Sunday, February 24, 2008

CANADA & US AGREE TO SHARE TROOPS

Canada, U.S. Agree To Use Each Other's Troops In Civil Emergencies

By David Pugliese
Canwest News Service

Canada and the U.S. have signed an agreement that paves the way for the militaries from either nation to send troops across each other's borders during an emergency, but some are questioning why the Harper government has kept silent on the deal. Continue

Source: http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/index.html

BILL CLINTON KEYS OBAMA'S CAR

Jewish World Review January 9, 2008 / 2 Shevat 5768

Bill Clinton keys Obama's car

By Andy Borowitz


Shocking show of anger from former president

http://www.JewishWorldReview.com In what political observers called a shocking display of anger from a former President of the United States, Bill Clinton today keyed the car of Illinois Senator Barack Obama.


Mr. Clinton's attacks on Senator Obama have become more scathing in recent days, but few Democratic insiders expected his rhetorical attacks to turn into outright vandalism.


That is precisely what happened, however, in the parking lot of a Dunkin' Donuts in Nashua, New Hampshire, where Mr. Obama and his aides had stopped for an early morning campaign appearance.


Spotting the Illinois senator's car in the lot, a wild-eyed Mr. Clinton pulled out his key ring and "started twirling it on his finger like a six-shooter," according to one eyewitness.


Saying he was "damned sick and tired" of everything going Mr. Obama's way, the former President dragged his keys across the length of the senator's car, creating a deep gash in the paint job that experts said would cost hundreds of dollars to repair.


As news of Mr. Clinton's attack on Mr. Obama's automobile spread like wildfire across New Hampshire, political insiders branded the former president's move as a tactical mistake that could turn off Democratic voters.


"Keying another candidate's car is really beneath the dignity of a former President of the United States," said Carol M. Foyler, a longtime media advisor to Democratic candidates. "That's the kind of thing you want surrogates to do."


For his part, Mr. Clinton was unrepentant, telling reporters "you ain't seen nothing yet."


"Where does he live?" Mr. Clinton shouted at the press corps. "I'ma go TP that bastard's front yard."


Source: http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0108/borowitz010907.php3

VAST RIGHT WING CONSPIRACY, AGAIN!

Obama is in the sights of Hillary Rodham Clinton's wrath-gun for the second time in a week.
HRClinton unloaded on BH Obama like Ma' Barker. Hillary fired on her rival like Annie Oakley.
She shot at him like Patty Hearst.
*-*
She added: "Shame on you, Barack Obama. It is time you ran a campaign consistent with your messages in public. That's not what I expect from you. Meet me in Ohio -- let's have a debate about your tactics."

"Enough about the speeches, and the big rallies, and then using tactics right out of Karl Rove's playbook," she said angrily. "This is wrong and every Democrat should be outraged."

She accused Obama of "using tactics that are straight out of Karl Rove's playbook."1
She really displayed a hot temper in a Cincinnati minute.
Boy was she hot. If looks could kill?
I acknowledge, her reputation preceeds her.
Will we be sore---ry if she gets her way and gets elected.
Again. It's deja vous, all over again!
If you ask me Hillary is making a mountain out of a mole hill...
As far as I was concerned, all's fair in poli-tricks and show-business.
What's wrong with giving Hillary a dose of her own Social Medicine?
It's healthy, it's Democratic.
Free exchange of opinions, and below the cuff jabs.
Like they say in Hollywood and New York: You can't make this stuff up!
Or, is it really political theater.
Oh, now I get it. It' a political charade. Where's the cotton candy?
Three Bronx cheers for Heel-aree.
Hip, Hip, Hoor-eee!
Now yous guys, no hitting below the belt, (remember she has glasses) take only clean shots;
Go to your corners and come out fighting!
Tiger Woods, I mean Barack Obama, training.
Hillary must be a Vast right wing Conspiracy Magnet.
Blogman/Arsenio
Credits:
1 http://blog.washingtonpost.com/the-trail/2008/02/23/clinton_unloads_on_obamas_dest_1.html?hpid=topnews

TELEVANGELISTS SHOULD BE ACCOUNTABLE..

February 23, 2008

Televangelists Should Be Held Accountable, Too

Sen. Charles Grassley is exactly right to question some nonprofit televangelists. In November, he sent six "media-based ministries" a letter asking about everything from details on executive compensation to employment contracts to the list of vehicles purchased or leased. His questions are a follow-up to complaints from the public and news coverage about the organizations' practices. But doing the right thing and fulfilling his role as a ranking member in the Senate Finance Committee means he's taking some heat. Read more...

Posted by Editor at February 23, 2008 05:10 PM

Source: http://www.covenantnews.com/freedom/archives/038977.html

WHY CHRIST DELAYS HIS COMING


Why Christ Delays His Coming

But this I do say, brothers. The appointed time has grown very short. 1 Cor. 7:29, Goodspeed.


The angels of God in their messages to men represent time as very short. Thus it has always been presented to me. It is true that time has continued longer than we expected in the early days of this message. Our Saviour did not appear as soon as we hoped. But has the word of the Lord failed? Never! It should be remembered that the promises and threatenings of God are alike conditional. {Mar 61.1}

God had committed to His people a work to be accomplished on earth. The third angel's message was to be given, the minds of believers were to be directed to the heavenly sanctuary, where Christ had entered to make atonement for His people. The Sabbath reform was to be carried forward. The breach in the law of God must be made up. The message must be proclaimed with a loud voice, that all the inhabitants of earth might receive the warning. The people of God must purify their souls through obedience to the truth, and be prepared to stand without fault before Him at His coming. {Mar 61.2}

Had Adventists, after the great disappointment in 1844, held fast their faith, and followed on unitedly in the opening providence of God, receiving the message of the third angel and in the power of the Holy Spirit proclaiming it to the world, . . .the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts, the work would have been completed, and Christ would have come ere this to receive His people to their reward. {Mar 61.3}

But in the period of doubt and uncertainty that followed the disappointment, many of the advent believers yielded their faith. . . . Thus the work was hindered, and the world was left in darkness. . . . {Mar 61.4}

For forty years did unbelief, murmuring, and rebellion shut out ancient Israel from the land of Canaan. The same sins have delayed the entrance of modern Israel into the heavenly Canaan. In neither case were the promises of God at fault. It is the unbelief, the worldliness, unconsecration, and strife among the Lord's professed people that have kept us in this world of sin and sorrow so many years. {Mar 61.5}

Maranatha, Ellen G. White, page 61.

TO THE INEXPERIENCED


To the Inexperienced

Some, I saw, have not a realizing sense of the importance of the truth or of its effect, and moving from the impulse of the moment or from excitement, often follow their feelings and disregard church order. Such seem to think that religion consists chiefly in making a noise. [SEE APPENDIX.] Some who have but just received the truth of the third angel's message are ready to reprove and teach those who have been established in the truth for years, and who have suffered for its sake and felt its sanctifying power. Those who are so puffed up by the enemy will have to feel the sanctifying influence of the truth and obtain a realizing sense of how it found them--"wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked." When the truth begins to purify them and purge away their dross and tin, as it surely will when it is received in the love of it, the one who has this great work done for him will not feel that he is rich and increased in goods and has need of nothing.

