4-29-09
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A Look Back at Obama's First 100 Days
staff reports
'I would hope he would do more to protect families in this country.'
On Wednesday, President Barack Obama will mark his 100th day in office. Focus on the Family Action has analyzed his decisions and policies thus far, as they relate to the family.
In his first 100 days, Obama has:
• Signed an executive order allowing taxpayer funding to go to international groups that promote or provide abortions. The “Mexico City Policy,” as it’s known, also was rescinded by President Bill Clinton and then reinstated by President George W. Bush.
• Opened the door for more human embryos to be destroyed for unethical stem-cell research despite science showing that adult stem cells provide cures; to date, embryonic stem cells have not.
• Begun the process of rescinding the Bush health care provider conscience regulations. This move comes at a time when the U.S. is experiencing a shortage of practicing physicians, a drop one senator described as reaching "crisis proportions." Making it easier for hospitals and medical schools to discriminate against physicians based on their moral or religious beliefs will only drive more of them out of the profession.
• Lifted a seven-year ban on taxpayer funding of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA), which is linked to forced abortion programs.
• Nominated Hillary Clinton as secretary of State. Clinton is an ardent pro-abortion politician who recently accepted Planned Parenthood’s Margaret Sanger award. During her acceptance speech, Clinton praised the eugenicist Sanger as a great American.
• Nominated Kathleen Sebelius as secretary of Health and Human Services. She has accepted campaign contributions from notorious late-term abortionist George Tiller and welcomed him into the governor’s mansion. Sebelius is one of the most pro-abortion governors in the country.
•Nominated Dawn Johnsen, former legal director of NARAL Pro-Choice America, to head the Office of Legal Counsel at the Department of Justice. Johnsen has called motherhood “involuntary servitude” and has said that restrictions on abortion make women nothing more than “fetal containers."
• Attacked charitable giving by proposing a reduced tax deduction for gifts to nonprofits. If it becomes law, it will have a major impact on faith-based ministry giving and other nonprofits.
• Signed a bill that kills the District of Columbia’s successful school-choice program. The program benefits low-income families by providing private-school scholarships. Approximately 3,500 students have benefited from this program.
• Nominated David Hamilton to the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. Hamilton has been a board member for the ACLU and a fundraiser for ACORN. He has ordered the Indiana legislature to end its historic practice of beginning each session with a prayer, and has written an opinion in opposition to abortion clinics providing information to women about alternatives.
• Appointed Ellen Moran to a major communications post at the White House. Moran is the former executive director of the pro-abortion EMILY’s List.
• Nominated David Ogden, Tom Perrelli, Elena Kagan and Harold Koh to top Department of Justice and State Department posts. Ogden has been a legal advocate for pornography producers; Perelli helped lead the legal fight to remove the feeding tube from Terri Schiavo; Kagan supported denying military recruiters access to law schools; and Koh strongly advocates mixing foreign law into important U.S. constitutional debates.
• Expressed support for hate-crimes legislation and will sign if it reaches his desk. The House will vote on the measure April 29. The legislation creates a special class of crime based on the victim’s sexual orientation. Those accused of “inducing” a federal hate crime could be held responsible for the actions of another person. For example, pastors preaching against homosexuality could be charged with a crime if someone listening committed a “hate crime” against a gay individual.
• Ordered a legal review of hiring-and-firing standards instituted by faith-based groups that receive federal funding.
• Released a Department of Homeland Security “watch list” that included pro-life Americans.
Jim Daly, president and CEO of Focus on the Family Action, said: "Focus often gets vilified for our public policy positions, but fundamentally, what Focus on the Family is about is seeing more families like Barack Obama’s in America — a man and a woman committed to their marriage and to each other, raising their kids.
"When we have 40 percent of babies born in ’07 to unwed moms, that’s a problem for our country," he said. "Everybody should be alarmed by that. And I think his first 100 days — we’ll let the historians talk about it.
"What I’m all about is marriage and parenting, and I would hope he would do more to protect families in this country."
Showing posts with label Church Issues. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Church Issues. Show all posts
Thursday, April 30, 2009
Saturday, January 24, 2009
The Change has Definitely Begun - Barack Obama's Legacy
We are apparently going to transparency in the new White House. We are also going to see a new era of turning our backs on God unlike any that has gone on before.
To review the several Executive Orders and Presidential Memoranda go to the whitehouse.gov then the Briefing Room button then choose Executive Orders.
| MEMORANDUM FOR | THE SECRETARY OF STATE THE ADMINISTRATOR OF THE UNITED STATES AGENCY FOR INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT |
SUBJECT: Mexico City Policy and Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning
The Foreign Assistance Act of 1961 (22 U.S.C. 2151b(f)(1)), prohibits nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) that receive Federal funds from using those funds "to pay for the performance of abortions as a method of family planning, or to motivate or coerce any person to practice abortions." The August 1984 announcement by President Reagan of what has become known as the "Mexico City Policy" directed the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to expand this limitation and withhold USAID funds from NGOs that use non-USAID funds to engage in a wide range of activities, including providing advice, counseling, or information regarding abortion, or lobbying a foreign government to legalize or make abortion available. The Mexico City Policy was in effect from 1985 until 1993, when it was rescinded by President Clinton. President George W. Bush reinstated the policy in 2001, implementing it through conditions in USAID grant awards, and subsequently extended the policy to "voluntary population planning" assistance provided by the Department of State.
These excessively broad conditions on grants and assistance awards are unwarranted. Moreover, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning programs in foreign nations. Accordingly, I hereby revoke the Presidential memorandum of January 22, 2001, for the Administrator of USAID (Restoration of the Mexico City Policy), the Presidential memorandum of March 28, 2001, for the Administrator of USAID (Restoration of the Mexico City Policy), and the Presidential memorandum of August 29, 2003, for the Secretary of State (Assistance for Voluntary Population Planning). In addition, I direct the Secretary of State and the Administrator of USAID to take the following actions with respect to conditions in voluntary population planning assistance and USAID grants that were imposed pursuant to either the 2001 or 2003 memoranda and that are not required by the Foreign Assistance Act or any other law: (1) immediately waive such conditions in any current grants, and (2) notify current grantees, as soon as possible, that these conditions have been waived. I further direct that the Department of State and USAID immediately cease imposing these conditions in any future grants.
This memorandum is not intended to, and does not, create any right or benefit, substantive or procedural, enforceable at law or in equity by any party against the United States, its departments, agencies, or entities, its officers, employees, or agents, or any other person.
The Secretary of State is authorized and directed to publish this memorandum in the Federal Register.
BARACK OBAMA
THE WHITE HOUSE, January 23, 2009.
And here is the finely worded justification to expand abortion around the world using American taxpayers funding:
Saturday, January 24th, 2009 at 10:12 am
Statement released after the President rescinds "Mexico City Policy"
Yesterday, President Obama rescinded the "Mexico City Policy" and released the following statement:
It is clear that the provisions of the Mexico City Policy are unnecessarily broad and unwarranted under current law, and for the past eight years, they have undermined efforts to promote safe and effective voluntary family planning in developing countries. For these reasons, it is right for us to rescind this policy and restore critical efforts to protect and empower women and promote global economic development.
For too long, international family planning assistance has been used as a political wedge issue, the subject of a back and forth debate that has served only to divide us. I have no desire to continue this stale and fruitless debate.It is time that we end the politicization of this issue. In the coming weeks, my Administration will initiate a fresh conversation on family planning, working to find areas of common ground to best meet the needs of women and families at home and around the world.
I have directed my staff to reach out to those on all sides of this issue to achieve the goal of reducing unintended pregnancies. They will also work to promote safe motherhood, reduce maternal and infant mortality rates and increase educational and economic opportunities for women and girls.
In addition, I look forward to working with Congress to restore U.S. financial support for the U.N. Population Fund. By resuming funding to UNFPA, the U.S. will be joining 180 other donor nations working collaboratively to reduce poverty, improve the health of women and children, prevent HIV/AIDS and provide family planning assistance to women in 154 countries.
