Wednesday
COUNT-DOWN OF PRAYER FOR THE ELECTION!
November 2, 2011 of our 9th consecutive year of publication
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A thought for today, this week, and the weeks to come:
"The rights of man come not from the generosity of the state, but from the hand of God."
President John F. Kennedy, Inaugural Address, 1961
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WITH ELECTION DAY, 2012, NOW JUST ONE YEAR AWAY,
COUNT-DOWN OF PRAYER FOR THAT ELECTION
Looking back, on March 30, 2011, we urged a long-term program of prayer
for the 2012 election -- at that time 587 days away. Today there are just 370
days remaining until Nov. 6, 2012 (since it will be a "Leap Year," February will
have 29 days). So we have essentially one year to pray about what conceivably
is the most important national election in American history.
Jesus instructed His followers to be both light and salt in "the world," and while
it is true that ANC goes to many countries all over the world, it is also true that
our primary focus is America, which has historically been the major source for
international Christian evangelization. Thus what the American government does
in religious matters affects not only the Christian ministry in this country, but also
all over the world. And that is why the 2012 election is so important.
Prior to his election, in 2007 Mr. Obama made the statement, "Whatever we once
were, we are no longer a Christian nation." A year later, in a written exchange
with David Brody of CBN, Mr. Obama repeated that statement, but inserted the
word "just" so it became, "We are no longer just a Christian nation." And he
claimed we are now a Muslim nation, a Jewish nation, etc. This is an extreme
departure from the historic American tradition, first voiced by President George
Washington in 1778: "To the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be
our highest glory to add the more distinguished character of Christian" --
a position no other president in our nation's history has ever denied.
As president, Mr. Obama in April, 2009 made this claim while on a visit to Turkey:
"We do not consider ourselves a Christian nation, or a Muslim nation, but
rather, a nation of citizens who are, uh, bound by a set of values.”
Later that year, in June, 2009, speaking in Cairo, Mr. Obama added a new element
to his responsibilities as president: "I consider it part of my responsibility as
President of the United States to fight against negative stereotypes of Islam
wherever they appear." And support of Islam has become the hallmark of his term
of office as president. He acknowledges and celebrates Islamic holy days, but he
ignores Christian observances and days of prayer.
It is true that there are Muslims, and Jews, and Buddhists, and Wiccans in America,
but all of those religions taken together represent perhaps 10% of the U.S. population.
After including the atheists, agnostics and non-religionists, there is still a major portion,
some 80% of our population, who consider themselves Christian. In any other
country, such a predominance would give that religious title to that country.
And what do we see happening? Mr. Obama has given unqualified support to the
homosexual movement . . . has allowed funding for abortions which have killed some
50 million babies since Roe v. Wade . . . has promised to repeal DOMA, the Defense
of Marriage Act, a federal law, and has ordered his Justice Department not to defend
DOMA in court. (Tomorrow, Nov. 3, the Senate is scheduled to begin consideration
of the repeal of DOMA.)
It is these anti-Christian actions which we must bring to a halt in order to restore
America to the Christian nation it was intended to be, and which -- until now -- it has
always been. And that is why Election Day, Nov. 6, 2012, is so terribly important.
Remember: we have exactly 370 days to pray about it.
International update on the "Occupy Wall Street" protests; In addition to
the support for the protests from President Obama, V.P Biden, former Speaker
of the House Nancy Pelosi, the American Nazi party, the Communist party,
Muslim followers of Islam, and Global Warming Leader Al Gore -- there is this
news story of new international support: "Iranians demonstrated in Tehran in
support of the Occupy Wall Street rallies in the United States, which some
Iranian leaders are hoping will lead to the downfall of Western capitalism.
Iranian media outlets described the protesters as laborers ... The
demonstration was held in front of the Swiss Embassy, which represents
U.S. interests."
And now some of the nation's main-line churches have joined in the support for
the "Occupy" protesters. As of this past week, some of the progressive church
groups which have joined the anarchy rallies include the Episcopal Church, the
United Methodist Church, and the Presbyterian Church (USA). And not surprisingly,
some of the so-called "evangelical elites" like Jim Wallis and Shane Clairborne have
endorsed the occupation. Wallis has visited the site, and Claiborne compared the
protesters to St. Francis of Assisi. Mark Tooley, of the Institute on Religion and
Democracy, commented: "Dangerously, Wallis, McLaren and Claiborne
represent more and more evangelical elites and young people coming out of
evangelical schools. They are marching down the same disastrous, politicized
liberal path that doomed much of Mainline Protestantism decades ago."
