Obamacare and the Culture War

This article in the NY Times by Linda Greenhouse is an insightful look into how "the other side" thinks, and how they view some of the issues currently being debated on the national stage.

The article focuses on the issue before the Supreme Court regarding the "contraception clause" of Obamacare. But the article presents a view of this legislation, and pending litigation, in the context of a broader view; indeed, in the context of a progressive, post-Christian Worldview.


Ms. Greenhouse contends that the issue at stake is not contraception, or even health care. Rather, the battle is over a Worldview - In fact, Ms. Greenhouse admits that this is a culture war - "this is the culture war redux – a war not on religion or on women but on modernity."

According to Ms. Greenhouse, the trend in society toward children born out of wedlock, falling marriage rates, and the dismantling of the historical family unit as a building block of society, are not "bad" changes; rather, they should be viewed as marks of progress. Greenhouse postulates that the position of the "religious right" on these matters is more vapid obstructionism, rather than a principled stand.

Of course, the "spokespersons" for the conservative view that are cited by Ms. Greenhouse are the typical pundits, such as a lawyer for the American Conference of Catholic Bishops - a group that rarely seems to understand the foundations of the faith they claim to represent, and who often play right into the hands of their enemies.

The fact of the matter is, protection of the family unit, rather than the destruction of it, should be one of the highest priorities of the government. Greenhouse's contention that the battle is ultimately about slowing, or even reversing, the degeneration of the family unit is true, and it is a place where a government with right priorities would focus. Greenhouse is correct, however, in observing that Obamacare moves in the opposite direction - supporting the destruction of the family and the "modern" approach of free and open relationships, where sex is devalued, the structure of family becomes unnecessary, and ultimately those who favor hedonism and licentiousness can have their chosen lifestyle without the inevitable consequences.

The Church and the conservative movement both fail to articulate this well because, quite frankly, it is not a popular position, and it is not always fun. Marriage is a life long commitment that requires hard work and sacrifice; maintaining a family requires that we put the needs of others before our own. As such it becomes a visual, physical representation of Christ's love for the Church, which is exactly what it was meant to be from creation.

Understanding this helps us put the "culture war" in clearer perspective. Ultimately, it really is a spiritual battle, but there are more than two teams on the field. Those of us with even a little spiritual insight can understand that the ultimate goal of the political and spiritual left is a culture where Judeo-Christian spiritual laws are rendered null and void. The cultural left could just as rightfully argue that the "religious right" we currently see in politics is most often a parody of true virtue and wisdom; rather, many at the political spiritual right really do fight for the "status quo" more as a means to maintain current power structures than for the truer goal of protecting the God-ordained model of family and society.

And therein lies the rub; the Church has failed miserably at articulating a true, cohesive Christian Worldview in the public arena these last 200 years. So it is no wonder that our voice is barely audible today above the shrill cries of the political left and the political right. We have allowed ourselves to be marginalized, even as the medical and scientific communities have become more convinced than ever of the importance of the spiritual life of mankind. Recent findings regarding spirituality are framed in "spiritually neutral" terms, but of course there is no such thing. Any spiritual "path" either leads toward the Truth of Jesus Christ and the One True God, or it leads away from Truth into deception.

This is not a new issue of course; the nation of Israel suffered from just the same failure to satisfy their commission - the Great Commission to represent the Truth of God to a lost world.


As is always the case, the "visible" battle tends to hide the "invisible" battle; and while it may appear that the powers of darkness are winning the culture war in the west, there is a much bigger picture that is often missed.

I believe we should be engaged in the public arena, strenuously and vocally representing a true Christian Worldview and correcting both our enemies and our sometimes misguided allies on important points. But ultimately we must know that the battle belongs to the Lord.

