Beware!

“Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ.” (Colossians 2:8)

In spite of the resources available to the twice-born—and in spite of assurance, order, steadfastness, a good walk that is rooted and built up in Him—it is still possible for a Christian to be plundered by the world’s crafty message. We can “fall from [our] own stedfastness” (2 Peter 3:17) or even lose “those things which we have wrought” (2 John 1:8).

The one who “spoils” a believer will use philosophia, a Greek word that means “fond of wisdom.” It is used only one other time, in Acts 17:18 of the philosophers on Mars Hill. Interestingly, the biblical word for “wisdom” is most often used in a negative way when referring to man’s wisdom. “Hath not God made foolish the wisdom of this world?” (1 Corinthians 1:20). Believers can be robbed of their steadfastness in Christ if they become fond of the wisdom of the world.

The spoiler also uses “vain deceit” and the “traditions of men” to plunder the believer. Jesus castigated the Pharisees because they had “made the commandment of God of none effect by [their] tradition. . . . teaching for doctrines the commandments of men” (Matthew 15:6, 9). Paul warned Timothy that he must avoid “profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so called: which some professing have erred concerning the faith” (1 Timothy 6:20-21).

The robber will even use “the rudiments of the world.” The term “rudiment” means “to belong to a series, to be in rank” or “to come to an agreement.” Essentially, this technique is using logic to “prove” a point, securing a change of mind. We are told the world’s rudiments will “spoil” us when the logic is “not after Christ.” HMM III

US centers of Islamic activity form interesting map by Allen West

The say a picture is worth a thousand words, and here are two that will start a conversation for sure. These two maps of Islamic activity were created a number of years apart by different investigators.

I won’t add anything other than I live in a state that is deep blue and was home to Mohammed Atta and several other 9-11 conspirators.

However, I do have a question for all you folks out there with a “Coexist” bumper sticker on your Prius: how many churces and synagogues are in Saudi Arabia?

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When tolerance becomes a one way street, it leads to cultural suicide.

8 Things You Didn’t Know About ‘The Passion of the Christ’ By Bryan Enk

Jim Caviezel in ‘The Passion of the Christ’ (Rex USA)

 

Mel Gibson’s “The Passion of the Christ” opened on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2004, immediately sparking the biggest religious-based movie controversy since … well, since Martin Scorsese’s “The Last Temptation of Christ” (1988).

An all-consuming labor of love for director/co-writer Gibson (to say the least), “Passion” chronicles the last 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ (Jim Caviezel), from the Agony in the Garden through his death on the cross, with a brief epilogue focussed on the Resurrection. The film was a huge box office success, earning an astonishing $370,782,930 at the domestic box office, making it the highest-grossing R-rated movie of all timeand the highest-grossing foreign language film released in the U.S.

Still, its release was met with a hailstorm of criticism; fierce debate raged around the violent recreation of the torture of Jesus, allegations that the film contained anti-Semitic passages (which, to quote James Southall ofMovie Wave, is “kind of like saying ‘Patton’ is anti-German”) and its depiction of King Herod as a fey fop holding a fool’s court of decadent misfits.

Upon the 10-year anniversary of its release, here are 8 things you might not know about Gibson’s moving, challenging masterpiece.

1. Some of the source material is controversial, too.
One of the main inspirations for co-screenwriters Mel Gibson and Benedict Fitzgerald was “The Dolorous Passion of Our Lord Jesus Christ,” a tale in which poet Clemens Brentano chronicles the (supposed) visions of stigmatic German nun Anne Catherine Emmerich (1774-1824).

While it’s been speculated that Brentano wrote most of the book himself, with a Vatican investigationconcluding that “it is absolutely not certain that [Emmerich] ever wrote this,” the book inspired some of the most striking images in the film, including the suspension of Jesus over the bridge after he’s first taken into custody, the torment of Judas by demons, Mary’s wiping up the blood of Jesus from the ground after his scourging and the dislocation of Jesus’ right shoulder so that his hand could reach the hole for the nail on the cross.