Those who profess the truth and think they know it all before they have learned its first principles, and who are forward to take the place of teachers and reprove those who for years have stood stiffly for the
119
truth, plainly show that they have no understanding of the truth, and know none of its effects; for if they knew any of the sanctifying power, they should yield the peaceable fruits of righteousness and be humbled under its sweet, powerful influence. They would bear fruit to the glory of God, and understand what the truth has done for them, and esteem others better than themselves.

I saw that the remnant were not prepared for what is coming upon the earth. Stupidity, like lethargy, seemed to hang upon the minds of most of those who profess to believe that we are having the last message. My accompanying angel cried out with awful solemnity, "Get ready! get ready! get ready! for the fierce anger of the Lord is soon to come. His wrath is to be poured out, unmixed with mercy, and ye are not ready. Rend the heart, and not the garment. A great work must be done for the remnant. Many of them are dwelling upon little trials." Said the angel, "Legions of evil angels are around you, and are trying to press in their awful darkness, that ye may be ensnared and taken. Ye suffer your minds to be diverted too readily from the work of preparation and the all-important truths for these last days. And ye dwell upon little trials and go into minute particulars of little difficulties to explain them to the satisfaction of this one or that." Conversation has been protracted for hours between the parties concerned, and not only has their time been wasted, but the servants of God are held to listen to them, when the hearts of both parties are unsubdued by grace. If pride and selfishness were laid aside, five minutes would remove most difficulties. Angels have been grieved and God displeased by the hours which have been spent in justifying self. I saw that God will not bow down and listen to long justifications, and He does not want His servants to do so, and
120
thus precious time be wasted that should be spent in showing transgressors the error of their ways and pulling souls out of the fire.

I saw that God's people are on the enchanted ground, and that some have lost nearly all sense of the shortness of time and the worth of the soul. Pride has crept in among Sabbathkeepers-pride of dress and appearance. Said the angel, "Sabbathkeepers will have to die to self, die to pride and love of approbation."

Truth, saving truth, must be given to the starving people who are in darkness. I saw that many prayed for God to humble them; but if God should answer their prayers, it would be by terrible things in righteousness. It was their duty to humble themselves. I saw that if self-exaltation was suffered to come in, it would surely lead souls astray, and if not overcome would prove their ruin. When one begins to get lifted up in his own eyes and thinks he can do something, the Spirit of God is withdrawn, and he goes on in his own strength until he is overthrown. I saw that one saint, if he were right, could move the arm of God; but a multitude together, if they were wrong, would be weak and could effect nothing.

Many have unsubdued, unhumbled hearts, and think more of their own little grievances and trials than of the souls of sinners. If they had the glory of God in view, they would feel for perishing souls around them; and as they realized their perilous situation, would take hold with energy, exercising faith in God, and hold up the hands of His servants, that they might boldly, yet in love, declare the truth and warn souls to lay hold upon it before the sweet voice of mercy should die away. Said the angel, "Those who profess His name are not ready." I saw that the seven last plagues were coming upon the shelterless heads of the wicked; and then those who have stood in their way
121
will hear the bitter reproaches of sinners, and their hearts will faint within them.

Said the angel. "Ye have been picking at straws- dwelling upon little trials-and sinners must be lost as a consequence." God is willing to work for us in our meetings, and it is His pleasure to work. But Satan says, "I will hinder the work." His agents say, "Amen." Professed believers in the truth dwell upon their petty trials and difficulties which Satan has magnified before them. Time is wasted that can never be recalled. The enemies of the truth have seen our weakness, God has been grieved, Christ wounded. Satan's object is accomplished, his plans have succeeded, and he triumphs.

------

PAGE 118: MAKING A NOISE.--THE GOSPEL NET DRAWS IN ALL TYPES OF PEOPLE. THERE WERE SOME WHO FELT THAT THEIR RELIGIOUS EXPERIENCE WAS NOT GENUINE UNLESS MARKED BY NOISY, DEMONSTRATIVE SHOUTS OF PRAISE TO GOD, LOUD AND EXCITED PRAYERS, AND ANIMATED AMENS. HERE AGAIN THE CHURCH IN ITS EARLY EXPERIENCE WAS GIVEN A NOTE OF WARNING, CALLING FOR DECORUM AND SOLEMNITY IN THE WORSHIP OF GOD.

Early Writings, Ellen G. White, pp.118-121. Appendix: page 303.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

EXHORTATION TO BE READY FOR HIS COMING

Revelation 22

1And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb.

2In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations.

3And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him:

4And they shall see his face; and his name shall be in their foreheads.

5And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever.

6And he said unto me, These sayings are faithful and true: and the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to shew unto his servants the things which must shortly be done.

7Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book.

8And I John saw these things, and heard them. And when I had heard and seen, I fell down to worship before the feet of the angel which shewed me these things.

9Then saith he unto me, See thou do it not: for I am thy fellowservant, and of thy brethren the prophets, and of them which keep the sayings of this book: worship God.

10And he saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand.

11He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.

12And, behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be.

13I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.

14Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city.

15For without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters, and whosoever loveth and maketh a lie.

16I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.

17And the Spirit and the bride say, Come. And let him that heareth say, Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely.

18For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book:

19And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

20He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.

21The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.

RUSSIANS SLAM AB ROWAN WILLIAMS

Posted by David Virtue on 2008/2/23 14:00:00 (332 reads)

Russians Slam Archbishop Rowan Williams



Church of England Newspaper
2/22/2008

The Russian Orthodox Church has slammed the Archbishop of Canterbury for his remarks over Sharia law, saying the head of a Christian Church should not be promoting the tenets of non-Christian religions.

While church leaders in Britain have rallied to his defense, Orthodox, Lutheran and Roman Catholic leaders abroad have been less charitable in their remarks. The Feb 7 interview with the BBC and his subsequent speech at the Temple Church on certain aspects of Sharia law, have elicited sharp comments from overseas Anglican and Christian leaders, while Dr. Williams' subsequent explanation, that his remarks were misunderstood, appears not to have appeased his critics.

Speaking to the opening session of the World Council of Churches' Standing Committee meeting in Geneva on Feb 14, the Russian Orthodox's representative to ecumenical organizations, Bishop Hilarion of Vienna and Austria said "many Christians around the world are looking up to Christian leaders with hope that they will defend Christianity against all the challenges it faces."

"Our role is not to protect Sharia law, to glorify an alternative style of behavior or to preach secular values. Our sacred mission is to announce what Christ announced, to teach what his disciples taught," he said.

"Politically correct Christianity will die," said Bishop Hilarion. "We have already been watching the process of liberal Christianity's gradual decline as newly introduced moral norms lead to splits, discrepancies and confusion in several Christian communities," he said.

The head of the Evangelical Church in Germany (EKD) told German radio on Feb 16 there must be a single law for all citizens, regardless of race or religion.

Dr. Wolfgang Huber, Bishop of the Evangelical Church of Berlin-Brandenburg-Silesian Upper Lusatia and Chairman of the Council of the EKD said the premise behind Dr. Williams' remarks was flawed.

