Unity and Truth

My mother and I have an ongoing conversation about unity and truth. It is obvious that unity among believers is a biblical principle. But unity has to be around something. Something more than being able to tolerate one another's company while listening to sermons. Unity has to do with a purpose. It would seem pretty obvious from scripture that the purpose would be the Great Commission: making disciples, baptizing them, and teaching them to observe Jesus' commands. All of these things involve truth. For people to work together in a unified way on these things, they have to agree on some basics. For example, you have to agree on either infant or believer baptism.

I think that many churches try to stand for as few truths as possible so that they can be unified with as many people as possible. They usually summarized them as Statements of Faith. This is a super-condensed version of my church's:

1. There is one true God having three persons (God the Father, Jesus, Holy Spirit).
2. God loved us so much that he sent his son, Jesus. Jesus was born of a virgin, lived a sinless life, died, and was raised again. In his death, he took on the sins of the world so that God's justice and mercy could remain intact.
3. At the point of salvation, each Christian is physically indwelled by the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit helps the Christian make righteous choices and transforms us into a new person.
4. The Bible is without error and full of truth. It is God-breathed.
5. We are created in the spiritual likeness or image of God, but he allows us to choose to love him and act according to his commands. The first man, Adam, chose to sin, and now every person lives in a marred creation with a marred spiritual nature. As a result, every person will eventually choose to sin and subsequently become separated from God.
6. Salvation is a gift of God and cannot be accomplished by works. When we decide to trust God, we obey Jesus' command being immersed in water and demonstrating Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection.
7. The church is the body of Christ and the family of believers. As such it is our duty to love others and share the Gospel to win as many as possible.
8. Those who follow Jesus will spend eternity in Heaven with him. Those who reject Jesus' will spend eternity in Hell without him.

While these eight things are all well and good, they don't address many issues. For example, can you tell from this if we have women elders or deacons? Can you tell what our position on evolution or do we even have one? The list could go on.

Some people would say that since these are not "salvation" issues that it isn't worth taking a firm stand on them. So that is my question. . . What is worth taking a stand over?

The Lutheran denomination is wrestling with this issue right now. Some congregations are separating from the ELCA because they believe that ordaining non-celibate gays and lesbians is something that they cannot be a party to. I agree with them. But some would say this is wrong because unity is more important.

And is separating from one another necessarily disunity? My mother pointed out that Paul and Barnabas separated over John Mark. But were they bringing about disunity? They basically went their own way and REMAINED FRIENDS. That is often lacking when congregations part ways.

I, for one, wish that my church would take a stronger stand on many things. For example, pro-life issues, the biblical role of government, and creationism. But if they did, many people would leave. Others might come. How important is staying in the same congregation? How important is standing for the truth? Any thoughts?

Last Night's Elections

Shane at Caffeinated Thoughts has a great summary of the political events of last night. While I was glad of the GOP victories, the thing that gave me more hope was "gay marriage" being defeated in Maine by 53% of the voters. I mean Maine is not a bastion of conservatism, yet they see the value of marriage being one man and one woman. One quote from the article mentioned above struck me.

Five other states have legalized gay marriage -- starting with Massachusetts in 2004, and followed by Vermont, New Hampshire, Connecticut and Iowa -- but all did so through legislation or court rulings, not by popular vote. In contrast, constitutional amendments banning gay marriage have been approved in all 30 states where they have been on the ballot.

How far away from the people of these states are the courts and law-makers? I don't know, but it would be interesting to see all of these states put the question to a vote.

I still want to see if red-light cameras have been banned in College Station.

I So Loathe Activist Judges

Many people are decrying the fact that an activist Dallas judge, Tena Callahan, overturned the Texas State Constitution and the will of the people in one swift decision. In a case involving two men who were "married" in Massachusetts and seeking a divorce. Ms. Callahan ruled that the Texas constitution was unconstitutional because it upholds marriage as between one man and one woman.

How can one woman be so arrogant to think that she has more right to change the laws of Texas than 75% of the voters, the governor, and the state legislature combined? Oh, this just makes me so mad!!!! The worst of it is I don't even know what I can do about it. Pray. I have been saying how powerful prayer is. So I ask you to join me in prayer that this judges decision will be trampled by God in whatever way he sees fit.

Good News in Utah

According to OneNewsNow, a court has decided that an estranged lesbian has no parental rights to her now heterosexual ex-partner's son. This is a good decision. I hope it sticks.

Speaking of changing orientations. . .
This is a good video from Focus on the Family (or at least one of their affiliates). It speaks to the possibility of change for those who want it.