2. It’s also the most pro-Catholic movie of all time.

In 2004, the National Catholic Register and Faith & Family magazine gathered online nominations for films that best celebrate Catholic life (movies with specific Catholic references, not simply with Catholic themes). Over 1,000 readers voted, and “The Passion of the Christ came in at #1.

Interestingly enough, a few other Mel Gibson films made the list, including his 1995 directorial debut, “Braveheart” (#12), and his 2002 Vietnam War film, “We Were Soldiers” (#23), which was directed by “Braveheart” screenwriter Randall Wallace.

 

Passion of the ChristJim Caviezel and Mel Gibson on the set of ‘Passion’ (Newmarket)

 

3. Mel Gibson footed the bill himself.
Mel Gibson shot the film without securing any outside funding or distribution.

“This is a film about something that nobody wants to touch, shot in two dead languages [Aramaic and Latin],” said Gibson in a 2002 interview with the Hollywood Reporter. “In Los Angeles they think I am insane, and maybe I am.”

Gibson’s own Icon Productions supplied the entire production budget of $30 million, with an extra $15 million for marketing after Gibson decided to distribute the film in the U.S. himself via Newmarket Films. And that ‘insanity’ certainly paid off, as the film went on to earn over $611 million worldwide — with Forbes speculating that Gibson himself pocketed up to 50% of that amount.

4. That Oscar-nominated music almost never existed.

Lisa Gerrard (“Gladiator,” “The Insider”) composed and recorded a preliminary score for the film, but it was incomplete at the time of its theatrical release. The score featured in the film comes courtesy of John Debney (who’s currently in pre-production on another Biblical epic, “Mary”) and ended up being nominated for an Academy Award.

That Oscar nom probably helped assure Mel Gibson that he was right to change his mind about including music, as originally he considered having no musical score whatsoever for “The Passion of the Christ.” This came from his “drive for authenticity” with the project, and “authenticity in the score would be very difficult since so little is known of the music of the period and what little is known would likely be unpalatable by a modern audience,” as pointed out by James Southall in his review of Debney’s score at Movie Wave.

5. Those subtitles almost never existed.
Nothing in “The Passion of the Christ” better represents Mel Gibson’s “drive for authenticity” than the spoken dialogue, which is entirely in Aramaic and occasionally in Latin. Shooting in these two “dead languages” made it hard enough for Gibson to secure outside funding for the film, but what really made the project untouchable in Hollywood’s eyes might’ve been Gibson’s early decision to not include subtitles.

“Caravaggio’s paintings don’t have subtitles, but people get the message. The Nutcracker Ballet doesn’t have subtitles, but people get the message. I think that the image will overcome the language barrier. That’s my hope,” said Gibson in a 2002 interview with Zenit.org.

“I’m just trying to be as real as possible,” Gibson continued. “There is something kind of startling about watching it in the original languages. The reality comes out and hits you. Full contact. I know we are only re-creating, but we are doing the best we can to simulate an experience of really being there.”

Gibson eventually felt that simulated experience could benefit from actually knowing exactly what everyone was saying and subtitles ended up being included in the completed film.

 

Passion of the ChristJim Caviezel in ‘Passion of the Christ’ (Newmarket)

 

6. Jim Caviezel got hit by lightning (literally).
We guess that’s a sign from God that he’s doing a good job?

“I was lit up like a Christmas tree!,” said Jim Caviezel in a 2004 interview with The 700 Club. “I was doing the Sermon on the Mount. I knew it was going to hit me about four seconds before it happened. I thought, ‘I’m going to get hit.’ And when it happened, I saw the extras grab the ground. What they saw was fire coming out the right and left side of my head. Illumination around the whole body. And during the shot they said, ‘Do you have it on camera?'”

Unfortunately, that moment wasn’t captured for posterity.

“What happened was Mel [Gibson] had said ‘Action’ and the cameras were panning to me and here is where this light just flashed,” said Caviezel. “And by the time the cameras got to me, I hear Mel screaming out, ‘What the heck happened to his hair?’ I looked like I went to see Don King’s hair stylist.”

