VERY STRANGE BEDFELLOWS...

Liberals and Muslims - seems they would not have much in common, right? WRONG! Politics makes strange bedfellows, and these two groups hold two things in common which make their differences pale. Hollywood smut and a pornographic culture? Edgy fashions? Evolution? Equal rights for women? Celebrated by the American Left and despised by Muslims. Enough to keep these two groups apart? Hardly. The two things they share are a hatred of true Christians and a hatred of America. Incidentally, similar hatred is being applied to the Jews - the turn against Israel, the hate speech at Berkeley and other campuses by Arab Muslims is being paid for and celebrated while Israel is demonized for defending itself. Binyamin Netanyahu, a sensible statesman who passionately loves his country, is just another hawk to the ultra liberal Associated Press. Of course, no one who kills Israelis is anything other than a "freedom fighter".

Even more than their hatred for SERIOUS Jews is the Liberal hatred of true Christians. That is what makes the embrace of Obama by some Christians so interesting, but hang on we will get to that. Liberals hate Christian media, they hate the presentation of Christian impacts on history and culture, they hate any religious expression which draws attention to Christ, they hate any Christian ideas being expressed or any Christian arguments to their own closed loop way of thinking. They hate scientific arguments for God and cling to their ridiculous theories that go back two thousand years, but more recently popularized in the nineteenth century by a bitter racist man whom they celebrate as if he were some type of genius.

Muslims not only hate Christians, they do something about it. They take away their jobs and dignity, they take away their freedom, and in many cases, they take away their very lives. Liberals secretly wish they could do the same, but figure they had better turn up the heat a bit more slowly on the proverbial frog in the pot. They will use the ACLU and Obamacrats to introduce more and more legislation to be used selectively against Christians who dare express the thoughts of God in government, education, the professions, the airwaves, the written media and everywhere else. Did you see the You-Tube video of the 12 year old Canadian girl defending the rights of the unborn - it is truly awesome and worth watching - http://www.nmatv.com/video/1318/
Preteen-pro-life-speech-goes-viral. She won the contest, but was discouraged every step of the way by teachers and others. American liberals are writing laws similar to Canada's and they desperately want speeches like this one suppressed and marginalized if not totally eliminated. (Liberals are never for democracy, because all their ideas fail when debated in open fashion. The only way their ideas stand is when they in totalitarian fashion suppress all dissent.) They control most of the media, and simply tell the big lies over and over, and shut out sensible and obviously correct ideas like this 12 year old's. Most people don't think for themselves and accept what CNN says as gospel, despite its extreme slant. When the populace is brought to a fever pitch and starts doing to Christians what the Germans did to the Jews, the Liberals will idly stand by and smile. Make no mistake, a Holocaust of Christians is precisely what Liberals and Muslims would just love to see, and they are willing to overlook their significant differences in other areas to move in that direction.

Let's move to Social progressives and Darwin. Strange indeed. A nineteenth century man whose ideas unleashed some of the most vicious racism and economic exploitation in history. Darwin's original title was "On the Origin of Species by Means of Natural Selection, or the Preservation of Favoured Races in the Struggle for Life." Darwin's ideas were interpreted to place Africans closer to apes and the nature of racial bigotry became very ugly in America and Europe. The books that were derivatives of his racist ideas ruined at least two generations of Americans and caused many black Americans to suffer physical and emotional harm, even lynchings. Eugenics was not just in Nazi Germany. It was in America. The untold secret is that many in France and America hated Jews as well. There is no good fruit from Darwin. Darwinian Capitalism is also something that needs to be truly studied. Survival of the fittest led to huge abuses and wealth being concentrated in the hands of the few. So how can social "progressives" put Darwinian bumper stickers on their cars? It is simple. Darwin's system in integral with atheism. It is incompatible with the Bible. It allows for "anything goes" morality. Lost is the simple fact that every argument used by Clarence Darrow is no longer believed by serious evolutionists and the very trial itself was a set-up. Again, the hatred of Jesus Christ will make strange bedfellows. We have to remember that all non-Christians have the SAME Father - Satan himself. Siblings don't have to conspire - they naturally flow together.

