Losing Our Religion in the United States? Oh, Surely Not!

The U.S. has become significantly less Christian in recent years as the share of American adults who espouse no systematic religious belief increased sharply, a major new study found.

For what is probably the first time in U.S. history, the number of American Christians has declined. Christianity, however, remains by far the nation’s dominant religious tradition, according to the new report by the nonpartisan Pew Research Center.

The erosion in traditional religious ranks seems likely to continue. Among Americans aged 18 to 33, slightly more than half identify as Christian, compared with roughly 8 in 10 in the baby boom generation and older age groups, the new data show. --- opening statements in news release by Los Angeles Times

Well, well -- looks like things are not going very well religiously in a republic known as the United States of America! There has been a feeling that the religion "business" has been in a decline mode for some time. There are a few exceptions as some groups experience a measure of growth as are some mega-churches. But as the studies and surveys are showing, the bottom line is that the total number of people involved in churches that profess to be Christian is shrinking. The United Methodist Church in which I am an ordained elder has been in decline for years. Again, in a few conferences there has been some gain in membership but that is wiped out by a larger number reporting losses!

Perhaps one thing summarizes the issue as well as it can be stated and that is the fact that God is withdrawing His blessing from this nation which He raised up over 238 years ago! Note some of the reasons why this has happened:

1. At about the beginning of the 20th Century corrupted theology was being imported from the European continent, with Germany being a main contributor. The holy Scriptures were held up to scrutiny and criticism and presented as a fallible human collection of writings. Miracles were commonly denied and the Person and work of Jesus Christ questioned. The seeds of unbelief began to be sown and as the 20th Century rolled along the seeds eventually began to produce bitter fruit! As we entered the 21st Century we had churches engaged in "warfare!" One issue at the forefront and it continues to be is that of sodomy and lesbianism -- morally legitimate or not, with "marriages" now taking place in states that have said such are as legal as heterosexual marriages!

2. As time passed in the 20th Century the U.S. Supreme Court issued a decision that forever changed the whole nation. In 1963 the basic ruling was that the Lord's Prayer and Bible readings could no longer take place in the public school systems throughout the nation! Strange as it may seem there were even church leaders that praised this decision, declaring it to be a good thing! Was it really? Even children from unchurched families had some exposure to prayer and portions of God's Word each day of the school year. But now we are raising generations of raw heathen -- parents are not in church and the kids aren't in church and we wonder about the terrible things that happen in our schools on a rate that is increasing weekly! No expert living can state that evidence indicates conditions in our public schools have greatly improved since the infamous Supreme Court decision of 1963! We've progressed from earlier problems of gum chewing, whispering in class, and running in the hallways to violent assaults, property destruction, and even murder! And how about this one? The mother of a 6th grade daughter was highly disturbed when the school authorities called her to report that her daughter was in trouble. What kind of trouble? Seems the daughter was in competition with another girl as to which one could give oral sex to the most boys before they arrived at school on the bus! Yes, sir -- get rid of the Bible and don't do any praying in school -- that could have a negative influence on the little tykes, could it not?

3. Then 10 years later the U.S. Supreme Court in the epitome of ignorance handed down another decision. In this one the black robed individuals stated that a female has a constitutional right to have her unborn child murdered and removed from her womb! The trail of innocent blood started in January 1973 and continues unabated to the present time. The tally of victims as of this writing (May 13, 2015) is over 58 million! And we still have persons who point a self righteous finger at Hitler's Germany for having killed about 15 million people, 6 million of whom were Jews! In a letter sent periodically to the president I have a picture of an unborn child who was a victim of intentional homicide and all torn to pieces. I remind the president that the Nazis did not get away with their version of Holocaust and we will not get away with our unique version either! An artist captured the issue very simply by drawing a picture of a man on his knees praying and calling on God saying, "O God, send us someone who will help us find a cure for all these deadly diseases such as cancer and others!" A voice from Heaven responds, "I did, but you aborted them!"

It is not a pleasant thought to consider what contributions the murdered victims could have made for the improvement of our nation and our churches, but we will never know will we? The oldest of the victims would have been in their early 40's now, living productive lives -- that is, if the decision had not been made to intentionally murder them and dispose of them in much the same way one disposes of the weekly garbage!

Corruption in church doctrine over time and massive corruption in the political process have not contributed to a stronger, healthier, and more secure republic. God has been calling the nation to repentance but who is listening. As time passes it is becoming more obvious that we are standing on the very threshold of judgment at the hands of a holy God! Perhaps a few will do some honest heart searching, seek to do what God wants them to do, including sounding the trumpet warning, and bear witness to His eternal truth at every given opportunity!

Here is a summary as to how a nation paves the way to judgment -- think U.S.A. walking the same path as you read this!

Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And he did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord his God, and humbled not himself before Jeremiah the prophet speaking from the mouth of the Lord. And he also rebelled against king Nebuchadnezzar, who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck, and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel. Moreover all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which he had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. --- 2 Chronicles 36:11-21 (KJV)

Another Anti-Gun Rant from a Place on Pennsylvania Avenue in DC!

BHO was “outraged” by latest school shooting and indicated doing something about gun control was one of the greatest frustrations of his administration. In part the attitude throughout the country about additional gun legislation which is hindering change is to blame, according to the present resident of the White House! --- as reported in various news releases on comments made by BHO.

Another school shooting? Yes, it took place in a high school in Oregon – one student dead and a teacher wounded. The perpetrator was also dead in this latest incident that is becoming rather commonplace. The present resident of the White House really geared up for his rant on this one. He is extremely frustrated because he cannot get the legislation he wants passed and blames the “attitude” about new gun laws as to why he cannot get such laws passed!

It is very clear that he does not realize (not do a majority of other political office holders) that the problem was been in the making for a few decades. It takes a while when you sow seed before you see the harvest take place. For some time our young have been “programed” to think violence! Here is a listing of major contributors: video games, computer games, tablet games, TV and Hollywood movies have produced a steady diet of violence which the young as well older persons have digested on a regular basis. With new technology and special effects the splattering of blood, brains and guts are featured continually.

And when we become frustrated about something or because of someone, thoughts easily and readily come into the mind that the issue can be resolved in a violent fashion! And so firearms often become the tool to settle things, but not always. There are other ways to injure and kill people and it has happened as in the case of a student stabbing a number of other people at his school with kitchen knives in the western Pennsylvania area! Yes, yes I already know. There are those who claim this constant exposure to violence in gaming and via film really doesn’t affect people in any way. As the years roll on with this change of “diet” in “entertainment” – a drastic change as to how it used to be, when violence was minimal and no profane language was used in movies and on TV, what is your explanation for the increase in violent outbreaks?

Another wrinkle in this mix is that for a long time our young have been the victims of a deadly brainwash operation featuring the theory of evolution. In a majority of educational institutions from elementary all the way up to graduate schools we are told that our roots go back to lower life forms. We have evolved from a simple mass of cells through various animal stages to what we are today and the end is not yet! Of course in this deadly heathen approach no God is needed nor any alleged “laws” established by Him – so therefore, you make and break the “rules” at your own convenience! Finally, the number of individuals and families involved and committed in churches that identify with the Christian faith is shrinking. One poll taken some time back indicated that on a given Sunday, with Christmas and Easter being a slight exception, the average attendance at worship is about 46 percent of our nation’s population of over 300 million! So really, we cannot get even half of our country’s population into a worship service on Sunday morning. Even the present residents of the White House demonstrate this pathetic lack of involvement most of the time when it comes to a church that identifies with Christianity!

As a result, the majority of our population has no exposure as to Who God is, what He is like by way of activity and interaction with humans such as we, and what His standards are concerning human behavior and relationships. These have no idea what God has revealed about ethics, morality, and spirituality! So, when it comes to frustration over something that has happened, or something that someone has said, I’ll resolve it in the way I’ve been programmed to do over the years – I’ll either hurt some people real bad, or kill them – the latter choice being the priority. Plus I’ll be center stage on TV and in the newspapers, for a while at least – others have done it, and so can I!

