the eurozone – around €2 trillion of securities in total – is trading on a negative interest rate. With the advent of European Central Bank quantitative easing, what began four months ago when 10-year Swiss yields turned negative for the first time has snowballed into a veritable avalanche of negative rates across European government bond markets. In the hunt for apparently “safe assets”, investors have thrown caution to the wind, and collectively determined to pay governments for the privilege of lending to them. On a country by country basis, the statistics are even more startling. According to investment bank Jefferies, some 70pc of all German bunds now trade on a negative yield. In France, it’s 50pc, and even in Spain, which was widely thought insolvent only a few years ago, it’s 17pc. Not only has this never happened before on such a scale, but it marks a scarcely believable turnaround on the situation at the height of the eurozone crisis just a little while back, when some European bond markets traded on yields that reflected the very real possibility of default. Yet far from being a welcome sign of returning economic confidence, this almost surreal state of affairs actually signals the very reverse. How did we get here, and what does it mean for the future? Whichever way you come at it, the answer to this second question is not good, not good at all. MORE
The post Negative interest rates put world on course for biggest mass default in history appeared first on . |
| Could religious institutions lose tax-exempt status over Supreme Court’s gay marriage case?Posted: 29 Apr 2015 06:38 AM PDT
The Supreme Court Tuesday considered whether same-sex couples have a constitutional right to marry, raising questions about how it would affect religious institutions. During oral arguments, Justice Samuel Alito compared the case to that of Bob Jones University, a fundamentalist Christian university in South Carolina. The Supreme Court ruled in 1983 the school was not entitled to a tax-exempt status if it barred interracial marriage. Here is an exchange between Alito and Solicitor General Donald B. Verrilli Jr., arguing for the same-sex couples on behalf of the Obama administration. Justice Alito: Well, in the Bob Jones case, the Court held that a college was not entitled to taxexempt status if it opposed interracial marriage or interracial dating. So would the same apply to a 10 university or a college if it opposed same-sex marriage? General Verrilli: You know, I don’t think I can answer that question without knowing more specifics, but it’s certainly going to be an issue. I don’t deny that. I don’t deny that, Justice Alito. It is it is going to be an issue. Bob Jones received national attention when then-presidential candidate George W. Bush visited in 2000, prompting the school to drop its ban on interracial dating. The case has been a cause for concern among religious institutions that hold that marriage is between a man and a woman. Justice Antonin Scalia asked attorney Mary L. Bonauto, who is representing gay couples in the case, whether it is it conceivable that a minister could decline to marry two men if indeed the Supreme Court holds that they have a constitutional right to marry. MORE The post Could religious institutions lose tax-exempt status over Supreme Court’s gay marriage case? appeared first on . |
| Huckabee: ‘We Are Moving Rapidly Toward the Criminalization of Christianity’Posted: 29 Apr 2015 06:14 AM PDT
The persecution of Christians because of their moral opposition to homosexual behavior and so-called gay marriage is on the rise in America, to the point where “Christian convictions are under attack as never before” and “we are moving rapidly toward the criminalization of Christianity,” said former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who is also an ordained Southern Baptist minister. During an Apr. 23 conference call with conservative pastors arranged by the Family Research Council (FRC), Gov. Huckabee and FRC President Tony Perkins talked about persecution of Christians in the U.S. military, in the business world, and how homosexuality as a “civil right” and same-sex marriage are affecting the social and legal climate. “I think it’s fair to say that Christian convictions are under attack as never before, not just in our lifetime, but never before in the history of this great republic,” said Huckabee, who was governor of Arkansas from 1996 to 2007. MORE
The post Huckabee: ‘We Are Moving Rapidly Toward the Criminalization of Christianity’ appeared first on . |
| Earthquake experts got it right about Nepal. What about Japan, California and Mexico?Posted: 28 Apr 2015 09:31 PM PDT
Writing about seismic risk is frustrating: The experts know that big earthquakes are going to happen, but not exactly when and where. The ensuing articles are laced with hypotheticals. There is an airy, foamy quality to these stories; as a writer, you long for solid facts and certainties, and wonder whether any of this stuff makes a difference on the ground, in lives of actual human beings who are at risk. For example, here’s a story I wrote five years ago: The next Big One could strike Tokyo, Istanbul, Tehran, Mexico City, New Delhi, Kathmandu or the two metropolises near California’s San Andreas Fault, Los Angeles and San Francisco. Or it could devastate Dhaka, Jakarta, Karachi, Manila, Cairo, Osaka, Lima or Bogota. The list goes on and on … For years, earthquake scientists have shouted their warnings about the strong likelihood that a major quake would level an impoverished city and kill hundreds of thousands of people. They have said, for example, that Kathmandu, where masonry structures expand so haphazardly that some eventually cantilever over narrow city streets, is every bit as vulnerable as the surrounding Himalayas are majestic.For years, scientists have talked to me about the very high likelihood of a Kathmandu earthquake. It happened Saturday. The experts called it. But being right hasn’t made them any less horrified and saddened by this disaster. In fact, they sounded dismayed, as if overcome with a sense of powerlessness. Tectonic forces are massive and implacable, and human societies are often poor and fragile. MORE The post Earthquake experts got it right about Nepal. What about Japan, California and Mexico? appeared first on . |
| U.S. Sends Destroyer After Iran Detains ShipPosted: 28 Apr 2015 09:22 PM PDT
The United States Navy sent a destroyer toward the Persian Gulf on Tuesday after Iran took control of a Marshall Islands-flagged cargo ship it accused of trespassing in territorial waters, American military officials said. The ship, the Maersk Tigris, with 24 crew members, was intercepted by Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps patrol boats on Tuesday morning while traveling through the Strait of Hormuz, a Pentagon official said. The Iranian forces fired shots across the ship’s bow, the official said, after its captain declined an order by the forces to divert farther into Iranian waters. The official said the ship was traveling through “an internationally recognized maritime route.” After being fired on, it issued a distress call, prompting the United States Navy to direct a destroyer, the Farragut, to the area and to put aircraft on standby to monitor the situation. Gen. Mohammad Ali Jafari, the head of the Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, in Tehran in 2011.Yemen Crisis Looms as Kerry Meets With Iranian Counterpart on Nuclear DealAPRIL 27, 2015. The episode threatened fragile negotiations over reining in Iran’s nuclear ambitions, but American officials were quick to play down its significance, correcting initial reports out of Iran that it had seized a United States ship. The Marshall Islands, in the Pacific, have been independent of the United States since 1986 but have a “free association” relationship with the country. MORE The post U.S. Sends Destroyer After Iran Detains Ship appeared first on . |
| This map shows where the strongest earthquakes are expected to strikePosted: 28 Apr 2015 09:05 PM PDT
In the past 24 hours, there have been 25 earthquakes around the world. Many of them are of low magnitude, but at least nine were a magnitude of 4.5 or stronger. Earthquakes can potentially occur anywhere (the small earthquake that shook the US East Coast in 2011, an area considered not at risk, is proof of that); however, the likelihood that an area be hit by an earthquake and its strength vary. The map above, based on data from the Global Seismic Hazard Assessment Program (GSHAP), highlights the areas where there is an increased risk of seismic activity. The GSHAP ran from 1992 to 1999 (as part of the United Nations International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction), and the data shown in the map have not been updated since. While still accurate overall, the data have a few issues. USGS’s National Regional Coordinator Mark Petersen told Quartz that, for instance, the seismic hazard in Haiti, which was hit by a devastating earthquake in 2010, is underestimated in the map. However, Petersen confirmed this is the most accurate global hazard representation available and, while there is detailed information available regionally, updates to the global representation will be made in the next several years. The post This map shows where the strongest earthquakes are expected to strike appeared first on . |
Things Getting Weird As Pope Francis Joins The UN To Declare Jihad On Climate Change Skeptics
The Vatican and the United Nations teamed up to warn the world of the effects of climate change on Tuesday, coming down firmly against skeptics who deny human activities help change global weather patterns.