Caviezel wasn’t the only person to get struck by lightning during the production, as the actor reports that assistant director Jan Michelini was actually zapped twice.

7. The film inspired real-life on-set conversions.
Italian actor Luca Lionello plays the role of Judas Iscariot, the apostle who betrays Jesus with a kiss in the Garden of Gethsemane. Portraying the man who hands the Son of God over to the authorities made for a life-changing experience for the actor, who went from being an “angry atheist” to a Christian over the course of the production.

“[Lionello] started out the film as an angry atheist — that was his spiritual perspective and he had no qualms about saying so,” said Father John Bartunek in a 2004 interview with the National Catholic Register about his experiences while visiting the set of “The Passion of the Christ.” “I remember when the initial version of the film was complete and they were re-recording some of the dialogue. I was sitting in the sound room before the actor was going to do the dubbing. He asked for confession. Apparently he had been completely transformed by the experience. He baptized his children, sanctified his marriage and came back to the Church.”

Lionello wasn’t the only one involved in the production to turn to Christianity over the course of filming.

“One of the guys working on the film was a Muslim. He was one of the guards who beat me, and he converted,” said Jim Caviezel in his 2004 interview with The 700 Club. “He had a real big experience there, you know.”

8. Mel Gibson is in the movie.

Well, some of his body parts are, anyway. It’s Gibson’s left hand that nails Jesus to the cross, a symbolic gesture of the director’s belief that his telling of the Passion holds all humanity responsible for the death of Jesus, according to People.com. And, he has said, “I’m first in line for culpability. I did it.”

According to the DVD commentaries, Gibson also supplies the foot of Jesus in sandals when he’s approached by Mary Magdalene and the arms that tie Judas’ suicide rope.

http://movies.yahoo.com/blogs/movie-news/10-things-might-not-known-passion-christ-011942797.html

The Communist Takeover Of From Greg Swank

You are about to read a list of 45 goals that found their way down the halls of our great Capitol back in 1963. As you read this, 39 years later, you should be shocked by the events that have played themselves out. I first ran across this list 3 years ago but was unable to attain a copy and it has bothered me ever since. Recently, Jeff Rense posted it on his site and I would like to thank him for doing so. http://www.rense.com Communist Goals (1963) Congressional Record–Appendix, pp. A34-A35 January 10, 1963 Current Communist Goals EXTENSION OF REMARKS OF HON. A. S. HERLONG, JR. OF FLORIDA IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES Thursday, January 10, 1963 . Mr. HERLONG. Mr. Speaker, Mrs. Patricia Nordman of De Land, Fla., is an ardent and articulate opponent of communism, and until recently published the De Land Courier, which she dedicated to the purpose of alerting the public to the dangers of communism in America. At Mrs. Nordman’s request, I include in the RECORD, under unanimous consent, the following “Current Communist Goals,” which she identifies as an excerpt from “The Naked Communist,” by Cleon Skousen: [From “The Naked Communist,” by Cleon Skousen]

1. U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.

2. U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.

3. Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

6. Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.

7. Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N. 8

. Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N. 9

. Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.

10. Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)

12. Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

14. Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.

18. Gain control of all student newspapers.

19. Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.

20. Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policy-making positions. 2

1. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

22. Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”

27. Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a “religious crutch.”

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”

29. Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.

30. Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”

31. Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.

32. Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture–education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.

33. Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.

34. Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.

35. Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.

36. Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.

37. Infiltrate and gain control of big business.

38. Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].

39. Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

41. Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.

42. Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use [“]united force[“] to solve economic, political or social problems.

43. Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

45. Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.

