When "Faith" Is Useless

10 Most Important Obama Faith Moments

From expanding the White House's faith-based office to opening his rallies with prayer, Barack Obama has embraced faith in a more visible way than any other president in recent memory. At the same time, Obama's actions on a variety of fronts, from abortion policy to accepting a speaking invitation at Notre Dame—a prestigious Roman Catholic university—have outraged religious conservatives. The confluence of these two phenomena have made for an explosion of "faith moments" in the first 100 days of Obama's presidency. Here are the 10 most important.

1. Rick Warren's Inauguration Day Invocation
2. Granting First TV Interview to Arabic Language Network
3. Reversing Mexico City Policy on Family Planning Providers Abroad
4. Opening Rallies With Prayer
5. Launching White House Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships
6. Convening a Faith Advisory Council
7. Joe Biden's Receiving Ashes on Ash Wednesday
8. Lifting Restrictions on Federally-Funded Embryonic Stem Cell Research
9. Announcing Plans to Give Notre Dame's Commencement Address
10. Speaking to Muslim World From Turkey

US News & World Report article

Examine yourselves, to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves. Or do you not realize this about yourselves, that Jesus Christ is in you? - unless indeed you fail to meet the test!
[2Co 13:5]

SSM, FDA , Suicide and Abortion Shame

Connecticut has fallen and Maine is closing in quickly.

"A spokesman for Gov. M. Jodi Rell said she will sign the bill, which passed 28-7 in the Senate and 100-44 in the House of Representatives, into law. It redefines marriage in Connecticut as the legal union of two people. State law previously defined marriage as the union of a man and a woman."

Marriage In Connecticut Is Now The Legal Union Of Two People

"Sen. Dennis Damon's proposal -- backed by more than 60 legislative co-sponsors -- would repeal a state law that limits marriage to a man and a woman and replace it with one that authorizes marriage between any two people. Also up for a discussion was a separate bill to allow civil unions — which offer many of the same rights as marriage — sponsored by Rep. Les Fossel, R-Alna."

Maine's Marriage Debate Turns Deeply Religious

And the FDA has now made it official. 17 year-old girls can't purchase alcohol or cigarettes, they can't vote yet they have the "right" to abort the results an "unintended pregnancy".

FDA To Make Morning-after Pill Available To 17-year-olds

And we're just getting warmed up regarding our culture of death:

Suicide Group's Manual Urges Celebrations

Secretary Clinton: Obama Administration Wants To Overturn Other Countries Pro-life Laws

Confronting Clinton On Abortion

Americans need to hang their heads in shame. Better yet, they need to repent and put their faith in Christ while He remains longsuffering and makes grace available.

"And now, O sons, listen to me: blessed are those who keep my ways. Hear instruction and be wise, and do not neglect it. Blessed is the one who listens to me, watching daily at my gates, waiting beside my doors. For whoever finds me finds life and obtains favor from the Lord, but he who fails to find me injures himself; all who hate me love death." [Pro 8:32-36 ESV]

Hyposcrisy Is as Hypocrisy Does

Man, one little answer to a question during the Miss USA pageant sure does ruffle some feathers! But it sure is clear evidence of how intolerant the gay agenda is. All Miss California did was to give an opinion and for this the homosexual community is ready to hang her. And this from the group that espouses how tolerant the rest of the world needs to be toward them? It seems the gay agenda will tolerate anything ... as long as it agrees with them. Sounds awfully judgemental to me.

Mr. Martin's commentary on the issue over at CNN (surprise, surprise!) sums it up nicely:

It seems that Hilton, who is gay, was none too pleased that Prejean chose to actually give her personal opinion on the issue, and ripped her on his blog after the show, using crude obscenities as he continued to attack her at every turn on his media blitz.
...
But her remark isn't outside the mainstream. A CNN/Opinion Research Corp. poll shows that 55 percent of Americans are against same-sex marriage, and Proposition 8 did pass in her state 52-48 percent. What's interesting about this is that many of the same folks who are slamming her for her remark voted for President Obama and Vice President Joe Biden, who both have the same belief: that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Even Secretary of State Hillary Clinton made it clear that she has the same view, and it was her husband, President Bill Clinton, who signed the In Defense of Marriage Act, the federal law that forbids states from having to recognize gay marriage in other states. In other words, four of the biggest liberals in the country have the same belief as Prejean, but a beauty pageant winner is being torn to shreds. Hello, hypocrisy!