Christians and Obama. Even more unsettling. Christians supposedly stand for the Gospel of Jesus Christ and the B-I-B-L-E (yes, that's the book for me, I stand alone on the word of God, the B-I-B-L-E). They stand for individual responsibility before God. They stand for holiness and against sexual sin, against murder, lying, greed, and injustice. The Bible says a partial man will sell his soul. The Bible talks about unjust leaders greasing each other's palms and looking out for each other. The Bible warns against leaders in the church who care more about money than about souls - experts in greed who make up stories to deceive. It talks about there being MANY miracle workers whom Christ will say he NEVER KNEW. It even talks about how a charismatic man will grab the heartstrings of the world, promising peace and much more, but slowly eroding the freedoms the people enjoyed, creating a government that controls every aspect of life - even buying and selling - and then demonizing the Christians and demanding worship of himself, trying to usurp the very throne of God. A melding of a spiritual and a political leader that will make the world one, with all of us being "Citizens of the World". Christians supposedly believe all these things because they are in the Bible, but they also largely buy in to a materialistic system, increasingly have an entitlement mentality that God OWES them whatever they want, that if they give to God, God owes them much more back, and in the process are unfortunately largely ignorant of the major concepts and tenets of true Christianity.

Obama on the other hand, is a smooth and seemingly likable fellow who makes people feel good and who is a blank canvas upon which people can paint their dreams and aspirations without him actually affirming their hopes and dreams. They somehow believe that like Santa, he hears and understands, and will do something about their pain. When Obama has an unblemished record of supporting regular abortions, late term abortions, partial-birth abortions, and even aborting live births resulting from failed abortions, the fact that he says he wishes there were fewer abortions (EVERY liberal says that) makes the murder of the unborn something some Christians can overlook. When he says his top priority is to pass the euphemistically named "Freedom of Choice Act" and that he wants to spend a billion plus to fund groups that promote abortion, even the FORCED variety that is happening around the world, he is given the benefit of the doubt. People like to talk about intelligence, but intelligence is more about what God expresses through a person than one who may have had the tools to come out of Harvard. How many people from Harvard have the mind of Christ? That 12 year old girl obviously does, and like Daniel superseded all the wise men of Babylon, so she superseded Obama on abortion. It is painfully obvious.

When Obama wants to allow human life to be harvested for research, Christians believe it is inevitable. I mean, didn't Nancy Reagan even support that? (I never voted for Nancy Reagan). When Obama is endorsed by every homosexual group in town and he invites the disruptive radicals that even New York City had a problem with in their St. Patty's Day parade to Washington for the inaugural day parade, and even though he belonged to a church of an apostate denomination that started ordaining homosexuals over THIRTY YEARS AGO, Christians look past that. They ignore his stated desire to repeal Bill Clinton's Defense of Marriage Act and they don't flinch when he wants to overturn through Presidential Fiat the repeated decisions of citizens to oppose the obscene efforts to redefine marriage to include was is not marriage at all, but unfettered perversion that is the ultimate rebellion - hating whom God made you. They barely manage a sigh when homosexuality will be openly celebrated in the military, causing the best soldiers, those who are moral and full of principle, not to reenlist. Would YOU?

One can look at Biblical economics, individual responsibility, how welfare is to be determined (read Paul's requirements for widows to receive charity), the rights of employers to pay what they want and to hire whom they want, the principle of faithfulness in little as a precursor to faithfulness in much, and one can look at this first few weeks of the new administration, and there is no confluence on ANY issue between God's word and Obama that I know of. It is already full of corrupt politicians, starting at the very top, which any reasonable person reading Obama's history in "Chicago Politics" is well aware of. Tax cheats, liars, perjurers, and the like are being appointed faster than they can be indicted. The "Justice" Department is headed by Mr. Eric Holder, who is so agendized it makes Janet Reno look like Lady Liberty. Remember fugitive Marc Rich, whom Clinton pardoned? Eric Holder was not only complicit, but the mastermind of that. He also has a mindset incompatible with a "post-racial" world. Burris has told four versions of his Blago story but will likely be retained in the Senate by fellow liars. Some of Obama’s close friends and associates are outright enemies of Israel – a country close to the heart of most evangelical Christians.

