Sunday, March 31, 2024
Trademark and Logo Usage THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST NAME
Trademark and Logo Usage
THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST NAME
Church trademarks, such as “Seventh-day Adventist,” “Adventist,” and “Ministry,” may be used only in connection with denominational ministries and non-commercial activities of approved lay and professional groups. Use of these trademarks shall be controlled by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists through its Trademark Committee. Church trademarks shall not be used in any manner that will jeopardize the Church’s tax-exempt status.
THE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST LOGO
The registered trademark may be used by the Seventh-day Adventist Church, its entities, institutions, and churches, as authorized by the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, its divisions, unions, and conferences.
Trademarks shall not be utilized in commercial endeavors.
REGISTERED TRADEMARKS
ADVENTIST®
ADVENTIST BOOK CENTER®
ADVENTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES®
ADVENTIST COMMUNITY SERVICES Design®
ADVENTIST HEALTH® (fancy)
ADVENTIST HEALTH SYSTEM®
ADVENTIST HEALTHCARE®
ADVENTIST INFORMATION MINISTRY®
ADVENTIST LAWYER®
ADVENTIST-LAYMEN’S SERVICES AND INDUSTRIES® (ASI)
ADVENTIST NEWSLINE®
ADVENTIST NEWS NETWORK®
ADVENTIST PIONEER LIBRARY®
ADVENTIST REVIEW®
ADVENTIST RISK MANAGEMENT®
Saturday, March 30, 2024
Nicole Shanahan (RFK Jr's VP pick)
Nicole Shanahan
Next election
November 5, 2024
Contact
Campaign website
Personal Twitter
Personal LinkedIn
Nicole Shanahan is running for vice president on a ticket with presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (I) in the 2024 presidential election. Kennedy selected Shanahan as his running mate on March 26, 2024. To read more about Kennedy's campaign, click here.
Shanahan is a patent attorney and entrepreneur. She serves as the president of the Bia-Echo Foundation, which invests in helping older women have children, criminal justice, and environmental issues.[1][2]
See Kennedy's presidential campaign overview and Presidential candidates, 2024, for more information about the 2024 presidential election.
Biography
Shanahan grew up in Oakland, California. She was raised in a single-parent household by her mother, who immigrated to the United States from China.[3] Shanahan received bachelor's degrees in Asian Studies, economics, and Mandarin Chinese from the University of Puget Sound in 2007.[3][2]
She began her career working as an intellectual property paralegal and patent specialist before receiving a law degree from the Santa Clara University School of Law in 2014. After graduating, Shanahan founded ClearAccessIP, a tech company that works in patent analytics and intellectual property asset management. She sold the company in 2020.[4]
As of 2024, she serves as the president of the Bia-Echo Foundation, which invests in helping older women have children, criminal justice, and environmental issues.[1][2]
Elections
2024
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. (I) selected Shanahan as his running mate on March 26, 2024. Kennedy began his campaign for the 2024 presidential election on April 5, 2023. Click the links below to read more about the 2024 presidential election:
Robert F. Kennedy Jr. presidential campaign, 2024
Presidential candidates, 2024
Democratic presidential nomination, 2024
Republican presidential nomination, 2024
See also
Presidential candidates, 2024
Democratic presidential nomination, 2024
Republican presidential nomination, 2024
See also
External links
Footnotes
- ↑ Jump up to:1.0 1.1 Reuters, "RFK Jr to pick lawyer Nicole Shanahan as VP in 2024 bid, WSJ reports," March 26, 2024
- ↑ Jump up to:2.0 2.1 2.2 LinkedIn, "Nicole Shanahan," accessed March 26, 2024
- ↑ Jump up to:3.0 3.1 Politico, "55 Things You Need to Know About Nicole Shanahan," March 26, 2024
- ↑ IP CloseUp, "ACQUISITION OF CLEARACCESS IP BY SPANGENBERG’S IPWE COULD BE A HARBINGER OF CHANGE IN THE PATENT SPACE," April 30, 2020
Source
Friday, March 29, 2024
Thursday, March 28, 2024
Tuesday, March 26, 2024
Sunday, March 24, 2024
Saturday, March 23, 2024
Friday, March 22, 2024
Thursday, March 21, 2024
Vatican Power Over Governments
By Stephen D. Mumford, DrPH | 18 March 2024
(Credit: YouTube / screengrab)
Excerpt from Chapter 5 of our Chairman Dr. Stephen D. Mumford’s book, American Democracy and the Vatican: Population Growth and National Security (1984). The book is available at Kindle here and to read for free here.
Vatican Power Over Governments
It is also true that the Vatican controls governments whenever possible—either completely or partially. Until this strong hold on Catholic countries or those with substantial Catholic leadership is greatly reduced, we can expect very little improvement in world efforts to control population growth. The Vatican’s strong influence on international donor agencies must be eliminated as well.
Jean-Guy Vaillancourt, professor of sociology at the University of Montreal, a Catholic, and author of Papal Power: A Study of Vatican Control Over Lay Catholic Elites,[9] has studied extensively Vatican efforts to achieve this dominance:
[The] Vatican is, above all, an organizational weapon in the hands of the papacy and other top ecclesiastical officials. Religious ideology has increasingly become subordinated to organizational imperatives. Among these internal and external organizational imperatives, organizational control of lay elites seems to have become a major preoccupation and necessity for Church authorities.[10]
No matter who the pope is, there are structural and institutional influences that operate because the Vatican is not only a religious institution and a center of political power but also an economic institution with vast financial and real estate holdings, a “fiscal paradise” which ranks alongside Monaco and Hong Kong as a haven for tax evasion.[11]
In spite of the purely religious image that it endeavors to put forward, the Vatican is deeply involved in Italian and international politics and finance, promoting conservatism and capitalism while professing a Christian approach to democratic reforms. The Vatican is constantly intervening in Italian politics to protect its interests, including its economic interests. The Vatican is not only a political and a religious entity, it is also an important financial enterprise…. Church authorities have let themselves be used by political and economic elites as ideological legitimators of capitalism and conservatism, in return for economic advantage and political favors.[12]
Papal Power: A Study of Vatican Control over Lay Catholic Elites by Jean-Guy Vaillancourt. https://t.co/zCZ9VJWyxw
— Church and State (@ChurchAndStateN) March 18, 2024
Excerpt from Chapter 5 of our Chairman Dr. Stephen D. Mumford’s book, American Democracy and the Vatican: Population Growth and National Security (1984). The book is available at Kindle here and to read for free here.
