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Obama's Reelection Validates America's Spiritual Apostasy and Moral Decline

By William Owens, Jr.
February 16, 2013
NewsWithViews.com

Nothing is more repulsive to God than having the highest ranks of a nation’s leadership – a nation that He providentially brought forth – refuse to acknowledge the continual need for His wisdom, mercy and guidance in every sector of society. Even worse is to persist in rejecting Him in the midst of dismal failure, thus confirming that such a nation has utterly rejected God.

The recent presidential inauguration was a present-day rebellion of kings and nations who reigned before us. It is an affront to a holy God. The event was replete with pious pomp, snobbery, and scoffs at God’s very existence, as demonstrated by Obama’s praise as the Lesbian and Gay Band Association marched by during the Inaugural Parade and his public statement against traditional marriage when he advocated same sex relationships. “Our journey is not complete until our gay brothers and sisters are treated like anyone else under the law," he said during his inaugural address, "for if we are truly created equal, then surely the love we commit to one another must be equal as well." Vice President Biden also confirmed this fist-to-God arrogance by declaring, “I spent too much time with all of you not to know you feel it with every fiber in your being that there’s nothing – nothing – this country is incapable of.”

While the inauguration of “King” Obama was an event celebrated within the natural realm of America, it was also a clear message released within the realm of the spiritual: JUDGMENT. You see, Christians might be mocked and called “weird,” but historical documents and evidence prove that we have always been correct regarding history. Because there is no intelligent response or historic evidence to argue otherwise, the critics must claim, “He casteth out devils with devils.” This truth goes back to biblical times when the Pharisees were confronted with the truth of Jesus’ holiness. The evidence was overwhelming. He could work miracles, heal the sick, feed the multitudes, and even resurrect the dead. The only way they could feel justified in their rebellious attitude toward Jesus laying claim as God’s son was to demonize and eventually kill him (or so they thought.) Their illogical response was, “He casteth out devils with devils.” They refused to acknowledge Him as God, and thus, rejected their godly heritage to the detriment of their tiny nation, Israel. Remember, He laid down His life and then He rose again.

Today, the only way non-believers in America can justify the rejection of our godly heritage and the hand of providence on America’s DNA is by reverting to the same course of action: accuse the godly of phobias, narrow-mindedness, and being out of touch with the feelings of others. Those who refuse to compromise with historic evidence make powerful claims that a new day of tolerance – of the need to get along – has arrived. They scrub away historic evidence of the fall of previous nations when immorality, rejection of God from the Public Square, and homosexuality became validated by law. But alas, it will not work, no matter how many toasts are given and executive orders are enacted while good men do nothing. Just as Jesus raised the dead to show that He had life in himself, God will judge America to show that our country’s life has always been in Him.

History speaks clearly about the presence of God in America’s origins.

The Continental Congress, in its first session on September 6, 1774, passed this resolution: "Resolved, that the Rev. Mr. Duché be desired to open Congress tomorrow morning with prayer, at Carpenter's Hall, at 9 o'clock."

The following day, Duché's prayer pleaded: "O Lord! our heavenly Father, high and mighty, King of kings, and Lord of lords, who dost from thy throne behold all the dwellers on earth, and reignest with power supreme and uncontrolled over all kingdoms, empires, and governments. Look down in mercy, we beseech thee, on these our American States who have fled to thee from the rod of the oppressor, and thrown themselves on thy gracious protection, desiring to be henceforth dependent only on thee … All this we ask in the name, and through the merits of Jesus Christ thy Son and our Savior. Amen" (Thatcher's Military Biography, p. 121).

Benjamin Franklin stated in a speech to the Continental Convention of 1787: "We have been assured, Sir, in the Sacred Writings, that 'except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain who build it.' I firmly believe this; and I also believe that without his concurring aid, we shall succeed in this political building no better than the builders of Babel." (The Works of Benjamin Franklin, by John Bigelow, p. 377)

Decades later, John Adams confirmed his conviction of God’s eternal footprint on America, the original intent of those formative years, in an 1813 letter to Thomas Jefferson: “The general Principles, on which the Fathers Achieved Independence, were the only Principles in which that beautiful Assembly of young Gentlemen could Unite…Now I will avow, that I then believed, and now believe, that those general Principles of Christianity, are as eternal and immutable, as the Existence and Attributes of God" (John Adams to Thomas Jefferson, June 28, 1813, from Quincy in The Adams-Jefferson Letters).