“And upon her forehead was a name written, MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH.” Revelation 17:5 (KJV)
From a spiritual and prophetic perspective, things are starting to get weird with Pope Francis. Very weird. Revelation 17 and 18 says that, in the last days, the Catholic Church once again becomes a world political power, just like the Rome of old. This is why we see the pope, who is a religious figure, suddenly getting very involved with movements and causes as a political figure. Francis has no problem using his global influence over 1.2 billion Catholics to get them to believe that man-made climate change is not only a real thing, but that if they don’t support it they are somehow out of the will of God. In essence, Pope Francis is declaring a jihad against any and all people who would dare say that man-made climate change is false, and using religion to do it. Francis is starting to understand who he is now, and the role he was born to play. The False Prophet.
Here is the permanent “climate change” that God is planning on performing:
“But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night; in the which the heavens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up.” 2 peter 3:10 (KJV)
Talk about your global warming. Ahh…if only Pope Francis believed the Bible.
Vatican City – U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon discussed climate change with the pope before opening a one-day conference of scientists and religious leaders called “The Moral Dimensions of Climate Change and Sustainable Development“. The pope, who is due to make a major address on sustainable development at the United Nations in September, has said he believes man is primarily responsible for climate change and is writing an encyclical on the environment.
Ban, opening the conference of some 60 scientists, religious leaders and diplomats hosted by the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, urged industrialized countries to invest in clean energy and reduce their carbon footprints.
“Mitigating climate change and adapting to its effects are necessary to eradicate extreme poverty, reduce inequality and secure equitable, sustainable economic development,” he said.
The gathering’s joint declaration said “human-induced climate change is a scientific reality, and its decisive control is a moral imperative for all of humanity”. Ban said he and the pope discussed Francis’ keenly awaited encyclical, which is expected to address the issue of man’s responsibility for climate change.
The post Things Getting Weird As Pope Francis Joins The UN To Declare Jihad On Climate Change Skeptics appeared first on Now The End Begins.
The Briefing
1) Supreme Court oral arguments on gay marriage reveals more than marriage at stake
Gay Marriage Arguments Divide Supreme Court Justices, New York Times (Adam Liptak)
Supreme Court hears arguments in same-sex marriage case: Highlights from oral arguments, Washington Post (Fred Barbash, Mark Berman, and Sandhya Somashekhar)
Supreme Court Transcript, New York Times (Supreme Court)
The Case Against Gay Marriage: Top Law Firms Won’t Touch It, New York Times (Adam Liptak)
In other news…
Inside a Medical-Marijuana Firm With a Sweet Tooth, Wall Street Journal (Jospeh De Avila)
On The Streets Of Baltimore, Trying To Understand The Anger, NPR (Eyder Peralta)
Baltimore’s violent protesters are right: Smashing police cars is a legitimate political strategy, Salon (Benji Hart)
Indonesia Executes 8, Including 7 Foreigners, Convicted on Drug Charges, New York Times (Joe Cochrane)
Amid Violence, Factions and Messages Converge in a Weary and Unsettled Baltimore, New York Times (Ron Nixon)
The GOP’s tricky same-sex marriage balancing act, CNN (Nia-Malika Henderson)
The most racists places in America, according to Google, Washington Post (Christopher Ingraham)
Why the Future of Religion is Bleak, Wall Street Journal (Daniel C. Dennett)
Are You Attending the Church of Laodicea?
I can just hear the evil one whispering to church leadership “If you would just make it more fun, more worldly, you would attract more people. They won’t even feel like they’re in church!”
And so goes the slippery slope in the Seeker Sensitive churches. The Word of God becomes obscure — almost obsolete. Surely people know how to pack their church pews, right? They make sure that the name of Jesus is mentioned, at least a few times. But the main thing is that everyone has a good time. After all, we want them to come back!
Global Warming to replace Gospel at church
The New Green Religion of Global Warming/Climate Change is coming out of the closet to begin preaching from the pulpit.
In the lib-left world timing is everything. Now that Christianity is being persecuted worldwide with the many slings and arrows sent its way flashing out in neon, it’s time for ‘sustainability’ to squeeze out Salvation at Sunday church services.
“The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is spending $84,000 to study how churches can be used to combat climate change.
A.D. The Bible Continues: “The Spirit Arrives” Review
Author(s): Ken Ham
The A.D. The Bible Continues mini-series continues on American television and, unfortunately, it continues downward. We previously mentioned how there’s been a complete neglect of the gospel so far, and last week’s episode just made it worse. Episode three, “The Spirit Arrives,” built on Christ’s ascension and His command for the disciples to wait in Jerusalem for the Holy Spirit as the series moved into Acts 2 and the arrival of the Spirit at Pentecost. What should have been the perfect opportunity for a powerful presentation of the gospel ended up being a completely missed opportunity….
Christians are leaving the faith in droves and the trend isn’t slowing down
by Marsha West
According to the Business Insider:
An extensive study done by the Pew Research Center has yielded some fascinating information regarding the trajectory of world religions over the next four decades.
