Bloggers Represent...

Today I simply want to point out some awesome blog sites that deserve visiting...

Check out there blogs and let them know how good a job they are doing. Don't forget to let them know you found their site through ChristianEye.

RightFaith

Paul's Ponderings

Moral Science Club

The Terminator Terminates Free Speech

As many of you may already be aware, The governor of California, Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill on Tuesday banning any state funded organizations from speaking negatively regarding homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality...

Ephesians 4:14-16 (New King James Version)
14 that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, 15 but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ— 16 from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

I had to pray hard before writing this post. I didn't want to offend and I didn't want to appear judgemental but I did want to speak the truth in love. I prayed and I prayed asking God to help me speak the truth in love and he reminded me that his word never returns void. I asked okay, so what does that mean? He said, "Speak the truth in love". Then I realized I needed to add the above verse. Let that verse sink home as I continue my thoughts.

God hates sin. God loves the sinner. We have all fallen short of God's glory and have all come to him as sinners. God in his mercy and grace has given us the option to follow after him and be forgiven. But Romans teaches us that we are not to continue in our sin just because we can be forgiven each and every time. If we are truly his children we will learn and grow to be more like him.

I am not against those who are homosexual (homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality) but I am against that lifestyle. I have friends who are good Christians who have come out of that lifestyle. They struggle with it every day, I'm sure. Its not something you can just flippantly say you are done with. But the Bible teaches that we should deny ourselves and follow Christ. This means that even if our bodies and minds tell us to do one thing we should bring them under the control of Christ and do what he says instead.

But those who actively proclaim themselves as homosexual (homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality) are declaring that they do not want to change for God or anyone else. They say that they have the right to their views and their lifestyle choices. Believe it or not but I agree. Their choice is wrong but in our society they have the right to make that wrong choice.

What I don't agree with is that anyone would limit MY free speech in California because I disagree with their lifestyle. What I disagree with is that schools that choose to disagree with their beliefs (whether secular or religious in nature) can not accept any government funding or student governmental scholarships if they choose to even teach the choice between the two lifestyle views. They can't teach that there is even a possibility that homosexuality (homosexuality, bisexuality and transsexuality) is wrong because that would be a negative thought towards it.

Here are a few other laws that are to be voted on soon in California that I don't agree with:

• SB 1437 which prohibits textbooks, instructional materials, and school-sponsored activities from “reflecting adversely” on transsexuality, bisexuality, or homosexuality;
• AB 606 which authorizes the California superintendent of Public Instruction to withhold state funds from any district that does not “adequately” promote the State Department of Education’s “model policy” promoting transsexuality, bisexuality and homosexual curriculum in public schools; and
• AB 1056 which would use $250,000 tax dollars to promote transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual lifestyle under the name of “tolerance education.”

Link
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Calif. Pro-Gay Law Draws Fire

A Sample of DDL

Okay. Sorry all for the delay in posting. Yesterday after work I was just way too tired to think about it. Today I was going to post twice but it took much longer to get the below video than what I wanted.

I finally got to see Darwin's Deadly Legacy and I must say it had a lot of information in it...

There was so much information in this one hour show that I could probably go on and on about it for weeks. I won't though. ;) I may in the future use more clippings from it, though.

The show showed how Darwin's theory completely undermined not only the church but also our society by demoralizing our children and causing new "religions" to spring up around the theory of evolution. Let's not forget that it IS only a theory. Nothing has been proven about evolution.

Anyway, watch this small clip from the show and if you want to see more let me know. I'll either post more or give information on how you can get a copy.

Plan B-for those who decide to skip plan A

[Keri's Day]
The Plan B drug is an emergency contraceptive available after having unprotected sex, or having a condom break, etc. It is prescribed to rape victims to prevent pregnancy and from what I hear it does a pretty good job. I’m all for this drug, I don’t think its abortion, its pretty darn close, but technically speaking any contraceptive can be considered abortion-al. So I don’t have a problem with the drug in that sense. I do however have big issues with how the medical community has chosen to handle the distribution of it...

I’m not a perfect person, and I’m not a perfect Christian, I admit it, but when something like this comes along, it makes it that much more difficult to hate the sin and not the sinner.

The Plan B drug has just been approved for over the counter sales starting near the end of the year. The FDA blocked it from being sold to anyone under 18 years of age (those younger than 18 can still get the drug but with a doctor’s prescription.). This irks me a little bit. Having the drug on the market, okay yes, it’s a good thing for those who have been the victim of rape, incest, what have you…but now we can just get our jolly on without worrying about anyone knowing about it. Parents for example, I don’t know about you, but when I was 18 I was not ready to be having sex, let alone have my parents find out about it.

Now all of that’s changed…there’s no risk of pregnancy, 18 year olds can have all the unprotected sex they want with no consequences! Not to mention all the friends of minors who will be buying the drug for them. Look, we all know that 21 year olds are already buying alcohol for them; lets not introduce inconsequential sex into the picture.

Speaking of minors: CNN article

Not only is having the drug over the counter for anyone to buy (with an ID), now Planned Parenthood wants minors to be able to purchase it too.

From a business perspective I can somewhat identify with Planned Parenthood. They are trying to reach their audience (kids having sex)…but sometimes I feel like they are acting like large tobacco companies…”Get ‘em hooked early, and then they’re stuck with us for life”. Well, that’s true…Planned Parenthood wouldn’t even exist without a market for it. The earlier kids are having sex, the more check-ups they have, the more condoms/lube/porn/whatever they buy so it makes good business sense. We wouldn’t want all those loony people to lose their jobs and I dunno, maybe have to go speak in schools about abstinence or something and maybe do some good in the world, would we?….nah.

The problem is that no one believes that abstinence is even an option anymore. If you’re still a virgin you’re made fun of, chastised and embarrassed. If you’re not a virgin teens do one of two things: they start calling you a tramp instead of a prude…or they finally leave you alone. Which would you pick under that kind of pressure? Not to mention today’s kids are longing for some kind of love…and sadly they think that sex=love…and they are so wrong!

What can be done about all this? Prayer and education are two obvious routes. I never took sex education in high school, I’m glad I didn’t. It might have given me even more crazy ideas in my youth. Schools no longer stress abstinence until marriage; they don’t even stress abstinence until you are “ready” (whatever that means)….now the stress is on “safe sex”. The only “safe sex” I can think of is plan A…..Abstinence! .

Also see: Focus on the Family

A Tale of Two Videos

(see revision note below)
Over the last few days I've run across some interesting articles and videos. Below are two of the videos. Each is unique and each tells a story. They are quite opposite yet point in the same direction....

The first video is obviously a farce on what a church would look like if everyone was selfish and came only for their own desires. Unfortunately, we all get selfish at times and our issues can bring division and turmoil to the church. Laugh with me at this video but then remember with me the next time issues similar to these creep into our lives...


The second video, as stated above, is quite different. Instead of focusing inward (What about me) it focuses outward (What can I do for others and for God). Please don't watch the first and then miss out on the second. They came from different sources but I feel they complete each other...

Revision Note: The earlier post, Jesus Camp, failed to show that I approved of the camp but not the movie. Additional verbage has been added accordingly.

Link
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True North Video Productions (second video)

Darwin's Deadly Legacy

The following is a definite must see tomorrow:...

This weekend, you’ll want to watch an excellent documentary from Dr. D. James Kennedy and Coral Ridge Ministries called Darwin’s Deadly Legacy. According to their website, the documentary “looks into the chilling social impact of Darwin’s theory of evolution—and the mounting evidence that Darwin had it wrong on the origin of life.”

Many experts are featured in the documentary, including AiG’s Ken Ham, along with Ann Coulter, author of Godless; Ian Taylor, author of In the Minds of Men.

