Sunday, September 16, 2007

BRITISH BANK ROCKED BY RUN

British bank rocked by panic withdrawals

Sep 14 03:04 PM US/Eastern



Anxious customers of British bank Northern Rock rushed to withdraw their savings Friday, forming lengthy queues in front of branches after the lender was bailed out by the Bank of England.

Shares in Northern Rock, which issued a profits warning on Friday, plunged 31.46 percent to 438 pence at the close, dragging the European banking sector lower as investors fretted over potential difficulties elsewhere.

The Bank of England (BoE) on Friday came to the rescue of Britain's fifth-biggest home loan provider, which said it was facing severe difficulties raising cash to cover its liabilities amid the ongoing global credit squeeze.

From London to Edinburgh, panicking customers were pictured on British television channels crowding outside Northern Rock branches to withdraw their savings.

"I have withdrawn all my money," said one worried customer who wished to remain anonymous outside a branch in Harrow, northwest London.

"I know everyone has been urged not to panic but I just felt safer moving the money somewhere else rather than worrying about Northern Rock's financial position over the next few days," she added.

Analysts forecast that the troubled bank was very unlikely to go bust despite the sight of queues in the street raising the spectre of a "bank run."

A bank run is when customers withdraw savings en masse because of fear a lender will become insolvent, which can force the bank into bankruptcy.

"Northern Rock's problems are a consequence of its particular reliance on the money markets to fund its mortgage activities," Global Insight economist Howard Archer said Friday.

"Furthermore, all of the indications are that it is in no danger of going bust and that it has a good quality loan book."

International ratings agencies Standard and Poor's and Fitch cut their ratings on the company and S and P warned of further downgrades if credit conditions worsened.

But S and P stressed that the bailout by the Bank of England "considerably strengthens Northern Rock's funding and liquidity."

Northern Rock, which is based in the city of Newcastle, northeast England, is the first major British financial institution to be severely hit by the credit crunch sparked by the US home loan crisis.

A global credit crunch erupted last month, sparked by a crisis in the US subprime, or high-risk, mortgage sector.

Banks became nervous about lending to each other because of fears about bad investments linked to US home loans, leading to a shortage of cash for lending purposes.

Central banks around the world have pumped billion of dollars of emergency funds into the banking sector to enable banks to continue normal lending practices.

The Bank of England said it had made available an unspecified amount of cash to Northern Rock in the form of a liquidity facility.

This "will be available to help Northern Rock to fund its operations during the current period of turbulence in financial markets while Northern Rock works to secure an orderly resolution to its current liquidity problems," the bank said.

A Northern Rock spokesman sought to reassure customers, saying that "savings customers' deposits are safe" and adding that "there will be no impact on our borrowers."

However, many of the bank's savers were ignoring similar assurances from government ministers and BoE officials.

One queuing customer said: "I'm not sure about this, even though they say it is going to be all right. If they are short of funds, what happens to our funds?"

As well as hitting lenders globally, the world credit squeeze played a major part in the dollar slumping to a record low against the euro this week, and caused stock markets to plunge earlier this month.

Northern Rock also warned Friday that its 2007 profits could be 147 million pounds (214 million euros, 297 million dollars) lower than expected.

"It will be a slog after a day like this to repair the bank and we are up for the slog," Northern Rock chief executive Adam Applegarth told Sky News.

Britain's finance minister Alistair Darling, who authorised the BoE to help the bank, said its problems might have been avoided had US banks not been so willing to offer cash to borrowers with poor credit histories.

Later at a meeting of European finance ministers in Portugal, he called for "international action ... to ensure that in the future we can reduce the risk of this sort of turbulence occuring again."

Speaking before the meeting, Darling said it had been "some time" since the Bank of England had been placed in such a situation, while some commentators suggested it last occurred about 30 years ago.


Copyright AFP 2007, AFP stories and photos shall not be published, broadcast, rewritten for broadcast or publication or redistributed directly or indirectly in any medium.

Source: http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=070914172730.btxyggv4&show_article=1

Saturday, September 15, 2007

FRED THOMPSOM: ON GOD AND GOVERNMENT

Thompson: Serving God And Government



“We still get our basic rights from God, not government”—this is a phrase that Fred Thompson has been pronouncing a lot lately. Upon hearing this mantra my first impulse was to pop it into a large file labeled “Unfortunate and Not Entirely Logical Things Politicians Say When Playing the Faith and Values Game.” (Perhaps it should rest next to Joseph Lieberman’s ill-advised 2000 proclamation that “Freedom of religion does not mean freedom from religion.”)

Upon deeper reflection, however, it struck me that the remark was, at the very least, quite strategically astute. In less than a dozen words Thompson’s credo manages to assure two key Republican constituencies that he is with them. Conservative Christians, who are not as of yet convinced that he is with them, are clearly his primary target.

On the backstroke, the former senator’s credo is also a gesture to the libertarian component of the GOP. By setting the state against God (an uneven competition if there ever was one) Thompson manages to cut government down to size, so to speak. Upon hearing this, Republicans who value personal freedom and minimal state intervention will be reminded that the former senator from Tennessee has very solid libertarian credentials.

By the standards of political sloganeering that’s pretty good work. But it does call attention to a pretty bad tension among Thompson’s two audiences, if not the Republican Party itself. For the Conservative Christian and libertarian wings of the GOP would appear to be headed on a collision course (see, for example, Ryan Sager’s The Elephant in the Room: Evangelicals, Libertarians and the Battle to Control the Republican Party).