As of 2010, Christianity was the dominant world religion with roughly 2.2 billion adherents and Muslims were second with about 1.6 billion adherents. If current demographic trends continue however, Islam is expected to catch up to Christianity midway through the 21st century.
U.S. Supreme Court Expresses Hesitancy as Justices Hear Arguments Over Same-Sex “Marriage”
by Marsha West
According to Christian Research Network:
The U.S. Supreme Court was divided on Tuesday as it heard oral argument over states’ rights surrounding the definition of marriage, with some justices expressing a hesitancy to change the definition for one particular type of relationship.
As previously reported, the court was set to hear argument in the case of Obergefell v. Hodges, as well as several other cases that were on appeal after the Sixth Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that states had a right to decline to recognize arrangements outside of the male-female marital union.
Civil Unrest Has Begun In Baltimore And This Is Only Just The Start Of Something Much Bigger
On Saturday night, the city of Baltimore resembled a warzone as protests over the death of Freddie Gray turned wildly violent. One eyewitness reported watching the streets around him and his friend “turn into madness” as they left a baseball game between the Boston Red Sox and the Baltimore Orioles …………. Click here for full story
Why Is JP Morgan Accumulating The Biggest Stockpile Of Physical Silver In History?
Why in the world has JP Morgan accumulated more than 55 million ounces of physical silver? Since early 2012, JP Morgan’s stockpile has grown from less than 5 million ounces of physical silver to more than 55 million ounces of physical silver. So why is JP Morgan doing this? Do they know something that the rest of us do not?……….. Click here for full story
Obama Mocks Bachman Over End Time Beliefs
The “mock Michele Bachmann for her religious beliefs” train ride seems to be gaining passengers among those on the left. And now even the president of the United States has jumped aboard, making Bachmann the butt of his jokes during Saturday’s White House Correspondents Dinner ……….. Click here for full story
‘We Will Not Obey’: Christian Leaders Threaten Civil Disobedience If Supreme Court Legalizes Gay Marriage
“We will not obey.” That’s the blunt warning a group of prominent religious leaders is sending to the Supreme Court of the United States as they consider same-sex marriage ……….. Click here for full story
Smart Policing To Come Dubai With Robo-Cops
In the next two years robots will be used to bolster police forces patrolling malls and other public areas. Dubai Police will be turning into “robo-cops” in the next few years. According to the Chief Information Officer and General Director of the Dubai Police HQ Smart Services Department ………. Click here for full story
Christian Headlines Daily – Wednesday, April 29, 2015
http://www.christianheadlines.com/
Top Headlines
Nepal Earthquake: Man Explains How He Survived in Rubble for 82 Hours
Nepal’s Long-Delayed Transition to Democracy Worries its Christians
Islamic State’s Sophisticated Recruiting Campaign Poses Persistent Threat in U.S.
Franklin Graham Helps Christian Bakery through Samaritan’s Purse Donations
Baltimore Riots Leave 15 Officers Injured as Church Leaders March for Peace
Nigerian Troops Rescue 200 Girls, 93 Women, Says Military
Video Mocking IS Causes Riots in Egypt
Nepal Prime Minister: Earthquake Death Toll Could Reach 10,000
Supreme Court Hears Gay Marriage Arguments
Two Shot and Four Wounded in Shooting outside Brooklyn Church
Opinion
In Defense of Marriage, the Rule of Law, and Ordered Liberty
Why Religious Conservatives Want the Supreme Court to Consider Other Nations in Its Same-Sex Marriage Ruling
Gay Marriage and the Supreme Court: A Critical Fact
Catholic College Refuses Government Funding in Favor of Religious Liberty
Genocides and Holocausts: Never Again
Will Obama Pick Another Fight with Israel? :: Rosen in Washington Times
by Steven J. Rosen
The Washington Times
April 27, 2015
http://www.meforum.org/5206/obama-israel-round-two
EPA Spends $84,000 to Study Churches That Preach Climate Change
by Marsha West
ChurchAccording to Elizabeth Harrington, staff writer for the Washington Free Beacon, the EPA is “developing workshops to teach pastors and other religious leaders how to change the behaviors of their congregants” to help combat so-called global warming. The fact cannot be ignored that many men and women in the scientific community believe that global warming is “the greatest hoax ever imposed on modern man.”
Legal Group Seeks Recusal of Justices as Supreme Court Considers Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ Case
by Marsha West
The Christian News Network reports:
Supreme Court Justices
A Christian legal organization in Alabama has filed a motion urging the recusal of two U.S. Supreme Court justices who have officiated same-sex “weddings” as the high court hears oral argument today surrounding states’ rights regarding the definition of marriage.
As previously reported, liberal Justice Elena Kagan, nominated to the bench by Barack Obama, officiated her first same-sex “wedding” last September, participating in a ceremony for her former law clerk Mitchell Reich and his partner Patrick Pearsall. The event was held in Chevy Chase, Maryland, a suburb just outside of the nation’s capital.
“My Last Day” — the Jesus Anime
9 powerful minutes of animation that begins with a thief behind bars watching the scourging of Jesus, and it ends with the thief dying next to Jesus, and waking to see Him in a beautiful place.
The dying thief: What was so great about his faith?
There are many acts of extraordinary faith in the Bible. The one that has impressed me the most concerns the dying thief on the cross. We could take the approach that he had nothing to lose, so he decided to cast his lot with Jesus. But this makes absolutely no sense of the text and the context.
In this conversion we have a specific fulfillment of Christ’s first words on the cross. No sooner had Christ spoken the words, “Father, forgive them,” had the Father answered that prayer by turning a once-reviling criminal into a Christ-glorifying saint. While the soon-to-be converted criminal was not directly responsible for Christ’s death, he nevertheless joined with those who were and was thus indirectly addressed when Christ asked for God to forgive “them.”
Christ, the sinless one, was numbered with or counted among the transgressors (Isa. 53:12; Luke 22:37), all of whom have a bigger problem than the day-to-day sins they commit. They hate Christ, the God-man. Anyone who has a master other than the Lord Jesus hates him (Lk. 16:13; Gal. 4:8). That these two criminals loathed him is clearly manifested during the crucifixion: “And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way” (Matt. 27:44).
When the criminal who was converted was doing his worst against Christ, Christ was doing his best for this criminal.
The conversion of the one criminal was most extraordinary and testifies to the power of Christ’s prayer and the grace of God. Why?