The program delves into the connection between Darwinian evolution and some of the past century’s terrible legacies, including Hitler and the Nazis, eugenics, abortion and the current crisis in American classrooms.

The show is scheduled to air in Omaha tomorrow morning at 7am on CBS (Cox channel 5). I will be recording it and may give an update later next week as to what I got out of it.

Porn and Strippers

I have to say that I've come across some amazing ministries out there but this is the most thought provoking, on the edge ministry I think I've ever seen....

JC's Girls Girls Girls is a ministry started by three ladies that came from the stripping and pornography businesses and are now strong believers in Jesus Christ. The ministry is focused on getting the message out there to men and women who are either trapped in the industry or addicted to it.

The reason for it being thought provoking? They have their site set to appeal to the girls in the industry, they dress similar to women from Hooters and they regularly attend porn conventions. At first glance you wouldn't say these ladies are really Christians - not by high end conservative standards.

But then you read deeper into their site, as I did, and you find that their reasoning is quite sound; right on the edge of what is accepted but sound.

Here is a segment from their Q&A section:

Why would you go to strip clubs and porn conventions?
Jesus did not wait for lost people to go to church. He went to their houses and reached out to them there. “And when the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’” (Matthew 9:11)

“Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, and not sacrifice’ for I came not for the righteous, but for the sinners.” (Matthew 9:12)

Can I go to church while I am still in the industry?
We welcome you into our churches right where you are. We hope that you can learn about God and allow him to help guide you. "Come to me, all who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and I will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” (Matthew11: 28-30)

Why do you utilize the media to get attention for yourselves?
This ministry is NOT about us! We accept the attention of the press and media simply to get our message out to as many people as possible. We want people to know that forgiveness is for everyone and they can come to God just as they are.

We also want to encourage our Christian brothers and sisters to recognize that Jesus did not set an example of judgment and condemnation…he set an example of love. The media is the fastest and most likely way that people will hear these messages.

Why do you use glamour poses on your site?
We designed our site to reflect the girls we are trying to reach. Our desire is for the girls to instantly know this site was made just for them. Based on Heather's experience, we know for many girls in the industry physical beauty is so important and the thought of having to change their appearance is terrifying. We just didn't want this thought to keep them from learning that God cares little about outward appearance and desires to develop the spiritual beauty inside of them.

Be sure to check out their site yourself and let me know what you think. And on a side note, do you know of any other ministries out on the edge? Let me know and I may post them on Christian Eye!

Link
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JC's Girls

Jesus Camp

Jesus Camp is a documentary coming out soon surrounding the camp life of an evangelical church that is focused on preparing its youth for growing up in a secular society. Its goal is to equip it's young people with the tools and strength they need to see their world changed....

Here's the twist. The people who made the documentary (not the church) seem to have had a different agenda for the movie than just showing children learning and growing in God. Their agenda seems to be a comparison of evangelical Christians to Muslim jihad. They focus on things like "God's Army" and take several seens of weeping and dramas out of context to seem more like brainwashing than teaching children what God wants for their lives.

Let it be known that I approve of the camp but not the movie. The movie has an agenda that, from what I've read and seen, is not the agenda the church has.

Here is one of the trailer videos for this documentary. Right off the bat you can tell that there is a definite mood being set by the film makers. Watch the video and then read the comments below that are straight from this churchs website and from the mouth of the woman who is speaking in the video. Do the research and try to recognize that this may be an army of young people but it is an army of love - not hate.

WHAT DO YOU WANT PEOPLE TO LEARN FROM THE FILM?

When you say "people," there are two groups of people we can discuss--the secular audience and the evangelical community.

I wondered from the beginning what the secular audience would find interesting about what we do at all because we work pretty much exclusively within the Church world in our ministry. Before the addition of the political content, I assumed their interest would be the supernatural nature of what the children walked in because we live in a culture where the supernatural has come back into focus again particularly in the secular world. However, now I am concerned the secular audience will be focusing on the political side of things, and completely miss the power of the living God who is alive and well, and working through the lives of even small children in this film. We want people to see God is real and alive and active in our lives.

As for the evangelical community, my focus as a minister has basically been to bring an awareness to the Body of Christ (i.e. people who are committed followers of Jesus) of the potential spiritual dynamos we have in our children. My hope is that Christians will look past all the political mumbo jumbo and see this film for what it is--as one news source said, this is a movie about extreme faith, not politics. It's also about the importance of discipling children in the Christian faith. My hope is they will be able to see the more obvious truth which is children are capable of understanding, feeling, being an enthusiastic, and powerfully effective part of extreme faith in Jesus Christ because this is an extreme generation.

These kids are not interested in sitting on the sidelines of Christianity until they turn 21. They want to be a part of what God is doing in the earth NOW! If the Christians don't wake up to this fact, statistically we face the very real possibility that we will lose the next generation to the Christian faith. My hope is Christians everywhere will see this and realize they need change the way they are currently discipling their children, taking their kids beyond the basic Bible stories and truly disciple them as active members in the kingdom of God.

Here is one other thing that was said by Becky Fischer taken from the comments of another website:

"I want to thank you for something you said in your Aug 9 entry that was very accurate and insightful—you said, “they probably took the clips of them praying for George Bush and things like that and edited the thing to look probably more political than it was.” That’s exactly what happened!”

“They had over 260 hours of footage,that had nothing at all to do with politics, but managed to build a whole 86 minute film around a handful of so-called political segments. So thank you for setting the record straight.”

“We’ve taken so many hits from the “liberal left” if you will and and some real bonified wackos that have accessed our website, and I don’t feel like I have a political bone in my body. The whole political thing was a complete surprise to us and wasn’t introduced into the project until about 2 months before it was finished. My head is still swimming at times with “how did this happen?”

“All those scenes about kids disssolving into tears after I make some strong statements—a lot of that was edited in to make it look like they were responding to certain comments. When in fact we just start worshipping God at the end of our services and the Holy Spirit begins to fall with amazing power. Most of those tears have absolutely nothing to do with me drumming up emotional statements.”

“This last one is a puzzle — how did accepting the evidence for climate change and global warming become anti-Jesus?” A number of us in the movie are having a fit that this was put in the film. It has nothing to do at all with us. It was an off handed comment made by a homeschool mother, and several of us talked to the film makers to remove it, and they refused. So it puts all of us in a bad light. But that’s life."

Links
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Kids in Ministry
The Movie Site
New documentary... (Blog)

Success is Process Add-On

For all those that liked the post titled "Success is Process" I thought you may like to hear the audio recording of the sermon:

8/20/2006

Another post to come later today...

Chalk Another One Up (Stem Cells)

I want to say right now that I have never been against stem cell research. I've only been against the ways in which they were going about getting those stem cells. That is why I'm leaping for joy today as CNN reports that a new method has been introduced that would not hurt the embryo in the process! ...

Scientists at Advanced Cell devised a clever means of piggybacking on existing fertility treatments to avoid the creation, manipulation or destruction of embryos specifically for the production of stem cells. The fertility procedure, known as preimplantation genetic diagnosis, or PGD, is used when parents want to avoid having a child with a lethal or severely debilitating birth defect. About 1,000 such procedures are performed each year in the United States.

PGD begins with in vitro fertilization to produce numerous embryos. At a very early stage of development, when the embryos are no more than a ball of eight to 10 cells, a technician extracts a single cell from each one. The extracted cells are tested for genetic disorders, and those free of defect are then implanted in the mother in the hope that will develop.

The new stem cell production method takes a cell extracted during PGD and allows it to divide. One of the two resulting cells is genetically tested as in normal PGD; the other is cultured to encourage the development of stem cells.