Many Evangelical leaders seem hellbent on using the power of the state to regulate and curtail individual liberties. Whatever one might think about outlawing abortion or prohibiting marriage among consenting adults of the same-sex, it is undeniable that such measures constitute a massive imposition of state power upon personal freedom.

The Evangelical embrace of politics and its associated apparatus can also be seen in their burgeoning “foreign policy” interests. On issues like the spread of AIDS in developing nations, eradicating poverty, human sexual trafficking, religious freedom, Conservative Christians have shown themselves to be concerned (and upstanding) global citizens. Of course, these initiatives require statecraft, maximal government intervention, and extensive coordination among nations. Here too the agenda of Conservative Christians clashes thunderously with that of small-government Republicans.

God may indeed trump government for many Americans. But what must be understood is that many Evangelicals, flush with a sense of electoral power, no longer see a contradiction between the two. They have no qualms about using the full force of government to secure what they view as rights given by God.

Posted by Jacques Berlinerblau on September 12, 2007 9:50 AM

Jacques Berlinerblau

The God Vote

Jacques Berlinerblau

Jacques Berlinerblau is program director and associate professor of Jewish Civilization at the Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown University. He is the author of "The Secular Bible: Why Nonbelievers Must Take Religion Seriously" and the forthcoming "Thumpin’ It: The Use and Abuse of the Bible in Today’s Presidential Politics." The God Vote is a critical look at the religious rhetoric, activity and theology behind the 2008 presidential campaign. Full bio »

Source: http://newsweek.washingtonpost.com/onfaith/georgetown/2007/09/god_and_government_too.html

P.S. Highlights in red added for emphasis. Blogmaster

MADONNA MEETS PRESIDENT SHIMON PERES

Sep 16, 2007 0:58 Updated Sep 16, 2007 0:58
Madonna meets President Shimon Peres



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If anyone doubted Madonna's transformation in recent years from a pop-star "Material Girl" to a Kabbala-inspired spiritual woman, the singer proved this weekend that her born-again attachment to Jewish culture and Israel is no passing fancy.

Madonna and her husband Guy Ritchie with President Shimon Peres.
Photo: Government press office

Madonna led an all-star delegation to a Kabbala conference in Tel Aviv on Friday to celebrate Rosh Hashana. The 49-year-old diva was seen singing Jewish songs with the crowd of hundreds at the David Intercontinental Hotel, where the conference on Jewish mysticism was held. At one point, she pressed another participant, apparently a friend, up to the front where he danced excitedly, making her and the crowd giggle and clap enthusiastically.

On Saturday night, Madonna and her film director husband, Guy Ritchie, traveled to Jerusalem and met with President Shimon Peres for nearly two hours at Beit Hanassi.

According to the president's spokeswoman, Peres and Madonna toasted the Jewish New Year together, and presented each other with gifts of holy books - Madonna received a copy of the Hebrew Bible, and the singer gave the president a copy of the Zohar, the mystical text that serves as the basis of Kabbala.

"The president and Madonna discussed how to advance the peace process, and conciliation and tolerance throughout the world," said presidential spokeswoman Ayelet Frish. "Madonna told the president she wants to promote those messages in her songs and books, and how important it was to educate children with those ideas. She also said that meeting President Peres and welcoming in the new Jewish year together with him was the fulfillment of a dream."

Madonna arrived in Israel Wednesday night, on a private visit. The singer did not speak to the media and the conference was closed to TV cameras.

The actress Demi Moore and her husband, actor Ashton Kutcher, also attended the Tel Aviv conference; they were seen on the city streets Thursday night. Fashion designer Donna Karan and former talk-show host Rosie O'Donnell also accompanied Madonna to Israel.

Madonna was raised a Roman Catholic, but she has become a follower of Jewish mysticism in recent years. Her interest has raised the ire of some Orthodox Jews who see the adoption of Kabbala by non-Jewish pop figures as an abomination.

The singer has taken the Hebrew name Esther and has been seen wearing a red thread on her wrist that supposedly helps ward off the evil eye. During her visit she plans to visit sites sacred to Kabbalists.

Madonna came to Israel three years ago, on another Kabbala-centered trip. She first visited the Jewish state in 1993, when she performed in a concert unrelated to Kabbala in Tel Aviv's Hayarkon Park.•

Source: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1189411406684&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

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...

The ancient Jewish mystical tradition of Kabbalah has in recent years attracted a number of celebrities.

Madonna turned to it in 1997 after coming into contact with a Los Angeles-based Kabbalah centre that teaches an eclectic mix of Orthodox Jewish tradition, visualisation and positive thinking aimed at spiritual well-being.

In 2004 she took the Hebrew name Esther and is now reportedly observing the Jewish sabbath, although she has not converted to Judaism.

Source: http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hOO2ezqfv5lDopMh-RgTwSTM2USw

MORE THAN 160 ARRESTED AT IRAQ PROTEST

More Than 160 Arrested at Iraq Protest


Saturday, September 15, 2007


WASHINGTON - Several thousand protesters marched Saturday from the White House to the Capitol to demand an end to the Iraq war, and at least 160 people were arrested when they jumped a barricade at the foot of the Capitol steps.

Many of the protesters were arrested without a struggle after they jumped over the waist-high barricade. But some grew angry as police attempted to push them back using large shields. At least two people were showered with chemical spray. Protesters responded by throwing signs and chanting: "Shame on you."