This criminal’s faith did not come at a time such as when Christ turned water into wine; or performed miracles, such as walking on water, opening the eyes of a blind man, or raising Lazarus from the dead. No! The criminal believed on the Messiah while he was hanging as one cursed upon a tree. The criminal trusted in and boldly defended the one whose disciples had abandoned him. Jesus was at his lowest when this criminal asked to be remembered in Christ’s kingdom.
When he was on the cross, did anyone publicly cry out, as John the Baptist did, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29)? But this is essentially what the dying thief did. Little wonder, then, that Christ should promise him a place in his kingdom: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43).
The criminal acknowledged he was guilty; he acknowledged that Christ was not (“this man has done nothing wrong”); he feared God; but, and here is the key: the criminal did not merely want to be in a better place. He wanted to be with Christ in a better place: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk. 23:42). The criminal believed “against all hope”.
Heaven is a better place because that is where Christ is. Everyone wants to go to heaven, but not everyone wants to go to Christ’s heaven. Not so with this criminal: he saw, with his eyes, Christ at his worst; but with the eyes of faith, he believed that Christ would soon be at his best, and so put his faith in a dying king.
Christ is always – always! – willing to save even the most miserable of sinners. A recognition of guilt (Lk. 23:40) and a confidence in him and not ourselves (Lk. 23:42) will always lead to the most assuring truth a sinner can receive: the Savior welcomes such into his paradise!
“One is saved, and we may not despair; the other is lost, and we may not presume.” Spurgeon
Our Time is Short
Ready to start your new life with God?
Who do you think that I am?
With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.
Who do you say Jesus is? Your response to Him will determine not only your values and lifestyle, but your eternal destiny as well.
Consider what the Bible says about Him: Read more
Look to Jesus
Have you ever felt a little lost and wished there was a quick-start guide to your relationship with God? This is it!
30 Day Next Steps
John Beckett, a leading Christian businessman, has written a series to read over 30 days for new believers.
New Believers Guide
The New Believer’s Guide is a series of articles designed to show you how to walk in the new life Christ has given you— a life of faith and freedom.
Jesus Booklet
Jesus is the Savior of the world. Discover who Jesus is today in this series.
About Christianity
Know Jesus Christ and your life will be transformed
Truth2Freedom Blog Disclaimer
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April 29, 2015 Truth2Freedom Daily Christian Blogroll Collection
Complacency is a deadly foe of all spiritual growth. —A.W. Tozer
Give Them Truth
Meade begins with a case for what our kids need more than anything else—the truth! Our children are theologians too. We want them to be good ones, because it is imperative that they know God rightly. And Meade urges us, “Our kids really can’t believe truth that they do not know” (31).
Freedom From Parenting
This means I don’t need to be racked with guilt over the sins of my children. I don’t need to be ashamed or embarrassed when my kids don’t measure up to other kids. I will do all I can to restrain their sin and teach them to obey God’s word, but I don’t have the power to really change them. I can’t make them obey me. I can’t make them stop arguing with each other (I would pay large sums of money for that power).
Signposts Along the Way
Sunday Women just celebrated an anniversary, which caused me to look at the four-year stretch I travelled since the blog started. What did I experience along the way? God has loved and taught me and been a real present help in trouble. I sinned; I felt joy; I knew sorrow. I still have frustrations, but I am encouraged to continue the journey. I am looking forward to being in the place where everything is put right.
Hating Science But Loving Murder
I maintain that the cultural war over abortion cannot last forever. As science advances, as more moms (and politicians) see ultra-sound machines, and as the hypocrisy of the “women’s rights” movement continues to be exposed, something has to give. I really believe that future generations (if the Lord tarries) will look back on this era of American history with sheer disbelief. They will ask “how could people have been so malicious towards society’s most vulnerable?”
What Baltimore Needs
Baltimore is hurting. Let’s pray for the wisdom of the governor, the mayor, the Justice Department, the police. But let’s pray also for Baltimore to see a preview of the future—of peace and righteousness and unity—in the only place we can see it in the now: the church.
Why Not Gay Marriage?
By recognizing gay unions as marriage, just like the husband-wife relationship we’ve always called marriage, the state is engaging in (or at least codifying) a massive re-engineering of our social life. It assumes the indistinguishability of gender in parenting, the relative unimportance of procreation in marriage, and the near infinite flexibility as to what sorts of structures and habits lead to human flourishing.
In Defense of Marriage, the Rule of Law, and Ordered Liberty
The ruling by the panel of the Sixth Circuit set the stage for the arrival of the issue once again at the United States Supreme Court As Judge Sutton indicated in the opening section to his opinion, he fully expected the Supreme Court to rule in favor of same-sex marriage. In his opinion, he made clear that this would be a mistake and a violation of the Court’s own logic.
Thoughts on the Song of Songs
Though “allegorical” is commonly used to refer to the older method of interpreting the Song, it is really inaccurate. The approach is more symbolic, in that the various elements of the Song (as the tradition approached it) symbolized spiritual elements. That is, they were signs pointing to spiritual realities.
Brief Reflections on the Oral Arguments
by Denny Burk
Before yesterday’s oral arguments on gay marriage at the Supreme Court, I had contended that the Court’s decision was pretty much a foregone conclusion. I predicted that by the end of June, the Court would rule gay marriage to be a Constitutional right. Now that the case is in, I have listened to all of the arguments made by attorneys on both sides of the question. I have also listened to the Justices’ grilling of those attorneys, and I can say this. I am no Constitutional scholar, but I heard nothing today that would alter my original prediction. The Court will ensconce a Constitutional right to gay marriage.
In addition, I would offer four brief observations:
Gay Marriage, Part Three – Church & Culture Blog
*Editor’s Note: As the Supreme Court prepares to hear arguments on same-sex marriage this week, the Church & Culture Team felt it timely to take a recent address by Dr. White on the matter and turn it into a four-blog series that will be issued Monday-Thursday of this week. This is part three of that series.
***************
Now that we’ve explored God’s original design for human sexuality and relationship, this brings us to the orientation issue.
Three Lessons From a Violent Thornbush
by Pastor J.D.
Reading the Old Testament can be difficult. It’s not exactly full of the kinds of stories we’d pick out for our kids to read before bed. It’s more likely to sound like a brutal recounting of the Hatfields and McCoys than a scene from Goodnight Moon. What lessons can we learn from the less-than-pleasant parts of God’s Word?