That reminds me. . .
I found out that the National Education Association endorsed same-sex marriage. They are also pushing for "gay" issues to be required content for teacher credentialing. Still think education is neutral? Are you ready to homeschool yet?

Danger on Every Side

This country is in danger on every side.

Freedom of Religion, Freedom of Speech
First I want to warn you that the Democrats are sneaking the hate crimes legislation in as an amendment to a tourism bill (Travel Promotion Act of 2009, SB 1023). This amendment will give all "sexual orientations" the same anti-discrimination rights as race and religion. There quite a few "sexual orientations" including homosexuality, pedophilia, transgenderism, etc. It is also likely make it illegal for pastors, ministers, etc. to preach against or speak against these things. The vote on this tourism bill is expected to take place today. So call your Senators. UPDATE: The video is of one of the supporting Senators saying that, yes, the bill will protect pedophiles every other sexual "orientation" you can imagine.




Freedom in Health
We may soon have to all resort to finding our own health solutions like 18-year-old Jessica Terry who diagnosed herself with the help of her AP science class. President Obama is trying to stuff his health plan down our throats via the "unbiased" MSM. Single payer (read mostly socialized) medicine is a terrible idea. I am probably far more of a health freedom person than most Americans. For example, I think you should be able to get an x-ray or sonogram without going to a doctor. I also think that our current system could use some overhaul. But has the government ever done anything better than the private sector could do it?

Freedom to Parent
As far as I know, Gov. Rick Perry has not vetoed the law that would allow CPS to take people's kids for interviewing/interrogation without warning or permission from something as questionable as a unanimous call. He only has so many days before the bill becomes law without his signature. Those days may already be up. I don't really know.
UPDATE: I found out that Gov. Perry still has time to veto this bill. If you live in TX, call 512-463-2000 and ask (politely) that Gov. Perry veto this bill.

Reorienting

Thanks to Bill Clinton this month is Gay and Lesbian Pride Month. I think if I were President, I would change it to Overcoming Homosexuality Month. I would probably be lynched by a mob.

Seriously, not enough people are aware that thousands overcome same sex attraction. The homosexual movement claims that trying to reorient someone is dangerous and harmful. Yet there is new study that confirms that people who want to change are benefited by counselling and can change. We are not exposed to personal stories of change like this one.

Aside from saying that homosexuality is wrong, few churches are involved in this issue that effects many. One simple step a congregation could take is becoming a Exodus Church. This puts your congregation on the Exodus International local directory. This way if there is a person struggling against same sex attraction they know your congregation is a safe place to come. Of course, you congregation has to actually be a safe place. If you would like more information on being one of these kinds of churches, you can contact Transforming Congregations at:

PO Box 7146
Pendel, PA 19047
215-938-8770

Their website is being reconstructed or I would link to it.

Of Justices

The California Supreme Court Justices
First I am pleased and somewhat surprised that the California Supreme Court upheld Prop 8 defending traditional marriage. I was even more impressed that it was 6 to 1. So bravo California Supreme Court Justices. If you would like to read parts of the opinion in the LA Times, click here. This is one part:

"No authority supports the Attorney General's claim that a constitutional amendment adopted through the constitutionally prescribed procedure is invalid simply because the amendment affects a prior judicial interpretation of a right that the Constitution denominates 'inalienable.' The natural-law jurisprudence reflected in passages from the few early judicial opinions relied upon by the Attorney General has been discredited for many years."

Sonia Sotomayor
Much of the MSM seems all wrapped up in Judge Sotomayor's "compelling story" and the fact that she is a Hispanic Woman. I personally don't care how or where she grew up. I don't care about here gender or ethnicity. I care about where she has read the Constitution and will she defend it.

From what I can find out about her, she may have read the Constitution, but she believes that judges "make policy". Hello! I thought judges applied the law as it is written. At least in a just society. Here is a video of her talking about judges making policy.

National Day of Prayer

I am glad that our country still has a National Day of Prayer. I would like to encourage you all to pray a prayer of national confession today. National confession is simply coming before the Lord and admitting all of the wrong that we have done as a nation whether we have participated in the wrong as individuals or not. Here is an example:

Lord of all creation, I come before you today confessing that as a nation we have glorified the creation via extreme environmentalism instead of you the Creator. We have glorified killing innocent babies instead of godly mother and fatherhood. We have glorified greed and materialism instead of generosity and charity.