"Hoping to achieve integration through a dual legal system is a mistaken idea," Dr. Huber told Deutsche Welle. "You have to ask the question as to what extent cultural characteristics have a legitimate place in a legal system. But you have to push for one country to have one system."

END

Source: http://www.virtueonline.org/portal/modules/news/article.php?storyid=7778

JOHN OF NEPOMUK?

John of Nepomuk

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

John of Nepomuk

Statue of John of Nepomuk on Charles Bridge, Prague
Martyr
Born1340, Nepomuk
DiedMarch 20, 1393, Prague
BeatifiedMay 31, 1721
CanonizedMarch 19, 1729
Feast
PatronageBohemia
Saints Portal
John of Nepomuk or John Nepomucene (Czech: Jan Nepomucký, German: Johann von Nepomuk) (1340March 20, 1393) is a national saint of Bohemia. In his fully developed legend he was the confessor of the Queen of Bohemia and refused to divulge the secrets of the confessional. He has been made into the first martyr of the Seal of the Confessional, a patron against calumnies and, because of the manner of his death, a protector from floods.
The historical starting-point of the Nepomuk legend is the person of John of Pomuk (Jan z Pomuk), a small market town of Bohemia later renamed Nepomuk, which belonged to the nearby Cistercian abbey. He was born around 1340, and he first studied at the new University of Prague, then followed a course in Canon law at the University of Padua. In 1393 he was made the vicar-general of John of Jenštejn (1348-1400), Archbishop of Prague from 1378 to 1396. Among his contemporaries, the new vicar-general enjoyed no special reputation; he was rich, possessed houses, and lent money to noblemen and priests. In the same year, March 20 he was thrown into the river Vltava from Charles Bridge in Prague at the behest of Wenceslaus, King of the Romans and King of Bohemia.
The issue was an old one, and its peremptory solution was traditional (compare the Defenestrations of Prague). At issue was the appointment of a new abbot for the rich and powerful Benedictine Abbey of Kladruby; its abbot was a territorial magnate whose resources would be crucial to Wenceslaus in his struggles with nobles. Wenceslaus at the same time was backing the Avignon papacy, whereas the Archbishop of Prague followed its rival, the pope at Rome. As the Hussite reform movement, denounced as "heresy", divided Bohemia, Archbishop John of Jenštejn ably represented the conservative or even reactionary faction of ecclesiastical universalism, which was not favourably inclined to any radical social changes. Contrary to the wishes of Wenceslaus, John confirmed the Archbishop's candidate for Abbot of Kladrau, and was thrown off the Charles Bridge at Prague on the Emperor's orders, March 20, 1393.
Monument on Cathedral Island in Wrocław, Poland
Monument on Cathedral Island in Wrocław, Poland
John of Nepomuk is seen by Catholics as a martyr to the cause of clerical immunity, by Romantic nationalists as a Czech martyr to Imperial interference, and by historians as a victim of a late version of the inveterate investiture controversy between secular rulers and the Catholic hierarchy. He is portrayed with a halo of seven stars, commemorating the stars that hovered over the Vltava River on the night of his murder. His tomb, a Baroque monument cast in silver and silver-gilt that was designed by Fischer von Erlach, stands in St Vitus Cathedral, Prague.
The connection of John of Nepomuk with the inviolability of the confessional is part of the development and transformation of the legend, which can be traced through successive stages. The archbishop, who hastened to Rome soon after the crime, in his charge against Wenceslaus, called the victim a martyr; in the vita written a few years later miracles are already recorded, by which the drowned man was discovered. The uncritical Bohemian annalists from the fourteenth to the sixteenth century fostered the fable. About the middle of the fifteenth century the statement appears for the first time that the refusal to violate the seal of confession was the cause of John's death. Two decades later (1471), the dean of Prague, Paul Zidek, makes Johanek the queen's confessor. The unscrupulous chronicler Wenceslaus Hayek, the "Bohemian Livy," speaks in 1541 (probably owing to carelessness in the use of his sources) of two Johns of Nepomuk being drowned; the first as confessor, the second for his confirmation of the abbot.
The place on the bridge parapet where John of Nepomuk was thrown into the Vltava.
The place on the bridge parapet where John of Nepomuk was thrown into the Vltava.
The legend is especially indebted for its growth to the Jesuit historiographer Boleslaus Balbinus the "Bohemian Pliny,", whose Vita beatae Joannis Nepomuceni martyris was published in Prague, 1670.[1] He was, however, as credulous as he was patriotic, and even became a forger to honor his saint. Although the Prague metropolitan chapter did not accept the biography dedicated to it, "as being frequently destitute of historical foundation and erroneous, a bungling work of mythological rhetoric," Balbinus stuck to it. In 1683 the Charles Bridge was adorned with a statue of the saint, which has had numerous successors; in 1708 the first church was dedicated to him at Hradec Králové; a more famous Pilgrimage Church of Saint John of Nepomuk was founded in 1719.
Meanwhile, in spite of the objection of the Jesuits, the process was inaugurated which ended with his canonization. On May 31, 1721, he was beatified, and on March 19, 1729, he was canonized under Pope Benedict XIII. The acts of the process, comprising 500 pages, which cost more than 180,000 crowns, distinguish two Johns of Nepomuk and sanction the cultus of the one who was drowned in 1393 as a martyr of the sacrament of penance.
The ingenious suggestion has been made that the historical kernel of St. John Nepomuk is really Jan Hus, who was metamorphosed from a Bohemian Reformer into a Roman Catholic saint; and that the Nepomuk legend is based on Wenceslaus Hayek's blending of the Jan who was drowned in 1393 and the Jan who was burned in 1415. The resemblances are certainly striking, extending to the manner of celebrating their commemorations. But when the Jesuits came to Prague, the Nepomuk worship had long been widespread; and the idea of canonization originated in opposition not to the Hussites, but to Protestantism, as a weapon of the Counter-Reformation - though his cultus was also intended to supplant Hus in the hearts of the Bohemian people. In the image of the saint which gradually arose, the religious history of Bohemia is reflected. This much is historically certain, that the vicar-general John of Pomuk was drowned in 1393 because of the choice of the abbot, and that Rome, making use of a forged biography, has canonized a man whose cultural role has become shifted.
Nepomuk is the name of a figure of Saint John of Nepomuk, to be often encountered in Central and Eastern Europe, including Czech Republic, Italy, Germany, Poland and Lithuania.

Notes

  1. ^ It was reprinted in the Bollandists' Acta sanctorum III, May, pp 668-80.


External links

AMERICA - ...FORGETFULNESS AND NEGLECT

Volume XXVII Issue II February 2008
Last Trumpet Ministries, PO Box 806, Beaver Dam, WI 53916
Fax: 920-887-2626 Internet:
http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

America – A Nation of Forgetfulness and Neglect!

“O generation, see ye the word of the Lord. Have I been a wilderness unto Israel? A land of darkness? Wherefore say my people, We are lords; we will come no more unto thee? Can a maid forget her ornaments, or a bride her attire? Yet my people have forgotten me days without number.”