Vatican Power Over Governments
It is also true that the Vatican controls governments whenever possible—either completely or partially. Until this strong hold on Catholic countries or those with substantial Catholic leadership is greatly reduced, we can expect very little improvement in world efforts to control population growth. The Vatican’s strong influence on international donor agencies must be eliminated as well.
Jean-Guy Vaillancourt, professor of sociology at the University of Montreal, a Catholic, and author of Papal Power: A Study of Vatican Control Over Lay Catholic Elites,[9] has studied extensively Vatican efforts to achieve this dominance:
[The] Vatican is, above all, an organizational weapon in the hands of the papacy and other top ecclesiastical officials. Religious ideology has increasingly become subordinated to organizational imperatives. Among these internal and external organizational imperatives, organizational control of lay elites seems to have become a major preoccupation and necessity for Church authorities.[10]
No matter who the pope is, there are structural and institutional influences that operate because the Vatican is not only a religious institution and a center of political power but also an economic institution with vast financial and real estate holdings, a “fiscal paradise” which ranks alongside Monaco and Hong Kong as a haven for tax evasion.[11]
In spite of the purely religious image that it endeavors to put forward, the Vatican is deeply involved in Italian and international politics and finance, promoting conservatism and capitalism while professing a Christian approach to democratic reforms. The Vatican is constantly intervening in Italian politics to protect its interests, including its economic interests. The Vatican is not only a political and a religious entity, it is also an important financial enterprise…. Church authorities have let themselves be used by political and economic elites as ideological legitimators of capitalism and conservatism, in return for economic advantage and political favors.[12]
Papal Power: A Study of Vatican Control over Lay Catholic Elites by Jean-Guy Vaillancourt. https://t.co/zCZ9VJWyxw
— Church and State (@ChurchAndStateN) March 18, 2024
Monday, March 18, 2024
Controversial 'Civil War' Movie Prompts Debate Over US Schism
Story by AFP
Political elites and Congress are more divided than ever, but polarization among the public is "overstated," said Howell.
Survey responses to vaguely worded questions do not necessarily speak to on-the-ground realities about how people will actually behave, he added.
"I don't think we're on the brink of a civil war," said Howell.
"It's more diffuse than that... a hollowing out of the state, a sabotage of administrative agencies, the disaffection of the larger public."
"All that can be true, and it also not be the case that we're about to line up as we did in 1861, and en masse begin slaughtering one another."
On the other hand, author Stephen Marche believes "the United States is a textbook case of a country headed for civil war" -- just not in the way depicted by the movie.
Marche's book, "The Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future," uses political science models to suggest five scenarios that could plausibly trigger widespread internecine conflict.
These include anti-government militias clashing with federal forces, or a president being assassinated.
Political violence "becomes acceptable, and in a certain sense, inevitable, because people don't feel that their government is legitimate, and that therefore violence is the only response," said Marche.
"I would say that to a certain extent, that has already happened in America."
Cautioning that he has not yet seen the movie, Marche says a conflict fought along geographical lines like the North-South civil war of the 1860s is unlikely.
More likely than state-on-state violence would be a "massive, splintering chaos," reminiscent of the late 20th-century "Troubles" in Northern Ireland.
In Marche's book, retired US Army colonel Peter Mansoor says a new conflict "would not be like the first civil war, with armies maneuvering on the battlefield."
"I think it would very much be a free-for-all, neighbor-on-neighbor, based on beliefs and skin colors and religion. And it would be horrific."
'Civil War' director Alex Garland deliberately leaves the specific origins and politics of the conflict vague in his film
© LISA O'CONNOR
A major film that imagines a second civil war in the near-future United States has highlighted fears about the divided state of the nation ahead of November's presidential election.
"Civil War," which premiered at the SXSW Festival this week and hits theaters April 12, pictures a three-term US president in Washington DC battling secessionist forces from California and Texas.
The movie stars Kirsten Dunst as a journalist travelling through a broken, dystopian nation. The FBI has been disbanded, and military drone strikes launched on US citizens.
In early reviews, The Atlantic noted an "uncomfortable resonance in these politically polarized times." Rolling Stone said "you might accidentally mistake" the film's futuristic premise for the present.
So, just how plausible is the film's scenario?
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, was recently criticized for seemingly joking he would be a "dictator" on "day one" if he wins a second term as president. He faces charges of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Biden has accused his predecessor of embracing "political violence."
A survey by the Brookings Institution and the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) last year showed 23 percent of Americans agree "true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country."
A major film that imagines a second civil war in the near-future United States has highlighted fears about the divided state of the nation ahead of November's presidential election.
"Civil War," which premiered at the SXSW Festival this week and hits theaters April 12, pictures a three-term US president in Washington DC battling secessionist forces from California and Texas.
The movie stars Kirsten Dunst as a journalist travelling through a broken, dystopian nation. The FBI has been disbanded, and military drone strikes launched on US citizens.
In early reviews, The Atlantic noted an "uncomfortable resonance in these politically polarized times." Rolling Stone said "you might accidentally mistake" the film's futuristic premise for the present.