Commentary: Miss California, thanks for being honest

Latest News Headlines

These are the headlines that stuck out at me gathered over the last 4 days:

How Gays Won A Marriage Victory
For 7 years, activists eyed a seemingly unlikely target: Iowa

Demographic Winter Heralds Same-sex Marriage Spring
The New England region is a sitting duck for the further de-construction of marriage

Ever So Quietly, 'Hate Crimes' Legislation Re-introduced

Faith Groups Increasingly Lose Gay Rights Fights
'It really is all about religious liberty for us,' says leader of Methodist group

Gay Marriage And The Future Of Religious Liberty

Focus On The Family Unveils True Tolerance Web Site
Initiative equips parents to counter homosexual activism in schools

Q&A: Can We Be Married, But Independent?

Secret To Marital Bliss? Don't Have Kids
Couples' satisfaction declines after birth of first child, eight-year study finds

Planned Parenthood Profits Keep On Rolling In

Planned Parenthood Matters
The organization has a dark history and a disturbing present

'22 Weeks'
The Inescapable Truth about Abortion

Vermont Considers Legalizing Teen 'Sexting'

Britain's Worst Hour

Recent Headlines of Interest

How stupid do you have to be to praise Margaret Sanger? Or perhaps it's just due to total lack of a brain? Perhaps that's the meaning behind the name 'Clinton':

Abortion: A Foreign Concept

And this is just as idiotic (and sad):

Abortion Pride Movement?

Other items worthy of notice:

Vatican Official Says Catholics Who Voted For Obama Cooperated With Evil

Video: Is 'Sexting' A Teen's Right?

Hawaiian Leaders 'Lei' It On The Line For Marriage

Christians In Hawaii Credited For Gay Civil Unions Defeat

Who Will Raise Kids: Mom, Dad Or State?
Parental rights: 67 in Congress pushing to amend Constitution

Pass The Offering Plate, Take A Condom
United Church of Christ Promotes Contraceptive Distribution in the Sanctuary

Your view of Holy Scripture makes all the difference:

Survey Shows How Liberals and Conservatives Differ On Matters Of Faith

Provide them with comprehensive sexual education and contraceptives but don't you dare let there be any other physical contact:

Connecticut School Bans Physical Contact
East Shore M.S. Outlaws "High-Fives," "Hugging" And Horseplay Of Any Kind; Violators May Face Expulsion

Pray, pray, pray:

Walter Hoye Update

Great reading from Mohler and Challies:

The Eclipse Of Christian Memory

To Be Full of God

The Downward Spiral Continues

I am certain that Obama will go down as one of the most incompetent men to hold the office of the President of the United States:

Obama Scraps 'Global War On Terror' For 'Overseas Contingency Operation'

Presidential Nonsense

Does He Think We’re That Stupid?

Kroft To Obama: Are You Punch-drunk?

The Europe Syndrome

Terence Corcoran: Is This The End Of America?
U.S. law-making is riddled with slapdash, incompetence and gamesmanship

And here are some things to think about (and hopefully make you aware, uncomfortable and willing to make a difference for the glory of God):

Judge Orders FDA To Let 17-Year-Olds Obtain Plan B

Arizona Attorney General To Investigate Sexual Abuse Cover Up At Planned Parenthood Clinics

Video: Statutory Rape Concealed
Activist Lila Rose's new project exposes Phoenix Planned Parenthood

Teens' Abortion Technique: Drink Poisonous Mixture
Ending unwanted pregnancy as easy as swallowing veterinary medicine

Unwed Birth Rate Reaches All-time High In U.S.
Report: Record number of babies born in 2007; 40 percent to single moms

ABC News On A Gay Christian Matchmaking Service

Christian Hotel Owners Sued By Gay Couple Over Marriage Stance

Elon Poll: NC Split On Gay Marriage

Elevating Homosexuality To New Heights

Gay Marriage Recognized ... In Webster Dictionary

Consensus Or Censorship?
Despite disagreement within the scientific community, many politicians want us to believe all of science is on board with man-made global warming

UK Population Must Fall To 30m, Says Porritt

New Al Gore Book Coming This Fall

The Real Population Threat

Pet-ernity Leave
Treating Pets as Humans

Pass The Offering Plate, Take A Condom
United Church of Christ Promotes Contraceptive Distribution in the Sanctuary

U.N. Treaty Limiting Parents' Rights Pushed

Luxembourg Legalizes Euthanasia

Christian School Confiscating Cell Phones To Stop Cheating

To finish things off I'll leave you with a video worth watching:





Soli Deo Gloria,
Rich

The World Just Doesn't Get It

Without the Truth, you are most certainly lost. You can't appeal to the innate goodness of man (because it doesn't exist), you can't rely on your own understanding (try Proverbs 14:12 or 16:25) and you certainly can't legislate your way out of it (because that won't effect changes to the heart).