The seed has been sown over the last few decades – now it’s harvest time and part of the tragedy is that as BHO goes through his rants on the gun issue, he is blind as a bat when it comes to realizing why these things are really happening with more to come in the future!

This know also, that in the last days perilous times shall come. For men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false accusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those that are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God; having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof: from such turn away. [2 Timothy 3:1-5 (KJV)].

PS: In its lifetime the ancient Roman Empire came to the place where the people wanted more and more violence in their entertainment -- blood was shed to their "amusement" -- and best of all, the time came when they saw the violence which involved Christians being thrown to the lions in the Coliseum -- oh, what fun! :-(

God Is Commanding, But Who Is Listening?

"Truly, these times of ignorance God overlooked, but now commands all men everywhere to repent, because He has appointed a day on which He will judge the world in righteousness by the Man whom He has ordained. He has given assurance of this to all by raising Him from the dead. --- Acts 17:30, 31

God did a mighty work 236 years ago when He blessed and provided for a small number of people who desired to be a free republic. These people broke free from the British crown and became known as the United States of America.

As decades of time passed the population expanded, territories to the west in the direction of the Pacific Ocean were occupied, new states were added to the original thirteen, and the future was extremely bright.

From time to time conflicts erupted with one of the most critical being the Civil War involving great loss of human lives, massive casualties, and widespread property destruction. But God was merciful and a union emerged stronger than ever before as national healing and reconciliation took place over time.

Yet there were more conflicts to take place in the decades ahead. In the midst of these God granted an abundance of grace and mercy and our republic gained victory over the enemy until politicians chose to compromise and abandon the demand of unconditional surrender on the part of the enemy. WW II was the last conflict in which the enemy had to submit to the terms of unconditional surrender. Korea was an entirely different "ball game" with a "negotiated" settlement taking place and it has been downhill ever since. Any time you have a politician meddling in affairs, it is not going to produce a good result!

As the 1950's drew to a close, the moral and spiritual climate of the United States began to dramatically change as well. The 1960's saw insane court decisions handed down such as evicting God from the public school sytems and then the approval of the mutilation and murders of unborn children in the womb in 1973. No one who has a bit of a sense of right and wrong can truthfully say that our republic is morally and spiritually stronger now than it has ever been in the past.

Now that we are more than a decade into the 21st Century we have continued on our toboggin slide toward sure and certain disaster for a number of reasons:

1. The bloody trail that our republic has left behind is the result of the destruction of millions of unborn children. This practice is identified in the Bible as the atrocious act of "shedding innocent blood!"

2. Sexual immorality of every conceivable kind which is gaining more and more acceptance so that the national motto in regard to human sexuality could well be: "Sex is fun with anyone (or a number of persons at the same time) anywhere and at any time on a 24/7 basis!" With the help of the entertainment industry and high profile celebrities our young folk are leaning this practice while in the early years of their lives.

3. The teaching of our young that our roots are traced back to very low forms of life and that over millions of years we have evolved to what we are today with the end not yet taking place as we move onward and upward to perfection. As noted earlier, due to an insane decision of the first magnitude, God is not permitted on public school property and therefore it is unlawful to teach our young the truth that all things existing, including human life, have their origin with God Who is our Creator! At the higher level in colleges, universities, and graduate schools the deadly and hopeless doctrine of evolution is a brainwashing process that has devastating results in the lives of victims who accept it without question.

4. The profaning of the day of worship which originally was set aside to provide citizens of the republic with the opportunity to worship the God Who raised this republic up so that it became the most powerful and prosperous nation in the history of the world! Not only was it to be a special time for the recognition and worship of God, but also a day of rest for the citizens so that they might become refreshed and then prepared for week of work that would begin on Monday. But the day is now primarily a day of business, pleasure, entertainment in many forms, and intentional placing of God in a cell with high tech security devices so that He does not in any way interfere with our "fun and games!"

5. A church that has become increasingly corrupted because of the infiltration of "wolves in sheep's clothing" who refuse to accept God's special revelation in the form of the holy Scriptures as the absolute authority on all matters that have to do with our faith, our relationship to God through His Son, Jesus Christ, and the responsibilites we have to be fully obedient to Him on a day by day basis. The heart of denial is found in the rejection of Jesus as to His real identity (God revealed in human form), His miracles which He performed, His atoning death on the cross for the sins of the entire human race, His literal resurrection from the dead 3 days after the crucifixion, and His promised return to this sin saturated world at some time in the future to take full control and rule as King of kings and Lord of lords!

In the midst of all this chaos God has been calling for repentance -- no exceptions! To repent is to be brutally honest with ourselves, to admit we are guilty, and to turn from our sins, asking God for mercy and forgiveness. This has to be done on a personal level and also collectively (family, community, church, nation and its leaders).

But there is a major problem -- God has issued the command to repent but He is being ignored by the vast majority. So what does this mean? It means simply that we are perilessly close to experiencing judgment. God employs calamities (chastising actions) for a time in an effort to make a nation aware of its need to turn to Him. The classic example of this is His dealings with the ancient kingdoms of Israel and Judah. Neither heeded His appeals issued through His prophets and consequently were totally destroyed at the hands of heathen peoples. Yes, God at times does use a heathen people to bring judgment on those who claim to be God's people - e.g. "one nation under God!"

How is your hearing these days?

And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made confession, and said, "O Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. Neither have we heeded Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings and our princes, to our fathers and all the people of the land. O Lord, righteousness belongs to You, but to us shame of face, as it is this day; to the men of Judah, to the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those near and those far off in all the countries to which You have driven them, because of the unfaithfulness which they have committed against You. O Lord, to us belongs shame of face, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You." --- Daniel 9:4-9

It’s “Believe Again” Time in Western Pennsylvania!

The Believe Again! Clergy Study Team, in conjunction with Bishop Thomas J. Bickerton, his Cabinet and the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry (BOOM) , has introduced a plan to develop and support Faithful, Effective and Fruitful clergy leaders in Western PA. --- from W. PA Annual Conference web site

The Western Pennsylvania Annual Conference gets underway this week at the Grove City College campus. There is lots of excitement in the air as the delegates and youth pages make their way to Grove City.

The pre-conference journal was sent out to all delegates providing important information as to what to expect in the proceedings by way of legislation and constitutional amendments which will impact the whole United Methodist denomination for decades to come.

Much attention is given to the ongoing “Believe Again” program which was launched in 2006. It was extremely detailed and as one moves through all this the distinct impression is given that it strangely resembles the style of legislation that our elected officials in Washington DC consider time after time – lots and lots of organization and details to muddle through – oh yes, lots of money involved too!

The purpose of this massive effort is to revive the churches, establish new congregations, and obviously to increase the membership of the conference which has been in decline for years.

A simple question was posed – I am challenged as were all W PA United Methodists to “Believe Again!” So, just what is it I am to believe?

Details of this issue are found under the title, Believe Again! OK! But What Is It I Am to Believe? Use reverse feature on your web browser to return here.

If the Lord lets me live a few more days, it will be 50 years on June 21 that I preached my first sermon in two Methodist churches in New Castle PA to which I had been appointed as a newly licensed supply pastor.

During that time I have seen many changes and attempts to make the church stronger and larger in size through numerous programs and various quadrennial emphases. At the end of each program – each emphasis – each slogan and rallying cry – the end result has always been the same – we are “weighed in the balances and found wanting!”