Especially troubling to me, O Lord, are the millions that die and have died before they had a chance to breathe their first breaths. God, we have become so desensitized to the killing. Help us to care enough to act. Help me care enough to act. Help your church be involved in the prevention of abortion through prayer, abstinence education, and godly parenting. Help your church support those who choose parenting or adoption instead of killing. Help your church bring healing to those that made a bad choice and are now mourning the loss of their child.

Another thing that is heavy on my heart is the disregard many Christians have for the complete authority of Scripture. It shows up in combining evolution and creation. It shows up in agreeing with same sex "marriage". Help us know that truth is found in Your Word. Help us trust that you are telling us the truth. Help us know that the Bible is a miracle not the mere work of men.

I ask all of these things in the holy name of Jesus.

Zechariah 1:3-4 Therefore tell the people: This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Return to me,' declares the Lord Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the Lord Almighty. 4 Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed: This is what the Lord Almighty says: 'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.' But they would not listen or pay attention to me, declares the Lord.

Hate Crimes Bill

The House and Senate are poised to pass the Hate Crimes Prevention Act of 2009. It is HR 1913. This bill adds sexual orientation and gender identity to the list of attributes that qualify for "hate crime" penalties. It seems very innocuous, but in other countries this has lead to mere words being hate crimes. If this passes, it will be a great challenge for the church. Will our leaders be willing to go to jail for speaking the truth about homosexuality? The bill could be law in as little as two weeks. I also think that hate crimes laws are poor legislation because they give penalties for thoughts. Other than self defense, does the reason for the crime really matter? If you hurt or kill someone, you deserve to be punished. And there are already libel and slander laws for written and spoken offenses. True justice is applying the law the same regardless of station, race, gender, etc. It is unjust for certain people to be counted as more important or valuable before the law.

Rick Warren and Miss California

If you don't read Caffeinated Thoughts, I highly recommend it. Here is a link to a recent post comparing Rick Warren to Miss California. I must say bravo to Miss California. I am sure you have all heard about her stand for traditional marriage (though it might have cost her an earthly crown), but I thought I would post it just in case there is someone like me who doesn't watch TV.




She seems to fumble it slightly, but (considering the circumstances and how long she must have worked to get to this point) I think it is awesome that she chose to make the stand.

Home Again from Oklahoma City

My husband had a pre-paid business trip to Oklahoma City Friday and Saturday. The kids and I got to go too and all it cost us was our food and site seeing. We had a lot of fun. We got there Friday about lunch time. My husband ate lunch with us and then went to his conference. The kids and I went to the Myriad Botanical Gardens. All of it was interesting to a Landscape Architecture major, but the Crystal Bridge Conservatory was definitely the best.

Later that evening we went with my husband to the Oklahoma City National Memorial. It seems odd that the bombing was almost 15 years ago. This memorial was being designed when I was getting my degree so the landscape architectural aspects of it were very interesting to me. It was touching to see each chair with someone's name on it. It made me think of all the nameless people that abortion has taken from our land and how amazingly huge the field would have to be if we had chairs for all of them.

Then Saturday the kids and I spent the entire day at the Oklahoma City Zoo. The kids really enjoyed the sea lion show and the Dinosaurs Unearthed temporary exhibit.

The animatronic life size dinosaurs were very cool especially if you didn't read any of the evolutionary rubbish on the signs. They also had life size fossil replicas.

It was a great trip marred only by the announcement about the Iowa Supreme Court's ruling on "gay marriage" that we heard over the radio while in the car. As Caffeinated Thoughts has already said much on that topic (and probably better than I would have), I am leaving you with links.

Responding to the decision and Consequences

It is a great thing to see something new, learn, and relax with family.

Here and There

I read several articles of interest this morning. We will start with the ones here in America.

First, according to WorldNetDaily columnist Bob Unruh, part of the recently passed "stimulus" bill has a section that would "demand that every American submit to a government program for electronic medical records without a choice to opt out, and it has privacy advocates more than a little alarmed. " I can see a nice little bridge from here to gov. mandated eugenics. Call me crazy, but I think this is bad news.

Second, my new friends at the Cornwall Alliance alerted me to this article by Paul Dressen at Townhall about energy and the economy. Here is a portion of it.

Many states have oil, gas, coal uranium and other energy and mineral resources, within their borders or off their coasts. Development would produce critically needed energy, reduce oil and gas imports, create millions of jobs, and generate trillions of dollars in lease bonus, rent, royalty and tax revenues, to help pay these bills.

California could nearly double its offshore oil production within 12-18 months, without installing a single new platform, by using directional drilling technology to bore more wells from existing platforms.