Judges 9 gives us a great example. It chronicles the life of Gideon’s son, Abimelech—his bloody rise to power and his violent end. His story begins when he ruthlessly murders 69 of his 70 brothers, declaring himself king and demanding tribute from the surrounding cities. The one brother who survives, Jotham, warns Abimelech that this atrocity won’t go unpunished.
It takes a few years, but Jotham turns out to be right. Abimelech, the murderous usurper, has a series of rebellions on his hand almost immediately. He’s able to stamp out one by burning hundreds of people alive in a tower (in Shechem). But when he tries the same trick in the next city, an anonymous woman drops a millstone on his head. It doesn’t quite finish him off, so he asks his armor-bearer to kill him with a sword. He obliges, and Abimelech’s bloody reign is over. End of story. Roll credits.
What lessons can we learn from this bloody tale?
35 Things I Wish I’d Known in High School
by Erin Davis | 4/29/15
I turn 35 today.
I know to some of you that may seem ancient. I can see forty over the horizon after all. When I was a teenager, I didn’t think too highly of the thirties either. Weddings are often done by that stage. Babies have usually been born. Career has been picked. What’s left other than to get wrinkles? But as I crest the hill of my mid-thirties I can assure you I won’t be picking out a retirement home any time soon. I’m just getting warmed up. In fact, my thirties have been some of the best, most fruitful, most fun years of my life. One major lesson I’ve learned is the wisdom that can be gleaned from women older than me. There’s gold in them thar hills if I’m willing to mine it! I don’t have life all figured out, but God has taught me some valuable lessons since high school graduation. Here are thirty-five of them.
Driving the truth home
Time is short! Dave Wager joins us in studio today as we ask the question: will Christians step up to share the truth in a darkening world? Podcast listeners, for the next few days we are asking for support in helping us maintain Stand Up For The Truth with a pledge by phone or via […]
Andy Stanley Removes Shame from Homosexual Sin
by Marsha West
Will, who blogs at Entreating Favor, expresses his concern over comments made by Andy Stanley, senior pastor of North Point megachurch, at a recent conference. The popular pastor declared that local congregations should be the “safest place on the planet for students to talk about anything, including same-sex attraction.” Will wonders what he meant by “safe.” “Safe from what?” queries Will, as he believes that it’s unlikely that Christian churches are causing physical harm to their homosexual youth. He does, however, believe that Pastor Stanley “is at risk of causing them the worst possible spiritual harm.”
Ministerial Friendships and Longevity
I’ve been in ministry long enough now (well over a decade) to see friends enter the ministry and then leave it. Some of those exits have been for honorable reasons and some for dishonorable.
Will the American Church Be a New Smyrna? (Rick Phillips)
As the Supreme Court deliberates on the question of
homosexual marriage, American Christians are bracing for a level of government persecution
yet unknown to us. The fear is that with…
Addicts: An Unreached People Group?
You’re reading the second of a three-part BCC Grace & Truth blog miniseries on Biblical Counseling and Addictions. In today’s post, Dr. Mark Shaw explores whether we should see addicts as an unreached people group and the implications if we do. Continue reading →
When Sparks Fly Upward
Opening up the news this week was like being on the receiving end of a quadruple gut-punch. Across the global and national landscape are wars and rumors of wars, famines and earthquakes, people proceeding from bad to worse, and the love of pleasure over the love of God.
And then, as many of you can relate, opening up my email was no more soothing. Locally, many of us are witnessing people shipwreck their faith, making their belly their god, glorying in their shame, and holding to a form of godliness, but denying its power, to name a few things. Pile on that the personal trials many of us are experiencing right now, and it’s almost too much.
“Man is born to trouble as the sparks fly upward” (Job 5:7).
Certainly these are times when sparks are soaring.
But how do we keep our minds from going off the deep-end? Here are a few reminders to tether our thoughts in times of profuse spark-ascending:
Video: But the Fruit of the Spirit is…
8 Principles of Biblical Friendship
5 Practical Steps to Increase in Godly Wisdom
My Spouse Just Committed Adultery. What Do I Do?
Where is God When the Earth Shakes?
3 Ways to Pursue God Even As You Wander in the Wilderness
6 Misguided Responses to Spiritual Abuse
The fire of Jesus and the patience of Paul
Trevin Wax:
If you were to pick someone in the New Testament who most resembles a ”hellfire and brimstone” preacher, it would probably be John the Baptist, the prophet who baptized Jesus, and about whom Jesus said no one greater had been born. We like to caricature offensive evangelists as if they are weirdos holding up signs saying, “Turn or burn!” But the testimony we receive about John isn’t far from that. His words are pointed; his call to repentance is clear; his clothing is strange. The way John prepared the way for the Lord was by denouncing all kinds of sin: personal, social, and sexual. He called out the immorality of the king and lost his head for it.
Aside from John, Jesus best fits the description of a “hellfire and brimstone” preacher, even more than Paul. Just read the New Testament and you’ll often find the red letters to be more fiery than the letters of Paul.
Getting Bored With the Right Things
Jared Wilson:
Whether it’s outrage about the sinful state of popular media—whatever new scandal the news people want you to get mad about—or fear about the declining state of our political process—”It’s the Democrats!”; “No, it’s the Republicans!”; “No, it’s politicians!”—or just the crushing anxiety of everyday demands and stresses, in the flesh we are like the disciples in that boat, thinking the skies are crashing down on us as if God is not in control, as if all sin will not be judged, as if justice will not prevail, as if the church will not endure, as if the Spirit is not ever-present and all-powerful, as if our hopes are pinned to what happens to our bodies and bodies politic. But when it comes to the things of the gospel, we can barely keep ourselves awake.
But not Jesus. He has the right priorities. When it comes to the temptations of earthly things, the temporal stresses of cultural idolatry, he is practically stoic, uninterested.
How to Prevent Brotherly Love
Erik Raymond:
If we are going to persevere this brotherly love amid adversity we need to know what the problem is. What impedes brotherly love? What derails it? What suffocates it?
In short: selfishness.
Ministering to the Mobile
Nick Batzig:
During the first three years, I allowed myself to become sinfully frustrated by this aspect of our church plant; it felt like I was trying to do college ministry while having to establish a local church. On one occasion, while venting my frustrations, a friend looked at me and said, “What are you complaining about? Think about foster care parents. At best they hope to love the kids they are entrusted with, move them on to a better home and never see them again.” It was like getting hit in the face with a bag of bricks. That was a turning point for me. Instead of viewing the situation as something negative, I learned to view it from the perspective of a foster care parent. In addition to learning to change the perspective by which I viewed the situation, I began to realize all the benefits of ministering to a mobile community, such as the military. Here are 5 benefits about being in a place where you minister to the mobile military.