What hasn’t been faced and there will always be determined resistance to do so – the fact that the root problem is theological and has been ever since the beginning of the 20th Century. Although the Methodist Church experienced growth in the earlier decades of the century and then an increase of membership as a result of merger in 1968, the seeds of destruction had been sown and the bitter fruit of that sowing became obvious as we moved through the latter years of the 20th Century. We have now become a denomination that is tolerant of just about anything by way of warped, twisted, and perverted beliefs!

There will be lots of hoopla at the annual conferences meeting in these days of late spring and early summer. There will be lots of resolutions passed urging action be taken and things be done to insure that we will have utopia on earth while our membership continues to decrease with some few and rare exceptions in some conferences. But for the general church we’re still in free fall!

And in Western Pennsylvania, I’m still being challenged to “Believe Again!” And I ask, “OK, but what is it that I am to believe?” Actually, speaking for myself -- there was never a time that I didn't believe! Ever since Jesus Christ transformed my life a long time ago, I have kept my faith centered in Him as Savior and Lord -- there have been many lessons learned and many yet to learn in my growth experience. So, I really can't change what I am already doing -- I still believe as I have been doing for well over half a century!

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. --- 2 Timothy 4:3, 4

Icabod!

Then it happened, when he made mention of the ark of God, that Eli fell off the seat backward by the side of the gate; and his neck was broken and he died, for the man was old and heavy. And he had judged Israel forty years. Now his daughter-in-law, Phinehas' wife, was with child, due to be delivered; and when she heard the news that the ark of God was captured, and that her father-in-law and her husband were dead, she bowed herself and gave birth, for her labor pains came upon her. And about the time of her death the women who stood by her said to her, "Do not fear, for you have borne a son." But she did not answer, nor did she regard it. Then she named the child Ichabod, saying, "The glory has departed from Israel!" because the ark of God had been captured and because of her father-in-law and her husband. And she said, "The glory has departed from Israel, for the ark of God has been captured." --- 1 Samuel 4:18-22

Tragedy had struck – the enemy had triumphed and the Ark of God in which the ancient Israelites had placed their confidence for victory had been taken away by that enemy!

To make matters worse, the two sons of Eli the priest had been killed and when their elderly obese father heard the news, he fell off his seat, broke his neck and died.

The wife of one of Eli’s sons died as she was giving birth to a son and the nurse named the boy Icabod. The name had deep significance – it meant that the glory of God had departed from Israel!

All the evidence in April 2009 clearly indicates that the name “Icabod” can be appropriately applied to the United States of America! Certainly this is not exaggerating one little bit.

Our political leadership has demonstrated in countless ways that it constantly gives Almighty God an obscene gesture with an attitude that speaks of dedicated defiance of all that is holy, just, and true! The political corruption runs rampant because there is no significant challenge from the church which is also corrupted due to the subtle and at times not so subtle infiltration of deceptive and deadly doctrines.

All this should not be surprising, however, because God explicitly revealed that there would be an onslaught of false teachers peddling their wares in the times preceding the personal return of Jesus Christ to this world.

Having had access to God’s full revelation from the beginning, and having been abundantly blessed by God over the decades since its beginning, the United States now is experiencing the identical ethical, moral, and spiritual deterioration as did the ancient Israelite kingdom of Judah in the 6th Century BC shortly before its collapse and destruction.

On one of the cable news networks there is an individual who is making much of our republic “repeating history” because of failure to learn from the lessons of history. Sadly he fails to see the primary reason for it – our prominent national mood and spirit are one of hard-hearted defiance against the God Who raised up and established this great republic!

Icabod! The glory of God has departed!

"And it shall be, when you show this people all these words, and they say to you, 'Why has the LORD pronounced all this great disaster against us? Or what is our iniquity? Or what is our sin that we have committed against the LORD our God?' then you shall say to them, 'Because your fathers have forsaken Me,' says the LORD; 'they have walked after other gods and have served them and worshiped them, and have forsaken Me and not kept My law. And you have done worse than your fathers, for behold, each one walks according to the imagination of his own evil heart, so that no one listens to Me,’” --- Jeremiah 16:10-12

It’s NOT the Economy, Stupid!

“It’s the economy, stupid!” was a phrase attributed to James Carville during Bill Clinton’s successful campaign for the presidency in 1992. The phrase suggested that Clinton was the superior choice over George H. W. Bush because the sitting president had not effectively addressed the economy which had gone into a recession.

Just about every pair of eyeballs has been focused on the economy in recent months and the issue has whipped up into the intensity of a Cat 5 hurricane raging in toward the U. S. coast from the Atlantic Ocean!

There are probably many who feel that the original phrase, “It’s the economy, stupid!,” which was the brainchild (term brain used carelessly here) of James Carville is applicable to our present condition in the United States.

Certainly President Obama has been attempting to make political hay out of this circumstance and it has given him an “excuse” to go flitting about the country in Air Force One as he attempts to jam his stimulus bill down our throats. Had it not been for the betrayal of 3 Republicans (Senators Snowe and Collins of Maine and Specter of Pennsylvania) it is doubtful we would have gotten bogged down in this financial quagmire which is deceptively called "stimulus!"

But to get to the point – the root problem is not the economy, which is a distraction away from the real problem that is causing us to be on the fast lane to disaster! That real problem is a terminal illness which is ethical, moral and spiritual in nature.

A brief summary:

• Deadly love focused on self, money and pleasure!
  
• Compromised truth and principles within churches claiming to be Christian in faith!
  
• Government at all levels that is riddled with contradiction and hypocrisy!
  
• Widespread practice of idolatry in a plethora of expressions!
  
• Fast spreading malignancy of sexual immorality in virtually unlimited patterns!
  
• Intense desecration of the day in which Almighty God is to be honored and worshipped!
  
• Indoctrinating our children and youth with the false and very deadly teaching that we humans have evolved over eons of time from lower life forms – there is no need for teaching the involvement of a divine Creator when it comes to origins!
  
• And worst of all – a professed “civilized nation” implementing by judicial ruling a policy which has resulted in the mutilation and murders of over 50 million unborn children since January 1973!
  

Extensive details on this issue, which makes the subject of the economy have as much impact and significance as a gnat trying to stop a loaded 18 wheeler rolling down Interstate 95 out of Washington DC, are found at Driving the Final Nails! -- use reverse feature on your web browser to come back to this place.

There will be a majority who would vehemently disagree and say, “No, it’s the economy!” And that would include most of the politicians. But that response is because they are part of one or more, maybe ALL the problems as given above!

It's NOT the economy, stupid!

A PS: I don't believe it's fair that Pennsylvania should be saddled with an Arlen Specter and a John Murtha (my rep in Congress from 12th District) and the other 49 states having never experienced this pair -- the other 49 should have them for a few years and then they would appreciate what we Pennsylvanians have to endure by way of political shenanigans!

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man: They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all. Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot: They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed." --- Jesus speaking in Luke 17:26-30

Hit the Ground Running And Be Sure To Ignore the Banana Peels!

“Hit the ground running!” --- common expression now being applied to B. Hussein Obama and his administration when they take control of a republic known as the U.S.A. on January 20, 2009

A whirlwind of activity is taking place during this transition period as President-elect B. Hussein Obama assembles advisors and his Chief of Staff, R. Emanuel, whips the troops into line. The phrase very commonly applied is to “hit the ground running” as January 20, 2009 reaches the noon time hour!

For a majority, especially those who cast their votes for B. Hussein Obama, this is a very impressive thing and to be expected from one who at times has been labeled “Messiah” and “Savior.”

While the newly elected president may relish the term, he and his cohorts have essentially omitted a rather critical phrase. While doing their running they will deliberately choose to ignore the banana peels that litter the path. A runner who is wise not only avoids the banana peel but will remove and dispose of it so others will not be threatened by such a hazard.

Here are some of the banana peels that will bring this nation down:


3 Very Deadly “Loves”
It has been predicted that as the human race comes down the home stretch of history, it will wallow in three deadly loves which are love of self, love of money and love of pleasures more than love for God. If you want to see it for yourself, go to 2 Timothy 3 in the New Testament of the Bible.

