"Cry aloud, spare not; lift up your voice like a trumpet; tell My people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins. -- Isaiah 58:1
I am an ordained elder in the United Methodist Church. My membership as an elder is in the Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference, which takes in about 1/3 of the western portion of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. I was in the ministry for a total of 37 years before "official" retirement in 1996. At present time I serve as pastor of Gipsy Christian Church in Gipsy, PA on a part time basis. It is located about 27 miles northwest of where we live in Belsano PA.
Shortly after retirement God laid it on my heart to start a web site witness and ministry. It finally came together and there were certain confirmations from time to time that this is what God wanted me to do.
In the process of discussing critical issues of the day, I got into the subject of abortion as perhaps one of the greatest moral crises this republic has ever faced. Eventually in this discussion I posted pictures of aborted babies on the web site.
One day I got an irate email from a member of the Board of Ordained Ministry of my conference. There were 2 main things he said in his anger as directed toward me:
1. He asked me if I thought that God would approve the posting of those pictures on my web site.
2. He said that he wished he would have been on the Board when I went through the process -- that is, the examination and interviews required before being approved for ordination. The implication was that he would have definitely given me a thumbs down in regard to approval.
I responded in this manner in my reply:
First, I informed him that the issue was not whether God gave His approval to my posting some pictures of mutilated and murdered unborn children, but rather the REAL issue is whether or not God approves of this country destroying 1 million or more unborn children each year -- that is THE issue!
Second, I further informed him that when I went through the "process" he was likely still in training pants and his mother was teaching him how to brush his teeth and wash behind his ears! That statement was made to help the youngster get a bit of perspective on the fact that I've been around the block a few times and have witnessed the spiritual and moral unraveling of this republic to a much greater degree than he! Then again, perhaps he doesn't consider a million or more unborn children being deliberately destroyed each year in the name of "constitutional rights" a moral problem -- many don't, including church leaders, politicians, social workers, teachers, media people -- there's a whole gang out there that says there's absolutely nothing wrong with the practice of exterminating the unborn!
From time to time there have been those such as he who have sent emails expressing outrage over the posted images of mutilation and murder of unborn children. My challenge is always this -- "Why do you get mad at me for posting the pictures? Why don't you express some outrage at those who commit these criminal acts, but are never charged with murder -- in fact, they make big bucks from the 'business,' have big bank accounts, drive luxury automobiles, and live in mansions!"
So far as I know, none of these persons who have been very angry with me have taken up the challenge to this very day!
In this BLOG area are links listed under various subjects. One of these subjects is titled, "Read About the Greatest Massacre in United States History!" There you will find a large amount of information on this subject.
The question to be considered as I often pose it in one form or another on the subject of the United States' unique version of "holocaust" is this: how long do you think Almighty God is going to allow this destruction of persons for whom He has a high and holy purpose continue? When He does make His response we can be sure of one thing -- none of us will want to be within the boundaries of the U.S.A. when that response is revealed!
"The instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, to pull down, and to destroy it, if that nation against whom I have spoken turns from its evil, I will relent of the disaster that I thought to bring upon it. And the instant I speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to build and to plant it, if it does evil in My sight so that it does not obey My voice, then I will relent concerning the good with which I said I would benefit it." -- Jeremiah 18:7-10
6 comments:
It is telling that people get upset with the messenger.
No one wants to take responsibility, and if you point it out YOU are the bad guy.
I think you make a fine elder.
We live in an “out of sight, out of mind” society. Those images are not easily forgotten! They are indeed disturbing, however, even more disturbing is the fact that the “procedure” happens everyday.
I would be interested to hear your thoughts regarding stem cell research and in-vitro fertilization or other medical procedures that start to push the limits of the “when does life start” and “when does life end” questions.
My position on issues of human life is based on God's special revelation to us via the holy Scriptures. Such statements as found in Jeremiah 1:5, Psalm 139, and Ephesians 1 clearly indicate our identity as humans is known by God before we were conceived in our mothers' wombs -- in fact, before the world was created! Likewise, it is clear that God has a purpose for every conceived human being and that is a customized and holy purpose which harmonizes with His will. In light of this, as well as other statements in Scripture, it is obvious that when the male sperm cell fertilizes the female egg cell there is a human being in the beginning stage of formation -- and God claims to be involved in the formation of that human. Does it matter if that fertilization takes place in a dish in the laboratory? It certainly does to the extent that humans have responsibility to insure that the conceived human reaches full term and is born into the world, with freedom to choose to be obedient to God and appropriate His grace in and through the Lord Jesus Christ, or reject it all and be condemned. Likewise, in stem cell research -- if we harvest the cells and in the process destroy the embryo (human in development), we're in every bit as much trouble as we are in the murder of a baby by puncturing its skull and sucking out its brains as is done in partial birth abortion procedures! In each case, where there has been conception (union of male sperm cell with female egg cell) you have a human being in the making whose identity is known by our Creator, and as such, the Creator has also a plan in mind for that human. But we humans, as you well know, can really screw things up and nowhere is that more evident than in dealing with humans in the very early stages of their development. But that is the growing problem -- our adaptation to a Nazi Germany approach to life -- we become self-appointed authorities on "defining" what is human (Jews to the Nazis were less than human!) and what is not, and so we have come to the point where what is human in God's sight is not in ours and we dispose of it as casually as we do a Kleenex after blowing our nose and pitching it into the garbage can! God, of course, will write the last chapter on this issue of what is human and what isn't -- one thing for sure, it's going to be "Surprise! Surprise! Surprise!" for a vast majority of people who had made it safely out of the womb, but later on in life thought they were prosecutor, judge, jury and executioner in regard to millions of others with the result that those others never survived long enough to be born!
Your message needs to be heard. We live in a society that prefers illusion to reality, and the pictures and words you share dispell some of the myths so many people live with on a daily basis.
I prefer being delusional, but...I get it.
Sheesh.
Good expression to use -- preferring to be "delusional" -- not that it's the better choice in life over other options -- but it does accurately describe where a majority of all ages happens to be in its life's journey on earth. Seems fewer opt for a definite "I know who I am, why I'm here, and where I'm headed in the future!" kind of experience. But then conditions for the latter are quite demanding with a price to be paid!
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