The missing conviction of developing leaders
Eric Geiger:
If we look at Moses and Joshua, his successor, we see conviction for developing leaders in one and lacking in the other. And we also see that the implications of either possessing or lacking a conviction for development are huge.
5 Mentalities of a Porn “Addict”
You’re reading the first of a three-part BCC Grace & Truth blog miniseries on Biblical Counseling and Addictions. In today’s post, Dr. Mark Shaw helps us to understand 5 Mentalities of a Porn “Addict.” Continue reading →
How I Know Marriage Will Stand
“Marriage Under Fire”
“Government to Hear Testimony on the Re-Definition of Marriage”
“Biblical Definition of Marriage Questioned”
Nope. I didn’t rip these headlines from today’s blog roll. Not yesterday’s either. Yes, I know they are an accurate description of the state of the marriage debate our country is currently facing, but we’re not the first society to wrestle over the subject of marriage.
God’s plans will not ultimately be thwarted.
These headlines describe what was happening in sixteenth century England during the English Reformation. In case it’s been awhile since you sat in a world history class, here is a crash course. Pay attention to the parallels between what was happening then and what is happening now. (Don’t worry. There won’t be a quiz!)
- King Henry VIII wanted his marriage to Catherine of Aragon annulled.
- Catherine had not yet given Henry a male heir, and he had a sudden and passionate interest in a new lady, Anne Boleyn.
- This ignited a frenzy of public debate about marriage, government’s involvement in marriage, and the limit (if any) of the Bible’s authority in our private lives.
- It became a political affair centered around a theological dispute.
- In other words, marriage became the issue around which politicians, church leaders, and the public war danced.
- Because of the invention of the printing press, more words were written and circulated than ever before. If you had an opinion, you had the option to share it beyond your immediate circle. (Kind of like an old-fashioned blogosphere!)
Ultimately, good ol’ Henry split from the authority of the Pope and the Catholic Church and created the Church of England to get his annulment. But why am I taking us so far down this ancient path?
Debate Video- Frank Turek vs. Michael Shermer- What Better Explains Morality: God or Science?
This streaming video features a debate that took place on April 16, 2015 between Frank Turek and Michael Shermer. It was hosted by New York Apologetics…
‘Keep the Money, Uncle Sam’
The promise of federal dollars always comes with strings attached. Find out how one college is rejecting the dollars and the strings.
Listen Now | Download
Words of Comfort: Fear of man.
Although God assured the prophet Jeremiah that He formed him, knew him, sanctified and ordained him, he still was paralyzed by the fear of man (see Jeremiah 1:5,6). When the fear of man seeks to paralyze us, we must stop saying “I cannot speak” (as Jeremiah did) and instead say with the Apostle Paul, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.” This one verse obliterates every excuse we try to offer for not preaching the gospel to every creature. It counters the fear of man, the fear of rejection, the fear of public speaking, and the fear of offering a stranger a gospel tract. Hudson Taylor said, “All God’s giants have been weak men, who did great things for God because they believed that God would be with them.”
Letter to the Editor: Bible Study Fellowship (BSF) Handing Out Jesus Calling And Saying, “There are no wrong answers.”
Dear Lighthouse Trails: I had a conversation with your office the week of January 15, 2015 voicing my concerns and experiences with BSF . I have been a faithful attendee for six years.
The Ultimate List of Christian Apologetics Podcasts
Check out the latest blog at Credo Courses: The Ultimate List of Christian Apologetics Podcasts
Eventually the Credo Courses blog (done by Ted Paul) will have additional information for each podcasts available (maybe even sortable).
Guest Commentary: A Response to “Red Letter Christians” and Tony Campolo’s “Going the Jesus Way”
By Erik G. Guest Commentary I saw the article, on Tony Campolo: “Christians Should Vote for Hilary.” It was quite revealing. Well on his website (redletterchristians.org), he wrote a short article called, “Going the Jesus Way”
Hyper-Headship and the Scandal of Domestic Abuse in the Church
Justin Taylor gives a summary of a much-needed sermon from Jason Meyer.
TGC15 resources are now available
If you weren’t able to attend the Gospel Coalition’s 2015 National Conference, or you missed a session here and there, TGC has made the media from every plenary session and all the workshops available online (and it’s free).
Beware Gluten-Free Preaching
Philip Bethancourt:
In Christian preaching, it’s not gluten that is dangerous, but gluten-free. For Spurgeon, just as it would be absurd to make bread without flour, it is unthinkable to preach a sermon without Christ.
The gluten of the gospel must be kneaded into every Christian sermon, despite the many ways pastors are drawn to preach gluten-free today. Here are three of them to beware. If we bypass Christ in any of these aspects of the sermon, we are removing the gluten of the gospel from our text.
Four signs your ministry is all about you
JD Greear:
Sadly, most of us can all too easily recount stories of pastors who betrayed their congregations, who hurt the very people God had called them to love, who—in short—made their ministry all about them.
Some of these pastors may have had their own inflated sense of grandeur from day one. But more often than not, these are the same guys who entered the ministry legitimately wanting to serve others, not angling to build an empire. And yet somewhere along the way, they got a taste for glory. And instead of being the shepherds of God’s people, teaching them to have faith in God, they become stumbling blocks, impediments keeping people from considering God at all.
Five Words that Measure the Boldness of Faith
Michael Kelley asks, “how do you measure faith?”
Well, one option would be to look at results. Jesus was the One who said that even with a small amount of faith, faith the size of a mustard seed, you could tell a mountain to get up and move and it would (Lk. 17:6). In our minds, this looks like a focus on results. That the one with faith will be able to believe that a certain thing should be, and it will be. That’s how we know how big our faith is – it’s based on whether or not that which we can conceive actually becomes reality. But I want to propose a different measure of faith, one not based on results but instead based on something bigger and better than those results.
And you can describe this kind of boldness of faith in five words:
“Even. If. He. Does. Not.”
Those Who Think Read
JD Payne:
Whenever I go a while without extensive reading and thought, I can feel it. It is like the feeling that comes to people who have longstanding exercise routines interrupted for some extended period. They begin to have a strange internal omission, a stressor they are unable to put their fingers on until they hit their treadmills. Once they hit them, they feel an immediate relief and satisfaction. An ahhh moment.