Jeremiah 2:31-32
“Therefore we ought to give the more earnest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip. For if the word spoken by angels was steadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a just recompence of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation; which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto us by them that heard him?”

Hebrews 2:1-3
“But thou shalt remember the Lord thy God: for it is he that giveth thee power to get wealth, that he may establish his covenant which he sware unto thy fathers, as it is this day. And it shall be, if thou do at all forget the Lord thy God, and walk after other gods, and serve them, and worship them, I testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish. As the nations which the Lord destroyeth before your face, so shall ye perish; because ye would not be obedient unto the voice of the Lord your God.”

Deuteronomy 8:18-20
“The Lord is known by the judgment which he executeth: the wicked is snared in the work of his own hands. Higgaion. Selah. The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God.”

Psalm 9:16-17
In this issue of the Last Trumpet, we are going to focus on many amazing things that are happening all around us, and yet most of them remain unnoticed by the vast majority of the people. The primary reason for this gross unawareness is apathy toward truth. No thinking person could miss the multitude of signs from the Almighty that are happening every day, which mean that most people are not thinking. We live in a world full of distractions and misdirection, designed by Satan to keep people from understanding spiritual conditions and events. Analytical thought and reason cannot exist in a society where spiritual truth means nothing. Thus, people continue to move through life clinging to one false hope after another.

It has been said that history teaches us that men learn nothing from history. Why are the same mistakes made over and over again? Why do the people of the United States allow themselves to be used, misused, and abused repeatedly by those who are supposed to be leading them? Satan knows full well the propensity of people to forget. It is like a person in severe pain, whose full attention is on that pain until it leaves. Once the pain is gone, it is quickly forgotten. Then it returns again and the cycle is repeated. This will never change as long as people forget and neglect Almighty God. Such forgetfulness and neglect allow another force to come in and control their lives. Thus, the power of Antichrist comes in, and the words of the Lord Jesus, as found in John 5:43, loom largely before us as follows: “I am come in my Father’s name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.”

The world, and especially America, has never been more ready and willing to receive the ultimate deceiver. The spiritual environment is right for it, and people have been pickled in the brine of deception for so long that they will perceive the personification of Satan himself as the saviour of the world. Only the true remnant Christians will see the beast for what he really is, for this knowledge does not come except by revelation from Heaven. The urgent question is: will you receive the Lord Jesus or be deceived by an antichrist and his adoring world? The time to seek the Lord Jesus is right now, even as you read this. He will bring unto you salvation, and his abiding presence will keep you always, even through the darkest hour!

2008 – The Year of Transition!

At the time of this writing, we are two weeks into the new year of 2008. It is a leap year, therefore one day has been added at the end of February to bring the calendar year into balance with the solar year. Witches and occultists believe it is a year of greater power as time becomes balanced with the astral plane. Every leap year is a Presidential election year in the United States. It is also the year when the Olympics are held with all of the pagan worship of false gods and goddesses. This is when the “sacred torch” is ignited on Mt. Olympus by rays from the sun as the high priestess holds it high in the air. The torch then travels around the world and finally arrives at its destination in Red China. The torch is then used to light the “sacred cauldron” at the beginning of the Olympic games. We know from the Bible that nothing brings the wrath of God upon a people more quickly than gross, defiant idolatry.

Many strange things have been happening in the religious world recently, and as a result of these things, this erstwhile great nation of the United States of America could hardly now be recognized as a Christian nation. On December 22nd, 2007, the day of the witches’ sabat of Yule, a new Hindu temple was dedicated in Sugarland, Texas. This Texas community was the gathering place of over one thousand Hindus as Sri Saumyakasi Sivalaya, the new temple dedicated to “Lord Shiva”, the snake god, was dedicated. (1) Texas has become a stronghold for the Hindu religion with its devil worship disguised as “harmonic prayer services.” (2)

There is definitely an unification of the religions as never before has been seen, and there is a common occult thread running through them all! On December 11th, 2007 the Vatican, (the word Vatican means divination in classical Latin) lighted their ninety-foot Christmas tree in St. Peter’s Square. At the top was an unusual eight-pointed star. (3) The eight-pointed star has always represented the eight witches’ sabats and is strictly an occult symbol. On December 22nd, 2007, the witches’ sabat of Yule, former British Prime Minister Tony Blair left the Church of England and converted to Roman Catholicism. No British prime minister had ever done this before. (4) Mr. Blair is known quite well for his devotion to new age occultism.

On January 3rd, 2007, the Vatican announced that it will hold meetings with Moslem leaders around the time of the spring equinox. The Vatican office of Inter-religious Dialogue will endeavor to bring “Christian” and Moslem leaders together to “develop their common ground of belief in One God.” (5) In addition to that, on January 10th, 2008, the British Parliament began work on a motion to “disestablish the Church of England.” This would separate the church and state in England. The number of registry for that official motion was motion number 666. (6)

Wars and rumors of wars and distress of nations also seem to be the order of the day. The U.S. Bush wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are now costing seventeen billion dollars each month, and there is still no real end in sight. (7) On December 20th, 2007, the Pentagon called for an additional 74,000 soldiers to fight these and other potential wars. (8) Meanwhile, former top U.S. Commander in Iraq, Lt. General Ricardo Sanchez, issued the following statement: “The Bush administration’s catastrophic failure in leadership of the Iraq war has mired the U.S. in a nightmarish conflict with no clear way out. There has been a glaring, unfortunate display of incompetent strategic leadership within our national leaders.” (9)

It is interesting to note that a strong resistance to the Bush Administration has arisen in Vermont. In Brattleboro, Vermont, there is a petition in the works for the arrest and indictment of George W. Bush and Dick Cheney for war crimes if they ever come to that area. It is no joke! Incidentally, Vermont is the only state that President Bush has never visited! (10)

The beginning of the New Year has also brought forth increased activity in the Presidential campaigns and primary elections. I must point out that very strange spiritual forces are at work in these campaigns. In the Iowa Caucus, Hillary Clinton was a big loser. After finishing in third place, every analyst and expert without exception declared that she was finished. The news media ran with this story, and no one thought she could revive and move forward. Hillary’s husband, former President Bill Clinton, was so enraged that Barack Obama won the Iowa Caucus that he keyed Obama’s car. Shocked reporters watched as Bill Clinton took a key and put a long, deep scratch in Barack Obama’s car. (11) Witnesses said that Bill Clinton was wild-eyed as he twirled his keys and said, “You ain’t seen nothing yet.” (12) This is outright vandalism, and perhaps he is feeling the same spirit of destruction that he and Hillary felt during their rabble-rousing hippie days of the 1960’s revolution.