Forget all that for the moment, though, if you can. The BIGGEST thing on my heart today is that lot of Christians are very strange bedfellows with a man they INSIST is a Christian that can change the world despite the fact he has been clear as day in openly NOT being a true Christian. I am not talking about "by their fruits you shall know them", though that would be sufficient. I am not talking about Obama's church attendance (or lack thereof). After all, Ronald Reagan almost never went to church as President, citing the fact he didn't want to put church members through security hassles (how convenient). The Bushes were no regulars at church when in Washington either, preferring the chapel at St. David's. I am talking about Obama's own confessions.

Let's look back a little. When a President like George Bush who claimed to have an experience with God, but who kept insisting that most Muslims were peaceful folks who worshiped the same God and who in a moment of candor revealed much he believed that is simply not true, Christians were disappointed. (Perhaps Bush should have spent more time in Sunday School than at the ranch on weekends). Though many of us appreciate the hard stand he took after 911 and his solid fortitude in spite of unbelievable political pressure, I don't know one true Christian who was not disappointed by what his candor revealed. The problem is, the VAST MAJORITY of Presidents have had hybrid faiths. If you read Reagan, if you read Carter, many are saying the very same things Barack Obama is. So what is the difference? Reagan's faith was obscure and hard to categorize. Nonetheless, his basic political outlook was fairly compatible with basic Biblical principles. The divorce was troubling, as well as his wife's astrology and his own superstitions, but in matters of public policy, he helped heal a broken country and had the right approach toward the hostile Soviet Empire which crumbled under his watch. His tax cuts brought a lasting prosperity and doubled the federal treasury's income. Carter had touted his born-again experience, but in his subsequent book, he believed Sadat and Begin were equally accepted by God - universalism incompatible with scripture. His weakness under stress and his unwillingness to tackle social immorality were similarly incompatible with the Bible.

People are now trying to read more into Barack Obama's words than they actually say, and the difference is that his politics are often in direct opposition to Biblical principles and edicts, so it is perhaps a more critical issue than someone who usually does what is right even though his heart and soul may not always be in the right place. Christians are prophesying things coming from Obama's reign, even that he has the "spirit of Joseph and Solomon". Well, we had better look closer if Obama is to be a spiritual leader as well as a political one.

Here is an account of what Obama experienced in a book endorsed by Archbishop Desmond Tutu. The book is "THE FAITH OF BARACK OBAMA" by Stephen Mansfield, available at major booksellers. Probably the best $19.99 you can spend. Reading it in its entirely is an eye-opener, and is totally consistent with every policy and manner of governing we have seen since January 20th. CAPS for emphasis below are mine.

"Exactly what Barack Obama experienced and what he understood is hard to discern. He does not use the language of the traditional convert to Christianity. He is the product of a new, post-modern generation that picks and chooses ITS OWN TRUTH from traditional faith, much as a man customizes a meal at a buffet. Obama does NOT recount that he felt an emptiness in his soul, was burdened by the weight of his sins, and so responded to the love of Jesus, who promised to save him and remake him in the image of God. This is the language of evangelicalism. He says, instead, that he was seeking a' 'vessel' for his values, a 'community or shared traditions in which to ground my most deeply held beliefs.' Rather than yield his mind without reserve to Scripture and its revelation of God, Obama was relieved that a 'religious commitment did not require me to suspend critical thinking.' Rather than 'renounce the world and its ways' - standard Christian language for breaking with the sinful ways of society - he was pleased that his faith would not require 'retreat from the world that I knew and loved'. Rather than commit to Jesus Christ because of truth he had already found sure, Obama instead admitted, 'The questions I had didn't magically disappear,' and so in conversion he 'dedicated himself to discovering (God's) truth.'"

Obama goes on to note that some of the Bible is far fetched and that more than the resurrection, his attraction was sacrifice for a larger cause. He believes that "religion at its best comes with a big dose of doubt". He said, "IT'S NOT FAITH IF YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN." Compare that with "Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen." It is clear that Obama's catechism is orthodox unbelief promulgated by apostate churches such as the UCC and that like most who attend such places, he is largely illiterate when it comes to the Bible.. When Obama says he is a "Christian", we have to know what he means by that. All of the above plus his oft noted belief that Christianity is only one way of reaching God says it all. On every issue of importance to true Christians, he is not there, and we have no right to project our beliefs on him. He has made it abundantly clear that he disbelieves practically everything of importance that Jesus said about himself and our need for him.