If we are too busy to think, then we are too busy. And if we are too busy to read, then we are too busy.
The Daily Discovery (April 29, 2015)
Why Not Gay Marriage? – “As the Supreme Court hears oral arguments in DeBoer v. Snyder, it’s worth asking the question: Is there any reason a decent, rational, non-bigoted American might oppose same-sex marriage? Just as important: Are there any decent, rational, non-bigoted Americans who are willing to consider why other Americans might have plausible reasons for opposing same-sex marriage? This blog post is my way of saying ‘yes’ to the first quesiton and ‘let’s hope so’ to the second.”
Gay marriage will cause a winnowing of the evangelical ranks. It already is. – “Most readers already know how historic today is in our national life. The Supreme Court will hear oral arguments concerning gay marriage. The Justices will render a decision on the matter by the end of June. Given the high court’s precedents in the 2003 Lawrence decision and in the 2013 Windsor decision, most observers agree that the current case is a forgone conclusion. The Supreme Court is poised to declare gay marriage a constitutional right.”
Providence Is Remarkable – “One of the underlying presuppositions of the Charismatic world is that if God is not actively intervening in creation through miracles and signs and wonders and things like that, then you’ve got an absentee God. If we don’t take the Charismatic position, they say, your God isn’t really there. Charismatics frequently lob this charge at non-Charismatics, that, you know, if you believe the miraculous Charismatic gifts have ceased, they say, then your view is a close cousin of deism, which is virtually a denial that God is present and at work in this world’s affairs.”
Self KnockOut: A Twitter Dialogue with a Hindu against Christian Evangelism – “In my post on Sunday ‘Twitter attack on #SoulVultures and the Nepalese Earthquake,’ I noted that there are Hindus and others on Twitter harassing those Christians who expressed evangelistic prayers for Nepal in light of the recent earthquake and Christian evangelistic relief efforts. In Sunday’s post I gave a compact summary of the Gospel since people kept on misrepresenting it and I also dealt with the objection to Christian evangelistic relief effort and evangelistic prayers.”
Janet Mefferd: the interviewer interviewed (Part One) – “I think that, before Kregel got me an interview opportunity with her, I’d never heard of Janet Mefferd. As it turns out, Janet’s questions were so insightful and incisive that I started listening, and found that she was doing what, as far as I could tell, no one else was doing, and doing it with excellence. Hugh Hewitt calls Janet “extremely esteemed in the world of talk show hosts,” and her listeners would heartily agree.”
SERMON:
Dr. Martyn Lloyd-Jones – How to Become a Christian
VIDEOS:
The Sin of Presumption: Another Roman Catholic Lie
Science Confirms the Bible
“If you alter or obscure the Biblical portrait of God in order to attract converts, you don’t get converts to God, you get converts to an illusion. This is not evangelism but deception.” – John Piper
What Is A Resurrection?
Q. I seem to remember you doing this before, but would you explain again what happens when people die? Exactly what is a resurrection and when does it happen?
What Does Ordination Mean?
Q. How is a pastor ordained and who does it? Is it a must or just a man made step intended to make reality of what the person has decided in dedicating his life to Christ. Is it in the Bible ? continue reading
Questions About The Battle Of Ezekiel 38
Q. Does anyone know how long the battle will last? At what point of this battle does the anti-christ step in proclaiming peace the beginning, middle or end? Is this when God will supernaturally protect Israel? Also is this the battle that will provide the weapons that Israel will melt down and use for energy purposes for 7 years? If God supernaturally protects them at this battle shouldn’t their eyes be open to God then?
Scientism Exposed
Jesus warned us about building our house on a strong foundation. And as recent events indicate, scientism isn’t that foundation.
Listen Now | Download
Words of Comfort: “The Man upstairs.”
When people refer to God as “the Man upstairs,” they reveal that they have no concept of (nor living relationship with) Him. They will use such words because they feel uncomfortable saying
His name. Often they will have a measure of reverence for God, but not enough to obey Him. Ask if the person thinks he will go to heaven when he dies. He’ll almost certainly say he will, and a little probing will reveal that he’s trusting in his own goodness to save him. However, the only way sinners can have peace with the God they have offended is through the shed blood of the Savior.
Therefore, it’s important to take the person through the Ten Commandments and strip him of his self-righteousness and his false sense of assurance of salvation. As you do so, you may feel bad that you are making him uncomfortable, but if you care about his eternal salvation, you must ask yourself, “Which is worse: a few moments of conviction under the sound of God’s Law, or eternity in Hell?” Unless there is a knowledge of sin (which comes by the Law—Romans 7:7), there will be no repentance.
OK, I’m Saved. Now What?
A Bible Study by Jack Kelley
Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation: The old has gone, the new has come! (2 Cor. 5:17). Only let us live up to what we have already attained (Phil 3:16).
Featured Blogs
“My Last Day” — the Jesus Anime
9 powerful minutes of animation that begins with a thief behind bars watching the scourging of Jesus, and it ends with the thief dying next to Jesus, and waking to see Him in a beautiful place.
The dying thief: What was so great about his faith?
There are many acts of extraordinary faith in the Bible. The one that has impressed me the most concerns the dying thief on the cross. We could take the approach that he had nothing to lose, so he decided to cast his lot with Jesus. But this makes absolutely no sense of the text and the context.
In this conversion we have a specific fulfillment of Christ’s first words on the cross. No sooner had Christ spoken the words, “Father, forgive them,” had the Father answered that prayer by turning a once-reviling criminal into a Christ-glorifying saint. While the soon-to-be converted criminal was not directly responsible for Christ’s death, he nevertheless joined with those who were and was thus indirectly addressed when Christ asked for God to forgive “them.”
Christ, the sinless one, was numbered with or counted among the transgressors (Isa. 53:12; Luke 22:37), all of whom have a bigger problem than the day-to-day sins they commit. They hate Christ, the God-man. Anyone who has a master other than the Lord Jesus hates him (Lk. 16:13; Gal. 4:8). That these two criminals loathed him is clearly manifested during the crucifixion: “And the robbers who were crucified with him also reviled him in the same way” (Matt. 27:44).
When the criminal who was converted was doing his worst against Christ, Christ was doing his best for this criminal.
The conversion of the one criminal was most extraordinary and testifies to the power of Christ’s prayer and the grace of God. Why?