So, just how plausible is the film's scenario?
The presumptive Republican presidential nominee, Donald Trump, was recently criticized for seemingly joking he would be a "dictator" on "day one" if he wins a second term as president. He faces charges of conspiring to overturn the results of the 2020 election, which he lost to Democrat Joe Biden.
Biden has accused his predecessor of embracing "political violence."
A survey by the Brookings Institution and the Public Religion Research Institute (PRRI) last year showed 23 percent of Americans agree "true American patriots may have to resort to violence in order to save our country."
Related video: Civil War Movie Trailer (Dailymotion)
But William Howell, a University of Chicago political science professor, said while there is cause for concern about rising political violence, "talk about 21st-century muskets being fired at one another isn't very helpful."
Political elites and Congress are more divided than ever, but polarization among the public is "overstated," said Howell.
Survey responses to vaguely worded questions do not necessarily speak to on-the-ground realities about how people will actually behave, he added.
"I don't think we're on the brink of a civil war," said Howell.
"It's more diffuse than that... a hollowing out of the state, a sabotage of administrative agencies, the disaffection of the larger public."
"All that can be true, and it also not be the case that we're about to line up as we did in 1861, and en masse begin slaughtering one another."
On the other hand, author Stephen Marche believes "the United States is a textbook case of a country headed for civil war" -- just not in the way depicted by the movie.
Marche's book, "The Next Civil War: Dispatches from the American Future," uses political science models to suggest five scenarios that could plausibly trigger widespread internecine conflict.
These include anti-government militias clashing with federal forces, or a president being assassinated.
Political violence "becomes acceptable, and in a certain sense, inevitable, because people don't feel that their government is legitimate, and that therefore violence is the only response," said Marche.
"I would say that to a certain extent, that has already happened in America."
Cautioning that he has not yet seen the movie, Marche says a conflict fought along geographical lines like the North-South civil war of the 1860s is unlikely.
More likely than state-on-state violence would be a "massive, splintering chaos," reminiscent of the late 20th-century "Troubles" in Northern Ireland.
In Marche's book, retired US Army colonel Peter Mansoor says a new conflict "would not be like the first civil war, with armies maneuvering on the battlefield."
"I think it would very much be a free-for-all, neighbor-on-neighbor, based on beliefs and skin colors and religion. And it would be horrific."
- 'Fault lines' -
In the film, director Alex Garland deliberately leaves the specific origins and politics of the conflict vague. He has said the movie is intended to be "a conversation" about polarization and populism.
It offers little exposition, and focuses on the horrific daily reality for American citizens and journalists.
"We don't need it explained -- we know exactly why it might happen, we know exactly what the fault lines and the pressures are," Garland told the audience at Thursday's premiere in Texas.
The movie's "three-term president" appears to invoke the fears held by many Americans that Trump -- if re-elected -- could ignore the US Constitution's two-term maximum, and refuse to step down after four years.
"It's hard to think otherwise, if you just take him at his word -- and I think we would be mistaken not to," said Howell.
If that scenario was reached, said Marche, talk of a civil war may already be redundant.
"If there's a three-term president, America has already ended," he said. "There's no United States anymore."
In the film, director Alex Garland deliberately leaves the specific origins and politics of the conflict vague. He has said the movie is intended to be "a conversation" about polarization and populism.
It offers little exposition, and focuses on the horrific daily reality for American citizens and journalists.
"We don't need it explained -- we know exactly why it might happen, we know exactly what the fault lines and the pressures are," Garland told the audience at Thursday's premiere in Texas.
The movie's "three-term president" appears to invoke the fears held by many Americans that Trump -- if re-elected -- could ignore the US Constitution's two-term maximum, and refuse to step down after four years.
"It's hard to think otherwise, if you just take him at his word -- and I think we would be mistaken not to," said Howell.
If that scenario was reached, said Marche, talk of a civil war may already be redundant.
"If there's a three-term president, America has already ended," he said. "There's no United States anymore."
amz/hg/st
Sunday, March 17, 2024
March 3: European Day for a Work-free Sunday
On this year's annual European Day for a Work-free Sunday the European Sunday Alliances launches its manifesto for the upcoming EU elections
On the occasion of this year’s annual European Day for a Work-free Sunday on March 3, the European Sunday Alliance reminds that synchronised resting time is an effective tool to counter loneliness and highlights its importance for the mental health of workers.
In the view of upcoming EU elections in June 2024, the European Sunday Alliance calls on Members of the European Parliament and candidates to the upcoming European Elections to support the Elections Manifesto of its Steering Committee to recognise the value of the establishment of a weekly common day of rest, by tradition on Sunday, at the EU level for all citizens.
On the occasion of the European Day for a Work-free Sunday, the European Sunday Alliance is glad about support for a work-free Sunday as expressed by a series of Members of the European Parliament (MEPs) from different political groups, among them Brando Benifei (S&D, Italy), Gabriele Bischoff (S&D, Germany), Katrin Langensiepen (Greens/EFA, Germany), Dragos Pislaru (Renew, Romania), Dennis Radtke (EPP, Germany), Evelyn Regner (S&D, Austria), Michaela Sojdrova (EPP, Czech Republic) and Tomas Zdechovsky (EPP, Czech Republic) – and, as sponsor of the European Sunday Alliance, Miriam Lexmann (EPP, Slovakia):
Saturday, March 16, 2024
US Senate Committee Hearings on a 32-hour Work Week Argued that People Cannot Attend Church on Sundays if They Work 70 Hours
ADVENT MESSENGER
US Senate Committee Hearings on a 32-hour Work Week Argued that People Cannot Attend Church on Sundays if They Work 70 Hours
March 14, 2024 by Andy Roman
The U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions heard a speech by Connecticut Democrat Senator Chris Murphy on Thursday, March 14, 2024. [1] The committee hearings addressed the need for a 32-hour work week that would give Americans more time for leisure activities such as family socials and Sunday church services. Speaking to Mr. Shawn Fain, International President of the United Auto Workers Union, Senator Murphy said that the reason for the drop in religious attendance is that individuals are simply too exhausted after their week of work. In response, the head of the union reaffirmed that those who work too much don’t have time for worship on Sundays.