The arrests came after protesters initially decided to lay down on the Capitol lawn with signs on top of their bodies to represent soldiers killed in Iraq. When police took no action, some of the protesters decided to start climbing over the barricade.

Before arriving at the Capitol lawn, the demonstrators marched on Pennsylvania Avenue holding banners and signs and saying, "What do we want? Troops out. When do we want it? Now."

Counterprotesters lined the sidewalks behind metal barricades. There were some heated shouting matches between the two sides.

The protesters gathered earlier Saturday near the White House in Lafayette Park with signs saying "End the war now" and calling for President Bush's impeachment. The rally was organized by the ANSWER Coalition and other groups.

Organizers estimated that more than 100,000 people attended the rally and march. That number could not be confirmed; police did not give their own estimate. But there appeared to be tens of thousands of people in attendance, and the march stretched along multiple blocks of Pennsylvania Avenue.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan told the crowd is was time to be assertive.

"It's time to lay our bodies on the line and say we've had enough," she said. "It's time to shut this city down."

Army veteran Justin Cliburn, 25, of Lawton, Okla., was among a contingent of Iraq veterans in attendance.

"We're occupying a people who do not want us there," Cliburn said of Iraq. "We're here to show that it isn't just a bunch of old hippies from the 60s who are against this war."

About 13 blocks away, nearly 1,000 counterprotesters gathered near the Washington Monument, frequently erupting in chants of "U-S-A" and waving American flags.

Retired Air Force Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson, speaking from a stage to crowds clad in camouflage, American flag bandanas and Harley Davidson jackets, said he wanted to send three messages.

"Congress, quit playing games with our troops. Terrorists, we will find you and kill you," he said. "And to our troops, we're here for you, and we support you."


Associated Press writer Christine Simmons contributed to this report.


Copyright 2007 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed


Source: http://home.peoplepc.com/psp/newsstory.asp?cat=national&id=20070915/46eb58c0_3ca6_1552620070915523356364

AN INTERFAITH RALLY FOR CLIMATE CHANGE

Religious leaders from numerous religious traditions including Hinduism and Islam, joined in silent prayer last Friday at the front of the M/S Fram, with the Ilulissat glacier in the background.
Colin Woodard

In Greenland, an interfaith rally for climate change

Patriarch Bartholomew is leading an interfaith shipboard symposium down the coast of Greenland to improve cooperation between religious and political leaders.


Page 1 of 2

Standing on the bow of a passenger ship before the fast-melting Ilulissat glacier, religious leaders from around the world lowered their heads in a silent prayer for the future of the planet.

Surrounded by icebergs, Sunni, Shiite, Buddhist, Hindu, Jewish, Christian, and Shinto leaders committed themselves last Friday to leave the planet "in all its wisdom and beauty to the generations to come." They included the Grand Rabbi of Paris, René-Samuel Sirat, Bishop Sofie Petersen of Greenland, Cardinal Theodore McCarrick of Washington, and the Rev. Jim Ball, founder of the Evangelical Environmental Network.

They are in Greenland for a six-day tour on the invitation of the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew, the senior-most figure in Orthodox Christianity, widely known as the Green Patriarch for his efforts to mobilize religious leaders to protect the environment.

Patriarch Bartholomew, who is based in Istanbul, Turkey, has traveled to many of the world's environmental hotspots including the Black Sea, the Danube, and the Amazon, usually as part of a series of shipboard symposiums between religious, scientific, and political leaders.

Now he is taking on climate change, traveling down the Greenland coast by ship in the company of Princess Irene of Denmark, Greenland foreign minister Aleqa Hammond, and over 100 dignitaries, scientists, clergy, and journalists. The onboard forum is designed to focus global attention on climate change, whose effects can be seen most dramatically in Greenland, most scientists agree.

"Preservation of the environment, promotion of sustainable development, and particular attention to climate change are matters of grave concern for the entire human family," said Bartholomew at the conference's opening.

Mending schisms

Carl Pope, executive director of the Sierra Club, says the event was indicative of the progress that was being made bridging the divide between environmentalism and faith. "Environmentalism is really the intersection of science and ethical principles," he says. "I was part of the generation that made the choice – the horrendous strategic blunder – of situating ourselves outside the institutions of faith. Now we have a chance to repent for and reform from that error."

Religious leaders also signaled the need to work together.

"It is very, very key for as many voices from as many fields as possible to come together to present a common effort," Cardinal McCarrick, Pope Benedict XVI's official representative, told the Monitor. Failure to address climate change, he said, "will mean the terrible suffering of millions of people."

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Source: http://www.csmonitor.com/2007/0912/p06s01-woeu.html

DO YOU BELIEVE THE MESSENGER OF THE LORD?




Watchman


What of the Night?


"The hour has come, the hour is striking and striking at you, the hour and the end!" Eze. 7:6 (Moffatt)



January 30, 1994




TO WHOM IT MAY CONCERN:




DO YOU BELIEVE THE MESSENGER OF THE LORD?