Additional Reading:

Science and Spirituality by Axel Randrup
Is Spirituality really the Opposite of Science? by Annalee Newitz
The Other Side of the Culture War Christianity Today 
The Dark Side of Christian Home Schooling by Katherine Stewart (in which the author infers that parents do not have the right to "indoctrinate" their children, while the state does have that right.)
 How to Win a Culture War and Lose a Generation by Rachel Held Evans

Well done Steampunk Movie

I've been on a Steampunk kick lately, and I actually enjoyed this fairly well done short film.

My Wife, and Acts of Love

I heard an interesting teaching on the radio this evening. The teacher stated that it is wrong to think that one day we will "escape " this earthly life and start a new life in heaven. The speaker averred that our "translation" at the end of this life is not an end and a beginning, but rather a continuation. His specific focus was that the acts of love done while in our mortal bodies would not be "lost."

I am not sure if I agree with the whole teaching, but it did make me think of my wife, and her acts of love.

My wife has washed countless loads of laundry, baby's bottoms, and children's faces. Acts of love.

My wife has cared for sick and injured humans and animals, sometimes in squalid conditions and under stressful circumstances. Her gift of healing is real, and I have been the benefactor of that gift more times than I can count. The gift is real because the love that drives and powers it is real.  Acts of love.

My wife has made a lovely home out of some pretty unlovely places. She has made curtains and clothing out of old bed sheets and cloth scraps, gourmet meals out of leftovers and gleanings, and I'm pretty sure on a few occasions she has made something out of nothing at all. Acts of love.

My wife has blessed her husband, children, friends, and even her enemies when none of us deserved it. Acts of love.

My wife has "made do", and she has done without. When she receives a blessing, she often uses it to bless someone else. Acts of love.

In a selfish, me centered world my wife has lived her life for others. When I am down she picks me up, when I am puffed up she brings me back to reality, but most importantly, she loves me, even when I am at my most unlovable.

I have done nothing to deserve this woman. I believe my wife is a gift - another expression of the love of my Heavenly Father.

I am humbled and thankful for these lavish expressions of love, and like the radio teacher, I choose to believe these acts of love will not be lost.

Faith, hope, love - these three remain. But the greatest of these is love.

Called to Account

I have a confession to make; I've been a little sloppy in my theology lately, and I feel convicted to take a step back and tighten up the reins a bit.

First, a concerned person called me to account for calling President Obama "the Obamanation of Desolation." This person admonished me that others may not hear the word I am sharing, even if it is true, if I am "name calling." Point taken. I did pray about this, and I believe I received an answer, but I am still chewing on this.

Next, I rather cavalierly mentioned Joel Osteen in a conversation and indicated that he said we shouldn't necessarily take what the apostles said in the Bible too literally. A friend asked me to justify my remarks, and in researching further I realized this was a "friend of a friend" kind of thing; I had not listened to Joel's remarks myself, and was taking someone else's word for what he said. I did the research, listened to two interviews with Joel, and I stand corrected on this particular issue. This is not an endorsement of Joel Osteen or his ministry, just a confession that I was in error to receive someone else's accusation against a brother without looking at the evidence for myself.

Finally, I committed pretty much the same error with John Hagee. In this case, it has been widely reported that John Hagee has said that the Jewish people don't need a Messiah (Jesus) because they have a separate covenant with God that has never been withdrawn. While in this case I did do some research, I have to admit that it seems the jury is still out on this one - both from John Hagee's own words as well as from the reports of others. There seems to be some confusion about what John Hagee's stance on these topics really is.

SO... I am confessing publicly because I made the comments publicly. I am aware that the Holy Spirit is calling me to be more careful with the words of my mouth, and I will endeavor to do so going forward.

I am thankful for the grace and mercy extended to us through the blood of Jesus Christ, and my only desire is to be more like Him.