Wednesday, November 19, 2008
So, You Think Our Church Budget Has a Shortfall?........
from Jim Daly, President and CEO Listen to a special audio message from Dr. James Dobson and Jim Daly.
Dear Friends,
Many of you have contacted us with questions and concerns about the implications of the nation's economic conditions on Focus on the Family’s programs and staff, and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your compassion and your prayers. The reality of our situation is that, after months of prayer, diligently seeking the Lord's will, we have accepted a budget for our 2009 fiscal year that is $22 million less than what we would have carried over from 2008. In addition to several personal meetings, I recently sent an all staff memo, explaining the foundations for this decision. I would like to share the essence of that communication with you, as an extended member of the family.
In order to meet our Board-approved budget for 2009, we have taken a strategic look at every program and activity in the ministry, and made some difficult decisions to help us better focus on our core mission and foundational principles, and steward the resources given sacrificially to us, particularly in the trying financial times in which we're now living. We realize that the results of these decisions include the reduction or elimination of some very good programs, and, most painfully, some positions held by valued team members. Change is never easy, particularly when it requires saying "goodbye" to those in our ministry family. Their service and the dedication of their gifts and hearts to serve the Lord in this place is recognized and deeply appreciated, and we are all grieving together and praying for the Lord's wisdom, discernment, and provision in the days ahead.
We firmly believe the Lord is preparing Focus on the Family for the "thickets of the Jordan" (Jeremiah 12:5), requiring discipline to obediently follow where He is leading. We have applied discipline to the planning process, and, as a result, several programs are being eliminated or significantly modified, and resources have been reallocated from some areas of the ministry to better support others. Underlying these decisions, the executive leadership team is absolutely united in our resolve to continue the ministry's long-standing tradition of meeting people at their point of need with biblically-based content and answers that speak God's truth and love into their lives. We will not compromise our passion to help whoever contacts us with the content they need; we will continue to adjust how we deliver that content in a personal and meaningful way, based on the resources the Lord provides.
We are continuing programs that support the core of our mission, which is marriage, parenting and defense of the family, and eliminating or reducing some distribution channels and outreach efforts, redirecting content to better help couples produce God-honoring marriages and God-honoring children within healthy, thriving families. In no way are these decisions a reflection of the value of the efforts themselves; we acknowledge the hard work and dedication that has been poured into the outstanding content that has been produced, making this process even more difficult.
I want to recognize that behind each of these programs and changes are people, some of whom have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us for many years, and all of whom have come to Focus on the Family with a passion for the Lord and a desire to serve Him. We honor these people, who have co-labored with us for a time and will continue to serve the Lord in the places He has prepared for them, by showing respect for their service here and protecting their dignity in their leaving. To be specific, 149 staffed positions were eliminated, in addition to 53 unfilled open positions. Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to help in the transition process, and I ask you to join with me in praying for these friends as they seek the Lord's guiding Hand and His protective care during this time.
I also want you to know that the question of timing is one with which we have grappled, both with the Board and within the executive leadership team; in other words, why make these changes now? The fact is that, a month-and-a-half into our new fiscal year, contributions are already significantly behind last year at this time. Given the economy and hardship our donors are facing, if we don't make changes now, we could carry an even greater deficit into the new year. Please hear my heart: making these decisions now, or even making them at all, is not what we want to do, and it is not easy. Our assurance is in knowing that we have followed biblical direction and godly council in asking the Lord for wisdom.
I know we are not the only ones feeling the weight of a significant burden; in fact, I have met with many donors who are also struggling and sharing their heartaches in the midst of reducing their businesses and letting staff go. They express their appreciation that we recognize their pain as well, and are taking steps to look inward and make some hard strategic decisions, rather than simply asking for more resources and placing an even greater burden on them. We know that our financial needs are firmly in the Lord's Hands, and we trust in His provision. Over the last 32 years, our obligation has been to faithfully steward what He provides, and we believe we have chosen a course of action that does that and reflects our commitment to the Board's fundraising guidelines.
We are certainly living in interesting times that could cause us to throw our hands up in despair, but we continue to move forward in the hope of the Gospel, expecting that in this world, we will have trouble. We do not despair; in fact, we take heart because Christ has overcome the world. We may take the time to mourn through the night, but we must then wake with the Morning Star, whose mercies are new for each of us every day. Remember that the reason we labor and persevere is because our hope and faith are in the One who calls us to stand. He has called Focus on the Family to continue to stand, armed with His Word, truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation, with a mission to nurture and defend His institution of the family. I'm standing with the strength only He can provide, and I hope you will continue to stand with me, as we pray for healing and the courage to take the challenge He has placed before us. Thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord and your hearts for His ministry.
Our church, too, grappled with the problem of not receiving the amount of donations as last year and having to significantly reduce our budget. However, this is not the time to short change God, this is the time to step out in faith and continue to give out of our love for our God as we have when the times were good and there was no pain in the giving.
Dear Friends,
Many of you have contacted us with questions and concerns about the implications of the nation's economic conditions on Focus on the Family’s programs and staff, and I wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for your compassion and your prayers. The reality of our situation is that, after months of prayer, diligently seeking the Lord's will, we have accepted a budget for our 2009 fiscal year that is $22 million less than what we would have carried over from 2008. In addition to several personal meetings, I recently sent an all staff memo, explaining the foundations for this decision. I would like to share the essence of that communication with you, as an extended member of the family.
In order to meet our Board-approved budget for 2009, we have taken a strategic look at every program and activity in the ministry, and made some difficult decisions to help us better focus on our core mission and foundational principles, and steward the resources given sacrificially to us, particularly in the trying financial times in which we're now living. We realize that the results of these decisions include the reduction or elimination of some very good programs, and, most painfully, some positions held by valued team members. Change is never easy, particularly when it requires saying "goodbye" to those in our ministry family. Their service and the dedication of their gifts and hearts to serve the Lord in this place is recognized and deeply appreciated, and we are all grieving together and praying for the Lord's wisdom, discernment, and provision in the days ahead.
We firmly believe the Lord is preparing Focus on the Family for the "thickets of the Jordan" (Jeremiah 12:5), requiring discipline to obediently follow where He is leading. We have applied discipline to the planning process, and, as a result, several programs are being eliminated or significantly modified, and resources have been reallocated from some areas of the ministry to better support others. Underlying these decisions, the executive leadership team is absolutely united in our resolve to continue the ministry's long-standing tradition of meeting people at their point of need with biblically-based content and answers that speak God's truth and love into their lives. We will not compromise our passion to help whoever contacts us with the content they need; we will continue to adjust how we deliver that content in a personal and meaningful way, based on the resources the Lord provides.
We are continuing programs that support the core of our mission, which is marriage, parenting and defense of the family, and eliminating or reducing some distribution channels and outreach efforts, redirecting content to better help couples produce God-honoring marriages and God-honoring children within healthy, thriving families. In no way are these decisions a reflection of the value of the efforts themselves; we acknowledge the hard work and dedication that has been poured into the outstanding content that has been produced, making this process even more difficult.
I want to recognize that behind each of these programs and changes are people, some of whom have stood shoulder-to-shoulder with us for many years, and all of whom have come to Focus on the Family with a passion for the Lord and a desire to serve Him. We honor these people, who have co-labored with us for a time and will continue to serve the Lord in the places He has prepared for them, by showing respect for their service here and protecting their dignity in their leaving. To be specific, 149 staffed positions were eliminated, in addition to 53 unfilled open positions. Please be assured that we are doing everything we can to help in the transition process, and I ask you to join with me in praying for these friends as they seek the Lord's guiding Hand and His protective care during this time.
I also want you to know that the question of timing is one with which we have grappled, both with the Board and within the executive leadership team; in other words, why make these changes now? The fact is that, a month-and-a-half into our new fiscal year, contributions are already significantly behind last year at this time. Given the economy and hardship our donors are facing, if we don't make changes now, we could carry an even greater deficit into the new year. Please hear my heart: making these decisions now, or even making them at all, is not what we want to do, and it is not easy. Our assurance is in knowing that we have followed biblical direction and godly council in asking the Lord for wisdom.