Wow! I understand that this procedure isn't 100% certain to not cause problems to the embryo they extract from. However, it is just one more procedure added to a growing list of potential ways to get the stem cells we need for research without taking human life.

Let's continue to pray that more and more efficient ways are developed. This way, the world will have no choice but to discard their current methods and choose a more humane one.

My Blog Links
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Adopt a Snowflake
The President's Veto
More on the Stem Cells

External Link
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CNN

Who are we?

I have read a lot of articles and blogs lately trying to pick out the story that best fits this blog and what it is trying to teach. There are so many out there. There is the stem cell research issue added to the abortion clinics. There are the gay marriage stories and the divorce rate of our nation. There is the fight against evolutionist and creationist and finding out what should be taught in our schools. All of which will be touched on regularly on this blog....

But what I'm coming to realize is that all of these things have one thing in common. The disintegration of our country's moral standards.

stan·dard

1. A flag, banner, or ensign, especially:
   1. The ensign of a chief of state, nation, or city.
   2. A long, tapering flag bearing heraldic devices distinctive of a person or corporation.
   3. An emblem or flag of an army, raised on a pole to indicate the rallying point in battle.
   4. The colors of a mounted or motorized military unit.
2. 1. An acknowledged measure of comparison for quantitative or qualitative value; a criterion.
   2. An object that under specified conditions defines, represents, or records the magnitude of a unit.
3. The set proportion by weight of gold or silver to alloy metal prescribed for use in coinage.
4. The commodity or commodities used to back a monetary system.
5. Something, such as a practice or a product, that is widely recognized or employed, especially because of its excellence.

Standards are the flags we hold up high that everyone recognizes and rallies around. They are our symbol of excellence. But where is our excellence now? We kill babies before they have a chance to breathe on their own. Those children that are given the right to be born are then told that they mean nothing. They're told that they were the product of an accident billions of years ago with no purpose or plan. They then grow up with an inner belief that because there was no plan then there really are no rules. Choose whatever lifestyle you want if it feels right to you because nothing really matters anyway so you might as well enjoy it while it lasts. Then we wonder why our kids are making the choices they are and becoming the adults that then make it harder for a standard to be put in place.

AnswersInGenesis was pointing out what their true purpose is today and said this:

As we often remind visitors to this website and in other places, Christians need to understand that fighting evolution in public schools is actually the same kind of battle as fighting abortion, “gay” marriage, etc. These social ills are merely symptoms of a change that has occurred in our society: a lack of belief in God’s Word as the absolute authority (as opposed to human opinions as the authority). .... That conclusion helps drive AiG’s desire to equip Christians to restore biblical truths in the culture as a whole and see the secular worldview diminished. Such a grassroots approach is the way we are proceeding in order to see the culture changed.

The Bible is really the standard on which this country was founded. In it we are told those things that are good and will prosper our lives as well as those things that are bad and will diminish our lives.

The creator knows his creation. A butter knife was never meant to be a screwdriver though it can be used for one and damaged in the process. A credit card was never meant to be used as a lockpick though it comes in handy to have, but, once again, is usually ruined in the process. The point is we should allow our creator to lovingly show us how we were created and in what ways we will be fulfilled rather than trying to break his standard and be ruined in the process.

Jeremiah 29:11 (New Living Translation)
For I know the plans I have for you," says the LORD. "They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.

So let me ask - who are you? Do you know? Why not read God's Word and let him show you his love and his plan for your life. Afterall, who would know us better than the one who created us. God bless you.

Which House of Rock?

ChristianPost reported today that many bands that recognize themselves as Christians are choosing to not be based on Christian labels. While there are hardcore Christian artists who provide music specifically for the Church, there are musicians who are Christian, but are more open to the public, aiming to catch two birds with one stone by capturing both the Christian and secular audience....

Jon Foreman of Switchfoot had this to say:

"We've always been very open and honest about where the songs are coming from. For us, these songs are for everyone. Calling us 'Christian rock' tends to be a box that closes some people out and excludes them. And that's not what we're trying to do. Music has always opened my mind — and that's what we want."

I have to admit I agree with that statement totally. There is a place for Christian labels. Many contemporary groups rightfully should be under these labels as their style of music is not really meant for anyone but those seeking after God. But other genres including rock, pop and now even country have the potential to reach not just Christians but non-Christians as well.

There is a drawback to Christian bands not labeling themselves as such, though. I for one do not listen to secular music on a regular basic. I find a lot of the lyrics vulgar and not uplifting at all. This would make it hard for me to know about bands like Mute Math and Eisley.

I feel there needs to be some medium ground. Some way to reach the lost with all genres of music but at the same time allow other Christians to be able to enjoy their music while supporting them.

What are your thoughts? I'd like to know. Please take the time to comment and don't forget to subscribe if you are having troubles remembering to read regularly!

Link
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Rockers Depart from Christian Music Label

Success is Process

Please read special note at the bottom of this post

Luke 19:11 (New Living Translation)
The crowd was listening to everything Jesus said. And because he was nearing Jerusalem, he told a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away.

One of the pastors of my church gave a sermon on the true meaning of success tonight. I thought I would share the points that struck me....

The first thing that he said is that success isn't our new car or our new job. It isn't getting married or having children. Success isn't money and it isn't filling our wish list.

Success, he said, was the process God uses to get us from point A to point B. The verse above was the beginning of the section known in other Gospels as the Parable of the Talents. It talks about how a nobleman left 3 servants with money - one he gave$100 (put in modern standards and paraphrased) , one he gave $50 and another he gave $20. The first two both went out and invested the master's money and doubled it while the last one hid his money fearing that he would waste it. Because the first two were faithful and did good with the master's money he gave them more to work with. The one who was unfaithful he took the money from him and chastised him.

But the verse above is what started the parable and why Jesus said it in the first place. "He told a story to correct the impression that the Kingdom of God would begin right away." He told them this story because they expected God to come in all His glory right then and there. But He had another way! We call ourselves the microwave generation because we want things right now but even back then they sometimes couldn't wait.

Jesus wanted us to realize that the process is what it was all about - not the end result. Where we are now in life is due to the process we went through to get here. To develop patience with people we had to endure people. To develop strength in character we had to endure temptation. The thought even goes into our physical lives - if we want to gain strength or lose weight we have to work out!

We should not weigh our lives (no pun intended) on whether or not we are where we want to be but rather whether or not we are are allowing God to take us where he wants us to go.

But please note the rest of the parable and realize that we can not just wait around for God's best to fall into our laps. We have to make an effort before we can see it happen. The pastor said if you want God to give you a dream invest yourself in someone else's dream. Help someone else fulfill their dream and God will give you a dream of your own.

Luke 16:12 (New Living Translation)
And if you are not faithful with other people's money, why should you be trusted with money of your own?

Why are most Christians not doing something with what God has given them? They're waiting for the chance to change the world. Change your small corner of the globe and see what God does in your life.

Special Note: My wife and I were talking about the sermon mentioned above and about her dreams. We have decided to help her develop her dreams by allowing her to invest in my own - this blog. So starting this Sunday she will be writing the blog on Sundays and sharing her thoughts and feelings on things going on around us and around the world. Please pray for us and we continue to reach out with our blog and look forward to "Keri's Korner" (or whatever the title becomes...)!

ACLJ

Today I want to highlight an awesome organization that is doing great things for the Kingdom and this county. That organization is the American Center for Law & Justice (ACLJ).

The ACLJ has been instrumental in many of the cases in this country that have raised concerns about the liberties of Christians and other moral citizens.

