WHAT'S COMING IN 2015?

 December 30, 2014

            Having now survived through more than sixty years of existence on this earth, I am absolutely convinced by dint of experience that no one really has any accurate idea of what the future holds.  Mankind lives with a kind of insane conceit that somehow we can foretell the future.  Perhaps that is because to admit the alternative, that we have no guarantees of tomorrow and that many of the things that shape our lives are completely out of our control, is so limiting and, if faced honestly, frightening, we embrace the lie that somehow “I am the master of my fate; I am the captain of my soul” (Invictus).  Life, itself, reveals the delusion of that belief.

            I recall at the end of 2013, with the “government shutdown”, the endless predictions by pundits of the demise of the Republican Party.  It was all over for Republicans, the party might never recover from the wrath it incurred by forcing the government shutdown.  Control of the government by the Democrats for the foreseeable future was assured.  Twelve months later, we watched Republicans make huge gains in the House and take over the Senate in the 2014 elections.  All those prognosticators couldn’t have been “wronger.”

            Just a few months ago, Putin was anointed the new king of the world by the “experts.”  Russia was on the rise, and predictions of a new Soviet Union were being bandied about.  Now, Russia is on its knees politically and economically.  Putin is just struggling to hold on to power.  What happened?  Some political master move?  Nope.  The bottom fell out of the price of oil.  An empire built on hundred dollars a barrel oil was in big trouble with the price around sixty dollar.  So much for world dominance.

            Along that same line, I paid $1.759 a gallon for regular unleaded fuel at a SAM’s in Tulsa last Saturday.  Who was predicting that 2014 would see the bottom fall out of oil prices and gasoline go under $2.00 a gallon?  I honestly don’t know of anyone who saw that coming.  But consider the impact economically the contraction in the price of oil has had on the average American household.  My son, the other day, was talking about how he felt like he had just gotten a raise because of the drop of the price in gasoline at the pump.  The impact of the sudden dip in the price of crude has literally changed the world economically and politically.

            My prayer is that 2015 will be a year of prosperity and peace.  And maybe it will.  But I am realist enough to know that we are one terrorist act, one plague, one major storm, (and the list could continue ad nauseum), away from a whole new, and unforeseen world.

            What, blessedly, allows me to put my head on my pillow at night and sleep soundly and worry free, is the assurance God is in control.  The King of kings and Lord of lords rules over all (just ask Nebuchadnezzar after his little lesson shared in Daniel 4).  So, as the old adage goes, I may not know what the future holds, but I know who holds the future.

            May God bless your richly in the New Year.

                                                                        Dan Rouse   

WESTERN CULTURE HAS GONE OFFICIALLY INSANE

December 9, 2014 

            Over the years I’ve come to the conclusion that the farther our culture moves from God the crazier things become.  If God is a God of order and structure (and as Paul writes in Romans 1, in creation we see evidence of His nature) then the evil one is the champion of disorder and anarchy. Every day it seems more evidence appears of how our western culture, shaking its fist in the face of God and actively turning toward the Adversary, has in the process of doing so, lost its mind.

            Allow me to share with you two pieces of evidence reflecting the insanity that increasingly characterizes our western culture.  I’m defining insanity as a breaking with reality; acting with extreme folly.

            In the state of Maine in 2009 the family of a transgender fifth grader (a biological boy who identified as a girl) brought suit against the Orono School District because their child was forced to use a staff bathroom rather than the girls’ restroom.  In January of this year the Supreme Court in Maine ruled that, in light of the Maine Human Rights Act, the School District was guilty of discrimination and, on November 25^th, the Penobscot County Superior Court ordered that the family of the student be paid $75,000 in damages and ordered the School District to allow access to restrooms based upon a student’s “gender identity.”

            So, legally, gender identity is no longer a matter of biology, but psychology.  A man who decides he is a woman – is.  A woman who decides she is a man – is.  Forget science, forget physiology, forget genetics – basically, forget reality, when it comes to sexuality what a person chooses to declare about themselves now overrides any unfortunate, and now irrelevant, facts to the contrary. 

            The impact of this absolute nonsense will be felt in many areas.  For instance, another fight is occurring right now in Minnesota.  Can high school teams refuse to allow transgender players to play on the girls or boys teams?  A proposed new ordinance would force schools to allow students to play on whichever team they identified with sexually.  Of course, in the process of this, high school athletic programs will be ultimately forced to simply field gender neutral teams.  Title IX programs will be a thing of the past.  But in the name of political correctness, and not wanting to stigmatize the transgendered, who cares?

            By the way, what will this insane redefining of sexuality do to the Olympics?  On at least four occasions athletes have been disqualified from participating because, after genetic testing, supposed females were found to be males.  Obviously, such distinctions will no longer be legal or relevant.  Unless the Olympic Committee changes its rules, will our athletes be allowed to participate in an event characterized by what is now illegal discrimination?  

            What I’m waiting for is the first white male to sue for discrimination based on his identity as a black female.  After all, if sexuality is simply a matter of choice and not of biology, then shouldn’t race be seen in exactly the same way?  If not, why not?  If a black female finds herself trapped in a white male body, should she/he not have the right to declare her/his identity and have that recognized by everyone?   

            We are officially now players on the stage of the theatre of the absurd.

            A second piece of evidence that our western culture has lost its mind comes from the United Kingdom.  A UK court of appeal has ruled that a seven year old girl born with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder has no standing for being awarded damages based on the heavy drinking of her mother during her pregnancy.  According to court documents, the mother consumed a half bottle of vodka and eight cans of strong lager a day while she was pregnant.  This, of course, resulted in a child born with intellectual and developmental deficiencies.  That the mother’s actions damaged the little girl was never at issue in the case.