After the truth has been proclaimed as a witness to all nations, every conceivable power of evil will be set in operation, and minds will be confused by many voices crying, "Lο, here is Christ, Lo he is there. This is the truth, I have a message from God, he has sent me with great light." Then there will be a removing of the landmarks, and an attempt to pull down the pillars of our faith. Α more decided effort will be made to exalt the false Sabbath, and to cast contempt upon God Himself by supplanting the day He has blessed and sanctified. This false Sabbath is to be enforced by an oppressive law. Satan and his angels are wide-awake and intensely active, working with energy and perseverance through human instrumentalities to bring about his purpose of obliterating from the minds of men the knowledge of God. But while Satan works with his lying wonders, the time 'will be fulfilled foretold in the Revelation, and the mighty angel that shall lighten the earth with his glory, will proclaim the fall of Babylon, and call upon God's people to forsake her. (Review & Herald, December 13, 1892)




Note the three conjunctive adverbs of time - "After" - "Then" - "But while."



Question #1 - If the truth has not been proclaimed as a witness to all nations and needs to be given by "short wave" etc., then there has been no attempt to pull down the pillars, nor remove the landmarks. Why then are you bashing the Church? Perhaps that which is being proclaimed by the Church is merely advancing truth and one needs to walk in its increasing light. (See R&H, March 25, 1890)



Question #2 - If, however, there has been an attempt to pull down the pillars of our faith and remove the landmarks, it means simply that the truth has been proclaimed to all nations as a witness. What then is the purpose of extorting under a false premise, monies for "short wave," etc.?




You cannot have it both ways. Do you really believe the Messenger of the Lord which you profess as the "voices" of the "Historic Adventist Movement"?


This message was sent by FAX to Grosboll, Trefz, Osborne, Vierra and Balsiger, January, 1994..

Source: http://www.adventistlaymen.org/Documents/To%20Whom%20It%20May%20Concern%20-%20Do%20You%20Believe%20the%20Messenger%20of%20the%20Lord.htm

CHURCHES UNDER SEIGE

Churches Under Seige

Exposing the Right's Attacks on Mainline Protestantism

By John Dorhauer
The Public Eye Magazine - Summer 2007

The Institute on Religion and Democracy is a well-funded, under the radar organization bent on fomenting dissent within and demoralizing from without Mainline Protestant denominations. It works by turning internal disagreements away from dialogue and into all out battles at which the very life of a congregation is at stake. Even if a church remains within a denomination, too often its social justice agenda is silenced.

Read More...

Source: http://www.publiceye.org/magazine/v22n2/church_seige.html

DIGNITARIES VISITING THE POPE OF ROME

ppage5.htm
VATICAN CITY - JUNE 9: Pope Benedict XVI exchanges gifts with US President George W. Bush during a meeting at his private library, June 9, 2007 in Vatican City.

(Above President George W. Bush presents Pope Benedict XIV a gift; A Walking Staff with etchings denoting his role as shepherd of the {universal} flock.)

<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>

Papa Benedetto XVI

Pope Benedict XVI is greeted by the Grand Master of the Order of Malta, Prince Fra' Andrew Bertie (L) during a private audience at the Vatican June 22, 2007.

Source: http://www.catholicpressphoto.com/daily.htm


THE POPE MEETS SUDAN'S PRESIDENT

Photo
AFP/POOL - Fri Sep 14, 6:01 PM ET
Pope Benedict XVI(L) meets Sudan President Omar al-Beshir during a private audience in Castelgandolfo. Beshir said Friday he was ready to call a ceasefire in the Darfur conflict ahead of peace talks with rebels planned for next month.

ON FORGIVENESS OF SINS

Jesus did not, by this assurance, give the apostles or their successors power to forgive sins, as his representatives. The Roman Catholic Church directs its people to confess the secrets of their lives to the priest, and from him, acting in the place of Christ, to receive absolution from their sins. The Saviour taught that his is the only name given under Heaven whereby men shall be saved. Jesus, however, delegated to his church upon earth, in her organized capacity, the power to censure and to remove censure according to the rules prescribed by inspiration; but these acts were only to be done by men of good repute, who were consecrated by the great Head of the church, and who showed by their lives that they were earnestly seeking to follow the guidance of the Spirit of God.

No man was to exercise an arbitrary power over another man's conscience. Christ gave no ecclesiastical right to forgive sin, nor to sell indulgences, that men may sin without incurring the displeasure of God, nor did he give his servants liberty to accept a gift or bribe for cloaking sin, that it may escape merited censure. Jesus charged his disciples to preach the remission of sin in his name among all nations; but they themselves were not empowered to remove one stain of sin from the children of Adam. Nor were they to execute judgment against the guilty; the wrath of an offended God was to be proclaimed against the sinner; but the power which the Roman Church assumes to visit that wrath upon the offender is not established by any direction of Christ; he himself will execute the sentence pronounced against the impenitent. Whoever would attract the people to himself as one in whom is invested power to forgive sins, incurs the wrath of God, for he turns souls away from the heavenly Pardoner to a weak and erring mortal.

Jesus showed his disciples that only as they should partake of his Spirit, and be assimilated to his merciful character, would they be endowed with spiritual discernment and miraculous power. All their strength and wisdom must come from him. When dealing with obstinately offending members, the holy men of the church were to follow the directions laid down by Christ; this, the only course of safety for the church, has been traced step by step by the apostles with the pen of inspiration.

When the church takes up the case of an offender, the prayer of faith will bring Christ into the midst as an all-wise counselor. Men are in danger of being controlled by prejudice or the reports and opinions of others. Their own unsanctified judgment may balance their decisions. Therefore, where important decisions are to be made in reference to individuals in the church, the judgment of one man, however wise and experienced he may be, is not to be regarded as sufficient to act upon.