The Real Reason Obamacare is Destined to Fail

"Woe to them that go down to Egypt for help, and depend upon horses and trust in chariots because they are many, and in horsemen because they are very strong, but they look not unto the Holy One of Israel, neither seek the Lord! Yet He also is wise, and will bring evil, and will not call back His words, but will arise against the house of the evildoers and against the help of them that work iniquity. Now the Egyptians are men, and not God; and their horses flesh, and not spirit. When the Lord shall stretch out His hand, both he that helpeth shall fall and he that is helped shall fall down, and they all shall fail together."

Isaiah 31:1-2

In the Old Testament, Israel is often used as a spiritual reference to God's people and Egypt often is used to represent the world.

In the prophetic scripture above, we see the real reason that Obamacare is destined to fail. It is not about social responsibility, or political correctness. Ultimately, it is about choosing man, and the world, as your deliverer instead of the One True God.

The problem is, man is "hard wired" to be dependent. It is our nature to expect, and to look for, a deliverer. Satan knows this. So when dependence on God (right relationship and healthy dependence) is removed, Satan provides a substitute. In the case of Israel, it was Egypt; the most powerful nation on earth at the time, with "many horses and chariots". Israel had forgotten her God and so, in time of need, she looked to an earthly ally - a deliverer, a "false Christ" - to deliver her.

It was the only reasonable thing to do.

I've heard a lot lately about the hypocrisy of Christians who oppose Obamacare. "If they were really Christians, they would care about all the poor people who don't have insurance" is one of the socialist mantras.

The fact is, I do care, and I do want to see people healed, delivered, and provided for. That is the very reason I am opposed to Obamacare, and most of the other machinations that emanate from the Obama White House.

God will not have to judge America; we are judging ourselves. We demonstrate our guilt to the extent that we turn to the idols of social welfare and government programs to be our provider, our healer, our deliverer.

We demonstrate our guilt to the extent that we call "right" wrong and ridicule true righteousness.

Our President is representative of our nation. We have chosen to give that high office to a man whose name belies his heritage and his birthright; who was the leader of an anti-American organization while in college, sat under the teaching of an anti-American false teacher for most of his adult life, and who has demonstrated and written about his contempt for the Constitution, the Republic, personal liberty, and Christian values. 

We have, in essence, deliberately and thoughtfully elected to our highest office the man who best represents US... we believe he will lead us into a glorious post-Christian era - an era where we are free of the "bondage" of Christianity, free of the demands of God. Like the children of Israel, we have declared our apostasy and uncovered our nakedness. We have, with our vote, shaken our fist in the face of the Most High God who alone has blessed this nation, showered her with mercy, and healed her wounds.

And now we are saying to this false christ we have elected "Be our healer!" "Be our deliverer!"

Hear the Word of the Lord: God will give you the desire of your heart; and the idol you have created will consume you; the wealth of the nation will not be enough to pay for his grand schemes. Your children will live in bondage and your grandchildren will be slaves, just as every nation before you that has traded the wisdom of men for the wisdom of God.

How the AMA views Obamacare

"AMA Insight"

The American Medical Association has weighed in on Obama's new health care package.

The Allergists were in favor of scratching it, but the Dermatologists advised not to make any rash moves.

The Gastroenterologists had sort of a gut feeling about it, but the Neurologists thought the Administration had a lot of nerve.

   

Meanwhile, Obstetricians felt certain everyone was laboring under a misconception, while the Ophthalmologists considered the idea shortsighted.

Pathologists yelled, "Over my dead body!" while the Pediatricians said, "Oh, grow up!"

The Psychiatrists thought the whole idea was madness, while the Radiologists could see right through it.

 

Surgeons decided to wash their hands of the whole thing and the Internists claimed it would indeed be a bitter pill to swallow.

The Plastic Surgeons opined that this proposal would "put a whole new face on the matter."

The Podiatrists thought it was a step forward, but the Urologists were pissed off at the whole idea.

Anesthesiologists thought the whole idea was a gas, and those lofty Cardiologists didn't have the heart to say no.

In the end, the Proctologists won out, leaving the entire decision up to the assholes in  Washington .