The following exchange occurred in our US Congress between Senator Murphy and Union President Fain:
Senator Chris Murphy: “There’s a pretty wild thing happening in America today: in 2000, 70 percent of Americans belonged to a religious institution, but today that number is 50 percent. There has been a pretty precipitous decline in the ability or willingness of Americans to go to church or to a religious institution on a regular basis. And I think that has lots of broad impacts in our society. There are a lot of reasons for that, but one of them is that Americans just have less free time. When you have to work 70 hours to get the same standard of living for your family that 40 hours would have gotten you a few decades ago, you don’t have time to go to Wednesday night Bible study; you might not have the ability to even attend church services on a Sunday. You can talk about church if you want or if you don’t want, but it is just true that some of the leisure time activities, some of the institutions that Americans found value and meaning in, are less accessible when you have to work these long hours. I’d love to just hear your thoughts on that.”
Shawn Fain, UAW President: “One of the biggest, one of the things we talked about was the 32-hour work week when we put that in our contract talks was the fact that we wanted to create work life balance … And as I say when you’re working multiple jobs to live paycheck to paycheck or you’re working seven days a week, 12 hours a day, something else is sacrificed in that, and that’s what ends up happening. You have to sacrifice, you know, the ability to go to church. If it’s something else to do on a Sunday, maybe you get a Sunday off and you haven’t slept all weekend, and you spend the whole day sleeping. I mean that that is a reality a lot of workers face on some of the schedules they work … I do believe Congress has an obligation here, spending priorities and regulations. And that may be an ugly word to some people that represent business.”
Senator Chris Murphy: “Well, listen, I agree with you. I think we should have an interest in leisure time. We should have an interest in making sure that people are able to find value outside of work. A lot of people find value in work, and I’m glad that they do, but a lot of people find more value by the institutions and the social clubs and the churches that they affiliate and spend time with outside of work. But that is just less accessible for people today and that should be a public policy interest of the United States Congress. I appreciate this hearing allowing us to talk about that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
A sitting US senator is urging policymakers to get involved in ensuring that people have more time for church and recreation. According to Senator Murphy, the desire for more leisure ought to be considered a “public policy interest of the United States Congress.” This is a call being made in a Senate committee to reduce the work week, and one of the justifications is so that people can get back to church on Sundays. It’s not simply a call, though. A bill to cut the workweek down to only 32 hours has already been introduced. [2]
“The dignitaries of church and State will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. In the soon-coming conflict we shall see exemplified the prophet’s words: ‘The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ’.” (Great Controversy, p. 592).
Sources
[1] https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/workers-should-benefit-from-new-technology-and-increased-productivity-the-need-for-a-32-hour-work-week-with-no-loss-in-pay
[2] https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1332
© 2014-2023 Advent Messenger | All Rights Reserved
Senator Chris Murphy: “There’s a pretty wild thing happening in America today: in 2000, 70 percent of Americans belonged to a religious institution, but today that number is 50 percent. There has been a pretty precipitous decline in the ability or willingness of Americans to go to church or to a religious institution on a regular basis. And I think that has lots of broad impacts in our society. There are a lot of reasons for that, but one of them is that Americans just have less free time. When you have to work 70 hours to get the same standard of living for your family that 40 hours would have gotten you a few decades ago, you don’t have time to go to Wednesday night Bible study; you might not have the ability to even attend church services on a Sunday. You can talk about church if you want or if you don’t want, but it is just true that some of the leisure time activities, some of the institutions that Americans found value and meaning in, are less accessible when you have to work these long hours. I’d love to just hear your thoughts on that.”
Shawn Fain, UAW President: “One of the biggest, one of the things we talked about was the 32-hour work week when we put that in our contract talks was the fact that we wanted to create work life balance … And as I say when you’re working multiple jobs to live paycheck to paycheck or you’re working seven days a week, 12 hours a day, something else is sacrificed in that, and that’s what ends up happening. You have to sacrifice, you know, the ability to go to church. If it’s something else to do on a Sunday, maybe you get a Sunday off and you haven’t slept all weekend, and you spend the whole day sleeping. I mean that that is a reality a lot of workers face on some of the schedules they work … I do believe Congress has an obligation here, spending priorities and regulations. And that may be an ugly word to some people that represent business.”
Senator Chris Murphy: “Well, listen, I agree with you. I think we should have an interest in leisure time. We should have an interest in making sure that people are able to find value outside of work. A lot of people find value in work, and I’m glad that they do, but a lot of people find more value by the institutions and the social clubs and the churches that they affiliate and spend time with outside of work. But that is just less accessible for people today and that should be a public policy interest of the United States Congress. I appreciate this hearing allowing us to talk about that. Thank you, Mr. Chairman.”
A sitting US senator is urging policymakers to get involved in ensuring that people have more time for church and recreation. According to Senator Murphy, the desire for more leisure ought to be considered a “public policy interest of the United States Congress.” This is a call being made in a Senate committee to reduce the work week, and one of the justifications is so that people can get back to church on Sundays. It’s not simply a call, though. A bill to cut the workweek down to only 32 hours has already been introduced. [2]
“The dignitaries of church and State will unite to bribe, persuade, or compel all classes to honor the Sunday. The lack of divine authority will be supplied by oppressive enactments. Political corruption is destroying love of justice and regard for truth; and even in free America, rulers and legislators, in order to secure public favor, will yield to the popular demand for a law enforcing Sunday observance. Liberty of conscience, which has cost so great a sacrifice, will no longer be respected. In the soon-coming conflict we shall see exemplified the prophet’s words: ‘The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ’.” (Great Controversy, p. 592).