According to certain high-level witch covens in California, Hillary Clinton is a fourth-level witch. I do not doubt it because she has all the characteristics of that rank. After her huge loss in Iowa, something tragic happened in Sioux City, Iowa, on the night before the New Hampshire primary. On January 8th, 2008, the Sioux City Journal newspaper and the Associated Press reported that a male witch was caught after killing two young girls in a ritual that turned out to be human sacrifice. Kendra Suing, 10, and Alysha Suing, 8, were dead; and Lawrence Douglas Harris Sr. was arrested for the witchcraft slaying. He admitted to doing this while casting spells. (13) Suddenly, everything turned around for Hillary Clinton. Hillary was a big winner in New Hampshire, and it was reported that women voters gave her a victory margin of thirteen percent! The Washington Post featured a short but profound headline for the Hillary Clinton victory story. That two-word headline was “She Lives!” (14)

On the 11th day of January, 2008, Reuters News Service reported that Mexico’s Grand Warlock predicted that Hillary Clinton would be the next President of the United States. (15) Occult forces are at work, and only Almighty God can stop them. Another occult sign regarding Hillary Clinton is that it has been thirteen years since she made her flashy debut regarding a national health plan. She now has a health plan which would require every American to have health insurance in the same way that they must have car insurance. Tax credits would be given to people to offset the cost. (16)

One more thing must be noted about the occult-powered victory of Hillary Clinton in New Hampshire. We know that the American flag consists of thirteen alternating red and white stripes, a blue field in the upper left corner, and fifty white five-pointed stars with one point up and two points down. Hillary celebrated her success in New Hampshire by suspending a giant American flag on the wall of her campaign headquarters. This flag had all fifty of its white stars, or pentacles, two points up and one point down. (17) I have never seen such a flag before. As a former occultist, I immediately recognized that this pentacle with two points up is the symbol of the Goat of Mendes or Baphomet, the Horned Hunter of the Night. This symbol is also used in Freemasonry – the Blue Lodge and the Eastern Star. It is one of the most powerful symbols in both witchcraft and Satanism!

President Bush in An Ancient Land!

Recently, President George W. Bush arrived in the State of Israel on what he referred to as a “peace mission.” His date of arrival was January 8th, 2008, a new moon and the first day of the Hebrew month Shevat. This is the eleventh month in the Hebrew calendar. In addition to that, forty years have now passed since the recapture of Jerusalem in 1967. With those numbers in mind: first day, eleventh month, and forty years, consider the words of Deuteronomy 1:3 & 8, as follows: “And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake unto the children of Israel, according unto all that the Lord had given him in commandment unto them……Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.”

I find it rather remarkable that President Bush would show up on that very day with the intention of not only dividing the ancient land to create a Palestinian State, but also to divide the city of Jerusalem itself! President Bush set forth a checklist for creating the new State of Palestine, which would force the State of Israel to give up the West Bank, Golan Heights, and East Jerusalem. (18) Is President Bush by his actions catapulting us into World War III and bringing forth the final fulfillment of Scripture? This is a touchy and sensitive issue for Jews and the Moslem world. It is Jerusalem that is the prime point of contention. In Zechariah 12:2-3 we read as follows: “Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem. And in that day I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it.”

When President Bush arrived in Israel, he was presented a document called Megillat Bush, or the Bush Scroll. It was presented by the New Jewish Congress, the Sanhedrin, and the Holy Temple and Temple Mount movements. The scroll declared and reasserted Divine right for the Jews to have an undivided land of Israel and city of Jerusalem. I have a copy of this scroll in front of me, and the striking thing about it is the title by which President Bush is called. The two lines preceding the second paragraph of the scroll read as follows: “Esteemed Mr. George W. Bush, The Chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal. (Ezekiel 38:1) Leader of the West.” (19) Why would the high councils of the State of Israel call President Bush by this title? Ezekiel 38:1-3 reads as follows: “And the word of the Lord came unto me, saying, Son of man, set thy face against Gog, the land of Magog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal, and prophesy against him, And say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, the chief prince of Meshech and Tubal.” The remainder of the chapter goes on to tell us that this “chief prince” brings forth a great war in the Middle East, involving many nations. Are we, at this very time, witnessing the fulfillment of some of the last prophecy? How much more specific can it get?

We also know that President Bush is continually railing against Iran as a great threat to peace. Will this Gog of the land of Magog, the chief Prince of Meshech and Tubal, start a war with Iran? If he does, we must all take note of the fact that on December 27th, 2007, Russia declared that they would supply Iran with full air defense. The Russian High Command also issued the following statement: “Our capabilities outstrip the U.S. Patriot missile system. The S-300 missile systems could inflict significant damage to the U.S. or Israeli forces were they to attack Iran.” (20)

I must mention one more amazing thing that comes to mind when I consider the title given to President Bush by the high officials in the State of Israel. When George W. Bush stole the election for the first time and became President, I was in contact with a person whose late father had been a member of the secret order known as the Skull and Bones. This woman had the documents to prove what she was saying, and there is no way I will ever release her name to anyone. Here let it be noted that when George W. Bush was initiated in the Tomb of the Skull & Bones at Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut, he was given a new name, even as all initiates are given a new name upon completion of their initiation. The name given to George W. Bush was Magog!

Controlled and Integrated Human Units!

On December 20th, 2007, just as the witches’ sabat was approaching, the head of the American version of the Gestapo, the Department of Homeland Security, announced that his new satellite-surveillance system was ready to be implemented. Michael Chertoff, whose last name is Russian and means son of Satan, has unveiled his fifteen billion dollar cyber security program, which will watch every person from space. (21) In addition to that, the FBI, or Federal Bureau of Investigation is embarking on the creation of a single database that is so large, it will keep track of every person in the United States and elsewhere in great detail. This spy agency is spending one billion dollars on this effort initially. (22) Included in this database will be biometrics, such as fingerprints, handprints, iris scans, and so on. There will be an exchange of personal data such as never existed before, including information so intimate that it reads the human body and sends the information to space and back again. The headquarters for this database is at a secret location in the Appalachian foothills. (23)

In the state of California, a new type of thermostat will be required in all new buildings and homes and in some existing ones as well. This innovative thermostat will eventually be required everywhere in California. It is radio controlled, and it allows the government to remotely control everyone’s heating and cooling systems. The user will be able to override the system at first, but there is a lockout feature, which allows the government to maintain whatever temperature it wants in your home during what they say are “times of emergency.” (24) With that thought in mind, we must remember that the only reason the government declares emergencies of any kind is to gain more power for itself.

Everything seems to be tightening up quickly in this New Year of 2008. In England, it was announced on the thirteenth day of January that thousands of prisoners are going to be microchipped for constant tracking and monitoring by satellite. (25) This will no doubt become a worldwide procedure quickly. More and more power is now in the hands of fewer people, and privacy is a thing of the past!

Strange things are going on, and as the Bible says, there are signs in the heavens. On January 14th, 2008, dozens of people in Stephenville, Texas, watched a large, silent UFO race through the clear night skies. These people, including a constable, a pilot, and business owners, saw the metallic disc with bright lights, dashing through the sky at altitudes of only 300 feet as it was being chased by two jet fighters. The U.S. Air Force is denying everything. (26) Does our government have cards it is not showing?

Dispensable Human Beings!