I know we are not the only ones feeling the weight of a significant burden; in fact, I have met with many donors who are also struggling and sharing their heartaches in the midst of reducing their businesses and letting staff go. They express their appreciation that we recognize their pain as well, and are taking steps to look inward and make some hard strategic decisions, rather than simply asking for more resources and placing an even greater burden on them. We know that our financial needs are firmly in the Lord's Hands, and we trust in His provision. Over the last 32 years, our obligation has been to faithfully steward what He provides, and we believe we have chosen a course of action that does that and reflects our commitment to the Board's fundraising guidelines.
We are certainly living in interesting times that could cause us to throw our hands up in despair, but we continue to move forward in the hope of the Gospel, expecting that in this world, we will have trouble. We do not despair; in fact, we take heart because Christ has overcome the world. We may take the time to mourn through the night, but we must then wake with the Morning Star, whose mercies are new for each of us every day. Remember that the reason we labor and persevere is because our hope and faith are in the One who calls us to stand. He has called Focus on the Family to continue to stand, armed with His Word, truth, righteousness, peace, faith, and salvation, with a mission to nurture and defend His institution of the family. I'm standing with the strength only He can provide, and I hope you will continue to stand with me, as we pray for healing and the courage to take the challenge He has placed before us. Thank you for your faithfulness to the Lord and your hearts for His ministry.
Our church, too, grappled with the problem of not receiving the amount of donations as last year and having to significantly reduce our budget. However, this is not the time to short change God, this is the time to step out in faith and continue to give out of our love for our God as we have when the times were good and there was no pain in the giving.
Saturday, October 25, 2008
Presidential Election 2008 - An Election of Life or Murder
Why You Should Vote
I am writing this because I am, for the first time in my life, frightened for my country. Not because of the economic situation, or the radical Islamic terrorists, nor because most of the young people are unaware of what the real issues are or what the candidates actually propose to change if elected.
No, friends, I am really worried about what our Father in Heaven will do if we get this election wrong. We have strayed so far from where we started in relation to the moral foundation of our founding documents that we hardly have a voice strong enough to put out the real message.
We have become a nation that sacrifices our unborn and yes, born to the "god" of selfishness. Of all of the ills this nation is going through, this is, in my estimation the end result of the slippery slope that we embarked upon many, many years ago. When we allowed the removal of the McGuffy readers we started the process to remove God from our education system. If we can remove God from there than we can remove Him from the public square. This was preceded by a "Supreme Court" that got it terribly wrong about "Separation of Church and State". We have allowed a liberal world view to infect the church as well.
But what also worries me is hearing that there are those who won't vote because they might get picked for jury duty. Beside the obvious argument that this line of thinking is so patently selfish and it sets a horribly self centered example for the children that you may have or of friends around you that look up to you. Besides the fact that this line of thinking is so unbelievably selfish because it says that you want all of the benefits of this republic in which we democratically elect our officials yet you don't want to MAYBE have to spend a little bit of YOUR time being a juror. Besides the fact that- those same people don't realize that in getting a driver's license they are put on the list from which prospective jurors are picked.
"I didn't ask to be on a jury--how did they get my name?
Everybody who is asked to serve on a jury gets on that list in the exact same way--by random selection from public lists such as voter rolls and license registrations. The idea is to find a group of jurors who represent a cross-section of the whole community."
But in this election the stakes are higher than any other time in history. This time the vote is for LIFE or MURDER. This time you have one candidate who will be on the side of life for the unborn and select judges for Supreme Court that will uphold the Constitution which will defend our unborn.
The other candidate will do just the opposite. He is for "CHOICE" which translates to abortion which is MURDER no matter what name you chose to call it. He will appoint judges to the Supreme Court who will reflect that same ideology.
So the very worst thing of all is that by not voting these same people will be voting for MURDER because every vote that does not go to the candidate that is for LIFE is the same as voting for the candidate that is for MURDER.
Besides, if you are going to reap the benefits of this system of government, which by all accounts is the best in the world, shouldn't you too invest a small amount of time in its governance? After all, you are responsible, whether you admit it or not, for the condition of the country that you hand over to your children.
Then there are those who won't vote for a candidate because he chose a woman as his running mate. That it is "not Biblical" as women should not be in a position of authority over men.
This argument is one of belief and there is not much of an argument pro or con that can be used when the issue is one of a person's belief.
I would just like to ask those that feel they can't vote for McCain because of Sarah Palin one question. Which is the more serious, more troubling, or of greater value to God?
A. A woman leading the secular government of a nation or,
B. That same nation being led by a man who will not only promote but facilitate the murder of the unborn and the murder of those babies that survive a failed abortion attempt
Are you willing to justify abandoning the weakest among us to the excuse that you "wrote in a candidate" thereby wasting a chance to stop abortion?
I humbly beseech you to carefully weigh this decision because as in all of our decisions, we will have to face God one day and be confronted with them.
Please listen to people like Dr. James Dobson and vote for LIFE.
May God bless each and every one of us and this nation.
I am writing this because I am, for the first time in my life, frightened for my country. Not because of the economic situation, or the radical Islamic terrorists, nor because most of the young people are unaware of what the real issues are or what the candidates actually propose to change if elected.
No, friends, I am really worried about what our Father in Heaven will do if we get this election wrong. We have strayed so far from where we started in relation to the moral foundation of our founding documents that we hardly have a voice strong enough to put out the real message.
We have become a nation that sacrifices our unborn and yes, born to the "god" of selfishness. Of all of the ills this nation is going through, this is, in my estimation the end result of the slippery slope that we embarked upon many, many years ago. When we allowed the removal of the McGuffy readers we started the process to remove God from our education system. If we can remove God from there than we can remove Him from the public square. This was preceded by a "Supreme Court" that got it terribly wrong about "Separation of Church and State". We have allowed a liberal world view to infect the church as well.
But what also worries me is hearing that there are those who won't vote because they might get picked for jury duty. Beside the obvious argument that this line of thinking is so patently selfish and it sets a horribly self centered example for the children that you may have or of friends around you that look up to you. Besides the fact that this line of thinking is so unbelievably selfish because it says that you want all of the benefits of this republic in which we democratically elect our officials yet you don't want to MAYBE have to spend a little bit of YOUR time being a juror. Besides the fact that- those same people don't realize that in getting a driver's license they are put on the list from which prospective jurors are picked.
"I didn't ask to be on a jury--how did they get my name?
Everybody who is asked to serve on a jury gets on that list in the exact same way--by random selection from public lists such as voter rolls and license registrations. The idea is to find a group of jurors who represent a cross-section of the whole community."
But in this election the stakes are higher than any other time in history. This time the vote is for LIFE or MURDER. This time you have one candidate who will be on the side of life for the unborn and select judges for Supreme Court that will uphold the Constitution which will defend our unborn.
The other candidate will do just the opposite. He is for "CHOICE" which translates to abortion which is MURDER no matter what name you chose to call it. He will appoint judges to the Supreme Court who will reflect that same ideology.
So the very worst thing of all is that by not voting these same people will be voting for MURDER because every vote that does not go to the candidate that is for LIFE is the same as voting for the candidate that is for MURDER.
Besides, if you are going to reap the benefits of this system of government, which by all accounts is the best in the world, shouldn't you too invest a small amount of time in its governance? After all, you are responsible, whether you admit it or not, for the condition of the country that you hand over to your children.
Then there are those who won't vote for a candidate because he chose a woman as his running mate. That it is "not Biblical" as women should not be in a position of authority over men.
This argument is one of belief and there is not much of an argument pro or con that can be used when the issue is one of a person's belief.
I would just like to ask those that feel they can't vote for McCain because of Sarah Palin one question. Which is the more serious, more troubling, or of greater value to God?
A. A woman leading the secular government of a nation or,
B. That same nation being led by a man who will not only promote but facilitate the murder of the unborn and the murder of those babies that survive a failed abortion attempt
Are you willing to justify abandoning the weakest among us to the excuse that you "wrote in a candidate" thereby wasting a chance to stop abortion?