            So, why is the mother not being held as liable?  Because the damage to the child occurred in utero.  The ruling of the court states, “It is well established that a fetus is not a ‘person’; rather it is a sui generis organism.”  Having redefined the baby as not having a separate identity from her mother, the child cannot sue for damages because, in utero, the child is simply viewed as a part of the mother’s body.  So, legally, the mother may have harmed herself, but not the child she was carrying in her womb.

            Once again, cast science and logic to the wind.  The position taken by the court is that a human organism in the womb is not a person.  Once the child is born, she is a person.  But as long as she in the womb, she has been redefined as a nonentity whose damage via drugs or alcohol consumption by her mother, or whose destruction by abortion, is totally the choice of the mother.  The baby has no rights as to quality or length of life.

            We are left with a damaged seven year old.  Her existence is a heartbreaking reality.  Society will bear the cost and consequences of caring for her as long as she lives.  Yet, when the damage was done, legally, she did not exist.  She carries in her little body the scars of an experience which the court denies happened.  The one who betrayed and damaged her is held to no consequences as the result of her selfish actions.  This whole charade is so convoluted and bizarre it defies description.  But because abortion has become a sacrament in our twisted, sexually obsessed culture, the court has no choice but to mercilessly define a child out of existence.  That is the only way the slaughter of millions of babies can continue legally.

            Our youngest daughter is now pregnant with our sixth grandchild.  Courtesy of modern technology, we have seen pictures of Henry in his mother’s womb.  Yes, Henry already has a name, and, because his mother is being very careful about her diet, also has an excellent chance of being born a healthy boy.  Every day, without exception, Carol and I pray specifically for the health of Melissa and Henry.  We ask God to protect and bless them both.  The idea that that little boy in his Mama’s womb is a mere blob of tissue is repugnant and vile.  Only a sick society could so cruelly and heartlessly and selfishly choose to redefine a precious life as having no value or standing. 

            Our western culture, in the name of “rights”, is perpetrating multiple wrongs as it deliberately turns it back on science and common sense to further its godless agenda.  We are moving down a path of confusion and destruction, and those determined to follow that path will use whatever tortured illogic and ignoring of reality is necessary to follow it.  When sexuality is severed from reality, when a baby in the womb is no longer a separate person, we have moved firmly into the realm of what I can only see as insanity.

            Western culture has lost its mind.     

THE MOMENT

November 25, 2014

Three years ago, at about this time of year, I was pondering (something I am wont to do for good or ill) the amazing fact of the Word becoming flesh and dwelling among us.  I’d often wondered, through the years, what it must have been like for Mary and Joseph to know she carried the Son of God in her womb.  What an awesome, and frightening, truth and responsibility that must have been for those two young people.  Then another question occurred to me: What must it have been like in heaven at that moment when the Word made His exit to take up His dwelling in Mary’s womb?  What occurred in heaven when the One we now know as Jesus voluntarily made that incredible transition to take upon Himself the form of a man?

I wrote the following little article as a result…

THE MOMENT

                A little over two thousand years ago, as we reckon time on this earth, came The Moment.  I have wondered if there was any fanfare in heaven when that moment arrived.  Were angelic choruses thundering praise as the Cherubim ranged around the Throne?  Or, was there a dramatic silence in heaven as the angelic host looked on in breathless anticipation?  Did the Father speak some last words of charge or of comfort?  Did the Spirit cover all with His attentive, loving presence?  What was the last gesture of the Word before the Moment came?

                What was it like in heaven at that Moment?  That moment that would change everything.  A moment unlike any that had ever occurred in eternity.  A moment when God’s love for His creation would be declared and demonstrated in a way without precedent?

                What was it like in that Moment when “the Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us” (John 1:14)?  Did heaven give a collective gasp or sigh or cry of triumph when He,” who, although he existed in the form of God, did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped…emptied himself” (Phil 2:6,7).  In that moment of emptying, did the heavens shake?  Did the Word smile as He transformed or vanished from sight?

                In that moment, in a little house in a little town in Galilee, did a young woman’s eyes suddenly widen?  Did she reach down for a moment to touch her tummy?  Did she suddenly feel within her womb a presence not there a moment before?  Did she quietly bow her head and begin to pray because she knew, as the angel had prophesied, that the Moment had come?  

                And, for heaven and earth, after that Moment nothing would ever be the same…

                                                                                                Dan Rouse

GAY MARRIAGE MAY BE HEADING BACK TO THE SUPREME COURT

 November 7, 2014 

In the midst of all the hype over the recent election results, you may have missed a very important ruling by the 6^th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals panel.  The panel, in a 2-1 vote, upheld laws in four states – Ohio, Michigan, Kentucky and Tennessee – which prohibited gay marriage.  This, of course, flies in the face of more than twenty court decisions overturning such laws since the Supreme Court struck down part of the Defense of Marriage Act last year.  Gay marriage advocates, in light of SCOTUS recently refusing to hear appeals by five states on the overturning of laws prohibiting gay marriage, were crowing the issue was settled because of the clear universal agreement among various federal judges ruling against gay marriage prohibitions.  This decision by the 6^th Circuit Court suddenly, and dramatically, reverses that claim.

The two Appeals Court judges who ruled to uphold the prohibitions in four states argued that the voice of the people should be heard in making such laws.  “Surely the people should receive some deference in deciding when the time is ripe to move from one picture of marriage to another,” wrote Circuit Judge Jeffrey Sutton.  This same point was argued by Ohio Attorney General Mike DeWine, who said he was “pleased the court agreed with our arguments that important issues such as these should be determined through the democratic process.”  