This criminal’s faith did not come at a time such as when Christ turned water into wine; or performed miracles, such as walking on water, opening the eyes of a blind man, or raising Lazarus from the dead. No! The criminal believed on the Messiah while he was hanging as one cursed upon a tree. The criminal trusted in and boldly defended the one whose disciples had abandoned him. Jesus was at his lowest when this criminal asked to be remembered in Christ’s kingdom.
When he was on the cross, did anyone publicly cry out, as John the Baptist did, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (Jn. 1:29)? But this is essentially what the dying thief did. Little wonder, then, that Christ should promise him a place in his kingdom: “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise” (Lk. 23:43).
The criminal acknowledged he was guilty; he acknowledged that Christ was not (“this man has done nothing wrong”); he feared God; but, and here is the key: the criminal did not merely want to be in a better place. He wanted to be with Christ in a better place: “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom” (Lk. 23:42). The criminal believed “against all hope”.
Heaven is a better place because that is where Christ is. Everyone wants to go to heaven, but not everyone wants to go to Christ’s heaven. Not so with this criminal: he saw, with his eyes, Christ at his worst; but with the eyes of faith, he believed that Christ would soon be at his best, and so put his faith in a dying king.
Christ is always – always! – willing to save even the most miserable of sinners. A recognition of guilt (Lk. 23:40) and a confidence in him and not ourselves (Lk. 23:42) will always lead to the most assuring truth a sinner can receive: the Savior welcomes such into his paradise!
“One is saved, and we may not despair; the other is lost, and we may not presume.” Spurgeon
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With that brief question Jesus Christ confronted His followers with the most important issue they would ever face. He had spent much time with them and made some bold claims about His identity and authority. Now the time had come for them either to believe or deny His teachings.
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Albert Mohler Blog: “‘It is Going to Be an Issue’ — Supreme Court Argument on Same-Sex Marriage Puts Religious Liberty in the Crosshairs”
In this blog essay, Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr. reflects on the threat to religious liberty posed by same-sex marriage, even as the Supreme Court hears oral arguments on the legalization of same-sex marriage. Mohler writes:
“It is … it is going to be an issue.” With those words, spoken yesterday before the Supreme Court of the United States, the Solicitor General of the United States announced that religious liberty is directly threatened by the legalization of same-sex marriage. Donald Verrili, representing the Obama Administration as the nation’s highest court considered again the issue of same-sex marriage, was responding to a question from Justice Samuel Alito. His answer confirms with candor the threat we have long seen coming.”
TGC Blog: 9 Things You Should Know About Same-Sex Marriage
Today the Supreme Court is hearing oral arguments in Obergefell v. Hodges, a case which will determine whether the Fourteenth Amendment of the U.S. Constitution must guarantee the right for same-sex couples to marry. Here are nine things you should know about this controversial topic:
(Note: When this is posted to social media it is inevitable that even before reading the article someone will respond by saying, “The first thing you should know is that ‘same-sex marriage’ isn’t marriage.” Allow me to beat them to the punch by saying that I completely agree. Marriage between people of the same-sex is an ontological and metaphysical impossibility and such relationships are a poor simulacrum of the creational norm and the institution created by God. However, while the term “same-sex marriage” is a misnomer it gets tedious putting scare quotes around the phrase. The use of the term marriage to refer to same-sex unions throughout this article is a mere concession of form and should in no way be taken as an admission I believe them to truly be marital unions.)
What happened in other countries, e.g. Canada, after gay marriage was legalized?
This article from CNS News is a must-read for sleepy American Christians.
It says:
Rather than settle animosity and ease cultural tensions, the advent of same-sex “marriage” will lead to the repression of religious freedom and determination to root out dissent to the gay rights doctrine. At LifeSiteNews, we have watched this play out for nearly two decades in 17 countries around the world – and America is next.
A prime example is Canada. Same-sex “marriage” passed in 2005. Similar to European countries which have done so, there has been a relentless pursuit of the minds of children against the wishes of their parents. Schools, both public and private, were first mandated by law to have gay-straight alliance clubs under the auspices of anti-bullying. Then, sex-education, teaching the normalcy of homosexual sex, was given to children without parents being permitted to opt their children out of the classes.
We have…
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The cure for Transgenderism and Transsexualism.
Bid Farewell To Equality, America
Rights now only redound to those who hold anything but traditional Christian views.
PORTLAND, Ore., (Reuters) – An Oregon judge has ruled that the owners of a Portland-area bakery who refused to bake a wedding cake for a gay couple should pay the couple $135,000 in damages, state officials said Tuesday.
Administrative Law Judge Alan McCullough issued a proposed order last week that could mean Sweet Cakes by Melissa bakery owners Aaron and Melissa Klein will have to pay $60,000 in damages to Laurel Bowman-Cryer, and $75,000 in damages to Rachel Bowman-Cryer, for emotional suffering.
And there you have it. Freedom only counts if you agree with the tyrannical minority.
First they came for the bakers and the florists and you were silent. Next, they will come for you and you will harvest the indifference you formerly sowed.
Overemphasizing the Family
Is the family more important than the church? Certainly family is a blessing from God, emphasized in Scripture, and is part of God’s ordinary covenantal way of working his grace in the world. Family is important for sure! And as many of our readers know, our culture has been attacking the traditional family unit and many Christians have started pro-family movements to combat these attacks. But this isn’t always as good as it sounds, since it’s possible to overemphasize the family.
“A certain pattern has played out many times through history: an established idea or institution comes under assault, and well-meaning people respond by doubling down their efforts to defend and support it; but they end up overreacting and hence emphasizing it so much that they lose proper perspective and neglect other ideas or institutions that may be just as or even more important.”
So writes David VanDrunen in an…
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Only 10% of money given to Clinton Foundation goes to charity
Astonishing article from The Federalist.
It says:
After a week of being attacked for shady bookkeeping and questionable expenditures, the Clinton Foundation is fighting back. In a tweet posted last week, the Clinton Foundation claimed that 88 percent of its expenditures went “directly to [the foundation’s] life-changing work.”
There’s only one problem: that claim is demonstrably false. And it is false not according to some partisan spin on the numbers, but because the organization’s own tax filings contradict the claim.
Look:
Only 10% of their income goes to charity
And:
In order for the 88 percent claim to be even remotely close to the truth, the words “directly” and “life-changing” have to mean something other than “directly” and “life-changing.” For example, the Clinton Foundation spent nearly $8.5 million–10 percent of all 2013 expenditures–on travel. Do plane tickets and hotel accommodations directly change lives? Nearly $4.8 million–5.6 percent of all…
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