The Ongoing Destruction of Unborn Children
Our republic is fast approaching a tally of 50 million unborn victims who have been mutilated and murdered in their mothers’ wombs. These have ranged in age from a few weeks to being within a few minutes of being born. Ruins of past cultures which adopted a cheap and very low view of human life are mute evidence that you cannot choose this route without paying a very high price, which ultimately is extinction!

Rampant Sexual Immorality
The evolution of a philosophy about human sexuality has reached its zenith where now it can be defined by saying, “Sex is fun with anyone (or more than one anyone at the same time) anywhere and at any time by choice on the part of the parties involved! We simply make our own rules." The ruins of Sodom and Gomorrah still speak but who in these United States (soon to be known as the Obama Nation) is listening? Any few that do are considered right-wing fire-breathing religious fanatics!

A Fast Spreading Cancer of Idolatry
As a culture begins to prosper, it is not long before it begins to forge idols for itself in many forms. It is obvious to a few who are sensitive to such a disaster that money is dominant as #1 “god” in the United States, plus numerous others which could be also cited. The true and living God has given fair warning that there comes a time when He brings judgment upon a nation’s false gods! Anyone noticed how things are going financially in “the land of the free and the home of the brave?”

The Profaning of the Day of Worship
As noted in other areas of my web site and blog, Sunday should be renamed “Funday” – for most residents of the United States this day is the final day of a weekend of pleasure pursuit – fun & games – partying and getting high on alcohol and/or drugs – sports activities of about every conceivable kind! Who in the world wants to spend a very boring bit of time in what is supposed to be the worship of Almighty God Who created this universe, imparts life and grants blessing and benefit indescribable by which life is nurtured on a daily basis. Then He did the unthinkable – He gave His Son that the way of forgiveness, peace and eternal life in His Kingdom would be available to us sinners! But who has time to give any attention to that – we have fun and games to do before Monday comes!

Teaching Our Young the Way of Damnation
The theory of evolution is dominant in the process of educating the young. With a very few exceptions our young begin a journey early on in which they are taught that our ancestry, humanly speaking, is traced back to lower life forms – you have to travel back in time a long ways to get there. This means that millions of our young have no exposure whatsoever to the real and truthful fact that God is the Creator of all things, including human beings. And since back in the early 60’s a Supreme Court ruling effectively said that there could be no more prayer and no more reading of the Scriptures in public classrooms, and since more than half our population chooses to absent itself from a place of worship on Sundays, we are effectively raising millions of heathen – and we wonder why our country is so screwed up ethically, morally and spiritually!

A Government Increasingly Confused and Corrupted
It takes some searching but the evidence is there for any who want to face it – over time our elected officials have concentrated on themselves in terms of benefits and salaries – the retirement benefits are out of this world. Then, once established in their comfortable positions, they throw a bone or two to their constituents to make us feel good and that they do indeed have our best interests at heart – or do they? The partisan battles that constantly go on are a scandal in and of themselves so that it is “party first” and the public can go to ____________ (fill in the blank!).

Now then – will the administration of B. Hussein Obama as it hits the ground running on January 20, 2009 address the issues represented by the banana peels? The chance of that taking place is as great as a snowball surviving in a very hot place which you have heard mentioned from time to time – a hot place which is vehemently denied at the present time by not a few pastors and church leaders!

Thus says the LORD of hosts, the God of Israel: "Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Do not trust in these lying words, saying, 'The temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD, the temple of the LORD are these.' For if you thoroughly amend your ways and your doings, if you thoroughly execute judgment between a man and his neighbor, if you do not oppress the stranger, the fatherless, and the widow, and do not shed innocent blood in this place, or walk after other gods to your hurt, then I will cause you to dwell in this place, in the land that I gave to your fathers forever and ever.” --- Jeremiah 7:3-7

Requiem!

They soon forgot His works; they did not wait for His counsel, but lusted exceedingly in the wilderness, and tested God in the desert. And He gave them their request, but sent leanness into their soul. --- Psalm 106:13-15

This may be interpreted as “sour grapes” after an election, but really it is not – it is reality and the fact that about 62.5 million people have just signed our republic’s death warrant!

In an earlier post it was stated that God would either express His intentional and deliberate will in this 2008 election or His permissive will. In the latter case it means He will let the majority get what they want, but eventually there will be a very high price to be paid.

What we can expect starting in mid-January 2009:

• The greatest impending disaster brought on by President Barack Obama is the fact that he will vigorously support the ongoing destruction of unborn children and seek to remove whatever few restrictions are presently in place to protect the unborn such as the heinous partial birth “procedure.” He will likely appoint at least 2 or more Supreme Court judges who will always rule in favor of destroying the unborn. And he will appoint judges in the lower courts who will not see their responsibility as supporting the Constitution but rather to “legislate” from the bench even in defiance of the Constitution!
  
  
• What will be the kind of people with which he will be surrounded in terms of advisers, cabinet members, etc? It has been well documented that his associations in the past have often been with persons of questionable character, including one named Jeremiah Wright. God’s revelation speaks loud and clear on the matter – a person who governs must have God-fearing persons surrounding him, and in this age of the Gospel, it means specifically relying on persons who know Jesus Christ personally as Savior and Lord. It is highly unlikely that B. O. will be at all concerned about selecting such people to be a part of his administration. In a sense, having bought this election by having outspent his opponent by millions of dollars, the young president is now beholden to quite a bunch of people – obviously there will be “political” pay offs!
  
  
• We can expect an ambitious “tax and spend” policy which will be enthusiastically supported by a Democratic controlled Congress. He and they will never learn that you cannot spend your way into a state of prosperity. Further, these people will not so much as lift a finger in an effort to reduce a national debt now approaching 11 trillion dollars. As an aside, "Big John" Murtha (unfortunately my rep in Congress) was reelected and will continue to do his big "earmark" thing -- he's a champion at this -- that is, until the country goes belly up financially!
  
  
• Eventually we can expect an assault against our 2nd Amendment rights. He has already indicated his dissatisfaction with the practice in a number of states of granting licenses to persons allowing them to carry concealed and loaded handguns. In some manner or other there will be an effort launched to further restrict sale and use of firearms and sales of ammunition! The dream of some persons in this republic is the outright ban and possession of all firearms by U. S. citizens. B.O. will at some point attempt to get us moving toward that objective!
  
  
• Under his “leadership” (term used very loosely) government will continue to expand and steadily move onward toward duplicating the horror of George Orwell’s novel, “Nineteen Eighty Four” -- you know, the condition where we are all monitored by “big brother.” The dominating force is the deceptive idea that the government can take care of us from the cradle to the grave – or as put more dramatically in other terms – from the womb to the tomb!
  
  
• Obama’s military will be interesting to watch. He will be “Commander in Chief” but never has had 1 day of military experience. Will we see a mass exit or not when enlistment terms expire and officers determine whether they will stay a while longer or retire? Time will tell on this one. A poll among the military before election revealed very strong support for John McCain with the exception of blacks in the military – as expected, their support was highly in favor of B. O.
  
  
• Perhaps one of the most crucial areas of concern under the administration of Barack Obama, second only to his attitude toward unborn children is how he will support Israel or refuse to support Israel. So far, this country has had leadership which has been supportive of the country of Israel and at times has been the only country to stand with Israel in certain crises. Shenanigans at the United Nations demonstrate all too well the truth of this. It likely will not be too long until we know if our new president will be supportive of Israel or will back off and eventually abandon the Jewish state.
  