This sets up a situation where the Supreme Court may be forced to decide the issue rather than simply allowing previous court decisions to stand.  It also illuminates the chasm that exists in our society regarding the issue of gay matrimony.

If SCOTUS should decide to hear this matter, they will be forced to tackle critical Constitutional issues with huge ramifications.  One, in particular, will be of immense interest to Christians.  There is no way SCOTUS can ultimately avoid being forced to weigh whether the so-called “right” to gay marriage overrides the Constitutional right to the freedoms of religion and speech.  If gay marriage can be shoved down our throats as a “right,” then our right to object to that practice both in speech and legislation is abrogated.  The implications of  that are frightening, to say the least.  Freedom of religion and freedom of speech have long been carefully guarded rights by the Courts.  They have been very reluctant to infringe on them in any way.  A ruling forcing acceptance of homosexual marriage would, in essence, strip Christians of their right to object to such a practice.  It would also open the door to the government being allowed to interfere in other areas of religious scruples, such as the role of women in the church.

A second area of tremendous importance involves the right of the American people to pass legislation reflective of their moral convictions on certain matters.  What has occurred over the last year is basically a repudiation of that right by the Courts.  In several cases, a single federal judge has assumed the right, based on his or her interpretation of the Constitution, to overturn the votes of millions of American citizens.  It seems difficult not to view this as judicial tyranny.  The ruling of the 6^th U.S. Circuit panel clearly saw this issue as trumping, or at least competing, with gay individuals “right” to marry.  Can the majority voice of the citizenry, heard in a lawful election, be overturned, or should such laws be allowed to stand in recognition of the voice of the people?  Are we going to be a nation where the voice of the people determines our course, or are we going to become a country where men and women in black robes dictate, according to their predilections, what is moral and what is not?  Again, this has huge implications for the future of our country.

I would strongly urge you to be in prayer about this matter.  An opportunity has presented itself to reverse or at least slow down the savage attacks taking place against traditional Judeo-Christian morals and values.  May God, in His infinite grace, grant us victory in this battle.

COME NOVEMBER 5th

October 28, 2014 

I have listened with what I must admit is a somewhat cynical disposition to the recent discussions concerning all the implications of next week’s national elections.  A great deal of drum beating is going on over how, if the Republicans regain the Senate and hold on to the House, things will change.  My sincere wish is that such would be the case, my expectation is that little or nothing will actually occur.

Why?  Because if we change “leaders” but we don’t change the fundamental moral character of those leaders, why should we expect different results?  I honestly wish there existed a tremendous difference in the moral centers of John Boehner and Mitch McConnell vs. those of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.  Unfortunately, what we are presented with is four career politicians whose single minded interest is either holding onto power or stripping the other party of theirs.  Does anyone really believe if the Republicans replace the Democrats in the Senate there is suddenly going to be a genuine move toward passing and enforcing laws which are based on Biblical morality rather than pragmatic politics?   

But why should we be surprised that venal, self-seeking, narcissistic individuals are going to advance legislative agendas based on anything other than, ultimately, what the polls say will get them elected or re-elected?  And, what is stunningly heartbreaking, every one of these legislators have been voted into high office by the good citizens of the United States.  Painfully, we are getting exactly the representation in Washington that we, as a people, deserve.

Sometime in the past twenty or thirty years, a critical change has occurred in how Americans select and view their elected officials.  I remember as a youngster much was made of a candidate’s moral character.  His reputation for honesty and moral purity was important.  Sure, there were exceptions, but they were just that, not the rule.

But as our country moved away from God officially and publicly, with rulings against prayer in public school and an overt movement toward declaring what had been immoral moral, such as the legalization of homosexual practices and of abortion on demand, there came a concomitant slide in the public’s view of a politician’s moral character. 

A revealing moment for me in just how far that slide had gone occurred during Bill Clinton’s presidency. When it was revealed that Clinton had carried on a sexual affair with Monica Lewinsky in the White House itself, and subsequently lied about it, the public opinion polls that followed were telling.  Approximately a third of the American public felt the President should be impeached, another third felt like his competency as President was more important than his moral failure, in other words, the economy was moving well, foreign policy seemed under control, so what did it matter if he had an affair with a woman half his age and lied about it, and another third saw the affair as irrelevant, he was likeable and should remain as President.

This expression of public opinion revealed just how far American’s expectations of their leaders had changed.  In a kind of official unofficial way, it was now permissible for a man to be a moral reprobate if he was perceived to be doing his job.  Two thirds of the citizens of the United States of America were now of the opinion that a man’s moral character was not a critical factor in whether or not he should hold high office.  That severance of character from competence has since extracted, and will continue to extract, a price which our country can ill afford to pay.

The idea that a politician’s character has nothing to do with the decisions they make and legislation they support is utterly ridiculous.  Of course it does.  I find it difficult to believe that people want nothing to do with a dishonest auto mechanic or plumber, but will elect and re-elect proven liars and thieves to public office.  This incredible dichotomy is both discouraging and damaging in multiple ways.

With few exceptions, and thank God there does remain a few, most politicians of either political stripe in Washington are not people of Christian faith practicing what they believe.  For the most part, it is quite the opposite.  Their morality is rooted in the mores of the moment.  As I have watched with dismay politician after politician cave and “evolve” on the issue of gay marriage, it has simply revealed how many genuinely lack a moral center.  And this, unfortunately, applies to members of both parties.

Regardless of how the elections turn out on November 4^th, my expectations of any positive moral changes in how Washington will govern this country remain low.   I have no reason to believe that men and women driven by personal ambition and outsized ego are going to make decisions on the future direction of this country that will turn things around.  Two thirds of the American public, according to the latest polls, feel like this country is headed in the wrong direction.  Yet, they will return to office or elect more politicians whose character, or lack thereof, got us here in the first place. 