An Anti-Christ's perception of Religion

While I obviously disagree with this video, I found it interesting to hear, from the mouth of an anti-Christ, the "opposing view." One of the hallmarks of a great warrior is "know your enemy."

Want to know what the anti-Christs believe? This guy pretty well summarizes it.

And, if you are a Christian, you have to acknowledge that many of his points are true about modern religion. NOT modern Christianity, of course - or any true Christianity - but modern religion, yes.

CAUTION: Not suitable for small children...

Scientists to make deadlier virus

"Scientists to make Deadlier Versions of  Bird Flu in Lab"

Read that headline again... slowly.

If you read the article, you'll find that "Safely done gain-of-function studies "will improve pandemic preparedness," John McCauley, the director of the World Health Organization's flu research center, said in a statement."


OK, now I want you to consider the following list of words and phrases:
1. Gypsy Moths
2. The Dust Bowl
3. The Titanic
4. New Orleans and Hurricane Katrina
5. Japanese Quake and Tsunami
6. I, Legend

Do we see a pattern here?

And how about this? "The latest gain-of-function studies face tougher oversight than before...  U.S. agencies would be the primary funders of any gain-of-function H7N9 studies."
1. IRS Scandal
2. NSA Surveillance Scandal
3. Tainted food scandals
4. Hackers gain access to Pentagon

So, let me get this straight...
The U.S. Government, which has never been able to keep anything "safe" or "secret", is going to pay scientists to create even deadlier versions of  a virus that is already responsible for hundreds of deaths and thousands of illnesses.

Hmm... I feel safe...

Time to Reflect

I know that God is moving, and I need to do a better job of keeping up.

We attended a prayer meeting at church last night - it went well but it left me feeling that I am still not "stepping up to the plate" spiritually as I should.

I'm trying to figure out how to fit all the "important' things into my life, and still keep my priorities straight.

Here's a thought: Put your faith where your mouth is...

I hear a lot of Christians decrying the violence and soft core porn on television these days.

Here's a thought: get rid of your TV. Cancel your cable. Go meet your neighbors and see if you can help someone with something.

I hear a lot of Christians berating Obamacare.

Here's a thought: stop going to doctors and try prayer instead.

I see a lot of Christians protesting at abortion clinics

Here's a thought: get involved in some young pregnant girl's life and help her out, help her up, give her hope for herself and her unborn child.

I hear wealthy preachers speak to me from their velvet armchairs, sitting in their plush offices, telling me why I should give "just a little more."

Here's a thought: sell some of that junk and go minister to the poor in the inner city, or become a missionary to a truly unreached part of the world. Stop preaching to the wealthy choir that lines your pockets and go preach to the ones who have never heard of Jesus.

I hear the American Conference of Catholic Bishops telling my government why they should do more in the name of social justice.

Here's a thought: stop pretending you are the social conscience of the nation and ask your leader to sell some of the billions of dollar's worth of treasure at the Vatican. You could feed the poor for several years.

I hear the leaders of the mainline protestant denominations telling me I have to accept homosexuality and every form of sin in order to "love like Jesus loved."

Here's a thought: go read your Bible, and do what it says.Stop being conformed to the world.

I'm sick and tired of the hypocrisy. The lies. The religious sham. The conformity. The blasphemy.

I want someone to stand up and show me Jesus.

I want to meet someone who is truly living out the great commission.

You know what would really change the world? The world would change if the CHURCH would stand up and be THE CHURCH.

Interesting Trick with Carmex

Two pots of Carmex...

 appear to be identical in every aspect, including contents...

 

... until you flip them over...

it's like a magic trick... a little slight of hand perhaps?
How can they both have the same contents ( 0.25 oz, 7.5 gms) when the bottoms are shaped so differently?

Interesting...

Rwanda - a successful African Experiment?

 Read this article that appeared in Christianity Today in 2005...

And this article from the Voice of America in the news today...