I humbly beseech you to carefully weigh this decision because as in all of our decisions, we will have to face God one day and be confronted with them.
Please listen to people like Dr. James Dobson and vote for LIFE.
May God bless each and every one of us and this nation.
Tuesday, October 07, 2008
Keith Hersch October 7th, 2008 Update
Hi,
I could use your prayers now. Things are getting rough here.
Job
This summer there was many anti-American demonstrations and what has proven to be a backlash towards foreigners in general. The government is going out of its way to make life complicated for working here. The process can now take months, cost 1000+ dollars, and is intrusive, invasive, and xenophobic. Just as a few examples: I have to have an HIV test, not a big deal in itself except for the fact that only foreign English teachers (Excluding teachers whose families are from Korea) and “entertainers” need HIV tests. Basically the country is saying foreign teachers and hookers are about the same risk, my Filipino friends do not have the same requirements. I need a criminal background check which is kind of funny as for 7 years I have lived in Korea. I have been in America 6 weeks during that time. What crimes did I have time to commit, be prosecuted for, punished for and return in that time? The list of requirements goes on and on and what is more frustrating is that only half the foreign teachers here have to do it. 3 of the 7 teachers come from ethnically Korean backgrounds so while I have to do all of this garbage, those who also travel under a US passport, but are children of parents from the “right” country don’t. It would seem that either you are a foreigner or you are not.
On one side there are the health benefits, a good job, a comfortable life outside of school and great friends. On the other side there is an increasingly anti-American, anti-foreigner view sweeping through the country (again!) and what are costly discriminatory acts from the government, low student scores, and… and….
Can you tell I am experiencing Korea burnout? J
At this point either I go this year or next year. If I can get a change of visa status I will stay for another year and prepare for the move to the Philippines. If I don’t, this winter I may be sending you an address from the Philippines. One of you in the states has shared their views on what I should do, but if anyone else wants to throw something out, I am willing to listen.
Just a quick note, I may have an meeting with a Phil. school person who lives/works near Pastor Rolex’s home in the Philippines this month (meeting in Korea). As a good Calvinist let me encourage you to keep your fingers crossed. ;) Perhaps if the news is good, I will have some clearer direction.
Church
I have left my Phil community church, not by choice and the community and I are staying in close touch but the leadership has made it quite clear that I am not wanted. The umbrella church the Phil com is under has been growing very charismatic to the point of basically being Pentecostal. The last retreat included a female pastor speaking in tongues, laying hands on people as they were “slain in the Spirit”, disco light worship and a few other assorted odds and ends (Think Benny Hinn). Now for those of you who may have forgotten I went to a Presbyterian church. I was disinvited from going to the retreat, so I saw none of this first hand and only have the accounts of the Phil.Com to go on. I was disinvited I imagine because there was a fear I would challenge the goings on and speak out openly and publically (and in all fairness to them, I would have). When I was disinvited, the leadership has told me the Phil.com was unhappy with me and didn’t want me to come, but after calling the Phil pastor who didn’t know I was disinvited, nor the community that supposedly made the decision it was clear who was doing what. That was three weeks ago.
I have been visiting another church for the past two weeks. I am in an awkward position of trying to encourage my friends to stay in the community and not split the church versus the urge to scream “Run for the hills before it is too late!” Pastor Rolex has been a great encouragement to me for the past 2 years as we tried to speak for Reformed theology against whatever was on the top 40 list. I can’t tell you how many phone calls we have had over the past year trying to figure out what to do next and how.
I interviewed the pastor of the church (wasn’t about to enter a wacky church again) I am now attending and am happy with what I have heard from the pulpit. He is reformed, solid, honest (he even admits to sin and struggle which is practically unheard of in the Korean church). The church is Pres. and English speaking so I am getting good food in my own language, the Phil.com has switched to an almost entirely Tagalog service, good for them but increasingly more difficult for me to keep up with. As I get calls from the community daily, it wasn’t the language issue that led to the “left foot of fellowship.”
After teaching and preaching in the Philippines, it has been exceptionally hard to come back to having to feed myself, quietly teach doctrine and stand against wave after wave of what would get brought before General Assembly in America. Did it before the trip, but afterwards, the struggle became more intense. I am exhausted from the 1-year+ battle, the community wants me to come back but I really don’t want to be in a place where I am a nuisance at best and a dangerous threat at worst. Consider that while the church was inviting the congregation to bring your unsaved friends to the retreat, I was considered too much of a risk to come. How can I go to a church that throws me under the bus one week and says climb on board (but please, sit quietly in the back)the next? I can be a Phil.com friend but there is no place for me at the church. I feel incredibly alone spiritually right now. An international call to the Phil and texting friends isn’t doing it for me and now I have to start all over again at a new church if the church I am visiting now remains my ‘home-away from home’ church.
Again, why stay in Korea? There is a church waiting for me in the Phil. I can occasionally preach, help teach, find an active men’s group with people who like me and a pastor who has become one of my dearest friends. I have a family there, counting on me to come back. I am going back this winter and the plan is to have my birthday there with my Phil family. Let’s hope no surgeries get in the way this time.
Commercial: Pray and start saving your pennies. The move to the Phil will eventually occur and somehow the school Pastor Rolex and I have been praying about, preparing for, etc…. will finally be born. When that happens I hope a few of you will consider a penny or two thrown our way. If change is too heavy we also welcome bills.
We now return to the “Far Too Long Letter” already in progress.
Health
Health has been odd. I am out of diapers finally after 6 months! The surgery I had in Feb had some unexpected complications. That is the good news. On the other side, they are talking about another surgery this winter. The pain is growing at fast pace and I have been running a temp of 101 or higher for 6 months now. The lab results are saying infection, but nothing is showing up anywhere else. Simply put the doctors don’t know what is wrong with me except for a growing hernia from the weakening muscles from the past surgeries. Why the strange lab and fever etc…. they don’t know.
I know this is a long and whining wrote J, please forgive me but at the moment, this is where I am. Please pray for some peace and some decisions to become clear on the next step. I am too tired to think.
Love to all,
Keith
I could use your prayers now. Things are getting rough here.
Job
This summer there was many anti-American demonstrations and what has proven to be a backlash towards foreigners in general. The government is going out of its way to make life complicated for working here. The process can now take months, cost 1000+ dollars, and is intrusive, invasive, and xenophobic. Just as a few examples: I have to have an HIV test, not a big deal in itself except for the fact that only foreign English teachers (Excluding teachers whose families are from Korea) and “entertainers” need HIV tests. Basically the country is saying foreign teachers and hookers are about the same risk, my Filipino friends do not have the same requirements. I need a criminal background check which is kind of funny as for 7 years I have lived in Korea. I have been in America 6 weeks during that time. What crimes did I have time to commit, be prosecuted for, punished for and return in that time? The list of requirements goes on and on and what is more frustrating is that only half the foreign teachers here have to do it. 3 of the 7 teachers come from ethnically Korean backgrounds so while I have to do all of this garbage, those who also travel under a US passport, but are children of parents from the “right” country don’t. It would seem that either you are a foreigner or you are not.
On one side there are the health benefits, a good job, a comfortable life outside of school and great friends. On the other side there is an increasingly anti-American, anti-foreigner view sweeping through the country (again!) and what are costly discriminatory acts from the government, low student scores, and… and….
Can you tell I am experiencing Korea burnout? J
At this point either I go this year or next year. If I can get a change of visa status I will stay for another year and prepare for the move to the Philippines. If I don’t, this winter I may be sending you an address from the Philippines. One of you in the states has shared their views on what I should do, but if anyone else wants to throw something out, I am willing to listen.
Just a quick note, I may have an meeting with a Phil. school person who lives/works near Pastor Rolex’s home in the Philippines this month (meeting in Korea). As a good Calvinist let me encourage you to keep your fingers crossed. ;) Perhaps if the news is good, I will have some clearer direction.