So how did 33% of professing evangelical Christians end up painting their Christianity on Obama's blank canvas? If you read our earlier post on "Political Deception Follows Spiritual Deception", you would know that this deception did not happen overnight. For years, Christians have embraced teachers and doctrines at odds with the Bible. They have embraced leaders who have denied the gospel because of other messages they found attractive, and painted their Christianity on those canvases as well. The vast majority of Christians do not study the Bible much if at all and are largely ignorant of its major premises. They also are slow to judge who is clearly outside the faith when that judgment is critical to their spiritual survival. When they hear verses out of context, concepts that tickle the flesh, and have their itching ears soothed by platitudes from well-dressed and obviously materially successful people, and don't check things out for themselves, they are in spiritual deception and morph more and more into people who don't put Christ FIRST. They rail against "Bible thumpers" and "unloving fundamentalists", but in the process end up far afield of where they should be. They have lost the benchmark or truth, and their lives go further and further out of balance.

Some Christians were attracted by Obama's multi-ethnic background. Others by his speeches. Still others by what sounded like a spiritual component. And many also who believe that Christians have avoided issues of justice and widespread economic success which unfortunately has too often been the case. In their analysis, though, some simply do not recognize the tenets of alternative political systems that have failed worldwide. Others choose to ignore the universalism endemic in the rhetoric. The end result is that when the flesh is pleased, everything else can be explained away. I never really jumped on any political leader's bandwagon. Any reader of this blog knows my deep criticism of John McCain and my largely unheeded advice to Sarah Palin, whom I thought had (and may still have) great potential. I voted for Bush but never really related to the man other than a deep admiration for him sticking to his moral guns while his popularity crashed and burned. Clinton's folly in dealing with Bin Laden and terrorism was not as reported on as his sexual adventurism, but a GOP Congress balanced him and Welfare Reform and fiscal restraint led to some good years. Bush #41's ideas of globalism made me really nervous, Reagan was OK, but I was no big time fan other than the tearing down of the Berlin Wall and his stand against abortion. I thought some Christians were too much in bed with him too, particularly with his unclear spiritual stands. Carter I voted for based upon his interview with Bill Moyers and I lived to regret it. Even going back to Kennedy, I did not understand the unbridled enthusiasm for political leaders who seemed more about style than substance. I mean, can a Camelot save Washington? Apparently not, as his accomplishments were relatively minor with his prime legacy coming after his death.

The lionizing of Democrats is really nothing new. For you older folks, many thought Adlai Stevenson was the smartest man in the world. Many of his ideas would have had disastrous consequences. Political leaders simply have their limits, and they are not Christ, and they cannot bring about the righteousness of God. I try to pick the one whom I feel will best preserve peace and prosperity and who is fair to all. Beyond that, this world is not my home, I'm just a-passing through. I am working for the kingdom of God to spread throughout the earth, and that kingdom operates on totally different principles than those of Obama, Pelosi, and Reid or any other combination of leaders from either party, for that matter.

To the extent we have freedom to pursue the Lord, I am OK with whomever is in power. However, I believe it is foolish for Christians to support those who want to marginalize them and steal away their freedoms. Yes, I know Romans 13. Barack Obama is a minister of God. He was established by God for his purposes. He will one day give account to God for his stewardship of the American people and their resources. He deserves honor and respect because of his position. However, Jesus called Herod a fox, so it does not mean that leaders are beyond criticism. It also does not mean we do not work for the defeat of those who do not steward the people and resources appropriately since we have that freedom at this point in time. Our assignment is to work for the common good. However, we also warn people against idolatry which I have seen and heard personally that goes beyond Kennedy, Clinton, and the rest and makes me absolutely aghast. It is truly sacrilege.

Now I pray in detail for Mr. Obama every day, and you should too. We should pray for his protection, for his marriage, for his children, and most of all for his salvation. We should pray that he will surround himself with Godly people, not the folks currently in his inner circle. We need to pray for the right things he favors to come to pass, and for the wrong things he wants to be utterly defeated. We need to pray for his true salvation, and for a maturity that does not simply dismantle everything his predecessor did - that is childish. He needs to learn from the mistakes of Reheboam and Carter and Clinton and Bush and not repeat them. We can also pray for his defeat in Congress and the courts when he his violating Christian principles.