In fact, during our short history, Sekulow has appeared before the high court on numerous occasions – successfully arguing several precedent-setting cases before the Supreme Court:

• The free speech rights of pro-life demonstrators were protected.
• Protected the constitutional rights of religious groups to have equal access to public facilities.
• Ensured that public school students could form and participate in religious organizations including Bible clubs on campus.
• Guaranteed that minors could participate in the political process by protecting their free speech rights in the political setting.

The ACLJ is a direct opponent to the ACLU and all it has to stand for. Below is the ACLJ's mission statement as well as a welcome video (dated 5/8/2006) on their site. Take the time to visit their site and become acquainted with how Christians are working within the system.

The American Center for Law and Justice (ACLJ) is committed to insuring the ongoing viability of constitutional freedoms.

By specializing in constitutional law, the ACLJ is dedicated to the concept that freedom and democracy are God-given inalienable rights that must be protected.

The ACLJ engages in litigation, provides legal services, renders advice, counsels clients, provides education, and supports attorneys who are involved in defending the religious and civil liberties of Americans.

As a non-profit organization, the ACLJ does not charge for its services and is dependent upon God and the resources He provides through the time, talent, and gifts of people who share our concerns and desire to protect our religious and constitutional freedoms.

...

Close to Home

Cyber Bullying. Its getting stronger. It knows who you are and can hurt you without even touching you. A little scary. Especially when it starts happening to someone you know.

A family member of mine recently started receiving anonymous phone calls that at first were just dead air. But the joke with that couldn't last long so now they talk to her and her friend asking them where they live but still remaining anyonymous. They've even gone farther by calling up other friends and asking them where the two girls live. On the outside it sounds like the guys playing the prank are friends from out of town but I'm pretty certain its actually friends of hers much closer to home. They know too many phone numbers and names to trully be stalkers.

Sounds like normal child hazing? So did all the pranks on kids over the last 10 years resulting in school shootings and child suicides. The kids pulling the pranks probably think its funny and that they were just having fun. But imparting fear to someone on a long term basis is not funny nor fun. It can have dire consequences as stated above.

Cyber Bullying is the use of electronic devices and information, such as e-mail, instant messaging (IM), text messages, mobile phones, pagers and web sites, to send or post cruel or harmful messages or images about an individual or a group. This is a freer form of bullying than traditional physical or name-calling attacks as the individual(s) responsible can be anonymous. Also, unlike standard bullying, there is no respite or refuge for the victims as cyber bullying can go on 24-hours a day and invade a victim's home.

One-third of all teens and one-sixth of all pre-teens have had mean, threatening or embarrassing things written about them online. Two million-plus don't ever tell anyone - a teacher, a parent, a sibling, a friend.

Here are some things we can do to help prevent this type of harassment:

• Teach your kids to tell adults if they're bullied
• Every school must have a proven anti-bullying program
• Watch for signs that your child may be a victim
• Keep computers in common areas of homes
• If bullying persists call the police and get assistance! (added by me)
  

Links
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Cyber-Bullying on the Rise
CYBER BULLYING

Today's Thursday, right?

Sorry I missed yesterday. Had my brother over and then my wife and I spent some time together. To make up for it please enjoy the first of Ken Ham's video series for Answers In Genesis. These are very informative videos and I encourage you to watch them. However, this isn't exactly a small video so please have time to watch it.



Link to more videos
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AiG Video on Demand

Adopt a Snowflake

An uncounted number of women each year opted for in vetro fertilisation. In vitro fertilization is a procedure in which eggs from a woman's ovary are removed, they are fertilized with sperm in a laboratory procedure, and then the fertilized egg is returned to the woman's uterus. There is nothing wrong with this process on a Biblical basis.

There is one slight problem with the procedure though. Too many fertilized eggs are usually formed in the process. The woman is inserted with only those necessary to get her pregnant while the rest are put in deep freeze.

Then the question is raised - what do we do with the left over embryos? Thousands are left in deep freeze while still others have been given to research including stem cell research. But more recently there has been another way.

Have you ever heard of a "Snowflake baby"? A snowflake baby is a child that has been adopted as a frozen embryo and implanted into her adopted mother. So far only 113 Snowflake children exist in the world. The oldest is a seven year old girl who, I'm sure, is greatful to be alive.

I honestly wish we were not given this choice. I wish when this procedure was carried out that there would be no leftover embryos at all. I'm not against in vitro fertilisation. But if given the choice between giving my children to science or giving them to a good home I'd choose the latter any day.

My wife and I will have children here in a few years. I want to have two or three. She agrees with me. But maybe, God willing, one of them won't be our own biological child. Maybe we will help save a life and adopt a little snowflake. We'll see what happens after much prayer and discussion with my wife.

Link
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Snowflake Adoptions Hailed

A Tale of the Miraculous (Part 2)

(Part 1)

So I got to see World Trade Center last night. Let me say this right off the bat - this movie is not good for entertainment value. If you want to see this movie the way you would see Pirates of the Carribean or even how you'd watch Saving Private Ryan you will be highly disappointed.

This movie is truly a memorial to the heart of Americans and shows how we came together on a day of horror. If you go to this movie be ready to cry and be ready to grieve for the loss of the day. Be ready to cry when friends died and be ready to cheer when the stars are rescued.

The makers of the movie did an excellent job recreating the scene for us so that it doesn't look fake at all but you won't probably even recognize that during the movie. Why? The focus the entire time stays on the events of the day with such accuracy that you can't help be drawn into the midst of it.

Go see the movie but go knowing that you're there to remember the lost. You go to remember what it means to be an American and what it means to be a Christian (not always synonymous).

Not just a Great Teacher

I decided today that I'm going to give you a sample teaching of C.S. Lewis' "Trilemma". It is simply this:

'I am trying here to prevent anyone saying the really foolish thing that people often say about Him: 'I'm ready to accept Jesus as a great moral teacher, but I don't accept His claim to be God.' That is one thing we must not say. A man who was merely a man and said the sort of thing Jesus said would not be a great moral teacher. He would either be a lunatic—on a level with the man who says he is a poached egg—or else he would be the Devil of Hell. You must make your choice. Either this man was, and is, the Son of God: or else a madman or something worse. You can shut Him up for a fool, you can spit at Him and kill him as a demon or you can fall at his feet and call Him Lord and God. But let us not come with any patronizing nonsense about His being a great human teacher. He has not left that open to us. He did not intend to.'

I did some digging so that I could have a well rounded reasoning of these words. I looked at Christian points of view and non-Christian points of view. I must say that the non-Christian points of view would seem sound if I were not a believer. However, they make a few flaws.

They say that much of what Jesus said could be interpreted differently. That he never claimed to be God. That those statements like John 10:7 and John 10:9 are metaphorical and never meant to be taken literally at all.

The point of C.S. Lewis' statement is not to prove or disprove the Bible but rather to get away from those who try to simply label Jesus as "a good teacher". They state such things as Jesus didn't have to be truthful on all counts to be a good teacher. That he made good trustworthy statements outside of the fact that he claimed to be God.

In essence, without writing a novel, what they are trying to do is to tear down the man of Jesus by disproving the validity of the Bible and then build the man up by showing that he did say things that were valid. You can not have it this way. If Billy Graham were to start spouting off that he is God right now everyone would take it as dimentia of an old man and he would still be considered one of the greatest preachers and teachers of our time. But if Billy Graham had said he was God all the way through his ministry not one person would have ever called him a great man and teacher (unless a cult formed).

With that said let me print what I found on a separate website that says it well:

Lord, Liar, or Lunatic?

Even those who are not persuaded by Christianity often have great respect for Jesus. Among those who reject the idea that Jesus was God incarnate, there are many who are nevertheless followers of him to some degree. “Jesus was a great moral teacher”, some say, “but he wasn’t God”. According to this view, Jesus is to be followed as a great human being, but not as a divine one.