Church
I have left my Phil community church, not by choice and the community and I are staying in close touch but the leadership has made it quite clear that I am not wanted. The umbrella church the Phil com is under has been growing very charismatic to the point of basically being Pentecostal. The last retreat included a female pastor speaking in tongues, laying hands on people as they were “slain in the Spirit”, disco light worship and a few other assorted odds and ends (Think Benny Hinn). Now for those of you who may have forgotten I went to a Presbyterian church. I was disinvited from going to the retreat, so I saw none of this first hand and only have the accounts of the Phil.Com to go on. I was disinvited I imagine because there was a fear I would challenge the goings on and speak out openly and publically (and in all fairness to them, I would have). When I was disinvited, the leadership has told me the Phil.com was unhappy with me and didn’t want me to come, but after calling the Phil pastor who didn’t know I was disinvited, nor the community that supposedly made the decision it was clear who was doing what. That was three weeks ago.
I have been visiting another church for the past two weeks. I am in an awkward position of trying to encourage my friends to stay in the community and not split the church versus the urge to scream “Run for the hills before it is too late!” Pastor Rolex has been a great encouragement to me for the past 2 years as we tried to speak for Reformed theology against whatever was on the top 40 list. I can’t tell you how many phone calls we have had over the past year trying to figure out what to do next and how.
I interviewed the pastor of the church (wasn’t about to enter a wacky church again) I am now attending and am happy with what I have heard from the pulpit. He is reformed, solid, honest (he even admits to sin and struggle which is practically unheard of in the Korean church). The church is Pres. and English speaking so I am getting good food in my own language, the Phil.com has switched to an almost entirely Tagalog service, good for them but increasingly more difficult for me to keep up with. As I get calls from the community daily, it wasn’t the language issue that led to the “left foot of fellowship.”
After teaching and preaching in the Philippines, it has been exceptionally hard to come back to having to feed myself, quietly teach doctrine and stand against wave after wave of what would get brought before General Assembly in America. Did it before the trip, but afterwards, the struggle became more intense. I am exhausted from the 1-year+ battle, the community wants me to come back but I really don’t want to be in a place where I am a nuisance at best and a dangerous threat at worst. Consider that while the church was inviting the congregation to bring your unsaved friends to the retreat, I was considered too much of a risk to come. How can I go to a church that throws me under the bus one week and says climb on board (but please, sit quietly in the back)the next? I can be a Phil.com friend but there is no place for me at the church. I feel incredibly alone spiritually right now. An international call to the Phil and texting friends isn’t doing it for me and now I have to start all over again at a new church if the church I am visiting now remains my ‘home-away from home’ church.
Again, why stay in Korea? There is a church waiting for me in the Phil. I can occasionally preach, help teach, find an active men’s group with people who like me and a pastor who has become one of my dearest friends. I have a family there, counting on me to come back. I am going back this winter and the plan is to have my birthday there with my Phil family. Let’s hope no surgeries get in the way this time.
Commercial: Pray and start saving your pennies. The move to the Phil will eventually occur and somehow the school Pastor Rolex and I have been praying about, preparing for, etc…. will finally be born. When that happens I hope a few of you will consider a penny or two thrown our way. If change is too heavy we also welcome bills.
We now return to the “Far Too Long Letter” already in progress.
Health
Health has been odd. I am out of diapers finally after 6 months! The surgery I had in Feb had some unexpected complications. That is the good news. On the other side, they are talking about another surgery this winter. The pain is growing at fast pace and I have been running a temp of 101 or higher for 6 months now. The lab results are saying infection, but nothing is showing up anywhere else. Simply put the doctors don’t know what is wrong with me except for a growing hernia from the weakening muscles from the past surgeries. Why the strange lab and fever etc…. they don’t know.
I know this is a long and whining wrote J, please forgive me but at the moment, this is where I am. Please pray for some peace and some decisions to become clear on the next step. I am too tired to think.
Love to all,
Keith
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Family Research Council 2008 Voter Guides
Here are two voter guides from the Family Research Council. They are very helpful.
FRC 2008 Presidential Voter Guide
FRC 2008 Congressional Voter Guide
FRC 2008 Presidential Voter Guide
FRC 2008 Congressional Voter Guide
Monday, September 15, 2008
Archbishop Chales J. Chaput's Rebuke Of Senator Biden
Public Servants and Moral Reasoning:
A notice to the Catholic community in northern Colorado
To Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver:
When Catholics serve on the national stage, their actions and words impact the faith of Catholics around the country. As a result, they open themselves to legitimate scrutiny by local Catholics and local bishops on matters of Catholic belief. In 2008, although NBC probably didn't intend it, Meet the Press has become a national window on the flawed moral reasoning of some Catholic public servants.
On August 24, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, describing herself as an ardent, practicing Catholic, misrepresented the overwhelming body of Catholic teaching against abortion to the show's nationwide audience, while defending her "pro-choice" abortion views. On September 7, Sen. Joseph Biden compounded the problem to the same Meet the Press audience.
Sen. Biden is a man of distinguished public service. That doesn't excuse poor logic or bad facts. Asked when life begins, Sen. Biden said that, "it's a personal and private issue." But in reality, modern biology knows exactly when human life begins: at the moment of conception. Religion has nothing to do with it. People might argue when human "personhood" begins - though that leads public policy in very dangerous directions - but no one can any longer claim that the beginning of life is a matter of religious opinion.
Sen. Biden also confused the nature of pluralism. Real pluralism thrives on healthy, non-violent disagreement; it requires an environment where people of conviction will struggle respectfully but vigorously to advance their beliefs. In his interview, the senator observed that other people with strong religious views disagree with the Catholic approach to abortion. It's certainly true that we need to acknowledge the views of other people and compromise whenever possible - but not at the expense of a developing child's right to life. Abortion is a foundational issue; it is not an issue like housing policy or the price of foreign oil. It always involves the intentional killing of an innocent life, and it is always, grievously wrong. If, as Sen. Biden said, "I'm prepared as a matter of faith [emphasis added] to accept that life begins at the moment of conception," then he is not merely wrong about the science of new life; he also fails to defend the innocent life he already knows is there.
As the senator said in his interview, he has opposed public funding for abortions. To his great credit, he also backed a successful ban on partial-birth abortions. But his strong support for the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and the false "right" to abortion it enshrines, can't be excused by any serious Catholic. Support for Roe and the "right to choose" an abortion simply masks what abortion is, and what abortion does. Roe is bad law. As long as it stands, it prevents returning the abortion issue to the states where it belongs, so that the American people can decide its future through fair debate and legislation.
In his Meet the Press interview, Sen. Biden used a morally exhausted argument that American Catholics have been hearing for 40 years: i.e., that Catholics can't "impose" their religiously based views on the rest of the country. But resistance to abortion is a matter of human rights, not religious opinion. And the senator knows very well as a lawmaker that all law involves the imposition of some people's convictions on everyone else. That is the nature of the law. American Catholics have allowed themselves to be bullied into accepting the destruction of more than a million developing unborn children a year. Other people have imposed their "pro-choice" beliefs on American society without any remorse for decades.If we claim to be Catholic, then American Catholics, including public officials who describe themselvesas Catholic, need to act accordingly. We need to put an end to Roe and the industry of permissive abortion it enables. Otherwise all of us - from senators and members of Congress, to Catholic laypeople in the pews - fail not only as believers and disciples, but also as citizens.
Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Denver
James D. Conley
Auxiliary Bishop of Denver
A notice to the Catholic community in northern Colorado
To Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver:
When Catholics serve on the national stage, their actions and words impact the faith of Catholics around the country. As a result, they open themselves to legitimate scrutiny by local Catholics and local bishops on matters of Catholic belief. In 2008, although NBC probably didn't intend it, Meet the Press has become a national window on the flawed moral reasoning of some Catholic public servants.
On August 24, Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, describing herself as an ardent, practicing Catholic, misrepresented the overwhelming body of Catholic teaching against abortion to the show's nationwide audience, while defending her "pro-choice" abortion views. On September 7, Sen. Joseph Biden compounded the problem to the same Meet the Press audience.