But environmentalists vigorously oppose development. Many states increasingly restrict exploration and production. The US Senate is considering bills that would place more energy prospects off limits. Many legislators want a permanent lock on billions of barrels of oil beneath Alaska’s North Slope and America’s Outer Continental Shelf – despite support for drilling by two-thirds of voters.

Third, across they ocean in Scotland we have a story that should serve as warning to us. LifeSiteNews has this article by Terry Vanderheyden.

According to the Daily Mail, the court found the grandparents, who are 46 and 59, to be too old to adequately raise the children. The grandparents could not afford to continue the expensive legal process, and therefore resolved to give the children up for adoption provided the new adoptive parents would be a loving mother and father.

Soon after the ruling, however, the couple was informed that their five year old grandson and four year old granddaughter, who had been living in a foster home during the custody battle because their mom was a heroine addict, were being put into the care of a homosexual couple.

“It breaks my heart to think that our grandchildren are being forced to grow up in an environment without a mother figure. We are not prejudiced, but I defy anyone to explain to us how this can be in their best interests," said the grandfather.

This article saddens me for both the children and the grandparents. If this woman had been artificially inseminated, most people in Scotland would have thought it fine for this couple to raise a child. But when she wants to care for her own grandchildren, the courts say no. And now these poor kids will never have a maternal influence. The whole thing is really sad.

White House Agenda

I have been reading over some of the Civil Rights agenda at www.WhiteHouse.gov. None of it is really surprising, but it is rather disturbing. Some quotes:

Expand Hate Crimes Statutes: President Obama and Vice President Biden will strengthen federal hate crimes legislation, expand hate crimes protection by passing the Matthew Shepard Act, and reinvigorate enforcement at the Department of Justice's Criminal Section.

This one is capable of bringing real persecution on the Church. Are we ready? (If you don't believe me read Janet Folger's Criminalization of Christianity or any other source about what happens when such laws have been passed in other countries.)

Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.

So much for the will of the people or the rule of law. How often are the people going to have to say, "We don't want this."

Expand Adoption Rights: President Obama believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation. He thinks that a child will benefit from a healthy and loving home, whether the parents are gay or not.

I feel so sorry for the poor kids that will be effected by this should it go through. God intended for kids to have a mom and a dad.

Promote AIDS Prevention: In the first year of his presidency, President Obama will develop and begin to implement a comprehensive national HIV/AIDS strategy that includes all federal agencies.

OK, Mr. President. Here is a plan for you that will actually work. Promote abstinence outside of marriage and monogamy inside marriage. That is the most fool-proof way to not get HIV/AIDS.

And under the Women part of the agenda we have these tidbits:

Supports a Woman's Right to Choose: President Obama understands that abortion is a divisive issue, and respects those who disagree with him. However, he has been a consistent champion of reproductive choice and will make preserving women's rights under Roe v. Wade a priority in his Administration. He opposes any constitutional amendment to overturn the Supreme Court's decision in that case.

Preventing Unintended Pregnancy: President Obama was an original co-sponsor of legislation to expand access to contraception, health information, and preventive services to help reduce unintended pregnancies. Introduced in January 2007, the Prevention First Act will increase funding for family planning and comprehensive sex education that teaches both abstinence and safe sex methods. The Act will also end insurance discrimination against contraception, improve awareness about emergency contraception, and provide compassionate assistance to rape victims.

The first part is no surprise. Pres. Obama was against banning partial-birth abortions for goodness sake. Comprehensive sex education is one of the many reasons that my kids will not be attending gov. schools. The "discrimination against contraception" makes me wonder if he means to force companies to pay for abortions and morning after pills, etc.

Expanding Early Childhood Education: President Obama has been a champion of early childhood education since his years in the Illinois legislature, where he led the effort to create the Illinois Early Learning Council. He introduced a comprehensive "Zero to Five" plan to provide critical support to young children and their parents by investing $10 billion per year to create: Early Learning Challenge Grants to stimulate and help fund state "zero to five" efforts; quadruple the number of eligible children for Early Head Start, increase Head Start funding, and improve quality for both; work to ensure all children have access to pre-school; provide affordable and high-quality child care that will promote child development and ease the burden on working families; and create a Presidential Early Learning Council to increase collaboration and program coordination across federal, state, and local levels.

People, please don't hand your babies over to the State to be raised. Watch out for "zero to five" education to become compulsory like K-12. The earlier the gov. can get your kids the easier time they will have in transforming them into their likeness.