This idea that Jesus was merely a great human being, i.e. a great human being but nothing more, is, as C.S. Lewis argued in Part 2 of Mere Christianity, indefensible.

Jesus made the most astonishing claims, not only about God, society and ethics, but also about himself. He claimed to have the authority to forgive sins, to be the representative of all humanity come to die in order to reconcile man to God, and to be the only way for people to attain salvation.

Faced with the fact that Jesus made these claims about himself, there are three things that we might say about him: Either Jesus’ claims were false and he knew it, or his claims were false and he didn’t know it, or his claims were true. None of these suggests that Jesus was a great, but merely human, teacher. Anyone who has that view needs to think again.

The first thing that we might say about Jesus is that his claims were false and he knew it, in which case he was a liar. If Jesus did not believe that his claims about himself were true, then when he made those claims he was lying.

Jesus’ claims about himself were so central to his teachings, though, that if they were lies then he can hardly be deemed a great teacher. If Jesus set out to systematically deceive people about who he was and how their sins were to be dealt with, then he was among the worst teachers that have ever walked the earth.

The second thing that we might say about Jesus is that his claims were false and he didn’t know it, in which case he was a lunatic. If Jesus believed that his claims about himself were true, and they weren’t, then he was a delusional egomaniac. If an ordinary person believes himself to be God incarnate, then that person is, put quite simply, insane.

Again, if this were the case, if Jesus taught that this is who he was and was mistaken, then he was as bad a teacher as there has ever been.

The third thing that we might say about Jesus is that his claims were true, in which case he was, and is, Lord. If Jesus believed that his claims about himself were true and they were, then Jesus was not only a great human being, but was also God on Earth.

If we take Jesus seriously, then we must take Jesus’ claims about himself seriously. We cannot say that Jesus was a great teacher whom we admire and look up to, but that the most fundamental element of his teachings was a monumental error. Jesus was not a great, but merely human, teacher; he was either much less than this, or much more.

Those who respond to this argument by writing Jesus off as either a liar or a lunatic are, for all that has been said so far, just as reasonable as those who respond by accepting Jesus as Lord. This argument is an attack only on the view that Jesus was a great teacher but not God; there is nothing in it that counts against the view that Jesus was a terrible teacher. In order to show that it is better to view Jesus as Lord than as either a liar or a lunatic, it would have to be demonstrated that there is some reason to take Jesus’ claims seriously.

Do we have any reason, though, to take Jesus’ claims seriously? Many have argued that we do, that we have the strongest possible evidence that Jesus knew what he was talking about when it came to the supernatural. There is, it is argued, substantial historical evidence that Jesus was raised from the dead, endorsing his claims to religious authority.

The Resurrection, it is said, was a divine endorsement of Jesus’ teachings, God’s confirmation that Jesus’ teachings were true. If this is correct, then there can be no doubt as to which of the three positions concerning Jesus outlined above is the correct one. If there is significant evidence for the resurrection, then we have to take Jesus seriously.

Links
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Evidence for God website

Related to a Metaphor?

Here is an excerpt from an email that I get from Answers In Genesis on a weekly basis. I felt it spoke for itself. Please let me know if you have any thoughts to add or questions to ask.

Q: How could the human race descend from a metaphor?

A: During an interview for a Roman Catholic newspaper in Ireland, the reporter told Ken Ham that a person of faith can believe in millions of years. The reporter started explaining that Genesis is a metaphor. So Ken asked him, “Does that make you a relative of a metaphor?” He pointed out to the reporter that the Bible lists the genealogy of Jesus Christ all the way back to Adam.

Then Ken asked, “When did the real people stop and the metaphors begin?” The reporter responded, “Well, the late pope said you could believe in evolution as long as man and woman were created with souls.”

Ken went on to tell him about how Eve was made from Adam, and they were one flesh. This formed the basis of marriage, just as Jesus taught. If Adam and Eve came from animals, as evolution would have us believe, the whole doctrine of marriage is destroyed.

But not only marriage; all biblical doctrines, including the gospel, are based in Genesis. If Genesis is a metaphor, then our doctrines and the gospel would be meaningless.

Are there gaps in the Bible’s recorded genealogies? See our technical answer to this question at Biblical chronogenealogies.

Link
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Answers In Genesis

Word for Word

Christian Post reported on Monday that a recent poll by Gallup revealed that only 30% (roughly) of all Americans believe that the Bible is literally true. Part of me leaps for joy as I honestly thought the numbers were unfortunately slimmer. Yet, part of me is saddened knowing that their study shows a decline in churches to believe the Word as true.

According to the survey, about 3 out of 10 Americans continue to profess belief in a literal Bible today, which accounts a 10 percent drop over the past three decades. More than 1,000 adults were asked to describe their view about the Bible with 28 percent responding that the Bible is the "actual Word of God and is to be taken literally."

Poll results saw a 45 to 49 percent increase among those who said the Bible is the inspired Word of God but not everything in it should be taken literally. However, the survey also recorded a larger increase of Americans who said the Bible is an ancient book of fables, legends, history, and moral precepts recorded by man (13 to 19 percent).

On another article I found that they recently discovered a rare version of the Bible that was commanded written by none other than Adolf Hitler.

In May 1939, on the Furher’s command, a theological institute was founded in Eisenach with the purpose of contributing to “dejewification”. Its employees edited biblical texts, removing non-Aryan passages. Dozens of works printed by the institute were published in over 100 thousand copies of the new Holy Scripture. It was assumed that this work would become a standard household book amongst Germans.

The article goes on to say that the Nazi Bible includes two extra commandments (though all the commandments have been redone) and states that Jesus was crucified after a war with the Jews. Now that is what I call messing up the Word of God.

So why did I group these together? There first was simply a passive laziness with the Bible. It shows that people in general are being indoctrinated to believe that only parts of the Bible can be believed and that those parts are not the fundamentals that Christians of the past have been taught to believe.

The flipside is to show how someone tried to force the Bible to read other than it does. They tried to not just translate it differently but rewrite it.

A modern parable was once spoken at my church about a woman who sat in the front row of her church every Sunday. When the congregation got a new pastor they found that he mentioned weekly something in the Bible that shouldn't be taken literally or didn't apply to our lives in the modern world. So each Sunday this woman would read the scripture the Pastor mentioned and rip out the page if the Pastor said it didn't apply to her. After the course of a few years the woman found that she had only a couple handfuls of pages left in her once beautiful Bible.

It comes back down to taking a stand. Setting a line in the sand that can not be crossed. The Bible is the infallible Word of God or it isn't. Whether we choose to take parts of it as fable or whether we purposefully try to rewrite what we are actually doing is saying that I don't believe what it says and I'm not going to listen to it.

Will you believe that our God is infallible and so too His Word or will you believe that the Bible is not the Word of God? I would like you to choose the former and regretfully accept the latter but please don't try to meet me half way.

Links
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Christian Post article
Article on Hitler

Tired and Controversial

I'm a little tired tonight. I've been working too long this week. I sat down to update the blog and for the life of me I couldn't muster the energy to dig in deep. Below I've posted a video I wasn't sure I was going to post. Why? Some subjects I just don't like to broach. ;) Check it out and let me know whether you agree or not with it's message.

Also, I should let me readers know that I'm not certain I'll get anything posted for the next few days as I'm going to be out of town. I'll do my best but no promises. Now would be a good time for a take home assignment. Everyone who reads this should pass on your favorite post of ChristianEye to someone you think needs to read it. Then come back to the blog and comment on this post as to your first name, what post you sent out and how many people you sent it to. Okay, ready....Go! ;)

A Tale of the Miraculous

C.S. Lewis once said "If a skeptic has already decided that miracles do not and cannot occur, then even if one should take place right in front of his nose, he would simply dismiss it as a coincidence, a natural anomaly, or, like Scrooge, as the result of 'an undigested bit of beef, a blot of mustard, a crumb of cheese, a fragment of underdone potato.'"