Sources
[1] https://www.help.senate.gov/hearings/workers-should-benefit-from-new-technology-and-increased-productivity-the-need-for-a-32-hour-work-week-with-no-loss-in-pay
[2] https://www.congress.gov/bill/118th-congress/house-bill/1332
© 2014-2023 Advent Messenger | All Rights Reserved
Thursday, March 14, 2024
Monday, March 11, 2024
Nation’s intelligence chiefs to tell Congress world remains a dangerous place
By Jamie McIntyre
March 11, 2024 7:03 am
WORLD AS DANGEROUS AS EVER: Led by Director of National Intelligence Avril Haines, the nation’s top spymasters and law enforcement officials will testify before the Senate Intelligence Committee today and the House Intelligence Committee tomorrow about the growing threats from China, Russia, Iran, and North Korea, among others.
Also appearing before the committees to testify about the “Annual Worldwide Threats Assessment” will be CIA Director William Burns, FBI Director Christopher Wray, Assistant Secretary of State for Intelligence and Research Brett Holmgren, National Security Agency Director Gen. Timothy Haugh, and Defense Intelligence Agency Director Lt. Gen. Jeffrey Kruse.
China, which is building up its military at a “breathtaking” pace and making increasingly ominous statements about forcing unification with Taiwan, is once again expected to be identified as posing the greatest long-term challenge to U.S. national security. “Countries around the world see a unipolar order, and they seek to challenge it,” Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL), vice chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, said on CBS yesterday. “In China’s case, they want, if not to replace, at least to be an alternative to the American-led system.”
“One of the things that Sen. Rubio and I have done on a bipartisan basis is try to go industry by industry in America and warn them of the potential theft of intellectual property, $500 billion a year,” Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA), Intelligence Committee chairman, said sitting alongside Rubio on CBS’s Face the Nation. “China is investing in quantum computing, in bioengineering. … I think we need to compete against that.”
“The vast majority of innovation is still taking place in this country,” Warner added.
Sunday, March 10, 2024
Saturday, March 09, 2024
ROAD TO 2030 | A BRIEF HISTORY OF THE SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT GOALS (SDGS)
FEBRUARY 28, 2023
In 2023, the world has reached the mid-way point for attaining the 2030 United Nations Agenda for Sustainable Development. On this occasion, the Virchow Foundation for Global Health will highlight history, progress and the challenges ahead for reaching the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
Key dates in 40 years of sustainable development
The development and adoption of the Sustainable Development Goals builds on decades of work done by countries and the United Nations. Before the first world conference on the human environment, hosted by the United Nations (UNCHE) and its Member States in Stockholm in 1972, environmental issues had not been given adequate attention from neither the public nor policy makers. During the UNCHE, a series of principles and an action plan was adopted from all participating countries. One significant outcome of the conference was the creation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
Eleven years later, in 1983, the “Brundtland Commission”, named after and led by Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland, was established. Also known as the World Commission on Environment and Development (WCED), or within the United Nations as the “UN Special Commission on the Environment”, the aim was to help direct countries globally towards sustainable development (1). The “Our Common Future” Report (also known as Brundtland Report) was published by the commission in 1987 shortly before their disbandment. It defined sustainable development for the first time as “a development that fulfils the needs of current generations without compromising the ability of future generations to fulfil their own needs” linking social, economic, cultural and environmental issues (1).
In June 1992, held on the 20th anniversary of the UNCHE, more than 178 countries adopted the “Agenda 21” action programme during the Earth Summit, the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), which took place in Rio de Janeiro. The Agenda 21 was a comprehensive plan of action to build a global partnership for sustainable development to improve human lives and protect the environment (2).
After the Earth Summit and Agenda 21, the next milestone was the unanimous adoption from all Member States of the Millennium Declaration during the Millennium Summit in New York. The start of a new millennium posed a unique opportunity to create a new strategy, adapted to the latest realities and needs of the world in the twenty-first century. The Summit, held in September 2000, was the largest gathering of heads of states and governments of all time until then. It led to the elaboration of the eight Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), to be achieved by the year 2015.
Friday, March 08, 2024
Thursday, March 07, 2024
Adventism’s Prophetic Bulwarks Under Continuing Assault from the New Theology
December 26, 2021 by The Remnant Herald
“The great waymarks of truth, showing us our bearings in prophetic history, are to be carefully guarded, lest they be torn down, and replaced with theories that would bring confusion rather than genuine light.” Selected Messages, volume 2, p. 101 (Manuscript 31, 1896)
If ever there was an expression of INDELIBLE, UNQUESTIONABLE, ABSOLUTE TRUTH that ought to be accepted uncritically, this quote fits that category —
“Satan is constantly endeavouring to attract attention to man in the place of God. He leads the people to look to bishops, to pastors, to professors of theology as their guides, instead of searching the Scriptures to learn their duty for themselves. Then, by controlling the minds of these leaders, he can influence the multitudes according to his will.” (The Great Controversy, pp. 413, 414. 1884 edition; Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 4, p. 413)
The peril of placing one’s understanding of truth in the hands of a minister or theologian was vividly portrayed by the enemy himself, who declared:
“The people accept their ministers’ explanations of Scripture, and do not investigate for themselves. Therefore, by working through the ministers, I can control the people according to my will.” (Ibid, p. 340. 1884 edition; Spirit of Prophecy, Vol. 4, p. 338).