Note by Webmaster: The Congressional Record back this far has not be digitized and posted on the Internet. It will probably be available at your nearest library that is a federal repository. Call them and ask them. Your college library is probably a repository. This is an excellent source of government records. Another source are your Congress Critters. They should be more than happy to help you in this matter. You will find the Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto interesting at this point. Webmaster Forest Glen Durland found the document in the library. Sources are listed below. Microfilm: California State University at San Jose Clark Library, Government Floor Phone (408)924-2770 Microfilm Call Number: J 11.R5 Congressional Record, Vol. 109 88th Congress, 1st Session Appendix Pages A1-A2842 Jan. 9-May 7, 1963 Reel 12  1963- The Year That Changed America By Greg Swank12-4-2

Over the years, I have shared in debates and discussions regarding the current state of affairs in the U.S., and the changing social climate of this great nation. Since the “baby-boomer” generation, society and its culture have become noticeably different than the way it was 50 years ago. From the late 50’s to the 70’s a series of events took place contributing to the way we are currently living. However, like anything else, there has to be a starting point at which the wheels are put into motion. Sometimes it can be a single event, such as war, but more often, it is a series of events, some intentional, some planned, others unpredictable. There is always a pivotal point when things begin to change. I believe that time was 1963. For my generation, some of the following will certainly stir old memories. If you born later, this may serve as a brief history lesson into the times your parents traveled through. By 1963 television was the leading sources of entertainment. The public enjoyed a different type of programming back then. Lessons on life could be viewed weekly on “Leave it to Beaver” or “My Three Sons.” There were hero’s back then that never drew blood, “The Lone Ranger” and “The Adventures of Superman.” Cartoon series evolved, such as, “The Flintstones” and “The Jetsons” without messages of empowering the children, using vulgarities or demeaning parental guidance. Family’s could spend a weekend evening watching “Ed Sullivan,” “Bonanza” or “Gunsmoke.” For those who enjoyed thrill and suspense, we were blessed with “Alfred Hitchcock Presents” and the “Twilight Zone.” ‘My Favorite Martian,” “Ozzie and Harriet,” “Donna Reed” and “Sea Hunt” also kept viewers entertained weekly. Movie theaters were not multiplex units with 15 screens, rather, one single, giant big screen with adequate sound and hard seats without springs. “Tom Jones” had won the Academy award for best picture. “How The West Was Won,” “Cleopatra,” “Lily of the Fields,” “The Great Escape,” “The Birds,” and “It’s a Mad, Mad, Mad, Mad World” were all box office hits. By years end, “The Beatles” had played for the British Royal Family and were laying the groundwork to conquer the U.S. the following year. Eric Clapton began his journey to fame with Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page, Jim McCarty and their band, “The Yardbirds.” Out on the west coast the surf was beginning to rock’n’roll with “The Beach Boys” and their first song to reach the top ten list, “Surfin’ U.S.A.” “Joys of Jell-O” recipes for quivering florescent foodstuff hit the stores. U.S. Postal rates went up to five cents for the first ounce. AT&T introduced touch-tone telephones. The Yankees played in the World Series again; but lost to the Dodgers in four straight. The government and NASA began the Apollo program. This is just a brief snapshot of some things that were going on back in 1963. Remember?

While some of these events played an important role in the direction of change that affect us today, many of them were lost to much greater, more political events, that I believe put everything into motion. On January 10, 1963, the House of Representative and later the Senate began reviewing a document entitled “Communist Goals for Taking Over America.” It contained an agenda of 45 separate issues that, in hindsight was quite shocking back then and equally shocking today. Here, in part, are some key points listed in that document.

4. Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.

5. Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.

8. Set up East and West Germany as separate states.

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind.

13. Do away with all loyalty oaths.

16. Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.

23. Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”

24. Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”

27. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity, which does not need a “religious crutch.”

28. Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”

40. Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.

44. Internationalize the Panama Canal.

You can see the entire list on this web page – http://www.truthtrek.net/politics/takeover.htm

Now, I am not saying that the U.S. is under some kind of Communist control, but what I do find frightening, is of the 45 issues listed, nearly all of them have come to pass. Remember this was in January 1963.

In 1963 the news media showed women burning their bras as the women’s liberation movement took off with the publishing of “The Feminine Mystique” by Betty Friedan. Martin Luther King was jailed in April and civil unrest was being brought to the forefront.