  
• Finally, what will be his faith identity and church identity while occupying the White House? God has again made plain the fact that one who is in the powerful position of governing is to be one who bears witness to his faith and relationship with God – in other words leadership that is powerful and influential begins by exhibiting a holy example in conduct and providing evidence that the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob – that this same God is the Father of the Lord Jesus Christ and is real in every day experience. Will B. O. and family identify with a church – if so, will it be nothing more than one of those “feel good” churches where the word “repentance” is avoided like the plague, and the pastors of which would never say anything that would offend someone, especially one who is president of the United States?
  

Yes, there are times in recorded history when we observe God giving the people what they wanted, and too late they discovered they wanted what was not at all good for them, and then disaster struck!

"Then you shall say to the people, 'Sanctify yourselves for tomorrow, and you shall eat meat; for you have wept in the hearing of the LORD, saying, "Who will give us meat to eat? For it was well with us in Egypt." Therefore the LORD will give you meat, and you shall eat. You shall eat, not one day, nor two days, nor five days, nor ten days, nor twenty days, but for a whole month, until it comes out of your nostrils and becomes loathsome to you, because you have despised the LORD who is among you, and have wept before Him, saying, "Why did we ever come up out of Egypt?"' …………… But while the meat was still between their teeth, before it was chewed, the wrath of the LORD was aroused against the people, and the LORD struck the people with a very great plague. So he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because there they buried the people who had yielded to craving. --- Numbers 11:18-20, 33, 34

So, Edwards Had An Affair – Why All the Fuss, Anyhow?

Drink water from your own cistern, and running water from your own well. Should your fountains be dispersed abroad, streams of water in the streets? Let them be only your own, and not for strangers with you. Let your fountain be blessed, and rejoice with the wife of your youth. As a loving deer and a graceful doe, let her breasts satisfy you at all times; and always be enraptured with her love. For why should you, my son, be enraptured by an immoral woman, and be embraced in the arms of a seductress? --- Proverbs 5:15-20

John Edwards finally “fessed up” – he did disregard his marital vows for a time as he was in the midst of seeking to become the Democratic nominee for president of the United States.

So, what’s all the excitement about – other than the fact that the mass media people enjoy chomping on this subject more than about anything else they bite into! As always, it is the repeat of sharks reacting to a big batch of blood in the water.

Some things to keep in mind while salivating on this matter of John getting more than hand-shake friendly with a female other than his wife:

1. He’s not the first to do a thing like this – the list is by no means short when it comes to politicians playing bedroom games with women other than their mates over years past – unfortunately, a number of them are still living today!

2. There is a strong resistance to making an issue of such a happening when it involves a politician – after all, what he does in private is none of our business, is it? Hey, I’m just quoting what appears to be a rather common held belief in our culture!

3. The standards of morality have changed drastically over the past few decades – what God has to say about human sexuality is not at all significant in this country any longer. One of the main reasons for this being that we humans have come to the point of determining for ourselves what is right and wrong, and that includes our sexual activity.

4. Big names in the entertainment industry have set a powerful example in human relationships and have long since lost the ability to even blush a bit when it comes to the practicing of sexual immorality in brazen fashion, and at times conceiving children while doing so. The publicity they receive in all this is worth a fortune and the influence on our young folk is impossible to measure. We do have an interesting statistic in connection with all this which was released not so long ago – one out of every four teen-aged girls has at least one STD (sexually transmitted disease) and some have more than one! Sleep on that one tonight!

5. Churches have begun to capitulate to the pressure to back off from hard line positions on the issue of human sexuality. The battle is especially intense in the area of sodomy and lesbianism. So if we soften up regarding that area, why not include adultery, incest, fornication, child molestation and sex with animals as well?

Getting all caught up in a frenzy over an aspiring politician and his sex life? Forget it – this is the United States in the 21st Century – sex is fun with anyone (or more than one anyone at the same time), anywhere and at any time, aren’t you aware?

Or do you happen to be one of that few who are labeled religious fanatics and who are best described as having very low angle foreheads with little beady eyes located too close together and fire is spewing forth from the mouth – you know, that small minority which still insists that God has established clear boundaries on human sexuality and these apply to all persons, including politicians!

Marriage is honorable among all, and the bed undefiled; but fornicators and adulterers God will judge. --- Hebrews 13:4

Well, What Do You Know – Maybe They Are Really Here After All!

Picture of a mountain lion which was hit by a truck on Mill Creek Road east of Altoona, south of State College, between Mt. Union and Huntingdon PA.

There have been frequent denials by the PA State Game Commission that there are any in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. There were some years ago, but now they no longer exist in the state -- that is, according to Game Commission officials. We citizens of Pennsylvania have come to the place where we regard these people on about the same level as our politicians in Harrisburg and with about the same amount of credibility when they speak on certain issues, such as the existence of mountain lions in the Commonwealth. You have to have lived a while in our fair state to fully appreciate that!

So look at the above photo once more -- that really isn't a household tabby cat that guy is holding! So what does one do when Game Commission people tell you one thing and then something comes along that shoots their claim full of more holes than you find in Swiss cheese?

A close friend of mine saw one of those critters walking by his bee boxes a few months back in broad daylight -- maybe he saw an apparition or something -- maybe he was hallucinating or had been out in the sun too long!

But a more tragic denial is taking place within the circles of those who claim to be Christian -- not a mere denial by some officials as to the existence of a very big kitty cat, but denials in relation to One Whose name is Jesus Christ!

Consider this:

• Denial that He is the virgin-born Son of God -- indeed, God revealed in human form Who walked on the earth He had created a long time ago!
  
  
• Denial that He performed many miracles such as feeding thousands with just a few loaves of bread and a few fish, that He delivered people from deadly sicknesses and raised the dead to life.
  
  
• Denial that He is exclusively the only way of salvation, forgiveness, peace with God and the hope of everlasting life by virtue of His sacrificial death on a Roman cross for all the sins of the entire human race!
  
  
• Denial that He was literally resurrected from the dead, spent 40 days with His followers and then ascended back to heaven to take His place at the right hand of God the Father until His enemies are made to be His footstool -- see Psalm 110.
  
  
• Denial that He will personally return to this planet to take control and rule it as King of kings and Lord of lords.
  

What will those deniers (pastors as well as laity) do when they discover that Jesus Christ is all and everything the Bible reveals Him to be, including the Judge Who will render the final word on every single one of us human beings as one by one we keep our appointment with Him right on schedule?

No reply will be possible -- no objection -- no excuses accepted -- no finger pointing allowed as to the dilemma being someone else's fault -- no, just a very uncomfortable silence until the words come forth:

"Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, 'Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast out demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?' And then I will declare to them, 'I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!' Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. Now everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall." --- Matthew 7:21-27

So, the next time in church circles you hear some denials concerning what God has plainly revealed in His Word, think of a mountain lion in Pennsylvania that got hit by a truck -- just an imaginary experience according to the PA State Game Commission!

So watch out that you do not become a victim of the disease of denial which has infiltrated the ranks of Christianity!

They Were in Their Pulpits on Mother's Day, But Don't Expect Them to Be There on Father's Day!

...Pastors should bring a pulpit robe or alb and a red stole to process in the service of Ordination. If you do not have these items, that is fine, you still are a part of the clergy family and will join in the service. If you have scheduled a wedding for June 14th and plan to leave Grove City for rehearsal Friday evening, you still need to return to Grove City for the Sunday service. If you are participating in one of our camping events the week following Annual Conference, you still have ample time to arrive at camp following the service. If you need to be excused from Annual Conference, it is your responsibility to communicate in writing to Bishop Bickerton, Conference Secretary John Wilson, and your Superintendent why you cannot participate in Annual Conference this June.... Part of the "orders from headquarters" directed to pastors in one of the districts of the Western PA Annual Conference in anticipation of the service of ordination scheduled on Father's Day, June 15, 2008 at Grove City College in Grove City PA!

