My Phone Call To Jason Collins

People often write to me expressing their dissatisfaction with President Obama and his policies. They also like to write to me asking how I will do things differently if I am elected president in 2016. For example, they ask whether I would have taken the time to call Jason Collins after he “came out” – becoming the first openly gay active player in the NBA. The answer is a definite “yes.” I would have called him immediately. And here is what I would have been able to say to the White House Press corps if later asked about our conversation:”I told Jason I could have been much prouder of him. One of the extraordinary measures of social regression that we have seen in this country has been the insistence that the interests of the LGBT community be interjected into every aspect of American life. Now, the agenda is even present in kindergarten sex education classes in Massachusetts. At first, it was placed there by those who insisted that such educational classes would be fully optional for objecting parents. Now, parents who show up at these schools objecting to the sexualization of their children are threatened with prosecution for trespass. None of this would be happening if homosexuals were content to live their lives privately and peacefully without imposing their agenda upon those who respectfully disagree with them.”I reminded Jason that everyone deserves full equality. But I also reminded Jason that the so-called LGBT community already has full equality, not just partial equality. For example, he had a right to marry his fiancé of seven years. But just because he decided to relinquish that right, it does not mean the courts need to create a new right for him to exercise. The polygamists tried that in the 1800s and the Supreme Court rightly said ‘no’ to their legal arguments. Given that there is far greater historical acceptance of polygamy than so-called gay marriage, he has no broad right to marry anyone he chooses. So I urged Jason not to use his newfound platform to push this issue. I will have more to say about substitutionary rights – the idea that when you relinquish a right, you get to select a new one – in a future press conference. But now back to Jason.”I also told him that I was disappointed that the LGBT community was no longer seeking tolerance, but instead seeking acquiescence to the notion that their lifestyle is every bit as healthy as the traditional American family. Of course, that is simply absurd. I reminded him that even Elton John recently recognized that his adopted son would suffer because he had no ‘mummy.’ I urged Jason to avoid gay adoption as it was not in the interests of the child – although it might be an effective publicity stunt once his first round of media adoration has subsided.”Given the importance of sports in our society, for an individual who’s been mediocre at best in one of those major sports to suddenly say ‘This is who I am. I’m proud of it. I’m still a great competitor. I’m still seven foot tall and deliver a hard foul’ was simply a distraction. I think for a lot of young people out there who are confused and who are struggling with these issues, to see a role model like that who is interjecting sex into sports, well, it’s just not a good thing. I think America should be concerned that this is just one more stunt reinforcing this ongoing illusion that we do not treat everybody fairly, and that we judge people on the basis of their sex life rather than their character and their job performance. We can’t judge them on the basis of those things if they keep interjecting sex into the workplace. That just isn’t right. So, I’m very displeased with Jason and I told him that.”Over the course of his career, Jason has averaged less than five points a game and made less than two-thirds of his free throws. The fact that he was featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated merely because of the fact that he likes to have sex with men is just embarrassing. There are far better and more deserving athletes who will never be featured on the cover of a major sports magazine. What a shame he got there the easy way by ‘coming out’ rather than coming to the gym to work on his foul shots.”I told Jason, what is most notable about his recent conduct is his lack of courage. He lived a lie and misled a nice woman for seven years. Only after it became politically correct to be gay – and when anyone on the NBA was assured a six-digit fine for criticizing him – did he come forward. I’ve never seen a seven foot man act so small.Jason has taught young people to do easy things, not hard things, in order to win the affection of others. He has taught them that they are to be judged, not by the content of their character, but by the many colors of the banner of sexual political correctness. That will be the legacy of Jason Collins. I wish he had thought of the long term consequences of his decisions before he made them. Whether we like it or not, an athlete is a role model. Others are watching. And that is something I plan to talk about again in my next White House Press Conference.”Now, does anyone have any questions about the economy? This country is in serious debt and we’ve already wasted too much time on an over-paid, aging athlete who is neither a victim nor a hero.”

http://m.townhall.com/columnists/mikeadams/2013/05/09/my-phone-call-to-jason-collins-n1591088?utm_source=thdaily&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=nl

Gregory of Nazianzus – Share and Defend This All Your Life

The Old Guys

This I give you to share, and to defend all your life, the one Godhead and power, found in the three in unity and comprising the three separately; not unequal, in substances or natures, neither increased nor diminished by superiorities or inferiorities; in every respect equal, in every respect the same; just as the beauty and the greatness of the heavens is one; the infinite conjunction of three infinite ones, each God when considered in himself; as the Father so the Son, as the Son so the Holy Spirit; the three one God when contemplated together; each God because consubstantial; one God because of the monarchy. No sooner do I conceive of the one than I am illumined by the splendor of the three; no sooner do I distinguish them than I am carried back to the one. When I think of any one of the three I think of…

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‘Open hostility’ to Christians in U.S. military and to you and me