Many people will go tonight to see the opening day of World Trade Center (the movie). Agape Press has reported that it will be one of the most inspirational movies this year.

Though shadowed in evil this movie brings forth the tale of two men who risked their lives to save others on 9/11 and then got trapped under the debree. They were the last victims in the collapse to be rescued.

In the midst of all this there is God. Each man prays to God over and over during the movie to save them and one man has a vision of Jesus standing over them offering them water to drink. Another man on the outside tells his pastor that he feels called by God to go to Ground Zero and help find and rescue people. At no point during this movie does the script shy away from the spiritual aspect the envelopes the situation.

Not everyone is going to walk away from this movie with questions about God and Christianity, though. Some will scoff and find a way to hate God more and others will be completely oblivious to anything other than whether it was a good movie or bad.

Some, however, are going to need an ear to listen to them and a heart willing to answer their questions in love. They'll want to know how God can let such evil happen. They'll want to know why some were saved and others weren't. They'll need to hear of God's love and they may want someone to pray with them. Will the church rise up and use this as an instument of ministry?

Implications abound. If someone has a calling, there must be a Caller. If someone has a gift, there must be One who gives. The prayers, the visions, the calling, the sacrifice, the sheer risk of it all to save two men who certainly should have died is an overwhelming experience, made all the more so because it actually happened. All of it.

Links
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The Presence of God in World Trade Center
Movie Website

Special Note

I wanted to just point out a really good article posted on a separate blog. Check it out and then come back and comment to tell me what you thought of it.

Link - How we look to others

Test the Facts #1

In southern France, they found evidence of human habitation hundreds of feet deep within a cave. What makes this find so important is that it was dated as the earliest sign of humans in Europe. Only the Neandertals were thought to have inhabited Europe at that time.

What they found in the cave was astonishing for such “primitive” people. They found a “complex quadrilateral artificial structure consisting of specially arranged pieces of stalactite and stalagmite.” They also found a piece of burned bear bone.

But here’s the problem: the items were so deep in the cave, that the people would’ve had to have some kind of artificial light, such as a fire, torch or lamp. Also, the structure they found was so complex, it would have required the builders to be able to communicate with each other.

Such language skill and technological know-how doesn’t fit with evolutionary ideas about Neandertals. However, it does fit with the creationist understanding—they were descended from Noah after the Flood.

The above is taken from one of the emails I receive regularly from Answers In Genesis. The point is made in the last paragraph. Evolutionists have continually had to change their theories to match the evidence they find. Creationists, though not perfect either, have rarely had to change what they believe.

Evolutionists hold firm in their beliefs as do the Creationists but what does the evidence say?

Also from AiG I found an article talking about how churches more and more are being deceived into accepting evolution as doctrine. But some churches are taking a stand and of those doing so some are going as far as adding to their statement of faith something similar to the following:

• Creation, Evolution, and God’s Sovereignty: We believe God created the universe in six twenty-four hour days and that, before He created the universe, nothing except God existed (Genesis 1; Exodus 31:17; Psalm 33:6–9; Acts 17:24; Hebrews 11:3; Colossians 1:16).

• God chose to create the universe and all that is in it to reveal His glory, divine nature, eternal power, infinite wisdom, and supreme authority (Isaiah 43:7; Psalm 19:1–2; Jeremiah 10:12; Romans 1:20; Revelation 4:11).

• We deny the theory of evolution, which states that nonliving substances gave rise to the first living material, which then reproduced and diversified to produce all living creatures. We believe that all people are descendants of Adam and Eve, whom God created personally and individually and as complete human beings (Genesis 1:26–27; Genesis 2:7; Genesis 2:21–22; 1 Corinthians 11:8–9).

• The fall of Adam and Eve infected all people with sin and death, but the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ gives the opportunity to receive God’s gift of eternal life (Romans 5:18–19; 1 Corinthians 15:21–22).

Let it be known that I agree with these words as well.

Link
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Statement of (un)belief

Presuppositions

I wanted to take the first step today in talking about Evolution and Creationism. That step is presuppositions.

Definitions of presupposition on the Web:

a generally implicit assumption (though it can be made explicit) underlying a claim or a process of inference.
www.filosofia.net/materiales/rec/glosaen.htm

Simply, "an assumption."
www.apologetics.org/glossary.html

The logically necessary condition of some state of affairs which must be satisfied if the state of affairs is to obtain. That is, those ideas which are held to be self-evident: assumptions. See Axiom.
www.theology.edu/theology/glossary.htm

the act of presupposing; a supposition made prior to having knowledge (as for the purpose of argument)
wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn

In pragmatics, a presupposition is an assumption about the world whose truth is taken for granted in discourse. Examples of presuppositions include:*Do you want to do it again?**Presupposition: You have done it already, at least once.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Presupposition

Presuppositions, basically, are assumptions made based on something else held by the assumer to be true. If you believe that all ice cream is good then you are more inclined to believe that you will enjoy sour banana crunch ice cream even though you have never tried it.

The same goes with evolution and creationism. Evolutionist usually believe that there is no God and that the universe is all that there is and ever will be. Otherwise, they could believe in God but also believe that the evidence for evolution is far to overwhelming to not believe in that too. With that belief in place they then proceed to interpret the world around them based on that belief. If they look at a fossil and see that it doesn't fit in with the normal life around them their immediate thought is to find a way to fit it in. They will interpret the evidence they find on the fossil based on what presupposition they already have about life in general.

Skipping all the steps on how evolutionary theory came to be we can rightfully say that the average human who believes in evolution does so because A. the reasons stated above and B. someone else who believes the same thing has shown them evidence that supports that belief.

Creationists have presuppositions too. They believe that there is a God and that his Word is true. They see a fossil and see that it doesn't fit into their normal life and proceed to try to find how it fits. They will then interpret the evidence based on what they already believe about life in general.

Mortenson: Let’s be very careful and clear here. People have collectively seen billions of fossils in the rocks of the earth. It is fossils people see. The fossils themselves don’t suggest when they were formed. The idea that the animals and plants from which these fossils were made “died by the truck loads before Adam and Eve were even created” is an interpretation of the fossil record based on anti-biblical presuppositions or assumptions coming from the atheistic and deistic worldviews, as geology developed as a science in the late 18^th and early 19^th centuries. We must keep clearly in mind the difference between the observation of fossils and rocks and the interpretations of those observations based on assumptions. Observations, interpretations and assumptions are not the same thing and are not all facts. This very important point is addressed here and here.

This is the hurdle we must jump if we are to get to the truth. We must put aside our presuppossitions and look at the facts. If you are a Christian you will want to decide if those facts line up with what the Word says. If you are an evolutionist you will probably try to prove that it doesn't line up with what the Word says. Both sides need to keep an open mind but rightfully know when to close their minds after truth is reached.

Link
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The Great Debate

Out of the Mouths of Babes

I've been doing some reading today. I reread a post on a personal site of a friend of mine that talked about how blogs come and go. He was saying that most blogs don't stick. They may get a following for a while but then people find a new fad to explore or the author does or the author just gets burnt out. He's probably right. I noticed he hasn't written anything recently and several other friends of mine don't post anything personal or otherwise anymore. Then there are the fad blogs and many of them too are fading into the mist.

So why do I write? Currently my following is minimal. Not many people post on my blog and I have a hard time believing that people are actually telling others to read my posts. So why do I write? I could give you all my qualifications to write but I could also give you my qualifications not to write. So why do I write?