On August 28th the media brought us live coverage of the march on Washington and Dr. Kings famous “I had a dream” speech. The Cuban missile crisis found its way in to our homes and our nation was gearing up for conflict.

By September of 1963 we had lost some very influential people, Pope John XXIII, Robert Frost, and country legend Patsy Cline, to name a few. In the early hours of November 22nd we learned of the quiet passing of C.S. Lewis and hours later we were brought to our knees when President John F. Kennedy was assassinated and our nation mourned.

So you see, while long since forgotten, 1963 could very well have been, one of the most important years since our founding fathers provided us with the Constitution of the United States. Which brings me to one final and extremely important decision that was made during this most provocative year.

On June 17, 1963 the U.S. Supreme Court concluded that any Bible reciting or prayer, in public schools, was deemed unconstitutional.

While American’s have endured great prosperity over the past 40 years we have also lost our moral compass and direction. In reviewing the research, data supports 1963 as a focal point, demonstrating a downward slope in our moral and social decline through 2001. Certainly, one would have to agree that all of these events have had a profound impact on the way our current social structure has been changed. Personally, if I had to choose one specific event that has demonstrated the demoralization of our country, it would have to be the decision of the U.S Supreme Court in June of 1963. But there is always “hope.”

As always, I welcome your comments and can easily be reached. Thanks for the response to “Daddy, What’s Fluoride?” My email is: greg@truthtrek.net  Comment From Founders’ America foundersamerica@hotmail.com
12-7-2
 Jeff…adding a couple of my own numbers: __

46. Import anti-white racists from the Third World, via an open-borders policy, then force their integration to divide and conquer white Western civilization in North America.  __

47. Feminize and disarm both the citizenry and military; especially disarm white males. Founders’ America P.O. Box 71024 Richmond, Va 23255

http://rense.com/general32/americ.htm

The Giglio Imbroglio: The Public Inauguration of a New Moral McCarthyism A great article from Dr. R. Albert Mohler, Jr.

A new chapter in America’s moral revolution came as Atlanta pastor Louie  Giglio withdrew from giving the benediction at President Obama’s second  inaugural ceremony. In a statement released to the White House and the  Presidential Inaugural Committee, Giglio said that he withdrew because of the  furor that emerged yesterday after a liberal watchdog group revealed that almost  twenty years ago he had preached a sermon in which he had stated that  homosexuality is a sin and that the “only way out of a homosexual lifestyle … is  through the healing power of Jesus.”

In other words, a Christian pastor has been effectively disinvited from  delivering an inaugural prayer because he believes and teaches Christian  truth.

The fact that Giglio was actually disinvited was made clear in a statement  from Addie Whisenant of the Presidential Inaugural Committee:

We were not aware of Pastor Giglio’s past comments at the time of his  selection, and they don’t reflect our desire to celebrate the strength and  diversity of our country at this inaugural. Pastor Giglio was asked to deliver  the benediction in large part because of his leadership in combating human  trafficking around the world. As we now work to select someone to deliver the  benediction, we will ensure their beliefs reflect this administration’s vision  of inclusion and acceptance for all Americans.

That statement is, in effect, an embarrassed apology for having invited Louie  Giglio in the first place. Whisenant’s statement apologizes for the Presidential  Inaugural Committee’s failure to make certain that their selection had never, at  any time, for any reason, believed that homosexuality is less than a perfectly  acceptable lifestyle. The committee then promised to repent and learn from their  failure, committing to select a replacement who would “reflect this  administration’s vision of inclusion and acceptance.”

The imbroglio over Louie Giglio is the clearest evidence of the new Moral  McCarthyism of our sexually “tolerant” age. During the infamous McCarthy  hearings, witnesses would be asked, “Are you now or have you ever been a member  of the Communist Party?”