On January 4th, 2008, the Financial Post reported that a new crisis has arisen. Food prices are expected to rise so dramatically in 2008 that the rising prices of oil will seem mild by comparison. In 2007 wheat prices rose 92%, and corn prices went up 44% during the past fifteen months. The primary reason for the food prices skyrocketing in America is because so many people in Red China and India have become wealthy enough to be in a massive middle class that has the ability to pay for more and better food produced in America. This heavy foreign demand is raising the prices dramatically. (27) Scientists are now saying that it has become necessary to genetically engineer raw foods to increase production. (28)

There are many problems that have developed from genetically altered foods, sometimes known as “frankenstinian” foods. Since biotech companies have been producing these foods, there has been a dramatic increase in allergies of various kinds. These allergic reactions affect the upper respiratory system, the eyes, and the skin. (29) In some cases, fruits and vegetables are produced with the partial genetic makeup of fruit flies and other insects. The sad fact is that the elitist rulers are stooges of the Antichrist, and they really do not care about people. This becomes obvious if you look beyond their deceptive language and see what they are doing.

It is also a sad fact that the people of the United States are being slowly and systematically poisoned with a mind-altering drug that is being passed off as a flavor enhancer. I am referring to monosodium glutamate. Monosodium glutamate is being used in nearly all processed foods. (30) It does not really enhance the flavor of anything. It works as a drug that deceives the brain into thinking the food tastes better by means of glutamate receptors. It covers up stale, bitter, and even rancid tastes. Just as narcotics put the mind in an altered state of consciousness, so MSG puts the human sense of taste in an altered state of flavor detection. It is actually a nerve poison! (31) MSG causes so many symptoms of illness that I cannot mention them in this writing. So much of what is wrong with the physical condition of people in America is due to unwise eating.

It would seem that we are living on a poisoned planet in these last days before the return of the Lord Jesus. On December 16th, 2007, two large reservoirs serving Los Angeles, California, had to be shut down. Sunlight reacting with chlorine produced a cancer-causing bromate, and six hundred million gallons of water must be drained even though drought conditions already plague the area. (32)

Truly, our Saviour is coming soon. We know that scientists have been doing fearful and amazing things with restructuring DNA, and according to Dr. Paul Rabinow of the University of California – Berkeley, it is now possible to alter DNA and produce entirely new life forms. (33) The possibilities are frightening and may seem like science fiction. The problem is that it is not fiction. In these last days, scientists are trying to become little gods that create new beings. How long will the Almighty and only true creator allow this to go on?

Satan’s New Society!

Can it get any worse? Never has there been a society such as this one. Truly, it is now as it was in the days of Noah, and as it was in the days of Sodom! Every kind of outrageous thing is happening continually. On December 22nd, 2007, the Associated Press reported that a man in Bremerton, Washington, put up a display in the form of a fifteen-foot crucifix with Santa Claus nailed to a cross. It also contained the message, “Santa died for your Mastercard.” (34)

In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has launched a program to attract homosexuals and lesbians to his city, known as the Big Apple. The city’s department of tourism started the program by taking out a three-page advertisement in the December/January issue of Out Magazine. This is a magazine designed specifically for sodomites. The city of New York has also launched a thirty-million dollar campaign to attract sodomites world-wide, and they are hoping to draw fifty million visitors to the city by the year 2015. They are especially appealing to homosexuals and lesbians to spend Valentines Day in New York City. The Department of Tourism for New York City is called NYC & Company. That agency also stated that the homosexuals and lesbians are a lucrative people to invite to the city, because as couples they usually have two incomes, and they are big spenders. It was also noted that they have the advantage of having no children. (35) These are the days like unto Sodom!

On December 31st, 2007, the University of Virginia announced that they were testing a new breakthrough in the form of a topical ointment called LibiGel. This topical drug is being tested by ninety-nine other medical institutions as well and is expected to be available soon. LibiGel is designed for women, and it has the same effect on women that Viagra has on men. (36)

If you think that Satan would be content with demoralizing people with just social immorality, you are in for another sad shock. Satan must always blaspheme along with it in order to make God and Christianity appear to be as corrupt as he is. Recently, the United Methodist-affiliated Boston School of Theology hosted and sponsored a conference called “Queering the Church: Changing Ecclesial Structures.” Conference speakers advocated the following: “Hard core queer theology”, “triadic unions”, “erotic relations with the divine”, and “the queerness of God.” One instructor, who calls himself “the Rev.” Robert Goss, referred to his book entitled “Jesus Acted Up: A Gay and Lesbian Manifesto.” Goss claims that Jesus was sexually intimate with his male disciples. Goss also boasted that his congregation stages gay passion plays with transgender characters and queer nativity scenes. Goss was backed up by Episcopal theologian Carter Heyward, who proudly stated, “I have found liberation from heterosexism through the hot desire of a queer God who we incarnate and share flesh with.” (37) It just doesn’t get any worse than that! How can any discerning person doubt that our King of Righteousness is about to return with powerful and fiery judgment?

Righteous judgment is already happening in measure. On January 14th, 2008, Reuters News Service released a story about the “superbug” bacteria called MRSA. This bacterium is potentially deadly and resists antibiotics. MRSA stands for methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus. This dangerous bug is usually contracted in hospitals, and it killed over 19,000 Americans in 2005. Now it has been discovered that it is sexually transmitted by homosexual men. Research reveals that homosexual men are thirteen times more likely to get MRSA than anyone else. (38) Strangely enough, MRSA, when viewed through a microscope, appears as a bright lavender colored cluster. Lavender is the color used by sodomites to promote their queer cause. One example is their infamous “lavender triangle.”

Truly, the end of this present world is near. The grace of Almighty God is far beyond my comprehension, but there will be an abrupt end to the age of grace. The earth continues to vibrate and shake with nearly three hundred significant earthquakes of magnitude four or greater in the past thirty days. The asteroid that is headed toward Mars will now probably miss that planet, even though the probability of this event increased two-fold. (39) Recently, many major astronomers have reported that the universe is rapidly changing. Dr. J. Craig Wheeler said, “What is odd and what is normal is changing.” The astronomers have stated that the universe has become “violent.” Stars are dying too fast, and “menacing black holes are roaming our galaxy, gobbling up planets.” (40) These are days of wandering stars, when the darkness of space has come down to fill the hearts of sinful people. It is time for all people everywhere to repent, for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh!

In closing, I want to thank all of you who support this end time prophetic ministry. We continue to invite you to send us your prayer requests as our prayer teams take each one individually, and we bring them to the throne of Almighty God. If you have not yet sent in your 2008 renewal form for this newsletter, this is a final reminder. Grace and peace be unto you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.