Then I read another article that inspired me and reminded me why I started this blog.

SanAntonio news reported on a 10 year old boy who was given a challenge by his pastor. His pastor gave him (and others) $100 to spend on doing something good. After a few months of thinking and planning the boy decided to use that money to raise more money for Habitat for Humanity.

He spent all $100 on stamps and envelopes to send 200 letters out asking people to donate towards building a house. You wouldn't expect much response from that. But one of the people he sent it to was touched enough to send it on. From there his letter spread and checks started coming in.

In total this young boy raised $43,000 dollars to put towards a $50,000 dollar home to be built by Habitat for Humanity. The church was then touched enough to provide the remaining $7,000.

Everyone who hears about Jackson's achievement is amazed. As his mom, Deborah, said, "A little person can do something really good. You don't have to wait to be an adult."

That is why I write this blog. I know that it may never become the most read Christian blog out there and I know that at some point I may stop writing but I also know that until I do God will use me to bless those who read my blog. A church doesn't have to be big to have an impact nor does a child have to be an adult before he can change the world. And my blog doesn't have to have a huge following to change one persons life.

When asked what he'd do if he had $43,000 to spend on himself, Jackson quickly replied, "I'd give about half of it away to the homeless, and then maybe buy some toys."

1 Timothy 4:12-16 (New International Version)

12Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity. 13Until I come, devote yourself to the public reading of Scripture, to preaching and to teaching. 14Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you.

15Be diligent in these matters; give yourself wholly to them, so that everyone may see your progress. 16Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Link
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10-year-old raises $43,000 for Habitat for Humanity

The Divide

Below is a post written on a separate website:

I don't understand..When did faith in Jesus Christ stop being enough?

How is it that there's so many divided branches of Christianity with all these fanatics claiming that their way is the only right way into Heaven? What's the difference between Episcopalians and Catholics and Protestants and Orthodox and all those labels? And, what are you if you just believe in your heart that Christ died for your sins?

Here, more or less (because I added to it), is how I responded to this question:

Romans 10:9-10 (Amplified Bible)
9Because if you acknowledge and confess with your lips that Jesus is Lord and in your heart believe (adhere to, trust in, and rely on the truth) that God raised Him from the dead, you will be saved. 10For with the heart a person believes (adheres to, trusts in, and relies on Christ) and so is justified (declared righteous, acceptable to God), and with the mouth he confesses (declares openly and speaks out freely his faith) and confirms [his] salvation.

You see, really, your relationship with God is based on your concept OF God. Let that sink in a minute. There are people who believe that we are to pray to the apostles, the mother Mary and use many rituals in our practice of worship. There are some that believe (and some that don't) that the miracles of the Bible times can be seen and are seen in the world around us today. There are some who believe that instruments should not be used in the practice of musical worship. There are some that focus on God being a vengeful God while others swing far the other way saying that he is merciful to the bitter end.

The point is that this is how denominations were and are formed. It is by those differences in concepts as to who God is. Many of them may believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) Jesus but on a day to day basis their beliefs may vary.

I call a Methodist my brother if he adheres to God the Father. I call a Messianic Jew my sister if she trusts in Jesus Christ. I call a Catholic my sibling if he sees his traditions as second to relying on the Holy Spirit for guidance.

John 14:6 (New International Version)
6Jesus answered, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So I am understood I should say that if you say you are a Christian but you don't believe in (adhere to, trust in, and rely on) Jesus I do not consider you a Christian. Belief in Jesus is the basis of our faith.

An old mentor of mine use to say (and hopefully still does) "If you're going to be a Christian - be one". With that thought in mind remember that scripture says that faith without works is dead. Don't tell me you are a Christian and then go out and do things contrary to scripture on a regular basis. We all sin and screw up but we all should continue to strive towards holiness.

The Mailing List

Okay, folks. It seems there were bugs with the mailing list and no one bothered to tell me. *sigh* I have it figured out now and its quick and easy! If you want to join the mailing list simply enter your email address in the form on the side bar. You'll receive an email to confirm your subscription. Once confirmed you'll start receiving my emails! Hope everyone was patient. :)

(For those of you receiving this by mail - send this out to a friend or family member you think would like the site!)

http://christian-eye.blogspot.com

Right to Life

Abstinence-only education is one of the religious right's greatest challenges to the nation's sexual health. But it is only one tactic in a broader, longer-term strategy. Since the early 1980s, the "family values" movement has won the collaboration of governments and public institutions, from Congress to local school boards, in abridging students' constitutional rights. Schools now block student access to sexual health information in class, at the school library, and through the public library's Internet portals. They violate students' free speech rights by censoring student publications of articles referring to sexuality. Abstinence-only programs often promote alarmist misinformation about sexual health and force-feed students religious ideology that condemns homosexuality, masturbation, abortion, and contraception. In doing so, they endanger students' sexual health.

The above quote is straight from a page on Planned Parenthood's website. This page bashes abstinence left and right saying it "cannot be justified in the face of effective programs and given the fact that we face an international emergency in the AIDS epidemic".

Whoa! Wait a minute! Lets take that "fact" first. Abstinence programs, which encourages people (primarily teenagers) to wait until marriage for sex is not justifiable because of the AIDS epidemic? That makes no sense!! If you want to reduce and ultimately eradicate AIDS then safe sex isn't going to do it - abstinence is.

This page goes on to say that things like abstinence are "religious" propaganda. Let me say this, if secular humanist were able to eliminate every religion in the world (which won't happen) and every religious thought was under control there would still be the thought that abstinence is the only true means to avoid STDs.

Planned Parenthood from the outside seems to be a safe haven for those that need help with sexually related topics. They are governmentally funded, they have research and materials to give and they have doctors and councelors there to help. Unfortunately, their agenda and what they seem to be are two different things.

Planned Parenthood is currently being sued in more than one state for failure to disclose records of potential statutory rape, which is the law. They also perform over 100,000 abortions each year.

Also found on their website is a list of 5 ways to prevent abortion - wow, that's great! But none of the 5 ways suggests waiting until you are ready. They also mention a way that won't work. What is it? Making abortion illegal. Come on, that's not true. Yes, abortion would then go to the black market and yes people would still go through with it but the numbers would drop! People would see associated risk with having abortions.

1. Make contraception more easily available.
2. Give young people a better teacher than experience.
3. Increase the involvement of men.
4. Create new birth control methods.
5. Make America friendlier to children.
The Way That Won't Work

Please don't misinterpret me. I am not against contraceptives. I am not against planning for your future and resources on how to do that. I'm not even against discussing safe ways to have sex. I AM against abortion and I AM against Planned Parenthood.

I planned on talking just about partial birth abortions and the new program to help learn why babies are being born pre-mature. I ended up researching Planned Parenthood. I have several links for you guys below but I must say that Planned Parenthood's website is all you need to see how distorted their views of the world truly are. They are not there to help. They are there to gain profit via abortion, contraceptives, and providing researches with aborted fetal tissue.

Links
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Planned Parenthood site
Planned Parenthood exposed
STOPP
Indiana Lawsuit
Ohio Lawsuit
Partial Birth Abortion Ban
PREEMIE Act
(a piece of good news!)

Student and Teacher Rights

Today is a slow news day concerning the types of things I would write on. So I decided to hit a topic I haven't researched since I was a Youth Leader. That is, the rights of those in a school environment. While working with teenagers I, of course, only looked at the aspect of the teenagers and how they should respond to anti-religious harrassment. This time I decided to look at the rights of not only teenagers but all students and all teachers. The items below sound just like High School stuff but applies to everyone. Here is what I compiled:

Students:
A student may witness, share their faith, and discuss Christian topics during NON-INSTRUCTIONAL TIME with willing students.