Jesus has said, "Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst." With Christ to preside over the council of the church, how cautiously should each man speak and act. Prayer should be offered for the erring, and every means be used to restore him to the favor of God and the church; but if the voice of the church is disregarded, and his individual will is set up above it, then the offender must be promptly dealt with, and the decision of the brethren, made with prayer and faith, and according to the wisdom given them of God, is ratified by Heaven.

The repentance of the sinner is to be accepted by the church with grateful hearts. The church is empowered to absolve sins only in the sense of assuring the repenting sinner of the forgiving mercy of the Saviour, and in leading him out from the darkness of unbelief and guilt, to the light of faith and righteousness. It may place his trembling hand in the loving hand of Jesus. Such a remission is ratified by Heaven. The directions of the apostles in regard to condemnation or acquittal in case of church trials are to remain valid till the end of time. And the promise of Christ's presence in answer to prayer should comfort and encourage his church today as much as it comforted and encouraged the apostles whom Christ directly addressed. Those who despise the authority of the church despise the authority of Christ himself.

Notwithstanding the refusal of Heaven's best gift by Jerusalem, the work of the apostles was to commence there. The first overtures of mercy were to be made to the murderers of the Son of God. There were also many there who had secretly believed on Jesus, and many who had been deceived by the priests and rulers, but were ready to accept him, if it could be proven that he was indeed the Christ. The apostles, as eyewitnesses, were to testify of Jesus and his resurrection. They were to open to the people the prophecies relating to him, and to show how perfectly they had been fulfilled. They were to bring before the people the most convincing evidence of the truths which they taught, and they were to proclaim the joyful tidings of salvation to the world.

The Spirit of Prophecy Volume Three (1878), Ellen G. White, pp. 244-247.

LORD, IN THE MORNING

Lord, in the morning Thou shalt hear
My voice ascending high;
To Thee will I direct my prayer,
To Thee lift up mine eye.

Up to the hills, where Christ is gone
To plead for all His saints,
Presenting at His Father’s throne,
Our songs and our complaints.


Thou art a God before Whose sight
The wicked shall not stand;
Sinners shall ne’er be Thy delight,
Nor dwell at Thy right hand.


But to Thy house will I resort,
To taste Thy mercies there;
I will frequent Thine holy court,
And worship in Thy fear.


O may Thy Spirit guide my feet
In ways of righteousness!
Make ev’ry path of duty straight
And plain before my face


My watchful enemies combine
To tempt my feet astray;
They flatter, with a base design
To make my soul their prey.


Lord, crush the serpent in the dust,
And all his plots destroy;
While those that in Thy mercy trust,
Forever shout for joy.


The men that love and fear Thy Name
Shall see their hopes fulfill’d;
The mighty God will compass them
With favor as a shield.


Isaac Watts (1674-1748)
Words:
Isaac Watts, The Psalms of Da­vid, 1719.

Music: War­wick,
Sam­u­el Stan­ley, in Twen­ty-Four Tunes in Four Parts, cir­ca 1796
(MI­DI, score).

Al­ter­nate tune:

  • Mear, Eng­lish tune, ar­ranged by
    Aaron Will­iams (1731-1776)
    (MI­DI, score

Source: http://www.cyberhymnal.org/htm/l/m/lmorntsh.htm

Friday, September 14, 2007

THE LORD IS AT HAND


Let your moderation be known unto all men. The Lord is at hand. [Philippians 4: 5.]

I'D RATHER HAVE JESUS

I’d Rather Have Jesus


I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand.

Than to be a king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway,
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.


I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame,
I’d rather be true to His holy name.

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out of the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs,
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead.

I’d Rather Have Jesus – The History
I’d Rather Have Jesus is a song written by Rhea F. Miller with the tune written by George Beverly Shea. This poem, written in 1922, was left on a piano in the Shea home by Bev Shea who wanted her son to find it and change the course of his life.

The words, I’d rather have Jesus, moved George so much and spoke to him about his own aims and ambitions in life. He sat down at the piano and began singing them with a tune that seemed to fit the words. Shea’s mom heard him singing it and asked him to sing it at church the next day.

George’s life direction did change. He was offered a popular music career with NBC, but a few years later chose to become associated with evangelist Billy Graham and sang this hymn around the world.

Source: http://www.allaboutgod.com/id-rather-have-jesus.htm

JESUS ON HIS KINGDOM, WHEAT AND TARES.


24Another parable put he forth unto them, saying, The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field:

25But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way.

26But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also.

27So the servants of the householder came and said unto him, Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares?

28He said unto them, An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up?

29But he said, Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them.

30Let both grow together until the harvest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers, Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn.


***********************************



36Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying, Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field.


37He answered and said unto them, He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man;

38The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one;

39The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels.

40As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world.

41The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them which do iniquity;

42And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.

43Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.

Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43.

HEAVEN'S CITIZENS REMAIN SEPARATE

Heaven's Citizens Remain Separate

Our citizenship is in heaven; from whence we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ.15 Philippians 3:20


Every Christian's citizenship is in heaven. The Authorized Version is, "Our conversation is in heaven"; but that word "conversation" does not mean simply our words and the conversation which we have one with another in talking about neighborly affairs, but our manner of life, our course of conduct, our walk, is in heaven.


Now as our citizenship, the citizenship of every Christian, is in heaven, what has any citizen of heaven or of the heavenly government rightly to do with the political or governmental affairs of any other government or any other kingdom? In fact, what has a citizen of any government rightly to do with the political concerns or management of any other government?