Sen. Biden is a man of distinguished public service. That doesn't excuse poor logic or bad facts. Asked when life begins, Sen. Biden said that, "it's a personal and private issue." But in reality, modern biology knows exactly when human life begins: at the moment of conception. Religion has nothing to do with it. People might argue when human "personhood" begins - though that leads public policy in very dangerous directions - but no one can any longer claim that the beginning of life is a matter of religious opinion.
Sen. Biden also confused the nature of pluralism. Real pluralism thrives on healthy, non-violent disagreement; it requires an environment where people of conviction will struggle respectfully but vigorously to advance their beliefs. In his interview, the senator observed that other people with strong religious views disagree with the Catholic approach to abortion. It's certainly true that we need to acknowledge the views of other people and compromise whenever possible - but not at the expense of a developing child's right to life. Abortion is a foundational issue; it is not an issue like housing policy or the price of foreign oil. It always involves the intentional killing of an innocent life, and it is always, grievously wrong. If, as Sen. Biden said, "I'm prepared as a matter of faith [emphasis added] to accept that life begins at the moment of conception," then he is not merely wrong about the science of new life; he also fails to defend the innocent life he already knows is there.
As the senator said in his interview, he has opposed public funding for abortions. To his great credit, he also backed a successful ban on partial-birth abortions. But his strong support for the 1973 Supreme Court decision Roe v. Wade and the false "right" to abortion it enshrines, can't be excused by any serious Catholic. Support for Roe and the "right to choose" an abortion simply masks what abortion is, and what abortion does. Roe is bad law. As long as it stands, it prevents returning the abortion issue to the states where it belongs, so that the American people can decide its future through fair debate and legislation.
In his Meet the Press interview, Sen. Biden used a morally exhausted argument that American Catholics have been hearing for 40 years: i.e., that Catholics can't "impose" their religiously based views on the rest of the country. But resistance to abortion is a matter of human rights, not religious opinion. And the senator knows very well as a lawmaker that all law involves the imposition of some people's convictions on everyone else. That is the nature of the law. American Catholics have allowed themselves to be bullied into accepting the destruction of more than a million developing unborn children a year. Other people have imposed their "pro-choice" beliefs on American society without any remorse for decades.If we claim to be Catholic, then American Catholics, including public officials who describe themselvesas Catholic, need to act accordingly. We need to put an end to Roe and the industry of permissive abortion it enables. Otherwise all of us - from senators and members of Congress, to Catholic laypeople in the pews - fail not only as believers and disciples, but also as citizens.
Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Denver
James D. Conley
Auxiliary Bishop of Denver
Thursday, September 04, 2008
ON THE SEPARATION OF SENSE AND STATE:
This was written in response to the out and out lies that Nancy Pelosi spewed forth in an interview with Tom Brokaw. Here is the transcript of that interview:
Nancy Pelosi “Meet the Press” transcript
August 24, 2008 ·
Earlier today I posted a brief synopsis of Nancy Pelosi’s appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press this morning. MSNBC now has the transcript of that interview available. I give you the exchange with Tom Brokaw about the beginning of life, human rights, and a woman’s right to have an abortion below. At the end, is the link to the entire transcript.
MR. BROKAW: Senator Obama saying the question of when life begins is above his pay grade, whether you’re looking at it scientifically or theologically. If he were to come to you and say, “Help me out here, Madame Speaker. When does life begin?” what would you tell him?
REP. PELOSI: I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. And Senator–St. Augustine said at three months. We don’t know. The point is, is that it shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose. Roe v. Wade talks about very clear definitions of when the child–first trimester, certain considerations; second trimester; not so third trimester. There’s very clear distinctions. This isn’t about abortion on demand, it’s about a careful, careful consideration of all factors and–to–that a woman has to make with her doctor and her god. And so I don’t think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins. As I say, the Catholic Church for centuries has been discussing this, and there are those who’ve decided…
MR. BROKAW: The Catholic Church at the moment feels very strongly that it…
REP. PELOSI: I understand that.
MR. BROKAW: …begins at the point of conception.
REP. PELOSI: I understand. And this is like maybe 50 years or something like that. So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy. But it is, it is also true that God has given us, each of us, a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And we want abortions to be safe, rare, and reduce the number of abortions. That’s why we have this fight in Congress over contraception. My Republican colleagues do not support contraception. If you want to reduce the number of abortions, and we all do, we must–it would behoove you to support family planning and, and contraception, you would think. But that is not the case. So we have to take–you know, we have to handle this as respectfully–this is sacred ground. We have to handle it very respectfully and not politicize it, as it has been–and I’m not saying Rick Warren did, because I don’t think he did, but others will try to.
MSNBC
Please note that this "Open Letter" from Archbishop Chaput is reprinted in it's entirety.
ON THE SEPARATION OF SENSE AND STATE:
A CLARIFICATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE CHURCH
IN NORTHERN COLORADO
Denver, CO - Monday, August 25, 2008
To Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver:
Catholic public leaders inconvenienced by the abortion debate tend to take a hard line in talking about the "separation of Church and state." But their idea of separation often seems to work one way. In fact, some officials also seem comfortable in the role of theologian. And that warrants some interest, not as a "political" issue, but as a matter of accuracy and justice.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is a gifted public servant of strong convictions and many professional skills. Regrettably, knowledge of Catholic history and teaching does not seem to be one of them.
Interviewed on Meet the Press August 24, Speaker Pelosi was asked when human life begins. She said the following:
"I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time.
And what I know is over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. . . St. Augustine said at three months. We don't know. The point is, is that it shouldn't have an impact on the woman's right to choose."
Since Speaker Pelosi has, in her words, studied the issue "for a long time," she must know very well one of the premier works on the subject, Jesuit John Connery's Abortion:
The Development of the Roman Catholic Perspective (Loyola, 1977). Here's how Connery concludes his study:
"The Christian tradition from the earliest days reveals a firm antiabortion attitude . . . The condemnation of abortion did not depend on and was not limited in any way by theories regarding the time of fetal animation. Even during the many centuries when Church penal and penitential practice was based on the theory of delayed animation, the condemnation of abortion was never affected by it. Whatever one would want to hold about the time of animation, or when the fetus became a human being in the strict sense of the term, abortion from the time of conception was considered wrong, and the time of animation was never looked on as a moral dividing line between permissible and impermissible abortion."
Or to put it in the blunter words of the great Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
"Destruction of the embryo in the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed on this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder."
Ardent, practicing Catholics will quickly learn from the historical record that from apostolic times, the Christian tradition overwhelmingly held that abortion was grievously evil. In the absence of modern medical knowledge, some of the Early Fathers held that abortion was homicide; others that it was tantamount to homicide; and various scholars theorized about when and how the unborn child might be animated or "ensouled." But none diminished the unique evil of abortion as an attack on life itself, and the early Church closely associated abortion with infanticide. In short, from the beginning, the believing Christian community held that abortion was always, gravely wrong.
Of course, we now know with biological certainty exactly when human life begins. Thus, today's religious alibis for abortion and a so-called "right to choose" are nothing more than that - alibis that break radically with historic Christian and Catholic belief.
Abortion kills an unborn, developing human life. It is always gravely evil, and so are the evasions employed to justify it. Catholics who make excuses for it - whether they're famous or not - fool only themselves and abuse the fidelity of those Catholics who do sincerely seek to follow the Gospel and live their Catholic faith.
The duty of the Church and other religious communities is moral witness. The duty of the state and its officials is to serve the common good, which is always rooted in moral truth. A proper understanding of the "separation of Church and state" does not imply a separation of faith from political life. But of course, it's always important to know what our faith actually teaches.
+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Denver
+James D. Conley
Auxiliary Bishop of Denver
###
Nancy Pelosi “Meet the Press” transcript
August 24, 2008 ·
Earlier today I posted a brief synopsis of Nancy Pelosi’s appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press this morning. MSNBC now has the transcript of that interview available. I give you the exchange with Tom Brokaw about the beginning of life, human rights, and a woman’s right to have an abortion below. At the end, is the link to the entire transcript.