Notice the "notable exception" to the rule of corruption in Africa, as researched by an independent, non-Christian entity: Rwanda, the country that set out to be "The Purpose Driven Country" in 2005, is ranked in 2013 as the least corrupt nation in Africa.

... interesting...

Checking on the Pastor

Spent Sunday traveling to Youngwood, PA to visit the new church home of my former pastor. John Seth is a greatly anointed man of God and I will miss his teaching and his ministry.

I feel better about his situation now, though, since I met the wonderful folks at Christ United Methodist Church in Youngwood - John's new assignment. As one of the Youngwood parishioners put it "Your loss is our gain" - she has no idea how true (and prophetic) that statement is.

What Your Government really thinks about Thought Control

A German family has petitioned for asylum in the United States. The reason? In Germany it is illegal to home school your children. In Germany, in fact, the state has total control of the education of children, and educating children outside of the state system, period, is illegal.

Rather than submit to the state's control of what their children would and would not learn, the Romeike family fled to the United States. They are asking for asylum on the basis that the German law forces them to forfeit their rights as parents to raise their children as they see fit.


This article provides a thoughtful consideration of the German family's plight and their appeal. The thing I appreciate about this article, though, is the illumination it sheds on the current administration's view of state sanctioned thought control. As this article makes clear, the express intent of the German Government's stance on state sanctioned education is to “counteract the development of religious and philosophically motivated parallel societies.” In other words, to prevent and control independent thinking in the populace.

The fact that the Obama administration has no issue with total control of the state over what children can and cannot be taught is chilling. It goes against the basic tenets of many of the principles on which the Unites States was founded, and which we have historically defended. It violates many treaties that both we and the German people have signed, advocating personal freedom and the rights of parents.

This is one more in a continuing string of dangerous precedents being set by this administration, and I for one am not happy with the fact that Eric Holder, in the name of the Obamanation of  Desolation, is advocating against asylum for this family.

Sequestration: Is it really bad?

The media is reacting to the threat of sequestration as if it would lower the United States to the status of a  third world nation.

In my experience, any time the media makes something political sound catastrophically bad, it ends up being something I support.

I don't claim to be an expert on sequestration, but from a 30,000 foot view, my understanding is that sequestration is intended to force the U.S. Government to do something about its uncontrolled spending; and that's not a bad thing.

Automatic cuts, leading to austerity measures, are painful for a time. But in the end, if they help to "reset the bar" and actually lower spending, I'm all for it.

Yes, some federal employees are going to lose their jobs. Yes, some agencies may lose their funding. Guess what? THAT'S THE POINT! These things should have happened long ago, and should have been taken care of by true public servants in congress who actually care about our nation. Unfortunately, we have precious few of those - not enough to muster a majority vote in either the house or the senate.

So, I say, if sequestration is the only answer, bring it on. What do you think?

The "New" Morality coming home to Roost

As this article details, we've reached the zenith of the Post-Christian era; we've effectively chosen to silence all Christian opinion, and we are actively looking for anyone willing to call themselves a Christian but compromise their faith for a handful of silver, a few minutes of fame.

The leader of our nation has officially made it clear that the only thing he will NOT tolerate is any expression of orthodox Christian thought, especially in the area of morality. In his misguided zeal to establish himself as a man who embraces everything and anything, he has in reality established himself as a man with no established principles or convictions that cannot be easily overturned as the winds of political fortune shift.

Obama has closed himself off to the one source of light that might have illuminated his path. I cringe every time I hear this man call himself  a Christian in that arrogant, mocking tone he uses.The fact that this administration looks to those who, like Obama, seek to label themselves Christians while practicing open hostility to the name and teaching of Jesus Christ, is sickening. What it means is that this administration prefers liars and pretenders to men and women of moral and ethical integrity, and they are not afraid to say so.

I can't help but be reminded of Herod, who, when he allowed himself to be worshipped by the masses, was consumed by worms and died.