Liberals and Muslims. Social Progressives and Darwinists. Christians and Obama. Very strange bedfellows indeed. Better to be allied with the Lord and to share his glory with no man of any party or political persuasion. We will not go wrong with HIM.

OCTUPLETS, TAXES, AND GLOBAL WARMING

Some streaming thoughts...

OCTUPLETS
What about Nadya's "right to choose"? The very folks who scream about this so-called right found nowhere in the constitution seem mighty eager to restrict the rights of people to have children. One looney even recommended a two child limit. At least it is not China's one-child policy, but the fact that American leftists are slightly more flexible than China's doesn't reassure me very much. Really and truly, I believe the doctor was not acting responsibly for pushing fertility to an already fertile woman, but it really is not government's business if you want no children or a baker's dozen. The hero of the Super Bowl with his 100 yard touchdown had 14 OLDER brothers and sisters. Now without him. the Cardinals would probably have won, but is that any reason to deprive a person of the right to life? If you ask me, they Meddling in the most personal decisions is not warranted except to PRESERVE LIFE, and that is ironically the ONLY area where these folks want NO meddling! Speaking of the Super Bowl, NBC refused to air the commercial showing Obama as an embryo and then growing into the President. That is HISTORY, yet is controversial. If you ask me, most of the commercials they showed were plain dumb, the worst ever. That 30-second Obama spot was better than ANY of the ones they showed. Watch it on You-Tube.

TAX DOUBLE STANDARDS
It seems like 1992 all over again. Remember when Bill Clinton had to keep disqualifying folks because they hadn't paid their taxes? Mostly Nanny's. Obama has reached that unenviable benchmark at lightning speed, and most of this is far worse than not paying taxes on your nannies. It is to be expected. Those who vote for every tax in the world find every excuse not to pay them. They put their money in overseas tax shelters, don't declare consulting income, and in Daschle's case, overstate their contributions. It is like the old saw that Republicans are stingy. Not nearly as stingy as those supposedly fighting poverty - Al Gore gave $274 to charity one year, and except for John Kerry, most were just as miserly. Anyone look at Obama's returns? They only gave 1% or under to Charity until 2005 when it mysteriously went up to 4.7% when he was thinking about being President. From $3,500 to $77,315 per year. Is it compassion or politics? By comparison, the old curmudgeon Dick Cheney and his wife gave away about a quarter million, and many poor to middle class Christians give over 10% of their income to churches and charities. Image is not reality. Now I understand struggling folks getting behind in taxes. Been there, done that. However, if they at least are honest with their returns and work out a repayment agreement, there should be zero criticism. For multi-millionaires skimming, though, there is no excuse. Who wants skimmers and cheaters at the highest levels of government? We already have the lobbyists doing that. There is no room for more.

GLOBAL WARMING
It was stunning how much John McCain and Barack Obama were trying to top each other on who was the greenest. The problem is, only 5% of carbon dioxide results from man-made activities. Did you know that greenhouses often pump in carbon dioxide to get better growing? The very warm medieval period from about 950 to 1100 (many centuries before the industrial revolution for you history-challenged folks) was wonderful for humankind in terms of plant productivity and exploration and many other things. The Vikings did not have as much sea ice to deal with as there is today. Anarctic ice is huge, the Alps have more snow now than they know what to do with, 2008's temperature drop wiped out a good portion of the 20th century increase that had panicked some folks, and yet Obama is bent on signing ridiculously expensive agreements that handcuff our economy because of a hypothesis that is unproven and likely false. It is all about politics, and not truth. The fight is against the sovereignty of God. Man is not God, and he cannot control the weather. When God wants global warming we will have it. Personally, the drop in temperatures is heartening, because God prophesied the ultimate global warming that he, and not mankind, will bring. The earth and its works WILL be burned up. Whether you drive a hybrid or an old gas hog will not change the timing of God. The same in terms of rebellion against God and politics taking precedence over truth could be said about evolution, still unproven as the world seeks to celebrate the 200th anniversary of Darwin's birth on February 12th - the birth of an unrepentant racist who probably did more than anything to make the world a hateful place. As the evolutions like to say, "The idea of God getting his foot in the door is unthinkable." Well, I'm praying he puts it even more through the doorway and lets the light of his truth blind the fools who deny he exists. More on that in my next post to appear before the "big day" of February 12th.