Of course, now that I think about it, it’s about as consistent as bemoaning the number of drunken drivers on the road and then legalizing marijuana, or complaining about the number of unwed mothers even as we answer the issue with contraceptives for twelve year olds and instruction manuals on sexual techniques.  Has this country completely lost its collective mind?  Is there no longer any recognition of cause and effect?  I have heard all my life that one of the best definitions of insanity is to keep on doing the same thing and expect different results.  If we keep sending people of the same moral fiber to Washington, why should we expect anything to change, except for the worse?

I sincerely hope I’m wrong.  I pray for this country every day.  I hope we will see a moral revival in our national leadership that will move this country back in the godly direction it desperately needs.  If that happens I will joyfully eat crow and celebrate the turnaround. 

But I’m not really holding my breath for any big changes come November 5^th.       

 

CALL ME PARANOID...

October 15, 2014 

When Annise Parker was elected mayor of Houston there was a celebration of her election in the media.  Why?  Because Parker is a very open, and militant, lesbian.  Her being voted into office as mayor of one of America’s largest cities was portrayed as reflecting the new openness and tolerance in our culture.  Unfortunately, that openness and tolerance only extends in one direction.

Since her election, Parker and the Houston city council have passed a new non-discrimination ordinance.  Among other things, the ordinance would allow transgendered individuals to use whichever public restroom they felt more comfortable with based upon their gender identity.  In other words, men could use the women’s bathroom, and vice-versa.

The ordinance, controversial from the start, was opposed by many of the city’s churches.  A petition to put the issue on the ballot for a public referendum needed a little over 17,000 signatures and received more than 50,000.  However, the city threw out the petition in August alleging irregularities.  This, in turn, generated a lawsuit against the city by opponents of the ordinance.

Now the ministers of five churches in Houston have been subpoenaed by the city to turn over all speeches and sermons related to Mayor Annise Parker, homosexuality and gender identity.  They have also been ordered to submit all communications with their members regarding the non-discrimination law.

In other words, the Mayor and city council are now trying to bully churches and preachers into silence on this matter.  This is one of the most chilling examples yet of the relentless war being waged against those who would speak out against the immoral agenda of the LGBT community and its minions to legitimize and legalize sexual deviancy.

The five preachers are being threatened with fines or confinement or both if they do not comply with the subpoenas.  This is not a game.  The mayor and her lackeys are playing hard ball.  They are attempting to use the power and resources of the government to stifle dissent. 

The preachers and churches are not taking this lying down.  ADF, a nationally known law firm that specializes in religious freedom cases, is representing the ministers.  They have filed a motion in Harris County court to quash the subpoenas.

The battle for religious freedom is heating up.  This isn’t a lesbian couple suing the owners of a bakery.  This isn’t a gay couple angry at a photographer who won’t take pictures of their “wedding.”  This is also not federal judges overturning state legislation regulating marriage.  This is government actively seeking to contravene the first amendment rights of preachers and churches to express their views on moral issues.  The over-reach of this Mayor and city council is breathtaking, but hardly surprising.  It has been clear for years that that the LGBT community is never going to be satisfied with anything less than a complete and utter silencing of any opposition to their lifestyle.  They are not going to be satisfied with laws protecting their “right” to practice openly and publicly their immorality.  They want those who stand in opposition totally stifled.  The only way this is going to occur is by finding some way to strip the freedom of speech from those with moral and religious convictions.  By taking the “discrimination” angle, and arguing that free speech is not protected in such circumstances, they are coming after your right and mine to share what God’s word says about how we, as a people, are to live.

Call me paranoid, but if they’re coming for them in Houston, how much longer before they’re knocking on my door or yours.  Being praying for, and supporting in any way you can, those who are speaking out in Houston.  It is a battle we must win – or else.         

IT MAKES MY HEART SAD

 October 7, 2014

The Supreme Court of the United States just announced their decision not to make a decision in regard to gay marriage.  The five cases being appealed to the court by five different states will not be heard.  Therefore, for all practical purposes, gay marriage is now legal in this country.  The five states that appealed, along with six other states, will immediately begin to recognize the marriages of same sex couples.  That means thirty states, a solid majority, now accept gay marriages as legal.  There is no way the remaining twenty states’ statutes can survive legal challenges.  The SCOTUS decision not to make a decision has, in reality, given the federal courts authority to disallow any laws prohibiting gay marriage.  It’s a done deal.

As I have discussed previously, the American people are being systematically stripped of the right to legislate based on Christian moral scruples.  One federal judge can, and has, and will, disallow laws passed by state legislatures rejecting gay marriage, and/or the votes of tens of millions of people who supported amendments making same-sex marriage illegal.  Judicial tyranny is wreaking moral havoc, and SCOTUS has given its blessing.  Legally, those who object to same-sex marriage literally have nowhere to turn.  Our only other recourse would be to amend the Constitution of the United States, and with the moral decay obvious in this country, there is no way that stands a chance of happening.

I would predict that we’ll next see polygamy legalized.  The steps necessary to bring this about are already in motion.  The process is disgustingly simple, and incredibly effective.

First, you decriminalize.  That’s exactly what happened with prostitution in Europe.  First, they decriminalized it.  And that is what has happened here both with gay marriage and marijuana usage.  Years of  lobbying and hundreds of millions of dollars have been invested in selling the citizens of this country that gay sex is normal and smoking marijuana is harmless.  Just think about the nauseating array of movies, TV shows, documentaries, news pieces, and other propaganda this country has been subjected to.  That has now paid off over the past several years in seeing states decriminalize gay sex and marijuana usage.  Step one accomplished.