They say 3 out of 4 ain't bad! In baseball or softball, if you get 3 hits out of 4 times at bat, that would be considered an impressive batting average. If you were traveling through a small town which had 4 traffic lights and you hit 3 of the 4 when they were green, you would congratulate yourself on doing well in avoiding some red lights in that community. In fishing, if lively trout hit the bait 4 times and you get 3 out of the 4, you would consider that a successful fishing venture.

But sometimes 3 out of 4 is not a good thing -- ask the congregations of a few hundred United Methodist Churches in western Pennsylvania about that ratio. You see, for the 3rd time in 4 years their pastors will not be present with them on Father's Day!

The pastors have always been present in their churches on Mother's Day, as they were yesterday. But for 3 years out of 4 it's been a kitty of another color on Father's Day.

The Western PA Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church will be meeting the latter part of the second week of June and will conclude with an ordination service on the morning of Father's Day, June 15th! The conference will meet at Grove City College in Grove City PA. It will be the 3rd year out of 4 since Tom Bickerton became bishop that Father's Day has been scrapped in favor of an ordination service!

The bishop along with support from his superintendents is adamant in demanding that all pastors be present for the ordination service on Father's Day. The pastors are given ample "warning" in advance about this (see the wording of statements in one district newsletter as noted above) with specific instructions about making sure arrangements are made for someone to conduct the services in the pastors' absence.

I'm not sure that even if you die on Saturday night, June 14th, that you would have a legitimate excuse for being absent from the ordination service the next morning! But that can be taken care of by arranging to have the funeral director wheel you down the aisle in your casket ahead of the bishop and all the other dignitaries in the procession -- that way, your presence will be obvious. Just make sure the casket lid is open so that they know you were present -- this is necessary in order to insure that no "unpleasant" things happen to you because you were regarded as being absent!

Now a question -- is there anybody out there who knows of a similar debacle taking place in other UMC conferences or other denominations in the entire United States? Write it down -- you'll be hard pressed to find even a half dozen pastors who will be absent from their pulpits on Father's Day. For any outside the W. PA Annual Conference who are absent it will likely be due to an unexpected emergency of the first magnitude!

I wrote to Bishop B. about this the first year, figuring that being a rookie bishop and quite young (I have 2 kids older than he, 1 about the same age, and 2 a bit younger) that he didn't fully realize what he was doing.

The second year I also included the District Superintendents in the letter sent. The appeal was that Father's Day is an ideal time to stress the importance of family and responsibilities of fatherhood, etc. And this at a time when our culture is fast adopting an attitude that fathers aren't really all that important -- about all they are good for is to provide some wriggly things which are essential in making a baby! One woman got a lot of publicity plus many, many bucks from her book which described how she artificially inseminated herself (the old turkey baster tactic) and has a child she is raising without a father being involved! Much as she probably hates to admit it, she did need the help of a man at one point though she never met the guy -- he provided some of those wriggly things mentioned earlier!

Anyway, the bishop, as I expected, made no response to those letters. One person mentioned to me that Father's Day is not a significant religious holiday -- the implication being if the the W. PA Annual Conference wants to have an ordination service on the morning of Father's Day with all pastors expected to be present, so what? If a bishop says that is the way it is to be, that settles it -- no questions or objections are permitted! Sounds like a United Methodist version of a pope at his dictatorial best, does it not?

A final question I asked in one of the letters was this -- "If it were Mother's Day, would you have the ordination service with the presence of all pastors being required? We both know the answer to that one, don't we?"

There are many things that call for prayer -- sometimes very unusual things -- this is one of them. Whatever it takes, may Almighty God clearly reveal that it is His will for those W. PA United Methodist pastors to be in their pulpits on Father's Day in June of 2008 and not at Grove City College!

Go ahead -- ask them -- ask any congregation of United Methodists if they would prefer that their pastor would be present with them to conduct worship on Father's Day. And do not condition the people by first saying that this is what the bishop and the superintendents expect -- we're not concerned about their desires, but only with what God wants!

And as an ordained elder in the W. PA Annual Conference, where will I be on the morning of June 15th? Just where I am each Father's Day and where I have always been in 49 years of ministry -- occupying the pulpit of the church (or churches) God has called me to serve, and where He expects me to be. I mentioned this in the second letter sent to the bishop and D.S.'s -- also mentioned was the fact that if that was unacceptable to them, then they would have to take the issue up God, because He is the One Who wants me to be in a certain church at a certain time on Father's Day! I have never yet missed a Father's Day service in any of the churches I have served over the years and I have no intention of missing one in 2008!

And when they had brought them, they set them before the council. And the high priest asked them, saying, "Did we not strictly command you not to teach in this name? And look, you have filled Jerusalem with your doctrine, and intend to bring this Man's blood on us!" Then Peter and the other apostles answered and said: "We ought to obey God rather than men...." --- Acts 5:27-29

Still No Word About That Other Million!

Then the word of the LORD came to me, saying: "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you; before you were born I sanctified you; and I ordained you a prophet to the nations." --- Jeremiah 1:4, 5

Tomorrow, April 25th, is being noted as Malaria Day. United Methodist agencies are stressing the date along with offers of resources to better educate us on the need to combat malaria in Africa.

My bishop in the W. PA Annual Conference, Thomas Bickerton, has been very aggressive in promoting the need to support what is commonly known as "Nothing But Nets." Finances are raised to purchase netting to protect individuals from being bitten by mosquitoes which spread the disease. Our conference reported that he was in New York yesterday meeting with some big name people etc. and promoting the cause of combating malaria in Africa.

The bishop, as well as UMC agencies, stress the fact that there are 1 million or more victims who die of malaria each year in Africa. There has been a positive response to the appeal for support. In fact, my wife and I have sent in support for this cause.

But there continues to be the nagging question -- with all the traveling, contacts made, and conversations on the subject of malaria deaths by Bishop Bickerton -- why has he along with all the other bishops never mentioned the fact that there are also over 1 million unborn children mutilated and murdered in their mothers' wombs each year in the "land of the free and the home of the brave?"

Yea, yea, I know! I've been making a big issue of this thing of slaughtering the unborn for a long time -- how is it that we as a nation and as a church have allowed ourselves to be deceived into thinking that God isn't paying the least bit of attention to this abomination, or worse, that He simply doesn't care and will never confront our republic about this?

Back to the UMC bishops -- want to see how many unborn have been brutally mutilated and murdered under their respective watches? Go to A Quick Look At The United States' Massacre Tally! -- scroll down a ways to see the different bishops and the numbers. As of 8:43 AM on April 24, 2008 there were 4,786,524 unborn children exterminated in the United States' version of holocaust since Tom Bickerton became bishop of the W. PA Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church!

Now to what extent has he expressed concern about this abomination in comparison to what he has said about people dying from malaria?

Does anyone dare to entertain a thought that there is more than a tad of inconsistency at the episcopal level of the United Methodist Church?

In addition to that, here's another little gem to think about -- with all the lamenting about loss of members in the United Methodist Church, how many more do you think we might have had if those nearly 49 million unborn children would not have been destroyed since the infamous Roe vs. Wade decision of 1973? Want to sleep on that one tonight, if you can?

In the meantime we still wait to hear a word from Bishop Bickerton and the rest about that other significant "million" that they have miserably failed to mention!

'Thus says the LORD: "Execute judgment and righteousness, and deliver the plundered out of the hand of the oppressor. Do no wrong and do no violence to the stranger, the fatherless, or the widow, nor shed innocent blood in this place......Yet your eyes and your heart are for nothing but your covetousness, for shedding innocent blood, and practicing oppression and violence.'" --- Jeremiah 22:3, 17

Mandatory Training on Racisim? You've Got to Be Kidding!

Mandatory Training on Racism Scheduled --- Headline on front page of the March 14, 2008 issue of InterLink, newspaper of the W. PA Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church

It seems all systems are go as another "mandatory" training session for clergy of the W. PA Annual Conference on the explosive issue of racism will happen at four designated locations this spring. Bishop Bickerton has sent a letter detailing this matter and stressed also the need for church leaders among the laity to attend as well.