Everyone -- well, almost everyone -- seems to be talking about the "Occupy"
movement, but few seem to get to the heart of what it is. Jack Marshall, whom
we often quote from his Ethics Alarms, has finally summarized the movement
well: "After more than a month of demonstrations that have cost millions,
deflected local governments from vital matters, inconvenienced and clogged
cities across the country, invigorated anarchists, communists, fascists,
free-loaders and loonies, suckered desperate Democrats into declaring
common cause with a mob, and exposed the worst of Left-wing punditry as
the embarrassing demagoguery society that it is…and after well-intentioned
demonstrators have been robbed, arrested, and injured…the 'Occupy'
movement is finally ready to declare what it wants..." Jeff Field, spokesman
for at least part of the group, has issued an "Open Letter" setting forth "what we
want:" “I stand with people around the country and the world who are calling
for economic justice." And there you have their goal -- "economic justice,"
whatever that means.
It is helpful to look past the news media to "What Others Are Saying"
An appropriate response to Obama's "We can't wait" speech . . .
Mike Brownfield (in Heritage Foundation): "The President now says that
'we can't wait' for Congress to act. What he's missing, though, is that
Congress isn't acting because the American people don't want their
representatives in Washington to go along with Obama's spend-more-
tax-more scheme. It seems that the only audience that might be receptive to
the President's message is the protesters who are camping out in solid
opposition to the capitalist system, advocating for the government to bail
them out, just like it bailed out the banks and the automakers ... One thing
is certain: Regardless of the answer, America cannot wait for President
Obama to stop circumventing Congress."
It's really sad that in America such an announcement has to be made . . .
Brian S. Brown (Ex. Dir. Nat'l. Organization for Marriage): "Today,
countless Americans have been bullied, threatened, and even fired from their
jobs, for no other reason than because they support traditional marriage.
That's why the National Organization for Marriage just launched a new
effort: the Marriage Anti-Defamation Alliance. The goal of the Marriage
Anti-Defamation Alliance is to defend Americans' religious liberty and free
speech rights from being trampled by the same-sex marriage lobby."
A distressing assessment of the times in which we live . . .
Mat Staver (writing in Liberty Counsel): "'Political correctness' and overt
anti-Christian bigotry have been relentlessly pounding our culture for
several decades and these attacks have taken a terrible toll."
A frightening confession as to his socialist dream for America . . .
Barack Obama (at a million dollar fund-raiser in San Francisco): “If you
get sick, you’re on your own. If you can’t afford college, you’re on your
own. If you don’t like that some corporation is polluting your air or the air
that your child breathes, then you’re on your own. That’s not the America
I believe in.." (In other words, if he loses the election in 2012, we will return to
the era of self reliance that built America into a great nation.)
Sometimes Bill O'Reilly says it so well . . .
Bill O'Reilly (on FOX News): "According to a new poll by The Hill newspaper,
69 percent of Americans now believe the USA is in 'decline. In addition, a
whopping 83 percent indicate they are worried about America's future. Very
sobering. So what's going on? If you study history, you know that America
was built on self-reliance and personal achievement... But things have
changed...the federal government stepped in to lend support. As the family
structure collapsed, entitlements became more common.... The view that
Washington has a moral obligation to provide a decent lifestyle for everyone
took root."
A few slightly "different" One Liners we found in our research this week:
“Go Home and Get a Job and Get a Life.” -- Herman Cain (to the "Occupy"
protestors)
"Increasingly, it appears that the far left has found a straw dog to replace its
long-cherished, but now embarrassingly discredited, global-warming hoax:
'unequal distribution of wealth.'" -- Robert Ringer (in A Voice for Sanity)
"Mitt Romney: The Magically Malleable Man of Mystery." -- Erick Erickson
(in the Morning Briefing)
And here are a few "Afterthoughts," selected at random from our research.