Step two, you legalize.  Once an action once deemed immoral and criminal is now viewed as neither, the cries to give legal status to it begin.  If gay sex isn’t illegal, then why shouldn’t gay couples have the same right to marry as everyone else?  If marijuana usage isn’t illegal, why shouldn’t states have the right to regulate and tax its sale?  Step two follows step one like stink follows a skunk.

Step one is now implemented with polygamy.  We have been bombarded with propaganda  glorifying polyamory and polygamy for years.  A federal judge has now basically decriminalized the practice in Utah.  Once again, its only a matter of time until the cries of “if it’s not criminal why can’t it be legal?” begin to echo through state legislatures and then the courts.  And there is absolutely no longer a moral or legal basis not to see it made legal.  Step two is almost a foregone conclusion.

 A new report from the CDC reported today that 110,000,000 million Americans now carry some form of STD in their bodies.  We should be neither shocked nor surprised at the shrugging of shoulders this report will generate.  The only hand wringing we’ll see will be from those bewailing we’re not spending enough money battling these infections. A nation of sexual libertines are not going to countenance anything that would somehow interfere with their satiating their sexual appetites.  We have “sowed to the wind,” and, now, we “reap the whirlwind.”   

What makes my heart sad is, I don’t think we’ve even begun to see the havoc that whirlwind is going to wreak.       

A "SUPREMELY" IMPORTANT DECISION

September 23, 2014 

The United States Supreme Court recently announced it has added gay marriage to the agenda for its September 29^th private conference.  The purpose of the conference is to determine which cases will accepted for decision making by the Court.  The justices have placed cases from Oklahoma, Wisconsin, Utah, Virginia, and Indiana for consideration.  The review of five such cases would seem to indicate the broad interest of the Court in this issue.  It would also seem to indicate that the Supreme Court is not going to delay some form decision making in this matter.

SCOTUS has already made some rulings on the gay marriage issue.  In a 5-4 decision in June of 2013 the Court ruled that the federal government must recognize the validity of gay marriages in states that allow them.  The Court has also refused to overrule a California court’s decision striking down that state’s gay marriage ban. 

While both these rulings can be viewed as sympathetic to the gay marriage agenda, this announcement of consideration of these five state court cases would be the first indication of the Court’s willingness to address whether individual states have the right to outlaw gay marriage.  Thirty one states presently have such laws on the books, but they are being attacked and overturned systematically by federal judges. 

Should the Supreme Court decide that gay marriage is a constitutional right, it would automatically invalidate all state prohibitions and legalize it nationwide.  This, of course, has huge moral, cultural, and religious implications.  When the Court steps into the moral and religious arena, its influence cannot be overstated.  Two previous rulings serve to drive home just how important and influential these decisions can be.

On June 17, 1963 SCOTUS issued its decision rewriting how government and religion interrelated.  Citing an invented “wall of separation” between church and state, the judges outlawed prayer and Bible reading in public schools as it had been practiced for decades.  This initial decision has since resulted in ongoing court fights over any representation of Christianity in public life.  It empowered atheism and basically neutered the rights of Christians to practice their faith in a public setting.  Prayers before football games, mentions of God in valedictorian speeches, even teachers bringing a Bible into the classroom have been judged violations based on the Court’s precedent making decision.  We are now experiencing in this country a government operating on the basis of freedom from religion, rather than freedom of religion. The moral and spiritual consequences of this have been catastrophic.

On January 22, 1973 SCOTUS issued another ground breaking decision with huge moral and spiritual implications.  This time the Court found for women an invented “right to privacy” which legalized abortion.  Over 40,000,000 dead babies later, the legacy of that decision continues to haunt us.  It stripped away the “right to life” of the unborn, placing the continuance of that life in the hands of the mother.  While regulations put forward by various states have sought to mitigate this decision, the damage done morally and spiritually is really incalculable.  The State, whose responsibility is to guard and protect the life of the innocent, has instead granted the right to destroy that life.

The possibility of  SCOTUS once again stepping into the realm of the moral and spiritual, this time in the context of determining what marriage is, gives me cold shivers.  Two Justices have already performed gay marriages.  Justices Kagan and Ginsberg have made very public their participation in officiating in these ceremonies.  There is no question as to where their loyalties lie.

The genius of those who founded this country and wrote its originating documents centered in their deep concern that a balance of power would be found in government.  The legislative, executive, and judicial branches were designed to serve as a system of checks and balances.  It is a system that, in theory, works.  However, as we have seen the Constitution recently trampled upon, reviled, and ignored, the coopting of the judicial branch of our government is especially disheartening.  When it begins to rule, not on the basis of the Constitution, but rather on the basis of the winds of social change, we have lost one of the last protections extended to us to protect us from the totalitarianism of barbarians.

Occasionally we still hear the singing of “God Bless America.”  I’m not really sure how much longer this country’s leaders can shake their fist in His face and defy His will before that will cease to be the case.  As we look at the encroachment of a poverty that is both physical and spiritual, that cessation may be, sadly, already occurring.

Please pray that SCOTUS will not add another nail to the spiritual coffin of this country by legalizing relationships that demean the sanctity and purpose of marriage and fly in the face of clear Biblical teaching.  I don’t know how much farther we can go down this dark trail before it will become impossible to find our way back.

CAN YOU WADE IN A SEWER AND NOT STINK?

 August 8, 2014  

My daughter-in-law recently returned from a trip to New York City.  She stayed in a hotel not far from Times Square.  As she described her experience there, I was taken aback by how dismayed and disgusted she was with what she observed.  Blatant homosexuality was the norm on the streets.  “At times I wondered if there was a straight man in the area.”  The dress and conduct she saw all around her was summed up by her use of the word “depraved.”  She saw young women walking the streets dressed in body paint – literally.  They wore no clothes, only the body paint.  She said she really felt like she was walking around in Sodom and Gomorrah.