David J. Meyer

Acknowledgements

01. Houston Chronicle, Dec. 22, 2007, by Kevin Fujii, Houston, TX.
02. Houston Chronicle, Nov. 9, 2007, by Barbara Karkabi, Houston, TX.
03. Traverse City Record-Eagle, Dec. 11, 2007, AP, Traverse City, MI.
04. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 23, 2007, by Kevin Sullivan, Milwaukee, WI.
05. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Jan. 3, 2008, Milwaukee, WI.
06. AFP News, Jan. 10, 2008, London, England, UK.
07. The Age, Dec. 28, 2007, by Walter Pincus, Melbourne, Australia.
08. Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Dec. 20, 2007, by Lolita C. Baldor, Milwaukee, WI.
09. Melbourne Herald Sun, Oct. 14, 2007, Melbourne, Australia.
10. Fox News Service, Dec. 28, 2007, Montpelier, VT.
11. Jewish World Review, Jan. 9, 2008, by Andy Borowitz.
12. Ibid.
13. Sioux City Journal, Jan. 8, 2008, by Dolly A. Butz, Sioux City, IA.
14. Washington Post, Jan. 9, 2008, by Dana Milbank, Hookset, NH.
15. Reuters News Service, Jan. 11, 2008.
16. Melbourne Herald Sun, Sep. 19, 2007, by Stefanie Balogh, Melbourne, Australia.
17. Xpress News, Jan. 9, 2008, New Hampshire.
18. Associated Press, Jan. 10, 2008, by Terence Hunt, Jerusalem, Israel.
19. Megillat Bush, Jan. 6, 2008, official scroll, Jerusalem, Israel.
20. Associated Press, Dec. 27, 2007, Tehran, Iran.
21. The Wall Street Journal, Dec. 20, 2007, by Siobhan Gorman, Washington, D.C.
22. Washington Post, Dec. 22, 2007, by Ellen Nakashima, Clarksburg, WV.
23. Ibid.
24. International Herald Tribune, Jan. 11, 2008, by Felicity Barringer, San Francisco, CA.
25. Sunday Independent, Jan. 13, 2008, by Brian Brady, Whitehall, England, UK.
26. Associated Press, Jan. 14, 2008, by Angela K. Brown, Stephenville, TX.
27. Financial Post, Jan. 4, 2008, by Alia McMullen, CanWest Media Works.
28. Ibid.
29. Total Health Magazine, vol.29, No. 4.
30. Excitotoxins: The Taste That Kills, by Russell Blaylock, Health Press, 1997.
31. In Bad Taste: The MSG Syndrome, by George Schwartz, Penguin Group: New York, NY, 1988.
32. New York Times, Dec. 16, 2007, AP, Los Angeles, CA.
33. Washington Post, Dec. 17, 2007, by Rick Weiss, Washington, D.C.
34. Associated Press, Dec. 22, 2007, Bremerton, WA.
35. New York Post, Dec. 3, 2007, by Frankie Edozien, New York, NY.
36. Associated Press, Dec. 31, 2007, Charlottesville, VA.
37. UMAction Briefing, fall, 2007.
38. Reuters News Service, Jan. 14, 2008, by Amanda Beck, San Francisco, CA.
39. Associated Press, Dec. 20, 2007, by Alicia Chang.
40. Associated Press, Jan. 11, 2008, by Seth Borenstein, Washington, D.C.
http://www.lasttrumpetministries.org

PAGAN CHRISTIANITY (MODERN CHRISTIANS)


Americans embrace various alternatives to a conventional church experience as being fully biblical

February 18, 2008

VENTURA, CA -- 2008 promises to be a year of significant change for Americans. The presidential election has already introduced significant transitions into the political process and conversation. The sagging economy is altering many people’s financial behavior and lifestyles. New technology is transforming perceptions of the world and how we connect with people. And a new study from The Barna Group suggests that a major shift in people’s spirituality is now well under way.

Change of Heart

For decades, American Christians, who comprise more than four of our every five adults, assumed they had one legitimate way to practice their faith: through involvement in a conventional church. But new research shows that this mind set is no longer prevalent in the U.S. The latest Barna study shows that a majority of adults now believe that there are various biblically legitimate alternatives to participation in a conventional church.

Each of six alternatives was deemed by a most adults to be “a complete and biblically valid way for someone who does NOT participate in the services or activities of a conventional church to experience and express their faith in God.” Those alternatives include engaging in faith activities at home, with one’s family (considered acceptable by 89% of adults); being active in a house church (75%); watching a religious television program (69%); listening to a religious radio broadcast (68%); attending a special ministry event, such as a concert or community service activity (68%); and participating in a marketplace ministry (54%).

Smaller proportions of the public consider other alternatives to be complete and biblically valid ways of experiencing and expressing their faith in God. Those include interacting with a faith-oriented website (45%) and participating in live events via the Internet (42%).

Activity Outside the Conventional Church

The Barna study also found that tens of millions of people are experiencing and expressing their faith in God independent of any connection to a conventional church. In the past month, 55% of adults had attended a conventional church service. During that same month, 28% of all adults who did not attend a conventional church activity did, however, participate in an alternative means of experiencing and expressing their faith in God.

Looking at some of the newer and more controversial methods of spiritual engagement, the survey found that 4% had participated in a house church or simple church; 9% had been involved in a ministry that met in the marketplace; and 12% had engaged in spiritual activity on the Internet.

Pastors Accept House Churches

In a companion study conducted by The Barna Group among Senior Pastors of Protestant churches, two out of three pastors agreed that “house churches are legitimate Christian churches.” Surprisingly, pastors from mainline churches were more likely than pastors from other Protestant congregations to consider house churches to be biblically defensible forms of church experience. Among the pastors least likely to support the legitimacy of house churches were pastors who earn more than $75,000 annually; African-American pastors; and pastors of charismatic or Pentecostal churches.

The views of Protestant pastors regarding house churches show that they assign both strengths and weaknesses to house churches. For instance, more than three-quarters of conventional church pastors (77%) contend that “house churches genuinely worship God.” Two-thirds (66%) said “a house church might be a better spiritual fit for someone than a conventional local church.” And three out of every five (60%) noted that “house churches produce genuine disciples of Christ.”

However, less than half of all pastors of conventional churches said that they would ever recommend a house church to someone (40%). Also, only one out of three conventional church pastors (31%) believes that “house churches have sufficient spiritual accountability.”

Paradoxically, only half (54%) of the Senior Pastors of conventional churches who believe that house churches are biblically legitimate forms of church said that they might ever recommend a house church to someone.

Issues with the Origins of Church Practices

The research parallels the findings of a controversial new book co-authored by researcher George Barna, entitled Pagan Christianity? Exploring the Roots of Our Christian Practices. In that book, Barna and co-author Frank Viola explain the origins of many common routines widely used in conventional churches, ranging from preaching to communion. The early Christians met almost exclusively in homes and had few of the trappings that characterize 21st-century churches and services. Many of the church habits in place today were not apostolic or biblical practices but are vestiges of pagan practices adopted by Christians in the third century or later.

Pagan Christianity? contends that most of today’s church practices have no biblical foundation, and in some cases, hinder people from having a genuine experience with God. With extensive footnotes and documentation, the book shows that the following church practices had little to do with scriptural mandate or apostolic application:

Church buildings were initially constructed under the Roman emperor Constantine, around 327. The early Christian church met in homes.

  • The pulpit was a piece of stagecraft borrowed from Greek culture in which professional speakers delivered monologues in public debates. There is no evidence that Jesus, the apostles, or other leaders in the early Church used a pulpit; it seems to have been introduced into Christian circles in the mid-third century.

  • The order of worship originated in the Roman Catholic Mass under the leadership of Pope Gregory in the sixth century.

  • Preaching a sermon to an audience was ushered into the church world late in the second century. Sermons were an extension of the activity of the Greek sophists, who had mastered the art of rhetorical oratory.