What is NON-INSTRUCTIONAL TIME?

Free time before school

Between classes

Breaks and/or lunch time

Times during class designated as FREE TIME by the the teacher

After school

A student can discuss religious topics out-loud during class as long as the content of their speech is consistent with what is being discussed or studied at the time.

A student MAY NOT try to use the "captive audience" of their fellow classmates as a platform to hold an informal church service or purposely seek to subvert the discussion in favor of a religious discussion. This would be a bad testimony. If there is a clear opportunity to speak up for truth and for the Lord, it will usually be obvious.

A student can give oral reports (and written reports) concerning issues of faith, provided the assignment could include that option.

A student can distribute Christian materials during non-instructional time in the normal gathering areas of students

A student may have their Bible at school and read it openly during non-instructional time.

A student may pray during the school day, as long as it is not disruptive to the educational process.

If a section of a class is directly OFFENSIVE to your faith, such as a unit on EVOLUTION in Biology Class, you may request to OPT-OUT of that particular section or part of the class.

You will be required to do compensatory assignments. Government agencies are forbidden by law from being anti-religious, in other words, a government agency such as a public school cannot force you to endure teaching or activities that are opposed to your faith. Government must maintain NEUTRALITY towards religion...neither for it or against it.

Teachers:

May students include religious expression in their assignments, artwork, etc.?

Yes. The DOE guidance letter specifically states:
Students assignments: Students may express their beliefs about religion in the form of homework, artwork, and other written and oral assignments free of discrimination based on the religious content of their submissions. Such home and classroom work should be judged by ordinary academic standards of substance and relevance, and against other legitimate pedagogical concerns identified by the school.

May a teacher include examples of religious expression by national leaders in the history curriculum?

Yes. The curriculum may include “examples of our national leaders lifting up their minds and hearts for worship, guidance, supplication, and thanksgiving.” Similarly, historical documents with religious references may be studied in the curriculum.

Must a school remove the Bible from the school library?

No. Inclusion of a Bible in a school library is appropriate. Indeed, one federal court ordered a school to put a Bible back onto school library shelves, tating that “it is inconceivable that the Bible should be excluded from a school library.” The court concluded that “[t]he Establishment Clause does not require that religious books be removed from the shelves of school libraries.”

May a teacher include religious references in correspondence with parents?

It depends on whether the teacher is writing to students’ parents in his capacity as a teacher. If he is , then the letters may be considered part of his instructional program which can be regulated by the school officials. Schools officials may require that he not include religious references in letters written to parents in his capacity as a teacher. The school should not be able to regulate communications to students’ parents on matters unrelated to the school.

May a teacher include religious references in correspondence with other teachers?

The First Amendment should protect the right of teachers to express their personal viewpoints on religion in conversations and written communication with other teachers just as they may express their personal viewpoints on a variety of topics.

For more information on exceptions to these rights and other rights check out the following links.
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Student Rights
Teacher Rights

ACLU gets a fight

Have you ever heard of the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools? Me neither, but today Agape Press reports that a school in Odessa, Texas plans on using their curriculum for an elective class in their high school.

The class is set up to teach teens the historical and moral aspects of the Bible as a way to bring more interest in the Bible and what God has to say. They have no plans to indoctrinate or "convert" anyone during the class sessions. Plus its an elective so no one is being forced to participate.

So what's the harm? The ACLU seems to think it is a big deal and is going after the school board's decision to allow this class. The ACLU's Open Records request seeks all records relating to the Bible class and the curriculum. They also want minutes and tape recordings from school board meetings.

The American Civil Liberties Union is going to have a fight as the school board has stated it has no intention of reversing its decision. They have a petition, they have rights and they have a precedent of over 180,000 students nationwide that have already taken the courses offered by the NCBCPS.

I'd just like to note that many people are not even aware of what the ACLU really stands for. Here are the highlights:

The ACLU's founder, Roger Baldwin, stated: "We are for SOCIALISM, disarmament, and ultimately for abolishing the state itself... We seek the social ownership of property, the abolition of the propertied class, and the SOLE CONTROL of those who produce wealth. COMMUNISM is the goal." (Source: Trial and Error, by Geo. Grant)

Following are some of the stated goals of the ACLU, from its own published Policy Issues:

*the legalization of prostitution (Policy 211);
*the defense of all pornography, including CHILD PORN, as "free speech" (Policy 4);
*the decriminalization and legalization of all drugs (Policy 210);
*the promotion of homosexuality (Policy 264);
*the opposition of rating of music and movies (Policy 18);
*opposition against parental consent of minors seeking abortion (Policy 262);
*opposition of informed consent preceding abortion procedures (Policy 263);
*opposition of spousal consent preceding abortion (Policy 262);
*opposition of parental choice in children's education (Policy 80)

What do you think about this? I hope and pray for Odessa, Texas to win and I seriously hope that if any of this at all shocks you that you'll seriously take time to pray about it.

Links
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NCBCPS
Agape Press Article
Facts on ACLU (unvalidated, however, supported by testimony from the ACLJ)

What is Truth?

I had a conversation with a coworker yesterday and the day before. We talked about a lot of "religious" things. But one thing I said I think hit home. I told him, "Look, it all boils down to this - you either believe in absolute truth or you are a relativist. Whether you believe in the God of the Bible or not at some point in your life you will either choose to believe in an absolute truth in this universe that stands in and of itself or you will choose to believe that everyone's truth is just as good as everyone else's truth. Man, there is a truth out there that is true whether or not either one of us believes it or not, likes it or not or even knows about it or not."

I choose to believe in absolute truth. I look around me and I see order. I look around me and I see designs, patterns and artwork. I look around me and see proof of a Creator. I do more research and I find that that Creator's name is Yahweh.

Evolutionists look at me and say I'm crazy. They say that, yes, there is absolute truth but it isn't found in the Bible. They say they have all the proof they need that the universe has always existed as it is in one form or another.

Theological Evolutionists would say that God created the universe by causing the big bang and by developing mankind over the course of millions of years. They would find it unfathomable that I would argue a point that gets beyond the fact that Jesus died for my sins so that we could live with Him.

But here's the point. I take the Bible as literal truth for many reasons. Jesus, himself, quoted from passages in Genesis that are considered fables by some but he saw them as fact.

Matthew 19:4–6:
‘And He answered and said to them, Have you not read that He who made them at the beginning “made them male and female,” and said, “For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh?” So then, they are no longer two but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let not man separate.’

To continue the point, Jesus died for my sins and yours, right? What sin? You mean the "original sin" of Adam and Eve? Well, if Genesis is a fable then no that can't be right? Well, no, Genesis isn't a fable its more of an extended metaphor or allegory to paint a picture of God creating the world. The days are stretched into millions of years and Adam and Eve are symbolic for the evolution of man. But God did create us, right? Well, yes. Did he create the world perfect? Well that's a hard question to answer. It's either yes or no - was the world perfect? Well, no, it evolved to a point of perfection. So God didn't create the world perfect and Genesis is an allegory to evolutionary creation yet we are cursed with death due to a sin we never made? umm....

What I'm getting at is that Christ came to die for our sin. A sin that was originally performed by Adam and Eve in the garden and was carried through history. Without Genesis Christ's death means nothing and then what basis do we have for following Him?

We either need to choose that the Bible is the infallible word of God or it isn't. Once you start choosing which bits you will believe and which you won't the whole structure collapses.

Want to know more? Check out the link below for a good article to read. I didn't touch on even half this subject (like the evidence against evolution or for creation) so rest assured there will be more. Maybe you would like to fill in the gaps for me. Go ahead and comment on this post.

Link
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Original Sin