I share her anecdotal take on New York City because I believe it illustrates why the morals in our country continue their downward spiral.  Much of our news and entertainment come from New York and Los Angeles.  These cesspools see conduct as normal that still shocks and puts off many who live in other parts of the country. 

As a recent example, I just finished reading an article in the LA Times bemoaning the fact that the porn industry was moving out of Los Angeles because local lawmakers had passed an ordinance requiring all male actors to wear a condom.  Nowhere in the article was there any problem expressed with sexually explicit material being made; quite the opposite.  What was being bemoaned was that porn producers were moving to other counties in California, and even other countries, to make their movies.  Apparently viewers of porn don’t like their actors using condoms, so the productions were being moved where that wasn’t required by law.  In the article, the making of pornographic movies was reported like the “normal” everyday activity it has become in that part of the country.  Some folks film TV mysteries, some make porn.  To the LA Times, it’s just another job.

I’ve had numerous people lament to me about the filthy language in so many movies today.  A couple I know got up and walked out of a film about a sixties singing group recently because the language was so obscene.  And, as they observed, it didn’t have to be that way.  The filthy language absolutely ruined what would otherwise have been an enjoyable show.

I’m convinced the reason for the filth we see in TV and movies is because the makers of this material live and work in an unbelievably (to us) filthy environment.  It is normal to them for people in conversation to use the “F” word incessantly.  When Martin Scorsese uses the “F” word an appalling 506 times in The Wolf of Wall Street (which, by the way, someone figured out worked out to once every twenty seconds!) he wasn’t trying to shock or titillate, he was merely reflecting what was, to him, normal conversation in that realm.  When you wade in a sewer you stink.  It’s just that you’re so used to the odor its normal to you. 

I believe this helps to explain why there is the, otherwise inexplicable, emphasis on sexual deviancy in television and the movies.  In New York and LA you find concentrations of LGBT folks way higher than the national average.  This is why the “norm” portrayed in so many movies and TV shows is so skewed from reality.  A recent article in the Washington Post reported that a study by the Centers for Disease Control revealed only 1.6 percent of adults self-identified as gay or lesbian.  Only 0.7 percent identified themselves as bisexual.  Another 1.1 percent came up with “other” as their sexual identity.  96.6 percent of the respondents labelled themselves as “straight” in this 2013 survey!  So why does the average American think somewhere in the neighborhood of twenty percent of the population is gay (according to a recent Fox News survey)?

Census counts reveal approximately one million self-identified gay and lesbian people living in the New York and LA metro areas.  This represents nearly twelve percent of the LGBT population of the whole country. Such a concentration of population in areas which are so influential in shaping our culture helps to explain the distortion that is so evident.  The residents of New York City and Los Angeles experience every day an abnormal norm.  When they write their sitcoms or give commentary on the news their thinking is shaped by what they see surrounding them.  But what they see daily is not what most Americans see.  Thus, the disconnect.

It is more important than ever that as Christians we be vocal in sharing the truth about moral matters as tactfully, but forcefully, as possible. The most effective way to battle that which is false is with the truth.  We have the truth on our side, and the more people who are exposed to it, the less influence a small, but highly vocal and visible, segment of our population will have.        

THE GREAT DIVIDE

July 22, 2014

 

A friend of mine recently related an incident that illustrates beautifully the Great Divide increasingly evident in our culture. Kenny was on a fishing trip with his brother and his brother’s  friend.  This friend and Kenny found themselves sharing a boat.  As they visited, it became quite obvious to Kenny that the friend’s political and social views tended toward the far left of the political spectrum.  Among other things, he made known his disdain for Christians and their opposition to gay marriage.  He also made clear his own “enlightened” atheism.  After their discussion became more and more heated with neither Kenny nor his brother’s friend willing to give ground, Kenny finally brought the discussion to an end.  What he told his fishing companion sums up the intellectual chasm now dividing us:

“There’s no sense in continuing this conversation.  You’re not going to change my mind.  I’m obviously not going to change yours.  We have no basis upon which to reach agreement.  I believe in God and the Bible as His inspired word.  You don’t.  I believe God’s word should guide and direct our lives and our moral decisions.  You don’t.  Therefore, we are never going to agree because you completely reject the authority I accept. Let’s talk sports or fishing or whatever, but if we’re going to stay in the same boat, politics and morals are off the table for discussion.”

This is a great illustration of how deep and real the Great Divide is. While the Divide is nothing new, its ramifications are being seen and felt more and more.  Therefore, I believe it is important to understand the forces underlying this split we see in our culture. 

One of the roots of this Great Divide is what Scripture will call “strongholds.”  In 2 Corinthians 10:4 Paul speaks of the existence of these “strongholds” of evil. I believe these strongholds consist, at least in part, of evil that has taken hold in individual’s lives (there may well be collective “strongholds” such as organizations or governments controlled by evil).  These individual strongholds are made up of everything from addictions to pride to stubborn disbelief (see the New Testament sin lists). They are called strongholds because they are sources of evil within our souls which can, and do, dominate our lives. While Paul says we have divine weapons which can destroy these strongholds, and I believe we do, these weapons (which Scripture elsewhere will identify as the gospel message, agape, faith, forgiveness, grace, mercy, hope, etc.) are only as effective as the person being taught will allow.  Free will clearly plays a critical role here.