One of the most startling acknowledgments made in recent decades with regards to doubts and uncertainties that engulf many a theological mind came from none other than Dr. Desmond Ford himself. Whatever the context and intent of his remarks, they highlight how destructive it is, in the name of scholastic freedom, to quibble and speculate over God’s Word:
“No sensible person looks for infallibility in the doctrinal structure of any church. That would be impossible. At the close of a series of more than 100 hours of instruction in one debatable field, I once told my students: ‘Half of what I have told you is wrong, but I don’t know which half.’ Teachers and church leaders at best are only one-eyed leaders of the blind.” Spectrum, November 1988, p. 61. Auburn, California.
It was such lectures by Dr. Ford at Avondale College that alarmed “The Concerned Brethren” — a group of lay people, retired ministers, evangelists, and administrators in Australia who warned our people from the 1970s until their deaths regarding the doctrinal apostasy of the New Theology. In December 1975, they wrote to the leadership of the Australasian Division, declaring:
“We, the undersigned, retired ministers and laymen of the Church, wish to humbly express to you our very deep concern regarding the downward trend of the teaching being given to our trainee ministers at Avondale College — our future leaders.
“At a meeting of some of the responsible and representative older men held recently, many disturbing proofs were cited, concerning the distortions of truth that are being taught these young people. Brethren, we are deeply concerned for the safety of the church of God. There is an attempted shift in the foundations, and we fear that ere long, a tremendous split might well take place in the Church. This must be avoided at any cost, while avoiding a compromise of truth. Subjects such as: righteousness by faith; the age of the earth; the inspiration of the Scriptures; the seventieth week of Daniel; the two-apartment sanctuary in heaven; the Spirit of Prophecy, and a number of other subjects including the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, as believed and taught by the pioneers of this Church, are being undermined by those who lean towards modernist teachings and worldly scholarship in the Theology Department at Avondale.
“As retired workers and church officers, we feel that the established Seventh-day Adventist Church is being white-anted and if not checked immediately, disastrous results will accrue…Our earnest prayer is that God will give you great wisdom and direction, as you consider what should be done to avoid the greatest crisis in the history of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the Australasian Division.” The Remnant Herald, February 2001, p. 957
Tuesday, March 05, 2024
The Pursuit Of Knowledge
Volume 43 Issue Three March 2024
Last Trumpet Ministries · PO Box 806 · Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Phone: 920-887-2626 Internet: http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org
“For if the trumpet give an uncertain sound, who shall prepare himself to the battle?” I Cor. 14:8
The Pursuit Of Knowledge
“Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.”
Genesis 3:1-5
In the first book of the Holy Bible, we find a story about the origin of sin and the fall of man. The story, recorded in Genesis, chapter 3, reveals how a serpent beguiled the first human beings, Adam and Eve. The serpent first enticed Eve to eat the forbidden fruit of the Tree of Knowledge with the promise that her eyes would be opened and she would know “good and evil” for doing so. Eve then gave the fruit to Adam, and he, too, gave in to temptation. Perhaps the most tragic detail of this story is the fact that both Adam and Eve already had the knowledge of good. Genesis 1:31 tells us, “And God saw every thing that he had made, and, behold, it was very good. And the evening and the morning were the sixth day.” Thus, everything in the Garden of Eden was good, and everything that Adam and Eve knew and experienced on a daily basis was good. The only knowledge to be gained by eating the forbidden fruit was the knowledge of evil.
A lot has changed since those ancient days. One thing that has remained constant, however, is mankind’s voracious appetite for knowledge. The knowledge acquired over millennia has changed the world for better or worse depending on your perspective.
A Century Of Innovation
The world was very different a century ago. Radio was still a young technology, and although the incandescent light bulb was developed in the late 1800s, only about half of all American households had electricity in 1925. (1) Even as electricity became more widely available, the very first television was demonstrated by a young inventor named Philo Taylor Farnsworth in San Francisco, California, on September 7, 1927. (2) The United States is about 247 years old. Thus, this land of opportunity that the American people call home existed without these amazing inventions longer than it has existed with them.
Although radio and television very much changed the world, no modern innovation has had a more profound role in transforming society than the computer. What is truly remarkable, however, is how much computers have advanced over the last eighty years. In February 1946, the first general-purpose electronic computer was put into service by the United States military. Known as the Electronic Numerical Integrator and Computer, or ENIAC, this massive machine occupied a room measuring 30 by 50 feet. The machine had 70,000 resistors, 10,000 capacitors, and 500,000 soldered joints. It weighed an astonishing 30 tons. (3)
Monday, March 04, 2024
Saturday, March 02, 2024
The Theological Error of Spiritual Formation By Dr. Bob Payne
From the TeachingtheWord Bible Knowledgebase
Editor's Note: Today we present a warning to Christians to understand and avoid one of the most serious heresies of our time. The "spiritual formation" movement has absolutely nothing to do with the Word of God. It has more in common with Roman Catholic mysticism and the New Age movement. But it has gained a foothold, and worse, in even some of the most reputedly conservative churches, colleges, and seminaries.
This article originally appeared in the February 2019 issue of The Review, an official publication of the Independent Baptist Fellowship of North America. The author, Dr. Bob Payne, is pastor of the Baptist Church of Danbury, Connecticut and the current moderator of the IBFNA. We reproduce it here with his permission, and with special thanks to Dr. Kevin Hobi, pastor of New Boston (New Hampshire) Baptist Church, who is the editor of The Review. - Dr. Paul M. Elliott
Many years ago when my daughter was looking for a Christian college to attend, she, my wife, and I visited the campus of a well-known, now-defunct fundamental Christian college. In one of the buildings, I recall seeing a sign for one of the administrators that read something like, "The Director of Spiritual Formation." Although spiritual formation was a rather strange term that gave me pause, I could not just outright reject the term based upon my apprehension. As far as I knew, it was simply a new, trendy term for discipleship. I had a lot to learn!