D.C. Struggles To Contain HIV Epidemic
Officials worry prevalence rate is up to 50 percent higher than reported

Single, Pregnant And Panicked
Why so many smart women botch their birth control

A Gay-Marriage Solution: End Marriage?

Mom Helping Son With Down Syndrome Lose Virginity

Celebrity Narcissism: A Bad Reflection For Kids

If you really want to see what the problem is, then be prepared to take a long hard look in the mirror:

Our Reflection
Confessed swindler Bernard Madoff mirrors the flaw in each of us, revealing what theologians used to call “sin”

This is a message that resonates with the "true" Christian (because it agrees with the true state of man as given in Scripture) but will raise the hackles of almost everyone in the world these days (and I think this is where Romans 1:18-32 & John 7:7 comes into play).

Servant of God

The following is the first of 6 clips on YouTube that was recently shown on the BBC as an hour long program. It chronicles a snapshot in the life of Deborah, a 13 year-old who comes from a large homeschooling family who leads a life that's, I'm sure, pleasing to God and a true-blue witness for Christ in this dark world of ours. If you like this one (and I don't possibly see how you couldn't), be sure to see the rest of the story in the other 5 clips!





I love her attitude toward life and that she owes it all to God. She sees her life as a service to God. She has a full understanding that our life is but a vapor. As she describes it, her life is just a "wee dash" between when she's born and when she dies. That's the day we all need to be prepared for. Are you ready?

Today's Hero

I'm just blown away by this young lady. Watch the video, read her story below and then read about what's happening in North Dakota on this very issue.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Rich





12-year-old steals day with pro-life speech

ND House Passes Abortion Ban

WAY COOL UPDATE:

12-Year-Old's Pro-Life Presentation Saves A Life

Be Ever Vigilant

I recently ran across a news article on MSNBC which was basically an advertisement for a new "Christian" study/teaching website:

The Foundation for Christian Studies (FCS), a non-profit organization dedicated to the study and awareness of Christian theology, values, and service, today launched its global website at www.studychristianity.org. The FCS website includes a comprehensive doctrinal study program, downloadable theological essays, interactive discussion forums, and online stores for Christian books, music, and art.

I'm always interested in a new site which might help me learn more about my Lord and Savior. And I was even more surprised that such a prominent ad for Christianity was found on a secular news site. So I visited to see what was there as well as which denomination they were affiliated with (which is always of utmost importance so that time is not wasted on resources and material which does not line up doctrinally with sound Biblical teaching).

As soon as I arrived at their web site, I was attracted to the "Christian Defined" link. What I read there was quite an eye opener and immediately set off alarm bells. To make a long story short, what this page basically said was that doctrine was not important. No one deserves to sit in judgement of another. If someone calls them self a "Christian" and is attempting to live by the golden rule, then that's all that matters. What immediately popped into my mind was United Church of Christ or perhaps even today's quickly sinking Episcopalian church.

Having been thoroughly turned off, I then ventured to their "Scriptures" page and immediately found my answer: The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. Bingo! I had my answer. Here we obviously have a new PR push by the Mormons to refute some of the backlash they've been getting lately from various Catholic and Protestant circles. While they may call themselves "Christian", they most certainly are not. They are a cult, plain and simple.

And I find it quite ironic that in their definition of a Christian, they stress how important it is not to judge others who call themselves Christians. Here we have a church which was founded by a very strange man (Joseph Smith) who started a new church to make it clear that all current churches were heretical and that true salvation could only be found through his church (sounds pretty judgemental to me!). Here is a man who simply copied over the King James version of the Bible and changed various passages to agree with his errant theology. And he also added The Book of Mormon which is considered superior and more correct than the Bible. Their basic belief ("As god once was, man is. As God is, man may become.") appeals to sinful human beings and should be an immediate warning to true, discerning Christians who call Jesus Christ their Lord and Savior (Act 4:12, Jhn 14:6).

