Wednesday
OUR PROBLEMS: CAUSE AND SOLUTION!
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Vol. 18, No. 16 April 25, 2012 © 2012
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A principle to guide us as we approach the election in November:
"Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers,
and it is the duty of as well as the privilege and interest
of a Christian nation to select and prefer Christians for its rulers."
John Jay, first Chief Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court, 1816
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MAYBE IT'S TIME TO PUT LESS EMPHASIS ON CURRENT DAY
PROBLEMS, AND FOCUS ON THEIR CAUSE AND SOLUTION.
ELECTION DAY, NOV. 6, IS LESS THAN 200 DAYS AWAY
And maybe it's time for ANC to focus more sharply on the religious (i.e. the
Christian) aspects of the problem and its solution. Shifting, therefore, from any
undue emphasis on political issues, and focusing on the religious issues, we start
with the Bible's basic statement on politics and religion: "Blessed is the nation
whose God is the Lord." (Psalm 32:12) Or to express that promise in present
day language as it applies to the problems we face, the nation that honors and
reverences God will experience His blessings of protection, provision and peace.
Former Chief Justice John Jay, quoted above, stated one of the underlying
principles upon which this new nation was established -- that as a Christian
nation, our rulers (i.e. presidents) should be Christians. And our first president,
George Washington, who selected him to be the first Chief Justice, also held
that conviction, as he said in those formative days of the United States: "To
the distinguished character of Patriot, it should be our highest glory to
add the more distinguished character of Christian." (1778)
And Washington was not alone, among our presidents, in stating his Christian
convictions. John Quincy Adams, our 6th president: "The hope of a Christian
is inseparable from his faith. Whoever believes in the divine inspiration
of the Holy Scriptures must hope that the religion of Jesus shall prevail
throughout the earth." Abraham Lincoln, our 16th president: "It is the duty
of nations as well as men to recognize the truth announced in Holy
Scripture and proven by all of history that those nations only are blessed
whose God is the Lord." Woodrow Wilson, our 28th president: "When you
have read the Bible, you will know it is the word of God, because you have
found in it the key to your own heart, your own happiness and your own duty."
John F. Kennedy, our 35th president: “The rights of man come not from the
generosity of the state but from the hand of God.” Ronald Reagan, our 40th
president: "Without God democracy will not and cannot long endure...If we
ever forget that we are One Nation Under God, then we will be a Nation
gone under."
In addition to those comments from a random selection of U.S. presidents (and
there are many others in similar vein), the U.S. Supreme Court has often expressed
the same view as the first Chief Justice, as cited above. Consider these decisions;
in 1811, "Whatever strikes at the root of Christianity tends to destroy civil
government." And in 1892, "Our laws and institutions must necessarily be
based on and must include the teachings of the Redeemer of Mankind."
It is obvious that through the years there has been a spiritual deterioration in the
adherence to the Judeo-Christian principles upon which this nation was founded.
The greatest deviation from the "Faith of our Founding Fathers" has
occurred in the past three and a half years, or during this administration.
Never before, in the two and a third centuries of the American nation, has any
one of the 43 presidents who preceded Barack Obama denied that America is
a Christian nation. Yet his first trip abroad, as president, was to Islam dominated
countries where he repeatedly assured the adherents to the religion in which he
was raised, that America is no longer a Christian nation. He even went so far as
to boast that the Muslim population in the U.S. of perhaps 1%, makes us one
of the largest Muslim nations in the world.
In this election year Mr. Obama continues to insist that he is a Christian, and
there are those who say that we should take him at his word. But that is not
how Jesus taught us -- he said that many would call on His name, but His
rule for us to observe was simply: "By their fruits ye shall know them."
(Matt. 7:17-21). That is a different teaching than Obama's citing of Jesus as
endorsing same-sex marriage and higher taxes on the rich. And Obama's
"fruits" -- support of the homosexual movement, and of same-sex marriage,
though the ignoring of the law of the land in the Defense of Marriage Act
(DOMA), and the killing of babies through abortion, and the violation of
the religious rights of individuals and churches through Obamacare -- just
to name a few.