MR. BROKAW: Senator Obama saying the question of when life begins is above his pay grade, whether you’re looking at it scientifically or theologically. If he were to come to you and say, “Help me out here, Madame Speaker. When does life begin?” what would you tell him?
REP. PELOSI: I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time. And what I know is, over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. And Senator–St. Augustine said at three months. We don’t know. The point is, is that it shouldn’t have an impact on the woman’s right to choose. Roe v. Wade talks about very clear definitions of when the child–first trimester, certain considerations; second trimester; not so third trimester. There’s very clear distinctions. This isn’t about abortion on demand, it’s about a careful, careful consideration of all factors and–to–that a woman has to make with her doctor and her god. And so I don’t think anybody can tell you when life begins, human life begins. As I say, the Catholic Church for centuries has been discussing this, and there are those who’ve decided…
MR. BROKAW: The Catholic Church at the moment feels very strongly that it…
REP. PELOSI: I understand that.
MR. BROKAW: …begins at the point of conception.
REP. PELOSI: I understand. And this is like maybe 50 years or something like that. So again, over the history of the church, this is an issue of controversy. But it is, it is also true that God has given us, each of us, a free will and a responsibility to answer for our actions. And we want abortions to be safe, rare, and reduce the number of abortions. That’s why we have this fight in Congress over contraception. My Republican colleagues do not support contraception. If you want to reduce the number of abortions, and we all do, we must–it would behoove you to support family planning and, and contraception, you would think. But that is not the case. So we have to take–you know, we have to handle this as respectfully–this is sacred ground. We have to handle it very respectfully and not politicize it, as it has been–and I’m not saying Rick Warren did, because I don’t think he did, but others will try to.
MSNBC
Please note that this "Open Letter" from Archbishop Chaput is reprinted in it's entirety.
ON THE SEPARATION OF SENSE AND STATE:
A CLARIFICATION FOR THE PEOPLE OF THE CHURCH
IN NORTHERN COLORADO
Denver, CO - Monday, August 25, 2008
To Catholics of the Archdiocese of Denver:
Catholic public leaders inconvenienced by the abortion debate tend to take a hard line in talking about the "separation of Church and state." But their idea of separation often seems to work one way. In fact, some officials also seem comfortable in the role of theologian. And that warrants some interest, not as a "political" issue, but as a matter of accuracy and justice.
Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi is a gifted public servant of strong convictions and many professional skills. Regrettably, knowledge of Catholic history and teaching does not seem to be one of them.
Interviewed on Meet the Press August 24, Speaker Pelosi was asked when human life begins. She said the following:
"I would say that as an ardent, practicing Catholic, this is an issue that I have studied for a long time.
And what I know is over the centuries, the doctors of the church have not been able to make that definition. . . St. Augustine said at three months. We don't know. The point is, is that it shouldn't have an impact on the woman's right to choose."
Since Speaker Pelosi has, in her words, studied the issue "for a long time," she must know very well one of the premier works on the subject, Jesuit John Connery's Abortion:
The Development of the Roman Catholic Perspective (Loyola, 1977). Here's how Connery concludes his study:
"The Christian tradition from the earliest days reveals a firm antiabortion attitude . . . The condemnation of abortion did not depend on and was not limited in any way by theories regarding the time of fetal animation. Even during the many centuries when Church penal and penitential practice was based on the theory of delayed animation, the condemnation of abortion was never affected by it. Whatever one would want to hold about the time of animation, or when the fetus became a human being in the strict sense of the term, abortion from the time of conception was considered wrong, and the time of animation was never looked on as a moral dividing line between permissible and impermissible abortion."
Or to put it in the blunter words of the great Lutheran pastor Dietrich Bonhoeffer:
"Destruction of the embryo in the mother's womb is a violation of the right to live which God has bestowed on this nascent life. To raise the question whether we are here concerned already with a human being or not is merely to confuse the issue. The simple fact is that God certainly intended to create a human being and that this nascent human being has been deliberately deprived of his life. And that is nothing but murder."
Ardent, practicing Catholics will quickly learn from the historical record that from apostolic times, the Christian tradition overwhelmingly held that abortion was grievously evil. In the absence of modern medical knowledge, some of the Early Fathers held that abortion was homicide; others that it was tantamount to homicide; and various scholars theorized about when and how the unborn child might be animated or "ensouled." But none diminished the unique evil of abortion as an attack on life itself, and the early Church closely associated abortion with infanticide. In short, from the beginning, the believing Christian community held that abortion was always, gravely wrong.
Of course, we now know with biological certainty exactly when human life begins. Thus, today's religious alibis for abortion and a so-called "right to choose" are nothing more than that - alibis that break radically with historic Christian and Catholic belief.
Abortion kills an unborn, developing human life. It is always gravely evil, and so are the evasions employed to justify it. Catholics who make excuses for it - whether they're famous or not - fool only themselves and abuse the fidelity of those Catholics who do sincerely seek to follow the Gospel and live their Catholic faith.
The duty of the Church and other religious communities is moral witness. The duty of the state and its officials is to serve the common good, which is always rooted in moral truth. A proper understanding of the "separation of Church and state" does not imply a separation of faith from political life. But of course, it's always important to know what our faith actually teaches.
+Charles J. Chaput, O.F.M. Cap.
Archbishop of Denver
+James D. Conley
Auxiliary Bishop of Denver
###
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
The Patriot Post - Our Vision
About The Patriot Post
America's most widely read Internet-based publication, The Patriot Post, is a highly acclaimed journal advocating individual liberty, the restoration of constitutional limits on government and the judiciary, and the promotion of free enterprise, national defense and traditional American values.
The Patriot Post is crafted by a national editorial team headed by Mark Alexander and serves as a hard-hitting rebuttal to contemporary political, social and mainstream media protagonists on the Left. It is written for those who seek a brief, informative and entertaining analysis of the week's most significant news, policy and opinion. This comprehensive synopsis of reliable information is drawn from reputable media, research and advocacy organizations and published in three parts each week: Monday's Patriot Brief, Wednesday's Patriot Chronicle and Friday's Patriot Digest.
The Patriot Post's readers include high-level policymakers in the executive and legislative branches, leaders in state and local government, key thinkers in the community of conservative research and academic policy organizations, and, most important, grassroots conservatives across the nation. The Patriot Post is available free by e-mail, and is thus an invaluable news resource for hundreds of thousands of our military and mission-field personnel around the world, as well as an ever-growing readership on our college campuses.
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Monday, August 04, 2008
Tyson Foods warms up to Islam
Tyson Foods warms up to Islam
Associated Press - 8/3/2008 6:45:00 AM
SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. - Workers at the Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Shelbyville will no longer have a paid day off on Labor Day but will instead be given the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr as a holiday.
According to a news release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a new five-year contract at the plant included the change to accommodate the hundreds of Somali Muslims who work at the plant .
Eid al-Fitr — which falls on Oct. 1 this year — marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.
Union leaders say implementing the holiday was important for the nearly 700 Muslims, many of them Somalis, who work at the plant that employs a total of 1,200 people.
The Shelbyville Times-Gazette newspaper quotes union spokesman Randy Hadley as saying the negotiating team felt this change was "extremely crucial, since this holiday is as important to Muslims as Christmas is to Christians."
The newspaper also quotes the union as saying two prayer rooms have been created at the Shelbyville Tyson Foods' plant " to allow Muslim workers to pray twice a day and return to work without leaving the plant."
Associated Press - 8/3/2008 6:45:00 AM
SHELBYVILLE, Tenn. - Workers at the Tyson Foods poultry processing plant in Shelbyville will no longer have a paid day off on Labor Day but will instead be given the Muslim holiday Eid al-Fitr as a holiday.
According to a news release from the Retail, Wholesale and Department Store Union, a new five-year contract at the plant included the change to accommodate the hundreds of Somali Muslims who work at the plant .
Eid al-Fitr — which falls on Oct. 1 this year — marks the end of Ramadan, the Muslim holy month of fasting.
Union leaders say implementing the holiday was important for the nearly 700 Muslims, many of them Somalis, who work at the plant that employs a total of 1,200 people.