If you don't know much about Mormonism or other cults, spend some time studying so that you may be better equipped to witness in this world and better able to give a reason for your faith (1Pe 3:15). I would highly recommend spending some time on CARM and perhaps even take some of their online classes for theology and apologetics.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Rich

Abortion, Porn & Family - What's Important to You?

After generating today's headlines for my news site, there are a few that stood out to me as worth mentioning.

If anyone thinks this is an isolated case, I feel sorry for you. And how someone can read this and continue to insist that abortion is within a woman's right is simply beyond my comprehension. Satan continues to blind eyes and masquerade as an angel of light and the weak flesh is only too willing to agree.

Doctor Loses License In Live Birth Abortion Case

Our culture is incredibly sexually drive and everyone seems to agree that it's not a good thing. And not only are very few doing anything about it, some seem to think that we need even more debauchery. And, of course, where better to serve it up then at college:

College Wrong To Host Week Of 'Sexploration'

Nothing like a little help from "Pure Romance" and the "University of Cincinnati Wellness Center", huh? God help us.

And to round things off, let's look at the wonderful things the U.N. is doing these days:

United Nations Population Fund Leader Says Family Breakdown Is A Triumph For Human Rights

And this not an isolated case of a radical agenda in motion:

United Nations' Threat: No More Parental Rights

Combating Religious Intolerance With A U.N. Resolution?

Critics Say U.N. 'Culture Of Peace' Meeting Hides Culture Of Oppression

UN Says Eat Less Meat To Curb Global Warming

Is The U.N. Advocating Homosexuality And Pedophilia?

U.N. Terminology Legitimizes Prostitution

UN Report Calls Palestinian Terrorism Result Of Occupation

United Nations Rolls Out Liberal Agenda For 2008

So if the U.N. comes knocking around your door (or country), tell them to take a hike!

Soli Deo Gloria,
Rich

Just As They Predicted

A long time ago in a galaxy quite near, leaders in today's true Church warned the world that pushing for the acceptance of homosexual "marriage" would be the first step down the slippery slope. They warned that once this clearly anti-biblical lifestyle was accepted as normative, it would open the gate for the rest of human debauchery and wickedness. And they were right.

Canada Man Charged With Polygamy To Use Gay Marriage Defense

Once marriage becomes about "love" rather than the standard established by God's Word, mankind can define "marriage" to be anything he wants. Just as homosexual relationships were once kept in the closet and no one would dare to talk about it in public, it now makes the news on a daily basis and is considered enlightening and tolerant.

It won't take long, if things continue, for polygamy and polyamory to be the norm. And then pedophilia will be acceptable as the the age of consent gets set lower and lower (look up the recent pedophilia political party established in the Netherlands which is working to lower the age of consent BELOW 14). And it will sink to the lowest when bestiality is celebrated as a beautiful expression of love between man and animal (did you see the movie featured at the Sundance Film Festival about 2 years ago about a man and his horse? I kid you not).

And as long as we as true Christians who believe in the inerrant and infallible Word of God keep our mouths shut, it will continue to spiral downward. As long as we care more about our leisure time and finances than God's glory, we can only point our fingers at ourselves. If we continue to keep our heads buried in the sand we shouldn't be shocked nor dismayed at what we find when we pull our heads out now and then to take a look around.

Want to read more about liberal judges making up law as they go:

Illinois Moment Of Silence In Schools Ruled Unconstitutional

Want to work against the pro-abortion mentality of the new President:

Fight FOCA

'Brokeback Mountain' was just the beginning:

Carrey, McGregor Lock Lips For Gay Film - ‘I Love You Phillip Morris’

Jim Carrey "Comes Out" At Sundance

Want to learn how pornography is healthy for your teens and how you can help them grow in their budding sexuality (be sure to catch the final lines of advice for parents):

How Teens Really Feel About Pornography

Or perhaps we need to take a more biblical approach:

Dr. Dobson: 'Bundy Was Right' About Dangers Of Pornography

And this seems to fit right into this discussion:

Avert Thine Eyes! 'Hounddog' DVD On The Way

Imagine if this headline had been published just 50 years ago:

What Is Virginity Worth Today?