Permit me to share a couple of Biblical illustrations of the existence and power of these individual strongholds.  Judas was exposed for over three years to absolute perfection in the life and teaching of Jesus.  He was able to live in the presence of a perfect demonstration of agape. Despite that, neither the agape shown, nor the moral perfection lived, by Jesus was able to destroy the stronghold(s) of evil in Judas’ life.  He would betray our Savior for thirty pieces of silver.  Another example is provided by the unbelieving Jews of Antioch and Iconium who, exposed to the miracles performed by Paul and Barnabas in support of their teaching of the gospel (see Acts 14:3, 8-10), will not only reject that teaching, but will follow Paul to Lystra and stone him (Acts 14:19).  Again, neither the gospel message nor the miracles accompanying its preaching would be able to shatter the strongholds of evil in the hearts of those unbelievers. 

In 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 Paul will make reference to his beautiful ministry of reconciliation.  As he will go on to explicate in Ephesians 2, it is a ministry designed by God to reconcile men to God and to each other.  But in order for this to occur, Satanic strongholds in the minds and hearts of men must be shattered.  Until that happens, no reconciliation can occur.

Examples of the power and damage done by these strongholds of evil are all around us.  We are all distressed and frustrated at the ongoing conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.  It seems as if the violence and hatred between them will never stop.  I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but I don’t believe it will.  Oh, there may be another cease fire or piece of paper signed, but that’s not going to end the conflict.  Here’s why.  Neither side in this mess is willing to acknowledge the Prince of Peace.  Neither side is willing to make His rule theirs.  The strongholds of unbelief, of pride and revenge and hatred on both sides are never going to be torn down in hearts which stubbornly hold on to them.  They can only be permanently removed by Jesus Christ, and neither side will allow Him to do that.  Thus, the conflict will continue.

This same principle holds true in the Great Divide we now see continuing to develop in this country.  Many hearts have been, and are, reconciled to God through Jesus Christ by their acceptance of the gospel.  They have seen the strongholds of evil in their lives shattered and found true freedom in Christ.  But many refuse to accept the message of reconciliation and peace in Christ.  They want no part of the gospel message.  The strongholds of evil in their lives remain powerful and resistant.  They are that “hard soil” of Matthew 13:1-23.  It is important to remember the seed cannot penetrate soil which refuses to receive it.

How does this play out in the Great Divide? 

There is a constant drumbeat for “compromise” in Washington.  Democrats and Republicans are told they need to move off their respective high centers and come to the middle so that the nation’s business can be accomplished. I suppose when that comes to funding for road projects that’s true.  Unfortunately, when it comes to legislation which has an inherently moral component, such as in matters relating to abortion or homosexuality, such is not the case.  Those who believe an unborn child has a “right to life” are not going to compromise that.  There is no compromise when death is the only alternative.  Conversely, those who literally spit on God’s word and despise the Christian God see no reason to move from their position that sexual hedonism is an inherent right of all.  They are not going to compromise in their fight to have the  right to fornicate with whomever they wish.  Why would they?  They hold to their immorality as tightly as we hold to our morality.  There is a “great gulf” betwixt the two.  It exists because of strongholds of evil in men’s hearts.

As Paul so wisely and tellingly observes in Ephesians 6, our battle is not against flesh and blood.  We are involved in a spiritual warfare for the hearts and souls of mankind.  We must, lovingly and kindly, but forcefully and courageously, continue to fight this battle with the weapons of war which God has provided.  We will see many victories.  But we should not be alarmed or discouraged when “strongholds” are revealed.  They are part and parcel of the Great Divide which exists between believers and unbelievers.               

 

Our Debt to the Self-Destroyed

July 9, 2014

 

A few months ago I was standing in the checkout line at our local grocery store.  As I waited, I couldn’t help but notice the couple in front of me had all the characteristics of meth users.  They were probably thirty five, but looked like they were going on eighty.  Their bodies were emaciated.  Deep lines scored their faces, which were pocked with scabs. Their movements were awkward and jerky.  As the woman put her groceries on the counter, the young clerk quickly scanned and bagged them.  The woman then pulled out a checkbook and attempted to write a check for the groceries.  I say “attempted” deliberately, because what I witnessed next was fascinating and heartbreaking.

The little blonde clerk said, “That will be forty two dollars and thirty eight cents.”  The woman, checkbook open and pen in hand, began to write, then almost immediately stopped.  She looked at the clerk.  “What did you say?”  The girl repeated the amount due.  Once again the woman started to write, then stopped yet again.  “Did you say forty two dollars?”  “Yes, Ma’am.  Forty two dollars.”  The woman mumbled under her breath and looked again at the girl.  “Forty two dollars?  “Yes.”  “Okay.  You said forty two dollars and how much?”  “Forty two dollars and thirty eight cents.”  By now the young clerk was glancing at me helplessly, as if she didn’t know whether to laugh or cry.  But it still wasn’t over.  The clerk continued to repeat the amount twice more before the check was finally written.  The customer clearly had no short term memory.  She had destroyed it with drugs.

As the couple headed out the door pushing their cart, I shook my head at the now laughing clerk and said, “I just hope they can find the way to their car.”  She responded, “You know, at the high school we have assemblies periodically where people come in and talk to us about the dangers of drugs.  How they can destroy your mind.  They just need to have that couple stand up there and tell everyone ‘This is your mind on drugs’!”  
This incident caused me to consider a question which I’m sure is on the minds of more and more people as we find ourselves inundated with folks in similar condition to what I just described.  The question is: What do I owe someone who has systematically destroyed his/her mind and/or physical health by years of ingesting or shooting up everything from meth to alcohol to oxycodone?  Why is it my responsibility to pay their rent and utilities, provide food stamps and medical care, give them a voucher for clothing, and see to it they have a cell phone?  They have deliberately partied their way to abysmal dysfunction, and now I’m supposed to smile and pick up the bill?  What is fair about that?  What is even remotely just?  It certainly strikes me as neither.