We read about people who profess to be citizens of the heavenly kingdom, but they are constantly involving themselves in the political workings of the governments of this earth. They profess to have a citizenship in heaven, and yet they manipulate the affairs of the kingdoms of earth! They profess to be citizens of the kingdom of God, yet they propose to regulate the affairs of the governments of men. But that is a thing that never can rightly be done.


If a citizen of Great Britain should come into the United States, still retaining his citizenship in the government of Great Britain, and should take part, or attempt to take part, in the political affairs of this government, his action in that respect would be resented by every citizen of the United States. It matters not with what party he might wish to ally himself and work; they would not have it. They would say to him: That is none of your business; you do not belong here. You are a citizen of another government. If the laws of this country do not suit you, that has nothing to do with the case. The political systems of this country suit us. If things do not suit you, just let them alone, or else change your citizenship from the government to which you belong, and bring your citizenship here. Then begin to discuss the laws and how they should be made, and what they should be.


You know that is so. You know that is the way a citizen of another country would be treated by all the citizens of the United States, if he should undertake to manipulate, to control, or have any part in the political concerns of this country. That is not denying his right to live here; he may do that. But all do deny his right, and his very citizenship in another country, denies his right to have anything to do with the citizenship of the United States, or her political affairs.


As the Christian's citizenship is in heaven, the very principle of it, prohibits him from taking part in any of the political concerns of any other government, even though it be the government of the United States. And that is so; it exists in the very nature of the case. It lies in the very principle of citizenship itself.


Source: http://www.embassyofheaven.com/catalog/patriotd.htm


OUR KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD

Our Kingdom is not of this World

Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews.19 John 18:36



If His kingdom were of this world, then for what kingdom would His servants fight - for a kingdom of this world. Then the man who fights for a kingdom of this world, who contends for supremacy and power in a kingdom of this world, and works for a place in a kingdom of this world, denies his connection with the kingdom of Jesus Christ. For Christ's kingdom is not of this world. But this is what these church leaders are doing who are leading in this National Reform movement. They seek to take possession of the kingdoms of this world, to rule the governments of this world and to fight for the governments of this world. Therefore they proclaim with the loudest voice possible that they are of this world and not of the kingdom of Christ at all.



There was also a strife among them, which of them should be accounted the greatest.20 Luke 22:24-26



There was a strife among them concerning which should be greatest in the kingdom which they expected Christ to set up. They expected it would be a kingdom of this world and they expected they would have a place. There was a strife among them regarding that expected kingdom. It was a mistaken idea, to be sure, with respect to the kingdom, but the lesson that he gave them upon it is applicable in all cases of the kind:



And he said unto them, The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them; and they that exercise authority upon them are called benefactors.21 Luke 22:25



Factors, benefactors, agents of good! That is what these church leaders now profess to be. They claim to be agents of good to the country, to the people. They are working for the redemption of cities, States, and nations. Would they not be called benefactors? "But ye shall not be so." Ye shall not exercise authority and lordship over one another in the Church, in the place where you belong. Why then are these church leaders exercising authority and lordship over people in a place where they do not belong?




Source: http://www.embassyofheaven.com/catalog/patriotf.htm

EU TURNS 50, ON PATH TO OBLIVION SAYS POPE




As the EU turns 50, Pope says it's on path to oblivion



· Europe 'ignoring Christian roots' says Benedict XVI
· Merkel seeks more power for the European Union


Ian Traynor in Berlin
Monday March 26, 2007
The Guardian



European leaders yesterday celebrated the EU's 50th birthday, with Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, telling the prime ministers or presidents of 27 countries that modern Europe was a dream come true.

But the birthday party summit for the EU - staged with rock concerts, Beethoven, beer and cake in brilliant sunshine in Berlin - was soured by the German Pope, Benedict XVI, who delivered a profoundly pessimistic verdict on Europe at 50, declaring that the continent could be heading for extinction.

Angry that a "Berlin Declaration" unveiled yesterday listing the EU's achievements and challenges on its 50th birthday contained no reference to the continent's Christian roots, Pope Benedict said that Europe could "not be built by ignoring its people's identities".

In his remarks to bishops gathered for ceremonies in Rome to mark the signing of the treaty that founded the EU in 1957, the Pope declared that the reluctance of women in Europe to have babies and Europe's failure to regenerate itself was putting the continent on the path to oblivion. "From a demographic standpoint ... Europe seems set on a path that could lead it to take leave of history," he warned. Europe was "losing faith in its own future".

Birthrates are at historic lows in many EU countries, most notably in strongly Roman Catholic countries such as Poland, Italy and Spain. According to UN projections, the population of the EU could shrink by 50m within a few decades.

The stark comments from the pontiff appeared timed to spoil the Euro-party mood. They contrasted graphically with the festive atmosphere in Berlin, while Mrs Merkel used the EU summit as a springboard for her central aim of reviving the European constitution.

"The European Union needs more and clearer powers than it has," Mrs Merkel said, before disclosing how she hopes to use the remaining three months of her EU presidency to drive her constitution project forward. Over the next couple of months said German officials, Mrs Merkel will canvass views on which parts of the European constitution can be salvaged.

The birthday card document agreed by all EU states yesterday stated that the EU needs to be placed on a new footing within two years, which Mrs Merkel says gives her a mandate to push the constitution.