In the version now to be employed by the Presidential Inaugural Committee,  the question will be: “Are you now or have you ever been one who believes that  homosexuality (or bisexuality, or transsexualism, etc.) is anything less than  morally acceptable and worthy of celebration?”

Louie Giglio, pastor of Atlanta’s Passion City Church, is also founder of the  Passion movement that brings tens of thousands of Christian young people  together to hear Giglio, along with speakers such as John Piper. They urge a  rising generation of young Christians to make a passionate commitment to Christ.  In recent years, the movement has also sought to raise awareness and activism  among young Christians on the issue of sex trafficking. It was that activism  that caught the attention of both President Obama and the Presidential Inaugural  Committee.

Note carefully that both the White House and the committee were ready to  celebrate Giglio’s activism on sex trafficking, but all that was swept away by  the Moral McCarthyism on the question of homosexuality.

Two other dimensions of this story also demand attention. First, we should  note that Louie Giglio has not been known lately for taking any stand on the  issue of homosexuality. To the contrary, Giglio’s own statement withdrawing from  the invitation made this clear:

Due to a message of mine that has surfaced from 15-20 years ago, it is likely  that my participation, and the prayer I would offer, will be dwarfed by those  seeking to make their agenda the focal point of the inauguration. Clearly,  speaking on this issue has not been in the range of my priorities in the past  fifteen years. Instead, my aim has been to call people to ultimate significance  as we make much of Jesus Christ.

A fair-minded reading of that statement indicates that Pastor Giglio has  strategically avoided any confrontation with the issue of homosexuality for at  least fifteen years. The issue “has not been in the range of my priorities,” he  said. Given the Bible’s insistance that sexual morality is inseparable from our “ultimate significance as we make much of Jesus Christ,” this must have been a  difficult strategy. It is also a strategy that is very attractive to those who  want to avoid being castigated as intolerant or homophobic. As this controversy  makes abundantly clear, it is a failed strategy. Louie Giglio was cast out of  the circle of the acceptable simply because a liberal watchdog group found one  sermon he preached almost twenty years ago. If a preacher has ever taken a stand  on biblical conviction, he risks being exposed decades after the fact. Anyone  who teaches at any time, to any degree, that homosexual behavior is a sin is now  to be cast out.

Second, we should note that Pastor Giglio’s sermon was, as we would expect  and hope, filled with grace and the promise of the Gospel. Giglio did not just  state that homosexuals are sinners — he made clear that every single human being  is a sinner, in need of the redemption that is found only in Jesus Christ. “We’ve got to say to the homosexuals, the same thing that I say to you and that  you would say to me…. It’s not easy to change, but it’s possible to change,” he  preached. He pointed his congregation, gay and straight, to “the healing power  of Jesus.” He called his entire congregation to repent and come to Christ by  faith.

That is the quintessential Christian Gospel. That is undiluted biblical  truth. Those words are the consensus of the Church for over 2,000 years, and the  firm belief held by the vast majority of Christians around the world today.

The Presidential Inaugural Committee and the White House have now declared  historic, biblical Christianity to be out of bounds, casting it off the  inaugural program as an embarrassment. By its newly articulated standard, any  preacher who holds to the faith of the church for the last 2,000 years is  persona non grata. By this standard, no Roman Catholic prelate or priest can  participate in the ceremony. No Evangelical who holds to biblical orthodoxy is  welcome. The vast majority of Christians around the world have been disinvited.  Mormons, and the rabbis of Orthodox Judaism are out. Any Muslim imam who could  walk freely in Cairo would be denied a place on the inaugural program. Billy  Graham, who participated in at least ten presidential inaugurations is welcome  no more. Rick Warren, who incited a similar controversy when he prayed at  President Obama’s first inauguration, is way out of bounds. In the span of just  four years, the rules are fully changed.

The gauntlet was thrown down yesterday, and the axe fell today. Wayne Besen,  founder of the activist group Truth Wins Out, told The New York Times yesterday: “It is imperative that Giglio clarify his remarks and explain whether he has  evolved on gay rights, like so many other faith and political leaders. It would  be a shame to select a preacher with backward views on LBGT people at a moment  when the nation is rapidly moving forward on our issues.”