The Shelbyville Times-Gazette newspaper quotes union spokesman Randy Hadley as saying the negotiating team felt this change was "extremely crucial, since this holiday is as important to Muslims as Christmas is to Christians."
The newspaper also quotes the union as saying two prayer rooms have been created at the Shelbyville Tyson Foods' plant " to allow Muslim workers to pray twice a day and return to work without leaving the plant."
So, You Don't Believe That Church Leaders Don't Promote Candidates?
Emerging Church leader promotes lifestyle rather than faith
Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 8/1/2008 7:00:00 AM
A Christian broadcaster claims that Emerging Church leader Brian McLaren is fulfilling the biblical prophecy that in the latter days men will not put up with sound doctrine – according to II Timothy 4:3.
Brian McLaren recently addressed 650 Anglican bishops attending the Lambeth Conference, a meeting he says was characterized by "a loving atmosphere" and "a deep spirituality centered in Bible study, worship, and prayer." McLaren tells ChristianToday.com that he envisions a new era for Christianity, which "is more about the Christian way of life than it is about a rigid and polemicized systems of belief."
Tom McMahon, president of the The Berean Call ministry, says McLaren is obviously ashamed of the biblical gospel and is bent upon making it accommodate his own ideas about Christianity and "the Christian way of life."
"Once you throw off biblical doctrine, what do you have to guide you? This is to me a reflection of what Satan did with Eve in the Garden – this is Genesis 3:1, 'Yea, hath God said?' In other words, if you undermine what God had said, then what have you got?" he questions. "Well, you've got Proverbs 14:12, 'There's a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death' -- or destruction."
McLaren also tells ChristianityToday.com the future of Christianity will also require Christians to "join humbly and charitably with people of other faiths -- Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, secularists and others -- in pursuit of peace, environmental stewardship," and other things that quote "matter greatly to the heart of God." But McMahon argues that what matters most to the heart of God is that individuals receive salvation on "his terms...through his gospel."
"And that's what people of the world, people of faith desperately need," the ministry leader concludes.
McLaren has joined the Matthew 25 Network, a liberal political action group of Catholics, Protestants, Pentecostals and Evangelicals seeking to get Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) elected president.
Jim Brown - OneNewsNow - 8/1/2008 7:00:00 AM
A Christian broadcaster claims that Emerging Church leader Brian McLaren is fulfilling the biblical prophecy that in the latter days men will not put up with sound doctrine – according to II Timothy 4:3.
Brian McLaren recently addressed 650 Anglican bishops attending the Lambeth Conference, a meeting he says was characterized by "a loving atmosphere" and "a deep spirituality centered in Bible study, worship, and prayer." McLaren tells ChristianToday.com that he envisions a new era for Christianity, which "is more about the Christian way of life than it is about a rigid and polemicized systems of belief."
Tom McMahon, president of the The Berean Call ministry, says McLaren is obviously ashamed of the biblical gospel and is bent upon making it accommodate his own ideas about Christianity and "the Christian way of life."
"Once you throw off biblical doctrine, what do you have to guide you? This is to me a reflection of what Satan did with Eve in the Garden – this is Genesis 3:1, 'Yea, hath God said?' In other words, if you undermine what God had said, then what have you got?" he questions. "Well, you've got Proverbs 14:12, 'There's a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death' -- or destruction."
McLaren also tells ChristianityToday.com the future of Christianity will also require Christians to "join humbly and charitably with people of other faiths -- Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, Jewish, secularists and others -- in pursuit of peace, environmental stewardship," and other things that quote "matter greatly to the heart of God." But McMahon argues that what matters most to the heart of God is that individuals receive salvation on "his terms...through his gospel."
"And that's what people of the world, people of faith desperately need," the ministry leader concludes.
McLaren has joined the Matthew 25 Network, a liberal political action group of Catholics, Protestants, Pentecostals and Evangelicals seeking to get Senator Barack Obama (D-Illinois) elected president.
Friday, July 25, 2008
Dr. J. I. Packer Speaks Out On Homosexuality
Dr. Packer opened his remarks with a statement explaining why this issue is of such great importance in the Anglican Church today. "In brief," he said, "because it involves the denial of something that's integral to the Christian Gospel.
"That is, whereas the Bible says that same-sex unions are off limits as far as God is concerned, and that the Gospel requires any who have been involved in them to repent of that involvement and to abandon it, this point of view against which we are standing, treats gay unions...as a form of holiness, and encourages, affirms and blesses them, rather than saying, as we believe the Gospel requires us to say, that this is the wrong track."
"You are required to abandon it and we, in the Christian fellowship, will help you to…walk chaste, not yield to your besetting temptations," he continued. "And that is God's way for you. We are obliged by the Gospel to say that because the apostle Paul, proclaiming the Gospel to the Corinthians, says explicitly that they mustn't be deceived…and those living in homosexual relationships will not inherit the Kingdom of God."
"In other words, they don't qualify for Christ's salvation in terms of the Gospel that God has revealed."
Please, read the rest of the article by clicking HERE
"That is, whereas the Bible says that same-sex unions are off limits as far as God is concerned, and that the Gospel requires any who have been involved in them to repent of that involvement and to abandon it, this point of view against which we are standing, treats gay unions...as a form of holiness, and encourages, affirms and blesses them, rather than saying, as we believe the Gospel requires us to say, that this is the wrong track."
"You are required to abandon it and we, in the Christian fellowship, will help you to…walk chaste, not yield to your besetting temptations," he continued. "And that is God's way for you. We are obliged by the Gospel to say that because the apostle Paul, proclaiming the Gospel to the Corinthians, says explicitly that they mustn't be deceived…and those living in homosexual relationships will not inherit the Kingdom of God."
"In other words, they don't qualify for Christ's salvation in terms of the Gospel that God has revealed."
Please, read the rest of the article by clicking HERE
Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Pastoral Malpractice
Pastoral malpractice
Thom S. Rainer - Guest Columnist - 5/6/2008 11:00:00 AM
I would consider pastoral malpractice among the greatest treasons a minister can commit against the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Unfortunately, it is practiced weekly without inhibition.
What do I mean by pastoral malpractice? I mean ministers who stand and preach a gospel other than God's rightful need for punitive justice against our sin and His wrath being appeased by pouring out upon Christ judgment intended for us. He in turn sets us in right legal standing before Himself, through faith in what Jesus has done, while simultaneously giving to us His holy righteousness.
Regrettably, too many evangelical churches have become centers for motivational speaking where congregants learn that "God helps those who help themselves;" that sin is something that keeps us from reaching our full potential, not an infinite offense against the Creator who demands from His creation unblemished righteousness.
The Apostle Paul tells us that humans inherently know we are separated from God by our sin and we try to suppress that truth through drugs, sex, greed, power, alcohol, etc. Sadly, too often when desperate individuals arrive in our churches looking for a solution they get messages about how to improve their lives or their relationships, but the Gospel is absent in the remedy. J.I. Packer, in his quintessential work, Knowing God, correctly writes:
"We have all heard the Gospel presented as God's triumphant answer to human problems –- problems of our relation with ourselves and our fellow humans and our environment. Well, there is no doubt that the Gospel does bring us solutions to these problems, but it does so by first solving a deeper problem -– the deepest of all human problems, the problem of man's relation with His Maker. And unless we make it plain that the solution to the former problems depends on the settling of this latter, we are misrepresenting the message and becoming false witnesses of God."
Please read the rest of the article Here
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Ligers, Tigons, and Zonkeys, Oh My!
This is a nightmare about to come true....is coming true! This is from the Family Research Council.....Please read this!!
Ligers, Tigons, and Zonkeys, Oh My!
Here is the complete news article that is referenced in Tony Perkin's brief writeup.
Exclusive: Half man, half chimp - should we beware the apeman's coming?
Ligers, Tigons, and Zonkeys, Oh My!
Here is the complete news article that is referenced in Tony Perkin's brief writeup.
Exclusive: Half man, half chimp - should we beware the apeman's coming?
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