The events are being funded through the "Believe Again" program which was launched some time back. I still have not gotten an answer to an issue I raised about this at the begining -- just what is it I am to believe anyhow? A link at the bottom of this discussion will provide more details about that.

Apparently to get us all set straight on this racism thing a company known as Rhymes Consulting which is based in Pittsburgh will provide leadership for the sessions. Now the question is this -- is this a Christian organization and are the people leading this all dedicated Christians deeply involved in their respective churches?

But no matter -- at the heart of the Christian faith is something called transformation of a person in the inner depths of that person's being upon the condition of repenting from all known sin and receiving Jesus Christ as Savior and Lord -- quite literally, a miracle of change takes place!

In order for this miracle to take place the 4 demands Jesus placed upon us humans must happen -- no options here -- either we meet those conditions or we don't!

• Jesus said we must be born again - John 3:3
  
• Jesus said we must repent - Luke 13:3
  
• Jesus said we must be converted and become as a little child - Matthew 18:3
  
• Jesus said we must eat His flesh and drink of His blood -- not literally, of course, as He explains on the occasion of issuing this demand - John 6:53-66
  

But that is where the problem is -- it is possible to hang the label, "Christian," around your neck -- circulate in and around the church and not really know what it is to be born again as well as meeting those other demands as set forth by Jesus! I recall hearing a preacher many years ago expressing frustration about the subject of being "born again" -- he admitted he knew nothing about it!

But having the experience will change one's perspective when it comes to racial issues plus a lot of other stuff which relates one way or another to this thing called sin. Paul expressed it well in statements made in Galatians 3:28 -- and how about those statements in Colossians 3:4-14 -- you know, where he says racial identification is obliterated and not recognized in Christ Jesus -- sure shoots this diversity thing (of which too many United Methodists are so proud) all to pieces, does it not?

Is this racism thing the only thing NOT to go when Paul was inspired to write this:

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new. --- 2 Corinthians 5:17

Is there anyone brazen enough in the W. PA Annual Conference or anywhere else for that matter who will say to Paul -- "Yes, some things may be a bit different, but racism still remains -- it's an old thing and it will stay, no matter what -- even the grace of God is not sufficient to deal with that one -- at least not until we call in a consulting firm!" Come to think of it, there probably are some who would do it!

Just what is meant when it says that a person becomes a new creation in Jesus Christ? What are the "old things" which pass away? What are the things which become "new?"

More to come in a day or two about this racism matter -- as experienced by a fellow who at one point didn't really care if there was a God or not!

By the way, that link on the matter of "Believe Again!" as mentioned earlier -- it's at Believe Again! OK! But What Is It That I Am to Believe? A link at the bottom of that area will bring you back to this place.

"I am the vine, you are the branches. He who abides in Me, and I in him, bears much fruit; for without Me you can do nothing. If anyone does not abide in Me, he is cast out as a branch and is withered; and they gather them and throw them into the fire, and they are burned. If you abide in Me, and My words abide in you, you will ask what you desire, and it shall be done for you. By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit; so you will be My disciples. As the Father loved Me, I also have loved you; abide in My love. If you keep My commandments, you will abide in My love, just as I have kept My Father's commandments and abide in His love. These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. This is My commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you."
--- John 15:5-12

Piracy in State Capitols and the Biggie in Washington DC? What Else Can You Call It?

How about a change in the flags that fly over state capitols and the one over that big building in Washington DC which houses a group of persons known as the United States Congress?

You can easily recognize the one at the very top and it has always been identified with certain unscrupulous persons who go about taking money and valuables from other persons, usually at the point of a pistol or sword!

Yes, I know -- it is bordering on the insane to even suggest such a change! But stop and reason for a bit -- all I am suggesting that we try to have the flag truly reflect what has happened inside the buildings over which it flies.

While there are quite a few things that could build a case for the flag change, let's just cite one notorious instance.

It used to be a long time ago that a couple would marry and have children. They continued to work and accumulate some earthly possessions and get a bank account established -- miracle of miracles, maybe that bank account would build up and amount to a considerable amount of wealth! The time would come that the couple would arrange for drawing up a will that divided all the wealth and property among the children or perhaps they would include their church or a charitable organization in their will.

The day came when the couple exited this earthly life and their estate was divided and dispersed to the parties so designated in their will -- every single cent was passed on to the chosen persons, church or organization as so chosen.

But something happened eventually over time -- politicians, as corruption set in, got the idea that a couple having accumulated an amount of wealth should share a good portion of that with government, at the state level and the federal level. Presto, something called "inheritance tax" was born!

Basically these "pirates" in business suits and claiming to represent the best interests of their "constituents" have pointed the sword at the throats of the citizens and demanded to have a generous share of whatever a couple has accumulated before it is passed on to the selected parties in the will of the couple!

Now in all honesty -- is that right and just? Call it whatever you want, but piracy is a most accurate label to apply to this horrendous practice! We have reached a point where some mention is made of it and once in a while some rumblings may briefly occur in the capitols, but nothing is ever constructively done to correct this mass injustice.

And you'll notice that presidential candidates while professing that they will bring about desired "change" if elected, don't seem to mention this one in addition to the many other critical issues which are causing the nation to capsize!

I admit to being greatly influenced by the prophets of the Old Testament -- if we could resurrect them, the only thing changed in what they said would be names of people and locations -- such as Washington DC instead of Jerusalem!

For those who think this policy is quite acceptable -- that is, government at some level taking a generous portion of the estate of persons who have worked all their lives and want certain parties to receive ALL of that estate after those persons have passed on to the next life -- if this is considered an OK thing, then how about having a good heart to heart talk with God about it? Below you will see His feelings about such activity -- it happened centuries ago -- seems piracy is too often an ongoing thing when it comes to governing officials!

Her princes in her midst are like wolves tearing the prey, to shed blood, to destroy people, and to get dishonest gain...... Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the LORD, she has not drawn near to her God. Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone till morning. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. --- Ezekiel 22:27; Zephaniah 3:1-4

Another Date for FDR's "Infamy" Slot!

As of March 19, 2008 an anniversary will be noted. The media will give attention to it and likely President George W. Bush will also mention it. The anniversary is year # 5 since we launched a pre-emptive strike and invaded a nation in the Middle East known as Iraq.

It is also likely that some statistics will be mentioned along the way in this observance. Such things as:

• number of U. S. military personnel who have lost their lives.
  
  
• how many have been wounded, and maybe, how many have been maimed for life as a result of the many roadside bombs used by the "enemy."
  
  
• how much this operation has cost us in terms of billions of dollars, or have we reached the trillion mark -- if we haven't, hang on because we are bound to get there -- wars don't come cheap anymore!
  

However, it is highly unlikely that the following will be mentioned to any significant degree:

• how many military families have been dissolved through divorce as a direct result of this Iraq thing.
  
  
• how many suicides among military personnel have taken place since we got involved in this debacle -- the rate has been increasing as compared to conflicts in the past.
  
  
• how much "profit" certain U. S. companies have made under the pretense of "rebuilding" Iraq -- one company with which Vice President Dick Cheney used to be connected is doing especially well, as are others!
  

But there is one statistic the president, vice president, members of Congress and the mass media will not mention at all -- not even a whisper! And you can hunt high and low within the ranks of church groups -- big name denominations and independents -- again, not even a squeek out of the vocal cords!

But you can see it here and this may be about the only place you will see it -- it is a very important number. You will have to travel a bit to see it -- and once you do, will you mention it to a few other people?

Travel on over to A Much Avoided Statistic on the 5th Anniversary of the Invasion of Iraq! There is a link at the bottom of that area which will bring you back to this place.