Pamela Geller writing in Atlas Shrugs, reiterates concerns which we have
previously expressed: "In Tunisia, last Sunday’s historic elections appear to
have resulted in an Islamist group winning a governing majority. In Libya,
new political leaders speak openly of enacting Sharia, the ultra-harsh code
of Islamic law. And in Egypt, where the world’s oldest civilization is bracing
for elections next month, rioters have recently forced the evacuation of the
Israeli embassy and waged vicious attacks on Coptic Christians. Worrisome
in their own right, these developments also raise difficult questions, in an
already contentious political season, about the conduct of President Obama
and his national security team: Has the White House done all it could to steer
the Arab Spring in the right direction? Have events to date ... left America
weakened abroad, with Islamic fundamentalism ascendant?"
This was too good to leave out . . . from Larry Wallenmeyer in Patriot Action
Network, and appearing on T-shirts and bumper stickers:
"RECESSION IS WHEN YOUR NEIGHBOR LOSES HIS JOB.
DEPRESSION IS WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR JOB.
AND RECOVERY IS WHEN OBAMA LOSES HIS."
DEPRESSION IS WHEN YOU LOSE YOUR JOB.
AND RECOVERY IS WHEN OBAMA LOSES HIS."
A warning from King Abdullah of Jordan concerning problems Israel faces.
Dr. Mike Evans of the Jerusalem Prayer Team reminds us of an interview between
King Abdullah and the Washington Post. The king said there was "a very, very
strong possibility" that Egypt would break the existing peace treaty, and that in
situations like that, "there is usually a war." The king said that Jordan was the
"last man standing" in maintaining a good relationship with Israel. The Jordanian
king said he was "very pessimistic" that the Israeli-Palestinian situation could be
peacefully resolved. As always, we need to pray for Israel, "for the peace of
Jerusalem." (Psalm 122:6)
Joel Osteen and his "different" understanding of Mormonism. Last week
we cited some of the many similarities and parallels between Mormonism and Islam.
We quoted from theological scholar Dr. R. Albert Mohler in support of our view,
and this week Dr. Michael Youssef, an authority on Islamic thought, published
a detailed comparison of the two religions. In contrast, Joel Osteen, whom the
media emphasizes is pastor of the largest church in America (in Houston, TX),
in an interview with the Washington Times, said that he believes Mormons are
Christians, but hedged a bit, "I don't know if it's the purest form of Christianity"
He distilled his theological position in these words, “Part of our core message is
that seasons change, and when you believe, if you don’t get bitter, and you
don’t get discouraged, you may not change overnight, but you can get peace.”
Concerning the teachings of Mormonism, he confessed, "I haven’t really studied
them or thought about them. And you know, I just try to let God be the judge
of that. I mean, I don’t know." Those last three words would seem to provide an
accurate summary of his views.
Catholic World News reports that Muslims attending 125 year old Catholic
University of America in our nation's capitol, have lodged a complaint against the
University, claiming that they are the victims of illegal discrimination because the
school does not set aside space for Islamic prayer. Yes, you read it right: Muslims
(Islamists) are objecting because a Catholic University doesn't provide for Islamic
prayers. Does anyone in their wildest imagination think that Muslim colleges would
provide for Catholics to pray? Our friend Doug Giles, of Clash Radio, commented:
"Human rights violated? That’s rich. Yes, let’s talk about human rights
violations with Islam, shall we? How many Christians were killed in Egypt
this week?"
Even people in the White House should be careful about words they use.
Michelle Obama told audiences at fundraisers in Florida last week, "This is going
to require each of you to grab somebody by the shoulders and make them
understand what's at stake; how their self-interest is directly tied … It's up to
each of you to work like you've never worked before." "Grabbing people by
the shoulders?" Technically that's assault and battery, by definition: "any unlawful
and unpermitted touching of another."
Our Founding Fathers intended America to be a Christian nation.
"It cannot be emphasized too strongly or too often that this great nation was
founded, not by religionists, but by Christians; not on religions, but on the
gospel of Jesus Christ." -- Patrick Henry, 1765
"We have no government armed with power capable of contending with
human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge,
or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale
goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious
people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other."
-- John Adams, 1798
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