British officials say the government's key priority is to avoid a referendum on a new constitution, a vote it thinks it would lose. They add that Britain is happy to go along with many of the changes sought by the Germans, but that their scale must be kept "below the referendum threshold". "The sooner this is resolved, the better," said Tony Blair yesterday, reflecting a growing EU consensus that the dispute should be settled quickly.

Britain apart, Poland, the Czech Republic and The Netherlands have serious objections to the constitutional project. But Hans-Gert Poettering, the German president of the European parliament, said the new charter need not be called a "constitution", as long as the bulk of the original draft was retained.

Speaking yesterday in the courtyard of Germany's History Museum in central Berlin, a few hundred yards from the line of the old Berlin Wall, Mrs Merkel recalled that growing up behind the Iron Curtain in East Germany, she never imagined she would see the west before her old age.

She also addressed Pope Benedict's objections, stating that as a Christian Democrat she believed that Europe's culture was rooted in "Christian-Jewish" traditions. But the Pope's criticism of contemporary Europe appeared deliberately timed to cloud the 50th birthday bash.

He said that Europe's moral, cultural, and historical values had been forged by Christianity and that the EU was denying such facts. Europe's loss of contact with its Christian roots was bringing about "a singular form of apostasy, not so much from God as from itself".


Source: http://www.guardian.co.uk/pope/story/0,,2042886,00.html


'MY KINGDOM IS NOT OF THIS WORLD'


Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence. John 18:36


36. Jesus answered, My kingdom is not of this world—He does not say "not over," but "not of this world"—that is, in its origin and nature; therefore "no such kingdom as need give thee or thy master the least alarm."

if my kingdom were of this world, then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews—"A very convincing argument; for if His servants did not fight to prevent their King from being delivered up to His enemies, much less would they use force for the establishment of His kingdom" [Webster and Wilkinson].

but now—but the fact is.

is my kingdom not from hence—Our Lord only says whence His kingdom is not—first simply affirming it, next giving proof of it, then reaffirming it. This was all that Pilate had to do with. The positive nature of His kingdom He would not obtrude upon one who was as little able to comprehend it, as entitled officially to information about it. (It is worthy of notice that the "MY," which occurs four times in this one verse—thrice of His kingdom, and once of His servants—is put in the emphatic form).

Source (explanation): http://bible.cc/john/18-36.htm

P.S. HIGHLIGHTS, Italics, and Bolds added to emphasize Jesus' words.

Thursday, September 13, 2007

FRAMING THE WAR ON TERROR



Framing the War on Terror







The Gallup polling organization marked the sixth anniversary of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks by publishing a thoughtful analysis challenging the assumption that "religious fanaticism fuels extremism and therefore replacing Muslims' worldview with Western liberalism is the path to victory against terrorism. ... As a starting point, Muslims do not hold a monopoly on extremist views. While 6% of Americans think attacks in which civilians are targets are 'completely justified,' in both Lebanon and Iran, this figure is 2%, and in Saudi Arabia, it's 4%. In Europe, Muslims in Paris and London were no more likely than were their counterparts in the general public to believe attacks on civilians are ever justified and at least as likely to reject violence, even for a 'noble cause.' After analyzing survey data representing more than 90% of the global Muslim population, Gallup found that despite widespread anti-American sentiment, only a small minority saw the 9/11 attacks as morally justified. Even more significant, there was no correlation between level of religiosity and extremism among respondents." Rather than religion, extremists are motivated by the belief that "occupation and U.S. domination" is threatening their societies. "The real difference between those who condone terrorist acts and all others is about politics, not piety," writes Dalia Mogahed.


Source: http://www.prwatch.org/node/6436

YE ARE ALL THE CHILDREN OF LIGHT...

1But of the times and the seasons, brethren, ye have no need that I write unto you.

2For yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night.

3For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.

4But ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that day should overtake you as a thief.

5Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.

6Therefore let us not sleep, as do others; but let us watch and be sober.

7For they that sleep sleep in the night; and they that be drunken are drunken in the night.

8But let us, who are of the day, be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love; and for an helmet, the hope of salvation.

9For God hath not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ,

10Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

11Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.

12And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you;

13And to esteem them very highly in love for their work's sake. And be at peace among yourselves.

14Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men.

15See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

16Rejoice evermore.

17Pray without ceasing.

18In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.

19Quench not the Spirit.

20Despise not prophesyings.

21Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.

22Abstain from all appearance of evil.

23And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

24Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.

25Brethren, pray for us.

26Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.

27I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.

28The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.

1 Thessalonians 5


WHAT IS DOMINIONISM?



What is Dominionism?


Dominionism is a trend in Protestant Christian evangelicalism and fundamentalism that encourages not just active political participation in civic society but also attempts to dominate the political process.


The broad concept of Dominionism is based on the Bible's text in Genesis 1:26:



"And God said, Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." (KJV).


"Then God said, 'Let us make man in our image, in our likeness and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth and over all the creatures that move along the ground.'" (NIV).


Most Christians interpret this verse as meaning that God gave humankind dominion over the Earth. Many consider this a mandate for stewardship rather than the assertion of total control. A more assertive interpretation of this verse is seen as a command that Christians bring all societies, around the world, under the rule of the Word of God, as they understand it.