Would Uncle Sam really take your children away and put them in the highly respected foster care system while you sit in jail:

Mom Arrested, Jailed For Disciplining Kids On Plane

And, finally, check out these upcoming films based on true stories:

Abortion Film '22 Weeks' Disturbs, Exposes

The Terri Schiavo Story

Want to keep on all of today's headlines that impact true Christian life? Visit my Christian News Headlines website and sign up for our e-mail list today!

Where Does This Come From?

First off, Michael Newdow is an idiot. Well, the Bible would call him a fool (Psa 14:1, 53:1 ) but I'm going to go a step further and call him an idiot. He's perfectly within his American rights to voice his opinion (like I'm doing here) but to put as much time and effort and money as he has into trying to eradicate God from the American landscape is just sad. Just look at his track record to date; how many times has he engaged in litigation and compare it to the number of court rulings he's won? (And we won't even go into the whole definition of what an "atheist" really is and how no sane person can honestly say there is no God).

And now he's hard at work to try and prevent prayer at the upcoming presidential inauguration [news article]. He doesn't want Rick Warren to open his mouth. He doesn't want Lincoln's Bible to be there. He doesn't want Obama's hand to be on it while he takes his oath. And he most certainly doesn't want Obama to utter those four nasty words "so help me God" to seal that very oath to the United States of America and her people.

I can't help but wonder what place in hell this man will hold for someone who hates God so much. Just as there are degrees of reward in heaven, so there are degrees of punishment in hell. And I can't help but think about the kind of wrath Mr. Newdow is storing up for himself by basically blaspheming God 24/7. Mr. Newdow REALLY needs our prayers because it terrifies me to the core for where he is going and what awaits him when he arrives.

But I digress. The reason for this post is to get people thinking on the same subject that I wrestle with on a regular basis. Anyone who follows the state of "true" Christianity in the U.S. knows that our nation bears very little resemblance to the country our founding fathers created. For most of these men, the Word of God was the highest form of authority and governed very much, if not a most, of what they thought and did. It drove the creation of our government with a built in set of checks and balances (because they understood the treachery of men's hearts), it created an educational system for children to teach them biblical literacy (read up on the New England Primer if you haven't) and so on, and so on.

Take a look at our society today and 99% of the public is biblically illiterate and spiritually lost. Read the news on any given day and you can't help but notice the level of debauchery we have sunk to whether you are talking about homosexuality, divorce, abuse, killing (especially what are children are doing to each other at school), abortion, euthanasia, and on and on it goes.

Then along comes a response to Mr. Newdow's latest attempt at futility. I read this morning about how an amicus brief was filed in the Newdow case, spearheaded by the Texas Attorney General. A line has been drawn in the sand to defend the constitutionality of prayer by our public servants. Praise God! And what gets me is how not just one, or ten or twenty state attorney generals signed this document, BUT ALL 50 (as well as the one representing the Virgin Islands)! What's up with that? How is it that a nation that is so far removed from God and, for the most part, could care less about Him (unless planes fly into skyscrapers or the Dow Jones plummets over a waterfall) can respond like it did today? I'd like to hear YOUR thoughts.

Granted, almost no one is standing up for the name of Jesus, but there's got to be something at work here for defending our rights to "inject religion" into the public landscape. I'm so very pleased to see how people like Mr. Newdow are in the vast minority and people still believe that God has a place in life, not just for when you're surrounded by the four walls of church and home.

I believe God is still at work among the American people. But I wonder how long His common grace will endure amidst the suffering and slow slide into secularity that we see going on every day. How longsuffering will He be? What are we Christians doing to proclaim the name of Christ through our words and deeds so that our Father in heaven may be glorified? What remnant exists that may be holding back the hand of God from earthly judgement and utter moral chaos?

Soli Deo Gloria,
Rich

Attorney General Abbott Defends Constitutionality Of Prayer During Presidential Inauguration

Amicus Brief [PDF]

A "Resolution" Worth Keeping

Anyone who really knows me (and that number could be counted on one hand with a few fingers left over) knows that I don't make "resolutions" when the beginning of a new year rolls around. And if you do, well, then you're a heathen ;-) (Mt 5:37). But if you are looking for a good use of your time in 2009, I suggest reading the following, printing it out and making it a point to pray accordingly. I can only imagine the power that God would bring among His people should churches make a concerted effort to lift up their pastor in such a way.

And I guess it's a good time to throw in "The Resolutions" by Jonathan Edwards.

Soli Deo Gloria,
Rich

Praying For Your Pastor
by Ligon Duncan

The Resolutions
by Jonathan Edwards