This will also help you to remember another reason for placing March 19, 2003 in FDR's slot for dates which will live in infamy!

Surely at the commandment of the LORD this came upon Judah, to remove them from His sight because of the sins of Manasseh, according to all that he had done, and also because of the innocent blood that he had shed; for he had filled Jerusalem with innocent blood, which the LORD would not pardon. --- 2 Kings 24:3, 4

A Letter to the Editor

Before you go to that letter, allow me to do some explaining. First, I am Theo and Administrative Assistant at Circuit Rider's Range. In that area you will see me from time to time as I give significant assistance to my boss, CDH. Second, he is a fellow who does a lot of writing. He often writes letters to newspaper editors. A few years ago he locked horns with the editor of the Johnstown Tribune-Democrat -- well, actually, the "skirmishing" took place on more than one occasion. You can get more details on this at Letters to the Editor, Johnstown Tribune-Democrat -- one butchered and many others not published! If you go there, use return feature on your browser to come back here.

But my boss has also expressed deep appreciation to three other newspapers in the area where he lives. Editors of these papers have been very gracious and most of the time have printed the letters exactly as written -- if any editing has been done, it has been barely noticable. And on occasion these have even printed the web site address with his name.

Ok, now on the letter which deals with a very serious church issue ->

Tuesday, October 02, 2007

Editor:

Dissatisfaction with trends in church denominations has prompted 2 congregations in the south central Pennsylvania region to consider leaving their parent denominations. This unfolding event has been discussed in some local media.

In recent decades there has been a growing restlessness at the grass roots level among those identified with mainline denominations in particular.

The primary reason for the intense dissatisfaction is rather simple. There has been an abandonment of Biblical authority on the part of many who hold positions of high level denominational leadership as well as too many pastors of local congregations. To put it in explicit terminology – “The Bible really doesn’t mean what it says!” The twisted and perverted “interpretations” which have crept in over the years has resulted in declining membership numbers for the mainline groups. In the case of one major mainline, the loss is in the tens of thousands each year.

Those widely accepted apostate teachings now tell us such things as the opening chapters of Genesis being the stuff from which myths and fairy tales are born, sexual behavior condemned by a holy God no longer is, Jesus Christ is not really the person portrayed in the New Testament Scriptures, etc!

One research project a few years ago revealed the shocking fact that only about 51 per cent of protestant pastors in this country hold to a Biblical world view in their lives and ministry!

A few of us still hold to the solid fact that the day is coming when God will interrupt the flow of human history and graphically demonstrate that every “jot and tittle” of His Word is true indeed!

Still contending at www.crrange.com and blogging at http://cdharriger.blogspot.com,


Clayton D. Harriger, United Methodist pastor

Western PA Annual Conference

Yes, Virginia, in Such a World As This, Negatives Are Very Necessary!

"Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you pay tithe of mint and anise and cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the law: justice and mercy and faith. These you ought to have done, without leaving the others undone. Blind guides, who strain out a gnat and swallow a camel! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you cleanse the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are full of extortion and self-indulgence. Blind Pharisee, first cleanse the inside of the cup and dish, that the outside of them may be clean also. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like whitewashed tombs which indeed appear beautiful outwardly, but inside are full of dead men's bones and all uncleanness. Even so you also outwardly appear righteous to men, but inside you are full of hypocrisy and lawlessness." Jesus speaking in Matthew 23:23-28

"Always be positive -- be an upbeat person -- have a perpetual smile on your face -- do as the song of long ago exhorts, 'Accentuate the positive, eliminate the negative...!'"

Many are the voices that broadcast the "positive" message in our culture. Books by the ton have been mass produced on the subject. Not a few church leaders and pastors make no secret of the fact that being "positive" on a 24/7 basis is the only way to go.

Is there a place for negatives in today's world? As I mentioned one time in communicating with a TV news anchor person who told me I was too negative -- I said to him, "Negatives are necessary in our world -- try starting your car sometime without a negative post on your battery!"

An honest search and evaluation of the holy Scriptures will reveal quite a bit of "negative" material!

God is portrayed as a God Who can either be very positive or very negative depending on the response we humans make to His call to repent of our sins and receive His forgiveness, which for 2,000 years has been graciously offered through His Son, Jesus Christ.

Let's honestly face it for once -- God was pretty negative when He wiped out the world with a flood a long time ago with only 8 people surviving -- and He was quite negative when He destroyed the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah, was He not?

If you dare, read slowly and ponder long on the messages of the Old Testament prophets -- a lot of very negative stuff is found in their statements.

But why did they so often talk a "negative" talk? The answer is really quite simple -- they lived in times of ethical, moral, and spiritual corruption. God called them to denounce the wickedness of their generations and to declare the need to repent and turn to God. Much more often than not the response was a negative -- "We will continue in our sin, and if God doesn't like it, that's tough -- we like things just the way they are with no changes being made in the way we now live!"

The best summary of the pattern is seen in 2 Chronicles 36 -- God's compassion (a very positive thing) -- His urgent appeal -- rejection of the appeal by the citizens and their religious and political leaders -- finally the crossing over the line -- and then judgment by God, which proved to be a very "negative" experience of the first magnitude!

More tragic than that historical event is the fact that the very same pattern is being repeated in a republic known as the United States of America!

Strangely, there are church leaders who, in their great emphasis on being "positive," attempt to point to Jesus as the One Who was very "positive" -- you know, all love and compassion all the time. Have you looked at Matthew 23 lately? And note especially that His remarks were directed toward the religious "elite" of the day.

Jesus also referred to King Herod as a "fox" -- a label which was not intended to be complimentary! Are political leaders deserving of such a negative term?

So long as our nation and the world of which it is a small part continue in their present courses of direction there will be a critical need for "negatives."

That's the way it is, Virginia, whether you like it or not!

"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

Big John Corrupted? Surely You Jest!

"Threatening a House member for criticizing earmarks. That's a clear violation of House ethics." --- Melanie Sloan, Executive Director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington DC

John Murtha is my congressman in Washington DC. I am not proud of that fact, but we in the Johnstown area of central Pennsylvania have had this "ball & chain" type of politician dragging us down for over 3 decades!

I have written personal letters to him on numerous occasions concerning various issues. And he has usually responded. When I do get a letter from him it is as is the case with politicians who have held office far too long -- a lot of words without any real substance and exhibiting the unusual ability to straddle the fence. I have found that a number of church leaders can do about the same thing!

Big John grabbed national headlines some time back by advocating the withdrawal of our troops from Iraq. Needless to say, he doesn't rank high on Bush's book of people to admire and like.

In his district Big John holds a position that puts him higher than Almighty God Himself in the minds of a lot of people! And likely some would go to Big John first with their request for help rather than to God. Seems he has an open spigot in his district which runs to the U. S. Treasury! So this recent release of details about his being corrupted and abuse of his power will not go down well with a lot of people in his district and especially Johnstown where his name appears on buildings all over the place.

The report from Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) mentions not only the theat Murtha made to a fellow House member, but also noted he had more earmarks (money for projects in his home district) than anyone else. He is also cited for the abuse of his position on the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and allegations that by doing so such actions benefitted the lobbying firm of a former long-term staff staff member.

So, should anyone really be surprised?

Always remember, very few people can handle power and/or wealth responsibly. Big John Murtha of Johnstown PA certainly demonstrates the reality of that. And it's not just true in government, but also in the corporate world and within the church with its many institutions!

Woe to her who is rebellious and polluted, to the oppressing city! She has not obeyed His voice, she has not received correction; she has not trusted in the LORD, she has not drawn near to her God. Her princes in her midst are roaring lions; her judges are evening wolves that leave not a bone till morning. Her prophets are insolent, treacherous people; her priests have polluted the sanctuary, they have done violence to the law. --- Zephaniah 3:1-4