ANC's "Prayer Countdown" has less than 200 days till Election Day
As of today, there are 195 days until Election Day, Nov. 6. We have 195 days to
pray for our nation . . . for our leaders to have wisdom to begin making some right
decisions . . . and for guidance as we decide for whom we should vote, not only for
President, but for Senators, Representatives, Governors, and local office holders.
ANC does not have a partisan-political position. We have said that again and again.
We are pro-Christian, pro-American and pro-Conservative -- but when someone
is "anti" any of those beliefs, we are "anti" that person, regardless of his or her party
affiliation.
But our prayer concerns must go beyond our own shores. This week we have read
that the purge of centuries-old Christian communities in the Middle East and in
North Africa continues. The persecution of Christians in Nigeria and Egypt, for
example, is becoming more intense. And this fact struck us in our research this week:
nearly 70% of the world's 6.8 billion people live in countries with little or no freedom
of religion. Yet we take that right for granted -- even though there are movements
under way in America which deny some aspects of that freedom which our Founding
Fathers included in the Constitution.
And in Christian Newswire this week we noted this brief comment: "Nearly 400
years ago ruling shoguns martyred thousands of Christians and banned the
faith from the island nation. As a result, today Japan is vaguely religious, yet
outwardly secular and materialistic, with a Christian population of less than
1 percent and most churches composed of only a few dozen members."
There is much to occupy us as we use these 195 days of prayer.
For example: some American military, inadvertently destroyed some used copies
of the Quran in Afghanistan -- and it became an international incident, resulting in
apologies from the highest levels of the Obama administration. Yet almost daily --
certainly weekly -- we read of Christian churches destroyed by Islamists in
Nigeria, Egypt, Iraq, and other Muslim dominated nations, and no one in those
countries apologizes . . . and no one in the White House or State Department
expresses any concern.
Or American Sergeant Robert Bales, twice decorated during service in Iraq, and
sent to Afghanistan despite serious wounds of war. When he killed some Afghan
civilians, he was condemned for his actions, has been given the harshest
treatment, and leaders in the Obama administration from the president on down
have apologized, and he faces possible execution. Meantime, more than two years
have passed since Major Nidal Hasan, an American Army Muslim, went on a
killing spree at Fort Hood, shouting "Allahu akbar" (Allah is the greatest),
killing 13 and wounding 32 others. His trial -- if it ever occurs -- is now set
for October, almost 3 years after the attack. But this Muslim has been given the
most lenient treatment. [Where, Mr. Obama, is the fairness or equality?]
An interesting -- and revealing -- survey from Investors Business Daily
discloses the percentage of members of past presidents' cabinets who had
experience working in the private business sector before being appointed to
serve in the cabinet. Consider these five recent administrations:
Carter............................32%
Reagan.......................... 86%
GH Bush........................51%
Clinton ......................... 39%
GW Bush.......................55%
And then we come to our current president, and we find this percentage:
Obama .........................08%
Reagan.......................... 86%
GH Bush........................51%
Clinton ......................... 39%
GW Bush.......................55%
And then we come to our current president, and we find this percentage:
Obama .........................08%
Those facts help explain the incompetence of this administration in dealing with
corporate business. We are forced to ask how can the president of the nation
with the most successful economic system in world history talk about business
management when he has never worked in or for one? And when 92% of his
closest advisors have had no business or management experience, how can they
know what is best for the auto industry, banking, real estate, insurance and health
care -- when they have had no experience aside from spending years in academia,
government, non-profit organizations or even (as our president) as "community
organizers?"
president we've ever had, unable to admit to any mistakes of any kind...
And Hamlet made more decisions in Act I than Obama's made in four years.
He stalls like an old Fiat and lies like a Nigerian scammer. But he remains
the media's hero. And our media will pull out every stop and employ every
trick to insure his re-election..."
Heritage Foundation: "High gas prices are not a president's friend,
especially in an election year, so it's not surprising that President Barack
Obama is trying his darndest to shift the blame for record-high fuel prices
onto something other than his failed energy policies...the president
announced a proposal to spend $52 million to fund increased government
oversight of oil futures market trading in addition to harsher civil and
criminal penalties for manipulation in energy markets."
Daniel Greenfield (in New Media Journal): "Obama's speeches were
robotic, not just because they were delivered via teleprompter, but
because they had been assembled together artificially out of bits and
pieces of old presidential speeches into generic templates that were
meant to awe audiences through their presentation...His speeches
called up spirituality devoid of religion, Americana devoid of patriotism
and ideals devoid of ideas. He appropriated them all and used them as
props in his show."