As Sara Diamond explains, the general Dominionist idea, is "that Christians alone are Biblically mandated to occupy all secular institutions until Christ returns -- and there is no consensus on when that might be. Dominionist thinking precludes coalitions between believers and unbelievers...." This creates a contradictory tension. "The Christian Right wants to take dominion," says Diamond, but also wants to work within "the existing political-economic system, at the same time." In the United States, Dominionism raises issues of separation of church and state, but since Dominionism appears in a variety of forms, it is important to take each example and evaluate the specific beliefs, especially around the issue of theocracy.


Generic Dominionism


Within the Christian Right, concern over social, cultural, and political issues such as abortion and school prayer has prompted participation in elections since the 1970s. Activists and intellectuals in the Christian Right work in a coalition that includes both postmillennialists and premillennialists exercising political power primarily through the Republican Party. These dominionists generally insist that "America is a Christian Nation," and that therefore Christians need to re-assert control over political and cultural institutions. Yet many stop short of articulating a position that could be called theocratic.


Theocratic dominionism


The terms Theocratic Dominionism or Hard Dominionism, describe forms of Dominion Theology, a religious trend that arose in the 1970s as a series of small Christian movements that seek to establish a theocratic form of government. In the United States, a very doctrinaire version of Hard Dominionism is Christian Reconstructionism, a theonomic movement that seeks to replace the secular governance model, and subsequently the U.S. Constitution, creating a political and judicial system based on Old Testament Law, or Mosaic Law.


Critics of the theocratic versions of dominionism often lump all the variants together, and use the terms Dominionism, Dominion Theology, and Christian Reconstructionism almost interchangeably, but this is problematic. For example, all Christian Reconstructionists are Dominionists, but not all Dominionists are Christian Reconstructionists.


Dominionists often argue that the United States was originally envisioned as a society based on Biblical law.


Roots and branches


Both forms of Dominionism have appeared in Canada, and several European countries, as well as the United States. Dominionism as a trend in the late 1970s and 1980s was sparked in part by a series of books and films featuring Francis A. Schaeffer, a popular theologian based in Switzerland.


Read the whole article:







Different Sectors - Different Responses


The Christian Right: Conservative


Christian Nationalism (Soft Dominionists)—Biblically–defined immorality and sin breed chaos and anarchy. America’s greatness as God’s chosen land has been undermined by liberal secular humanists, feminists, and homosexuals. Purists want litmus tests for issues of abortion, tolerance of gays and lesbians, and prayer in schools. Includes some non–Christian cultural conservatives. Overlaps somewhat with Christian theocracy.


The Christian Right: Hard Right


Christian Theocracy (Hard Dominionists)—Christian men are ordained by God to run society. Eurocentric version of Christianity based on early Calvinism. Intrinsically Christian ethnocentric, treating non-Christians as second-class citizens. Implicitly antisemitic. Includes Christian Reconstructionists.


  • See Full Chart of Sectors







    About the Christian Right


    Most sectors in the contemporary Christian Right have resisted the overtures of their most insurgent compatriots and moved instead toward the Conservative Right and participation in the electoral system. While they often complain about the government and political system, the primary focus of the Christian Right is gender. Christian political activism reaches back to the early settlers, and has always had a profound effect on the U.S. political scene. Christian political and social movements have oscillated between progressive and reactionary poles. The mobilization of Christian activists during the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s echoed the progressive reform aspects of Abolitionism, the Social Gospel movement, and the Temperance movement. Right-wing Christian activism is no less creative and adaptive than that of its progressive siblings.



    The Christian Right is a series of groups that compose both a social movement and a political movement. It has components that stretch from the Conservative Right to the Hard Right. Here we concentrate on that sector of the Christian Right that is part of the Dissident Right. A number of studies have found that people with above average income, education, and social status populate the organizations of the Christian Right in the United States. Many are managers and small business owners. When studying the contemporary Christian Right it is easy to find evidence of apocalypticism, conspiracism, and populist anti-elitism. Much of the populist rhetoric reflects alienation caused by the shifting sands of gender, sexual identities, and class positions. "The rise of the Christian Right, with its emphasis on 'family values,' gender roles, and a muted, cultural form of Eurocentric racism, was one of the most significant features of politics in the 1980s and 1990s." Nonetheless, the Christian Right should not be lumped together with the militias or the Extreme Right.



    Starting in the early 1900s, the major scapegoat for the Christian Right was godless communism. After the collapse of European communism, around 1990, a new scapegoat was found. The new mobilizing focus for the Christian Right was an umbrella concept called the Culture War; launched against the scapegoat of secular humanism. For the Christian Right the apocalyptic demon of secular humanism had three heads: liberal moral relativism; the feminist movement and its demands for reproductive rights; and the gay and lesbian rights movements. As a result of this analysis, the Christian Right launched campaigns aimed at policing "traditional" gender roles. According to Clarkson, abortion and homosexuality are both a "permanent, defining issue for the movement." In part as a payback for Christian Right voter turnout, and in part due to ideological and theological agreement, George W. Bush has embraced several items from the Christian Right agenda on gender. Kaminer warns that the "current regime envisions an ideal world in which heterosexual couples can't divorce and gay couples can't marry, women cannot get an abortion, and even contraception is scarce, especially for teens."






    From: Chip Berlet. 2004. “Mapping the Political Right: Gender and Race Oppression in Right-Wing Movements.” In Abby Ferber, ed, Home-Grown Hate: Gender and Organized Racism. New York: Routledge.



    Source: http://www.publiceye.org/christian_right/cr_intro.html