‘Open hostility’ to Christians in U.S. military and to you and me

II Timothy 2:3-4 “Thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man that warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. This verse isn’t addressing  war on the battlefields with guns, bombs, and bayonets but the spiritual battles we fight in daily life. Soldiering does, of course, include the military place.  Right now spiritual warfare is being fought behind closed doors and as those in power are making secretive decisions which have the potential to undermine the U.S.  military and  national security. Note this prophetic quote of warning from yesteryear from Christian leader Dr. James Dobson, founder of Focus on the Family: “Bloody battles are being fought on a thousand fronts, both inside and outside of government.  Open any daily newspaper and you’ll find accounts of the latest Gettysburg, Waterloo, Normandy, or Stalingrad. Instead of fighting for territory or military conquest, however, the struggle now is for the hearts and minds of the people.  It is a war over ideas.  And someday soon, I believe, a winner will emerge and the loser will fade from memory.  For now, the outcome is very much in doubt.  …”  Dr. James Dobson wrote these words in 1990 in a book with Gary Bauer entitled “Children at Risk.” This war is one that significantly targets the heart and soul of the U.S. military and, congruently, each and every one of us. There is a concerted attack upon Christianity in our armed forces.  It isn’t coming by chance.     Remember the concerns  trumpeted by Christian organizations and individuals recently regarding the nominations of Chuck Hagel as Secretary of Defense, John Brennan as Head of the CIA and John Kerry as Secretary of State?  Each of these men are secularists. Each are ready instruments of this administration to further degrade the military from within. Lt. General (Ret) Jerry Boykin, Vice-President of Family Research Council had this to say: “There has not been enough courage demonstrated by the senior leaders. I’d like to see the senior leaders in our military show some leadership, show some courage on this kind of issue.” Quoting from  World Net Daily, Last month, Pentagon officials met with an activist committed to removing Christianity from the U.S. military. Michael “Mikey” Weinstein, the head of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation, has called the practice of Christians in the service sharing their faith “spiritual rape.” He has also led efforts to remove Bibles from lodging affiliated with the U.S. Air Force Academy and successfully pursued a policy that forbids guests from bringing Bibles to patients at the Walter Reed Army Medical Center.(Walter Reed admitted their mistake, apologized and rescinded the policy soon after) Now Weinstein’s wants the Pentagon to vigorously enforce an existing policy against proselytizing in the military. The Pentagon’s responded by issuing this written statement: “Religious proselytization is not permitted within the Department of Defense,” the Pentagon statement read in part. “Court-martials and non-judicial punishments are decided on a case-by-case basis.” A firestorm then erupted amid fears of court-martials for service members who share their Christian faith, and the Pentagon was forced to backtrack in an effort to quiet the protests. “Service members can share their faith (evangelize), but must not force unwanted, intrusive attempts to convert others of any faith or no faith to one’s beliefs (proselytization),” Pentagon spokesman Lt. Cmdr. Nate Christensen said in a written statement. That’s not good enough for retired U.S. Army Lt. Gen. Jerry Boykin, who is now executive vice president at the Family Research Council. “We’d like to get a statement saying exactly what assurances Mikey Weinstein did get from the Air Force,” Boykin told WND. “So we’ll be satisfied as soon as they tell us either that Mikey Weinstein is lying or give us an account of what those assurances were so that we understand the depth of the issue and the depth of the problem. Activists like Weinstein argue any Christian witnessing should be off limits, while others say it should only mean service members cannot pressure or coerce others to convert. Boykin said the FRC strongly agrees that there should be no coercion of anyone to convert to any faith, but he believes there are critical questions still unanswered and he’s seeking a meeting of his own with Pentagon officials. “If they will tell us that and give us the assurance that living their faith and sharing their faith is a protected right then we’ll be satisfied,” said Boykin. The general said the concern over an erosion on religious freedom in the military is legitimate because “open hostility” against Christians is well documented and getting worse in the Armed Forces. Boykin claimed “the administration would be very happy” if the vestiges of Christianity” were removed from the military. One of Boykin’s greatest disappointments is the absence of high-ranking military officers willing to stand up for their forces and their rights. “There has not been enough courage demonstrated by the senior leaders. I’d like to see the senior leaders in our military show some leadership, show some courage on this kind of issue.” If the pattern of religious hostility persists, Boykin says young people and their families will simply decide military service is not worth the assault on their values. “They will see this as an anti-Christian environment and they will see it as a suppression of the faith of their sons and daughters,” said Boykin Action points: 1.    Watch the following  14 minute video clip entitled;  “Admiral:  I’m not Backing Down” ..  In this speech given by Coast Guard Rear Admiral William Lee at the national Day of Prayer Service on Capitol Hill, . The Admiral boldly declared that he had disregarded the rules and gave a Bible to a service member who had attempted suicide. He went further and pledged not to abide by the restrictive regulations. To a standing ovation, Admiral Lee promised not to back down from “my right under the Constitution to tell a young man that there is hope.”  … [Taken from Tony Perkins, Washington Update, May 7, 2013 http://bit.ly/15CD532] 2.    Lieutenant General (Ret) Jerry Boykin: Come and hear one of the nation’s spiritual leaders in our day.    Thursday, June 6 – 7 PM at Matthews Auditorium, Grand Rapids Theological Seminary, 3000 Leonard N.E. Grand Rapids Also:  Lieutenant General (Ret.) Jerry Boykin  – Friday, June 7 – 7:30 PM at First Assembly of God, 5650 S. Telegraph Rd.,Dearborn Heights, MI  48125 3.    Pray without ceasing. I Thessalonians 5:17 4.    Register for ADA’s summer conference (July 26 at Sunshine Church, Grand Rapids, MI –  6:30 – 9:30 P.M.  with American patriots Gary Bauer and Frank Gaffney:  see: http:www.americandecency.org http://www.americandecency.org/full_article.php?article_no=1875