The Background of Spiritual Formation
As time went on I learned that the term spiritual formation actually came from ancient paganism and Roman Catholic mysticism. One author describes the term as:
A movement that has provided a platform and a channel through which contemplative prayer is entering the church. Find spiritual formation being used, and in nearly every case, you will find contemplative spirituality and its 'pioneers' such as Richard Foster, Dallas Willard, and Henri Nouwen. Spiritual Formation is based on 'spiritual disciplines' that can be practiced by people of any faith to make them more 'Christ-like.' Rebirth through Jesus Christ and regeneration through the Holy Spirit are not essential. Rather it is a works-based 'theology' that has strong roots in Roman Catholicism and ancient paganism.[1]
The article just cited went on to describe the related term contemplative spirituality. The author describes it this way:
A belief system that uses ancient mystical practices to induce altered states of consciousness (the silence) and is rooted in mysticism and the occult but often wrapped in Christian terminology. The premise of contemplative spirituality is pantheistic (God is all) and panentheistic (God is in all). Common terms used for this movement are 'spiritual formation,' 'the silence,' 'the stillness,' 'ancient wisdom,' 'spiritual disciplines,' and many others.[2]
Gary Gilley also describes the roots of the spiritual formation movement:
Some trace the roots of the Spiritual Formation Movement to 1974 when Father William Menninger, a Trappist monk, found an ancient book entitled The Cloud of Unknowing in the library at St. Joseph's Abbey in Spencer, Massachusetts. This 14th century book offered a means by which contemplative practices, long used by Catholic monks, could be taught to lay people. As Menninger began teaching these contemplative practices, his abbot, Thomas Keating, along with Basil Pennington, another Trappist monk, began to spread the concepts Menninger was teaching. But it was Richard Foster's 1978 book, The Celebration of Discipline, that launched the popularity and present interest in spiritual formation. It was by this landmark book, described by Christianity Today as one of the ten best books of the 20th century, that Catholic and Eastern Orthodox disciplines, practiced by the Desert Fathers and Mothers as well as monks and hermits, were introduced to evangelicalism. These disciplines were not completely unknown to evangelicals who were familiar with church history, but they were now being repackaged and offered as a means of spiritual growth and maturity. In fact, the implication was that without the use of these ancient contemplative methods true 'spiritual formation' was not possible.[3]
To those holding to this false doctrine of spiritual formation, prayer, Bible study, walking with Christ, and becoming active in the local church are not enough. We need to return to the ancient spiritual disciplines that are able to keep our flesh in check. As these false teachers expound their twisted doctrine, it is common for them to use just enough biblical terminology to lure unsuspecting and uninformed believers over to their side, even though what they are teaching is incredibly divergent from sound doctrine.
According to those who adhere to the spiritual formation movement, our prayer life is not good enough unless we practice "contemplative (centering) prayer." This practice has roots in the occult. Matt Slick rightly connects these "spiritual disciplines" with the emerging church movement, and says that contemplative prayer, "is the practice of relaxing, emptying the mind, and letting one's self find the presence of God within. It involves silence, stillness, patience, sometimes repeating something, and the practice of 'not knowing' as the person seeks God's presence."[4] This definitely does not fit the description of prayer that we find in the Word of God!
We find that in the spiritual formation movement Bible study is not enough either. Another "spiritual discipline" needs to be practiced, known as "sacred reading" (lectio divina). This is more than just reading the Bible, or the type of meditation of which David speaks in Ps. 119:148: "that I might meditate in Thy Word." A downloadable brochure from contemplativeoutreach.org gives some details about this strange practice:
Lectio Divina is one of the great treasures of the Christian tradition of prayer. It means Divine Reading, which is reading the book we believe to be divinely inspired. This tradition of prayer flows out of a Hebrew method of studying the Scriptures which was an interactive interpretation of the Scriptures by means of the free use of the text [allegorical hermeneutics] to explore its inner meaning. It was part of the devotional practice of the Jews in the days of Jesus.[5]
On the back page of the brochure it says in very new-age fashion:
Being transformed into the Word of God is a process that happens as we faithfully read, reflect, respond and rest in God's Word.
An attitude of resting in God's presence becomes a part of our daily lives. We become a channel of God's presence to others.
Living in union with God, we are able to transcend ourselves as the 'center' and experience all in God and God in all.
Our energy becomes one with the Divine Energy. We become merciful, compassionate and loving as God is merciful, compassionate and loving.[6]
This is manmade theology that has absolutely nothing to do with the Word of God. It has more in common with Roman Catholic mysticism and the New Age movement.
There are other unbiblical and/or occultic practices in the spiritual formation movement that we don't have time or space to cover, such as fasting, journaling, silence, observing the liturgical calendar, Christian yoga, prayer labyrinths, etc. I will leave those to your own investigation and study.
Fundamental Colleges and Spiritual Formation
Just the other day I was doing a web search for schools that have courses in "Spiritual Formation." I was surprised to come upon one course in a school that claims to be a fundamental Baptist college. The title of the course was "Spiritual Formation and Discipleship." Now, I cannot say that schools that have courses like this are necessarily teaching mystic and occultic practices. What I can say is that they are definitely using mystic and occultic terminology.
The obvious question is "Why would an institution that professes to hold to sound doctrine use this type of jargon?" Some may do it because it is required by their accrediting agency (a topic for another article). Others may do it because it is the latest evangelical buzz word. Whatever the reason, even though the classes may be biblical (and I do not know that they are), these terms must be avoided.
Some may object and ask, "What difference does the label make as long as they are teaching the truth?" The church that I pastor, the Baptist Church of Danbury, Connecticut, seeks to consistently interpret the Word of God with a normal hermeneutic. Let's say that I continued to be faithful to the Word of God, but changed the church name to Danbury Church of Latter Day Saints. As a Bible believer, would you have a problem joining my church? I think you would! Why? The answer is simple: words mean things, and labels do matter.