And there you have it — anyone who has ever believed that homosexuality is  morally problematic in any way must now offer public repentance and evidence of  having “evolved” on the question. This is the language that President Obama used  of his own “evolving” position on same-sex marriage. This is what is now openly  demanded of Christians today. If you want to avoid being thrown off the program,  you had better learn to evolve fast, and repent in public.

This is precisely what biblical Christians cannot do. While seeking to be  gentle in spirit and ruthlessly Gospel-centered in speaking of any sin, we  cannot cease to speak of sin as sin. To do so is not only to deny the authority  of Scripture, not only to reject the moral consensus of the saints, but it  undermines the Gospel itself. The Gospel makes no sense, and is robbed of its  saving power, if sin is denied as sin.

An imbroglio is a painful and embarrassing conflict. The imbroglio  surrounding Louie Giglio is not only painful, it is revealing. We now see the  new Moral McCarthyism in its undisguised and unvarnished reality. If you are a  Christian, get ready for the question you will now undoubtedly face: “Do you now  or have you ever believed that homosexuality is a sin?” There is nowhere to  hide.

[Read the original post at AlbertMohler.com.]

http://kirkcameron.com/2013/01/the-giglio-imbroglio-the-public-inauguration-of-a-new-moral-mccarthyism/#ixzz2HnP94iEs

God’s Final Call

Mark 13:32 (KJV)

 But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father.

It is true, no man knows the time when God is going to call His children home to be with Him.  That is why it is so important to be ready at all times.  We Christians need to be prayed up, and read up, on the Word of God, always in tune with God, so when He does call, we will hear that trumpet sound.

This morning I was awakened out of a deep sleep with the two words in my mind, “God Calling”.  I didn’t know what that meant at first, it was just those two words, but as I was waking up, I felt God speaking to me, and wanting me to write something about this on my blog, warning people the time is growing short.  We need to get serious about where we are going to spend eternity.  There is no time to play around.  If God should sound his trumpet now, where would you be?  Would you be with the saints in Heaven, or left here to go through the Tribulation?  Trust me, you don’t want to be left here!

1 Thessalonians 4:14-18 (KJV)

14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him.

15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep.

16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first:

17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.

18 Wherefore comfort one another with these words.

All those who have taken the time to give their hearts, and souls, to God, have nothing to worry about, they will be the ones who will be able to hear the trumpet sound when the time comes.  The ones that think they do not need God to make it in this world are only deceiving themselves.  No one can make it on their own.  No amount of money can buy your way into Heaven!  Money doesn’t mean anything to God.  He’s owns everything in the universe!  He is the creator of everything.  He created you, and I!  What would he do with money?  Your status here on earth is nothing to Him, either. 

Each, and every one of us, has to come to our Heavenly Father, humbly, realizing we have sinned.  Knowing He sent His Beloved Son, Jesus Christ, to die on the cross for our sins, as the ultimate sacrifice, knowing we were not worthy of that sacrifice, and we can never pay the price of that sacrifice.  God offered His Son, willingly, so we could communed with Him, again, like He originally designed it to be, when He first created Adam and Eve, before sin ever entered the world.  All we have to do is believe that God will forgive our sins, and believe Jesus died for our sins, and have faith in God, turn away from a sinful life, begin living a Christian life, helping to bring other lost souls into God’s kingdom, and you, too, will be on your way when God calls His children home.

I urge you, if you haven’t given your heart, and life, to God, please don’t wait another minute.  He is patiently waiting for you.  There is a reason you are reading this, and God is speaking to you right now.  Take the time to pray, and ask Jesus to forgive your sins, and come into your heart.  Turn from your sinful life, and begin a new life in Christ.  It’s never too late, until you take your last breath here on earth, and then you have to face God at judgement, and answer to Him why you refused to accept Him.  Remember, not making a choice for God now, is making a choice to go to HELL!