For years those of us who have played by the rules have been increasingly punished for it.  And I don’t use that word lightly.  We behave ourselves and pay our bills and our taxes.  We tithe to the Lord and help out friends and family in need.  We scrimp and save and sacrifice and get by.  We don’t ask for handouts but try to give a hand up.  Then, the government, in its largesse with the money they’re taxing from us says, “Oh, by the way, we’re going to use a significant portion of your taxes to support a whole element of society that has chosen to live illegally and irresponsibly.  They are so mentally and physically disabled by self-abuse that they can no longer provide for themselves, so we’re going to provide for them.  And since the confiscatory taxes you’re already paying are insufficient to the task, we’re also going to borrow trillions of dollars to cover the difference.  We may be putting your children and grandchildren in guaranteed penury so we can pay the bills, but it is all in a noble cause.”

I’m sorry.  I don’t buy it.  Well, I guess I am buying it in the sense of what’s happening with my tax money, but I don’t buy the argument at all.  It is feel good nonsense that is bankrupting our country morally and financially.  I would argue it is unbiblical and unwise.

Allow me to cite a Biblical principle…

“Do not be deceived; God is not mocked, for whatever one sows, that will he also reap. For the one who sows to his own flesh will from the flesh reap corruption, but the one who sows to the Spirit will from the Spirit reap eternal life” (Gal 6:7,8).   “They sow to the wind and reap the whirlwind” (Hosea 8:7).  Scripture clearly teaches that choices have consequences.  A wise parent will use consequences to teach their children responsibility.  A child who blows his allowance and doesn’t have the money to go to the movie with his friends has learned an important lesson.  On the other hand, a child who blows his allowance and then is handed movie money by Mama hasn’t learned a thing – except that the consequences of poor choices will be mitigated by others.  That is not a healthy lesson.  But that is exactly what is happening today.  A person can sow to the wind all they wish, and when the whirlwind inevitably comes the government will be there to pay the bills and clean up the mess.  One of the strongest incentives to cease misbehavior, facing the consequences of that misbehavior, has been removed.  How can that possibly be a healthy thing? 

As with beggars on street corners, I struggle with what my response, as a Christian, should be to their dilemma.  On the one hand, there is no question that their self-abuse has resulted in their condition being such that they must have help in order to survive.  It would be both cruel and inhumane to refuse to see to it they receive such help.  On the other hand, is it selfish to argue such care should be rendered at minimal cost to the taxpayer?  If I’m going to have to foot the bill, shouldn’t I have some say in how the money is spent?

I strongly disagree with how our government is responding to caring for the self-destroyed. It is catastrophically inefficient and rewards bad behavior.  What if our model was changed to one that was humane, financially responsible, and dare I say, fair?

I would suggest the following for consideration:

Section 8 (free housing paid for by the government) is a disaster.  It is costly and nasty and often dangerous.  Instead, we should construct housing similar to the military barracks in which we house our soldiers.  If it’s good enough for those who risk their lives to defend this country, it should be good enough for those on the public dole.  As with soldiers living in those barracks, who are required to keep their beds made and their rooms ready for inspection at any time, so it would be with those living in the provided housing.  Such a requirement is neither unreasonable nor unfair.  

Food stamps disappear.  Meals would be provided in a communal dining area.  Such meals would be similar, again, to those fed to our soldiers.  If you don’t like it, you don’t eat.

Entertainment would be provided in a recreational area.  The government doesn’t pay to have cable wired to each room.  No boom boxes or stereos.  If you want the music loud, plug in your earphones and turn the volume up as high as you want.

No personal cell phones.  Those are a boondoggle of the highest order.  Companies make tens of millions off of taxpayers providing free phone service.  There is no way I should have to pay my cell phone bill and turn around and pay someone else’s if there’s a more efficient way to see they have phone access.  There is.  Provide a bank of phones available in the common area for residents to use. 

Conduct random, mandatory drug testing.  If you’re caught using, you’re out in the snow.  Period.  Yes.  That’s harsh.  Consequences often are – and need to be.  It’s only if the pain is greater than the pleasure that bad behavior will be modified.  Those being cared for on the public dime have already physically and/or mentally wrecked themselves.  Why should we, in any sense, allow or further that damage?  We have a responsibility to see they are cared for, not to, in any way, subsidize or condone behavior which has made that care necessary.

Medical care would be provided by doctors and nurses in clinics specifically designated for the care of those on the public dole.  No incredibly expensive visits to hospital emergency rooms.  Once again, a level of care would be offered similar to what we provide our soldiers and veterans.  If that is somehow deemed unloving or harsh, perhaps it would dictate a re-examination of how we treat our military.

If their health allows, those who are being provided for in this way should have mandatory responsibilities.  From pushing a broom to helping in a garden to picking up the trash that litters our highways, there are tasks that need doing and they could, and should, do them.  Sitting around all day is not healthy physically, mentally, spiritually, or morally.  Giving them basic responsibilities to carry out is a blessing.  

Please understand I am not advocating punishing these folks.  I am very much in favor of providing for their basic needs.  However, gifting them these needs with no responsibility or effort required on their part is morally and spiritually wrong.     

I realize I have painted a picture with very broad strokes.  However, I am absolutely convicted that our present mode of dealing with the millions of self-destroyed is bankrupt both morally and financially.  Continuing government programs which operate in a kind of co-dependent fashion to deal with an increasing number of people who have destroyed their ability to provide even basic necessities for themselves is self-defeating.  It wastes incredible amounts of money even as it unwittingly and amorally encourages self-destructive behaviors.  It is neither loving nor kind to perpetuate such a system.  If we don’t wisely care for those who have destroyed themselves, in the end, we will destroy ourselves as well.