Even today, many people see the presence of God in our origins. In an online commentary dated July 2, 2009, John Miller states, “America's Declaration of Independence is as much a declaration of dependence on Divine Providence as it is a declaration of independence from an oppressive monarch.”

Truth is not subjective to our interpretations. Gravity does not require a vote to work; if you throw a rock off a cliff, it will soar downward, no matter if we want it to or not. That’s gravity. Likewise, truth is not what we think it to be, want it to be or will it to be, and over the next four years, prophecy will prove that truth belongs to God alone. It will be evident that it was God who gave birth to America. It was God who inspired our founders. Men, who, despite their differences, agreed that unless God saved them from tyrannical government, they would be once again enslaved, designed our country.

America did not come about through subjective thinking or reasoning. It came about through prayer, humility and the good will of good men who desired a country where they could freely worship God and live morally sound lives. They created a country for which a constitution was devised to guide morally conscious people – people able to conduct themselves through the construct of conscience and the basic principle of doing unto others as we would have others to do unto us. Such high aspirations did not simply manifest from under man’s filthy feet. They emanated forth from the hearts of men who had been touched by God Almighty, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

Today, spiritual apostasy is upon America and we are facing judgment. Our leaders have forsaken the God who secured our freedoms. Before we had a constitution, we had the Holy Bible and the Judeo-Christian faith that brought our founding fathers to this land, guided them, and granted them the wisdom to frame documents that have shaped our country: the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution.

However, God has been ousted, and with Him, all that we have enjoyed these last 237 years will surely follow close behind if we don’t repent and truly amend our ways as individuals and collectively as a nation. It will be the clearest message America has ever experienced at the very cost of the freedoms, wealth, and favor we have enjoyed. Perhaps, it is time. The inauguration of Barack Obama is perhaps the clearest message to America that God has decided, because the people have decided. The people have chosen their “king” and as God told the prophet Samuel, “They have not rejected you; they have rejected me” (1 Samuel 8:7).

This brings me to the issue of spiritual leadership in America. I often wonder, “why the leaders of Christendom today are not speaking directly to power specifically regarding the spiritual decay that ?” As we witness the lack of specifics from our political leadership, we must not forget their spiritual counterparts. Why are the mega-ministries so careful as to not speak specific truth to power. Speak truth to those who are allowing laws to redefine our spiritual identity?

In an interview, TD Jakes said that it is "out of [his] lane" to speak on the topic of gun control, he believes "something has to be done, not only for those that are mentally ill, but I also I think that we have to be careful about people who are under such stress today that they start out well but they don't end up well." Read more here.

Joel Olsten on the today’s show takes a I don’t know approach. When "Today" host Matt Lauer asked Osteen if he believes it is his responsibility to take a stand regarding guns in the U.S., Osteen responded: "I really don't Matt, because political issues divide us. For what I'm doing, I'm trying to reach as many people as possible. There are good people on both sides of the aisle, and I don't know what the best answer there is either, but I just try to guide them and give them hope in this time of need," Osteen added. Read more here.

I have listened to comments of a few leaders of mega ministries and it is my opinion that they are falling short of speaking specific truth to power to offer solutions, not mere sound bite safe answers that will not provoke change. Such leaders need to speak truth to a point of exposing the real problems of our nation, but instead, they remain in a “safe zone.” Why should we take them seriously? Is there any noteworthy plea that convicts and drives people to their knees, or at least captures the mind to reconsider the direction that our political leaders are taking us? There appears to be lacking a message of, “America is in trouble and this is why.”

Mega ministry leaders are invited on national news and have a stage to speak truth, but instead, they play it safe. While I cannot judge their hearts and have not sat down with them one on one, I believe they can do more. A lot more.

Sad to say, many ministries, by their silence have sided with the gospel of inclusion and has chosen the path of peace where there is no peace to be had. They are the teachers of an age in which the Gospel of Jesus Christ has been saturated with compromise and lies.

Furthermore, the black preachers and churches that have immortalized Barack Obama because of his pigmentation have been a disgrace to God’s kingdom and a stumbling block to those whose souls they have been entrusted to lead. If they think they will not have to be accountable for being ashamed of the gospel of Jesus Christ, siding with a mere man who has legalized sacrificing the unborn on the altars of Baal and the public rejection of biblically-defined marriage, they are truly blind. This seems to demonstrate that perhaps they were not even called by God or they, too, have rejected him. Even those who choose to remain in a political party that publically rejected God from its platform refuse to blush at their own apostate hearts. They may not believe it today, but there will be consequences, because God is just and will not be mocked.