"Chris" (writing as The Steady Conservative): "Suddenly speaking out
for traditional marriage is “controversial” if you read the Huffington Post.
Christians’ views are described as backwards, judgmental, inciting hate
speech, a threat to our civil rights or perhaps ignorant. Just for standing
up for Biblical truths. But that is the world we live in. It is just one more
way that those on the left are chipping away at our heritage."
And from Commentator Thomas Sowell, the "Quote of the Week:"
"We seem to be moving steadily in the direction of a society where no
one is responsible for what he himself did but we are all responsible for
what somebody else did, either in the present or in the past."
Here are a few "One Liners" that our research discovered this week:
Rep. Jim Jordan (R, OH): "Make no mistake, we are in a fight for the very
idea of America, and it is a fight we must be fully committed to win."
Rep. Barney Frank (D, MA): Thinks President Obama made a "mistake" in
pushing for is signature health law, and told New York Magazine, "I think we
paid a terrible price for health care."
And here, as usual, are just a few "Afterthoughts" for this week . . .
The theme for the 2012 presidential campaign was formed 4 years ago
in Barack Obama's acceptance speech at the 2008 Democrat national convention:
"If you don’t have any fresh ideas, then you use stale tactics to scare voters.
If you don’t have a record to run on, then you paint your opponent as
someone people should run from." [Well, it worked once . . .]
A perplexing problem with the Main Stream Media. Saudi Arabia's highest
Islamic authority recently called for the destruction of all churches on the Arabian
Peninsula, but there hasn't been any global outcry over it. Cliff May, president of
the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies, wrote in a recent Townhall.com
column: "Imagine if Pat Robertson called for the demolition of all the mosques
in America. It would be front-page news. It would be on every network and
cable news program. There would be a demand for Christians to denounce
him ...but the major media do not see this as even worth reporting." May
added that he believed U.S. leaders and others had kept quiet on the issue to
avoid promoting the notion of "Islamophobia."
We should not close without a word on the home-going of Chuck Colson
There is little we could add to the outpouring of words of appreciation and
gratitude for his remarkable ministry. He was a personal friend of your editor
for many years. There is much we could say . . . but much has already been said.
When a leader like Chuck leaves us, we always wonder who will take his place.
Whoever it will be will find he has huge shoes to fill. It cannot often be said, but
it is true in Chuck's case: he was one of a kind; there will not be another like him.
Thoughts on taxes from the 3rd and 30th U.S. presidents:
"Would it not be better to simplify the system of taxation rather than to
spread it over such a variety of subjects and pass through so many new
hands." --Thomas Jefferson, 1784
"No matter what anyone may say about making the rich and the
corporations pay taxes, in the end they come out of the people who toil."
-- Calvin Coolidge, 1926
-- Calvin Coolidge, 1926
We can always learn something from the words of our Founding Fathers
"The fabric of American empire ought to rest on the solid basis of THE
CONSENT OF THE PEOPLE. The streams of national power ought to flow
from that pure, original fountain of all legitimate authority."
-- Alexander Hamilton, 1787
"We should be unfaithful to ourselves if we should ever lose sight of the
danger to our liberties if anything partial or extraneous should infect the
purity of our free, fair, virtuous, and independent elections."
-- John Adams, 1797
"If, then, the control of the people over the organs of their government
be the measure of its republicanism, and I confess I know no other measure,
it must be agreed that our governments have much less of republicanism
than ought to have been expected; in other words, that the people have
less regular control over their agents, than their rights and their interests
require." --Thomas Jefferson, 1816
And finally, these familiar words: "Another week . . . another issue."
Each week we try to keep the overall length a little shorter, but each week
there seems to be so much on which to comment . . . and each week -- as is the
case this week -- there is still so much that has been left untouched without any
comment whatsoever. The issues facing us are big and complicated and serious,
and need our careful consideration, as Christian citizens. ANC fills a specific
purpose and meets a specific need. We hope that you will feel inclined to help us
continue, through your donations. Please click HERE to learn how to send your
gift by check or credit card. Thank you!
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