Beth Moore and Spiritual Formation
Surprisingly, the message of Beth Moore has become quite captivating to some ladies in our fundamental Baptist circles. Although there are a multitude of theological reasons why you should steer clear of her (such as the obvious violation of 1 Tim. 2:12), spiritual formation is definitely one of those reasons. I will provide a couple of examples of Mrs. Moore's heretical teaching concerning spiritual formation.
Matt Slick, in his internet article on Beth Moore, provides one example of her mystic practice of contemplative prayer. His article points to a YouTube video of Mrs. Moore's preaching that was taken down [i.e., later removed]. He quotes her as saying, "A true lover of God once spoke about practicing God's presence. To me that's such a part of contemplative prayer. That we are able to absorb the reality that as we commune with God through prayer that He is with us, that His Spirit for those of us who are in Christ fills us, that we are drawn near to Him, that our souls find rest in Him." Matt Slick goes on to explain that in the video Mrs. Moore was praising Brother Lawrence, who was an apostate Roman Catholic monk.[7]
Another YouTube video[8] gives an example of her belief in what we described earlier in this article as Lectio Divina. The video shows Beth Moore dramatically reading a selection of Scripture. Following the reading, Mrs. Moore states, "Without any comment, please, let's pause and be still, and ask Jesus to speak His word to us." There follows a long period of silent, emotional meditation while the large crowd tunes in to their inner selves, presumably waiting for Jesus to "speak His word to them." Hasn't God already spoken His Word to us? This practice has a greater similarity to eastern mysticism than it does to the Word of God.
Stay far away from Beth Moore and her false teaching.
A Bible-Believer's Reaction to Spiritual Formation
False teachers of the first century threatened the early church with their incipient Gnosticism. They communicated to the Christians that faith was inadequate to a have a relationship with God. Instead, they needed the mystical knowledge (gnosis) that only those teachers possessed. Spiritual formation is a modern Gnosticism, which promises believers something deeper than what they possess. To those teachers, practices such as studying the Bible and prayer are good, but you need the "spiritual disciplines" if you want true spiritual depth in your Christian life.
Paul's warning to the believers in Colossae rings as true today as it did then. It warns us of modern false teaching to be avoided: "Beware lest any man spoil [more literally, cheat] you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Col. 2:8). May God give us the grace and courage to stand against the philosophy and vain deceit of the spiritual formation movement.
References:
1. Lighthouse Trails Editors (Nov. 15, 2011). An Epidemic of Apostasy - Christian Seminaries Must Incorporate "Spiritual Formation" to Become Accredited. Retrieved January 23, 2019 from https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/blog/?p=7733,.
2. Ibid.
3. Gary Gilley, Roots of the Spiritual Formation Movement. Retrieved January 23, 2019 from https://tottministries.org/roots-of-the-spiritual-formation-movement.
4. Matt Slick, Centering Prayer (Feb. 25, 2008). Retrieved January 23, 2019 from https://carm.org/enteringprayer.
5. Lectio Divina: Listening to the Word of God in Scripture (PDF Brochure). Retrieved January 23, 2019 from https://www.contemplativeoutreach.org/sites/default/
files/private/lectiodivinabrochure_2018_0.pdf.
6. Ibid.
7. Matt Slick, Beth Moore. Retrieved January 24, 2019 from https://carm.org/beth-moore.
8. Posted by Tom Manning (Jan. 12, 2014). Beth Moore Leads Lectio Divina-Lite at Passion 2012. Retrieved January 24, 2019 from https://outu.be/JX9HcmxfyDQ.
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Reps. Ilhan Omar, Pramila Jayapal make unannounced trip to Cuba: Axios
By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Axios
28 Feb 2024 15:57
The visit has drawn fire from Republican lawmakers.
Congressional Progressive Caucus Chair Rep. Pramila Jayapal, D-Wash., left, speaks about the threat of default as Rep. Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., during a news conference, on May 24, 2023, in Washington. (AP)
It has been confirmed to Axios by a spokesperson for the Congressional Progressive Caucus (CPC) that two CPC leaders made an unannounced trip to Cuba while the House was on recess last week.
Initially reported by the Miami Herald, spokesperson Mia Jacobs stated that Reps. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.) and Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.), the chair and deputy chair of the CPC, respectively, met with "people from across Cuban society and government officials to discuss human rights and the U.S.-Cuba bilateral relationship," Jacobs said.
Both Jayapal and Omar are public critics of the American economic embargo on Cuba.
Even though US lawmakers occasionally travel to Cuba, those trips are usually open and overt in American and Cuban governments and news.
The Miami Herald reported that Cuban state media "traditionally highlight American lawmakers going to the island, usually framing their visit as a gesture of 'solidarity' with the Cuban people or support for ending the U.S. embargo".
On X, Rep. Nicole Malliotakis (R-NY) said, "It's outrageous that Members of Congress would visit a country that jails, abuses, and murders their citizens and supports Iran, Russia, and Communist China against our interests."
After the news went public, Rep. Carlos Gimenez (R-Fla.) said, "Communist Cuba must remain on the List of State Sponsors of Terrorism."
Earlier in January, a group of 160 lawyers, mostly American, called on US President Joe Biden to remove Cuba from the so-called "State Sponsors of Terrorism" (SSOT) list.
"Given the tremendous economic, social, humanitarian, and commercial effect placement on the SSOT list has had for the Cuba people, maintaining it for such pretextual reasons continues to be a stain on U.S. foreign policy," the letter considered.
The Reagan administration first placed Cuba on the SSOT list in 1982, after which Cuba witnessed decades of US sanctions, assassination attempts, and subversion to topple Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
In 2015, then-US President Barack Obama removed Cuba from the list. However, relations deteriorated under his successor Donald Trump, who reinforced sanctions on the Caribbean island nation.
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