White House Bathrooms

Back in January, I did a post called "Is That a Man in the Women's Bathroom?" It looks as though we might soon be asking the same question about the White House bathrooms. According to OneNewsNow, Obama has pledged to not discriminate based on gender identity. They also have an article suggesting that Vicki Robinson (the gay priest whose ordination started a fissure in the Episcopal church) has become Obama's new spiritual advisor. The two have had three meetings so far.

Marriage Wins!

Amid the flurry of Wednesday, I got a glimmer of hope. OneNewsNow had an article celebrating the fact that marriage won across the country. Praise the Lord! Though our country seems morally bankrupt, I can still see the Lord working in mighty ways.

While I'm On an International Kick. . .

Bravo, Queen Sophia. Queen Sophia of Spain made the news this week for making statements against "gay marriage" and abortion in a biography. According to Yahoo News!, "The Queen of Spain drew criticism Friday after she was quoted as condemning gay marriage, gay pride marches and abortion in an upcoming biography." This goes against her country's official policy; Spain made "gay marriage" legal in 2005.

I find it refreshing that a political figure who claims to be Catholic actually stand for what the Catholic Church believes. If only there were more of them in America.

Teacher's Associations

A California Teacher Association has donated $1,000,000 to defeat Prop 8 (tradional marriage). Yes folks that is 1 MILLION dollars toward the defeat of Prop 8. According to ProtectMarriage.com, Prop 8 "contains the same 14 words that were previously approved in 2000 by over 61% of California voters: 'Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or recognized in California.'" According to CTA, this is an education issue because teachers are supposed to teach about equal rights for everyone. Many teachers are outraged that their dues are going to something that they are against and wonder if the money wouldn't be better off if the money went to the actual education of children. (Imagine that.)

This sort of thing is exactly the reason that government schools will not have my children this year (or any year in the forseeable future).

Homosexual "Marriage" in Connecticut

I got this in an e-mail from Free Market.

This morning, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled that the existing ban on homosexual marriage did not offer the protection needed for “families” to live securely as mandated by the Connecticut Constitution, and voted to legalize same-sex marriage. The state was one of the first to allow civil unions, and is now the third to legalize homosexual marriage. Please remember to keep our brothers and sisters in Connecticut in your prayers as they are experiencing this assault on traditional marriage.
CLICK HERE to read more.

I am getting so tired of these judges trumping the people. ARRGH!

Vice-Presidential Hopeful Palin

I like Gov. Palin. She is pro-life, against "homosexual marriage", a life-time member of the NRA (which I assume means that she is way more pro-gun than McCain the gun grabber), and she is for drilling in ANWR. If she were running for President, I would vote for her. But alas, she is only running for VP with a man that I cannot vote for. I truly hope that this campaign doesn't hurt her political career. I would love to see her again in 2012 in some capacity.

The New GOP Platform

I was reading this AP article about the new GOP platform and was struck by how often it seems at odds with McCain. Here are some quotes from the article.

In its platform debate, the party stuck to its call for a constitutional amendment banning abortion despite McCain's opposition, and toughened already uncompromising language on the issue.

Nothing written into the platform will tie McCain's hands in the campaign and it was questionable whether he'd pay much attention to it. Presidential candidates often don't. (So I'm thinking, "Then what is the point of a platform if the candidate isn't standing on it?)

The 112-member platform committee approved planks on the economy and social issues, after strengthening statements in favor of gun and property rights and the swift deportation of illegal immigrants convicted of gang crimes. (Why only swift deportation of immigrants convicted of gang crimes?)

The platform draft also urges a constitutional ban gay marriage, which McCain does not support.
(Again, what is the use of a platform the candidate doesn't support?)

It would put the party on record as accepting that economic activity contributes to global warming, in line with McCain's views.

But the platform is loaded with caveats about the uncertainty of science and the need to "resist no-growth radicalism" in taking on climate change.

It warns that empowering Washington on the matter would have painful consequences, hardly a rousing endorsement of McCain's ambitious plan for mandatory federal emission cuts in a cap and trade program.

(This section seems about as vague as a typical politician. I imagine it will just make both sides of the debate mad.)

If the Republicans had a candidate for President that actually stood on the platform, I would vote for him. As it is, I don't intend to vote for McCain. There are also some planks still being hashed out (at the publishing of the article). Those included global warming, embryonic stem cells, and having English as the official language. I am most interested to see the outcome of the embryonic stem cell plank. Will it acquiesce to McCain or will it take a stand for life?