I miss the days of fiery preachers who could not care less what the government thought of their non-profit status – preachers like Jimmy Swaggart, who would hold his Bible up high, declare the righteousness of God, and warn America to stay on the narrow path! It worked. No doubt, his fall from grace was tragic, yet it does not nullify the truth he preached, and by the grace of God, he continues to preach to this day.

I have no doubt that there is a remnant left amongst the faithful, and to that remnant, I say, “the days ahead will be a trial of your faith such as you have never known. It is imperative that you settle in your heart and mind that you will hold to God’s unchanging hand and not forsake His word as we witness a transition in America that is already unfolding before us.” While our government’s leaders believe they can regulate men’s hearts by taking away guns and create peace by legalizing gay marriage, it will become evident that it cannot. Killings will only increase and immorality will sink to new lows.

While our politicians on both side of the aisle argue, debate, and avoid responsibility, I, as both a minister of the gospel and a prophetic voice, I warn those on Capitol Hill to make an appeal to God for mercy. Run to Him. Join hands with godly men and women, and run to the God who made the hill from which you govern. Repent and God might turn away the judgment that you and others have brought upon this nation and that we as a people have asked for, because we have chosen ungodly leaders. We are reaping the godless country we deserve. Only an appeal to God can stave off the ravages of the enemy and turn the tide that our land might be healed. It’s our choice as a people and a nation to fully repent and leave the outcome to Him.

William Owens is the Author of: Obama: Why Black America Should Have Doubts

© 2013 William Owens, Jr. - All Rights Reserved

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Megachurch 'High' May Explain Their Success

Religion News Service | By Chris Lisee
Posted: 08/20/2012 5:19 pm Updated: 08/20/2012 5:19 pm

In a Sept. 30, 2007 file photo, Joel Osteen preaches during a worship service he leads with his wife, Victoria, at Lakewood Church, the congregation he took over 8 years ago after the death of his father, John Osteen, founder of the institution. (AP Photo/Houston Chronicle, Steve Ueckert, File)

(RNS) Maybe religion really is the opiate of the masses -- just not the way Karl Marx imagined.

A University of Washington study posits that worship services at megachurches can trigger feelings of transcendence and changes in brain chemistry -- a spiritual "high" that keeps congregants coming back for more.

"We see this experience of unalloyed joy over and over again in megachurches. That's why we say it's like a drug," said James Wellman, an associate professor of American religion who co-authored the study.

The study, "'God is like a drug': Explaining Interaction Ritual Chains in American Megachurches" was presented Sunday (Aug. 19) at the annual meeting of the American Sociological Association in Denver.

Large gatherings of shared experience like concerts and sporting events also trigger feelings of euphoria, said Katie Corcoran, a Ph.D. candidate who co-authored the paper. But, she said, "churches seem to be somewhat unique in that these feelings are not just experienced as euphoria but as something transcendent or divine."

The authors theorize the spiritual high from megachurch services is experienced as an "oxytocin cocktail" of shared transcendent experience and the brain's release of oxytocin, a chemical that is thought to play a part in social interaction. Emotion and group experience have been shown to raise levels of oxytocin.

One congregant reported, "God's love becomes ... such a drug that you can't wait to come get your next hit. ... You can't wait to get involved to get the high from God."

Another said "you can look up to the balcony and see the Holy Spirit go over the crowd like a wave in a football game," Corcoran said.

Megachurches create this high through their unique style of worship, Corcoran said. Megachurches use technology and appeals to emotion to create a shared experience in congregations that number in the thousands.

"The upbeat modern music, cameras that scan the audience and project smiling, dancing, singing, or crying worshippers on large screens, and an extremely charismatic leader whose sermons touch individuals on an emotional level ... serve to create these strong positive emotional experiences," Corcoran said.

The pastor functions as an "energy star" who engages the congregation through an accessible, informal and emotional sermon. Rather than being analytical or theological, the message "just feels right" or "just makes sense" for congregants, Wellman said.

To extend the spiritual high beyond Sunday, churches feature small group activities such as Bible study, book clubs, and volunteer activities, the researchers said. But it is Sunday worship that brings people back.

The study bucks the idea that larger churches produce weaker member commitment; nearly 80 percent of congregants said church size did not hinder their spiritual growth.

An estimated 10 percent of American Protestants -- 6 million worshippers -- regularly attend one of 1,600 megachurches.

Researchers observed services and conducted 470 interviews and about 16,000 surveys at 12 megachurches for the University of Washington study.

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