  • There were no pastors, as an official or director of a group of believers, until sometime in the second century. That was eventually furthered by the practice of ordination, which was based upon the prevailing Roman custom of appointing men to public office.

  • The biblical approach to “communion” or the “Lord’s Supper,” was truncated late in the second century from a full, festive communal meal without clergy officiating to the presently common habit of having a sip of wine and morsel of bread (or juice and a wafer) under the guidance of a recognized clergyman.

Pagan Christianity? also addresses a myriad of other practices, including tax-exempt status for churches, pews, stained glass windows, altar calls, the pastoral prayer, church bulletins, bishops, clergy attire, choirs, tithing, the collection plate, seminary training, infant baptism, the “sinner’s prayer,” and funeral processions, among others.

To find out more about Pagan Christianity?, or to order a copy of the book, click here. INSERT LINK

George Barna commented that the objective of the book is not to criticize churches, but to give people the freedom to re-think many modern church practices. “Often, people feel as if their worship and ministry are confined to what is routinely done because those patterns have a biblical basis or mandate,” explained the author of more than three dozen books about faith and culture. “But when you research the origins of church practices, and study the practices of the early church, you discover that most of our current church practices have ancient cultural origins, with no biblical basis. As people seek a deeper relationship with God and other believers, the book encourages them to do so with the knowledge that the Bible describes a spiritual experience that relatively few Americans have known – a model that is more organic and in which every person functions as a priest of the living God.”

Early reviews of Pagan Christianity? have been divided between reviewers who appreciate the honest, painstakingly researched appraisal of church practices, and those who are incensed that the roots and biblical validity of so many common practices are questioned. “Whenever you challenge hallowed behaviors, controversy is the natural result,” responded Barna. “Every believer must decide whether it is more important to follow biblical guidelines and examples or to instead maintain human traditions and preferences. If nothing else, Frank and I hope this book stimulates significant reflection and conversation about why the Church does what it does, what is the biblical model of the Church, and how we can be a more authentic representation of the Church that God envisions.”

About the Research

This report is based upon two nationwide telephone surveys conducted by The Barna Group. One survey was a sample of 1005 adults, age 18 and older, conducted in December 2007 randomly selected from across the continental United States. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample of adults is ±3.2 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. The other survey included interviews with 615 Senior Pastors of Protestant churches, randomly sampled from all Protestant churches in the continental states during December 2007. The maximum margin of sampling error associated with the aggregate sample is ±4.1 percentage points at the 95% confidence level. Statistical weighting was used to calibrate the sample to known population percentages in relation to demographic variables. All interviews in both surveys were conducted via telephone, and multiple callbacks were made to each telephone number to provide a representative sample.

The Barna Group, Ltd. (which includes its research division, The Barna Research Group) conducts primary research, produces media resources pertaining to spiritual development, and facilitates the healthy spiritual growth of leaders, children, families and Christian ministries. Located in Ventura, California, Barna has been conducting and analyzing primary research to understand cultural trends related to values, beliefs, attitudes and behaviors since 1984. If you would like to receive free e-mail notification of the release of each new, bi-monthly update on the latest research findings from The Barna Group, you may subscribe to this free service at the Barna website (www.barna.org).

The Barna Group of Ventura, California

Source: http://www.barna.org/FlexPage.aspx?Page=BarnaUpdateNarrow&BarnaUpdateID=292>

MAMBY-PAMBY CHRISTIANITY (REDUPL.)

(PHOTO)http://www.answering-christianity.com/abdul-rahman_klimaszewski/fraud_on_haggard_and_hinn_files/image002.jpg

Wednesday, September 22, 2004

Mamby-Pamby Christianity

Quite frankly, Americanized Christianity brings me to borderline nausea. The fickleness, the inaccuracy of scripture, the denominationalism, and the all around lukewarm nature of the "Church" is disheartening and concerning. These days, it seems you have to qualify your "Christianity" because saying "I'm a Christian" is really indicitive of nothing. In reality, "Christian" isn't really a term you see in the Bible, however "Follower of Christ" or "Believer in Christ" are. Now more than ever, I can certainly see the logic behind that.

Calling oneself a "Christian" is simply a title (and boy do we all love titles). A good 50% of Americans can call themselves "Christian" without any visible fruit. Moreover, these days, there are people who even believe they were "born" into Christianity, as though it were some gene or bloodline trait. Contrarily, calling oneself a "Follower of Christ" certainly raises the stakes and the standards. This is not merely a title, but a lifestyle that requires action, proof, accountability, and moral standards for living. To put it simply, being a true "Follower of Christ" is neither easy nor popular.

The notion of "mamby-pamby" Christianity suggests a group of people who are calling themselves "Christians" yet selectively choosing their own definitions of what "dying to self" really means. The pansy stuff that accompanies the weak-minded "believers" is troublesome. I find this reality most at work by way of the state of our nation. With key issues on the table like abortion rights and same-sex marriages (to name a few), Christians cannot afford to be fickle on anything. The agnostic and atheist Left is more militant than we are. In this era of "everybody please like me" I fear many people have succumbed to the propaganda of lies that oppose what the Bible says. In attempts to be socially accepted, we have philosophized our way out of just about everything. Discussions like "Is it really a fetus" and "People can't change the fact that they're gay" and "abstinence is unrealistic" are surfacing from the mouths of people who declare that they "Know God". It is becoming vastly clear that we are truly living in the culture of disbelief.

In his excellent post, "
The Mystery of Shadowboxing", Avery Tooley uses the words of one of my favorite authors, Stephen L. Carter, as a springboard for good discussion on Christianity in America (shameless self promotion: About two years ago, I had Stephen L. Carter personally give me kudos after he heard me speak, and he also encouraged me in my writing and lecturing, can you imagine?). In Carter's best-seller, The Culture of Disbelief, he writes about America as being a place completely unaccepting and antagonistic towards all things pertaining to Christ. In his post, Avery weighs in on that very subect,
"Not long ago, David Limbaugh wrote a book, Persecution: How Liberals Are Waging War Against Christians that pretty much expressed the same sentiment, although I think that book was written with alarmist intentions and seems too much like victimology for my tastes, but the point is valid. All you really have to do is look at portrayal of President Bush's references to the way in which his faith impacts his decisions. The way mainstream media treats it, you'd think he was trying to enact some Christian version of sharia. But even that can devolve into a partisan argument. How bout the fact that they regularly try to strip the civil rights movement of any references to its Christian philosophical underpinnings? They'll talk all about how Rev. King was influenced by Ghandi, but Jesus? Couple harrumphs and some coughing, and then it's on to the dream.
So goes the typical reality in our secularized society. Nowadays, however, we fight to maintain truth in an era of "progressive Christianity". Now understand, by "progressive" I am not referring to the church evolving with the culture (e.g. hip-hop, mass media, women in leadership and singing songs other than dried up hymns), the "progressive" brand to which I am referring are those who are seeking to redefine scripture. You know, the heretics, the ninnies, the wolves in sheep's clothing who try to distort the word of God to fulfill their own fleshly desires. I appreciate that Avery takes it one further to discuss how "the culture of disbelief" has also influenced Christian culture as it moves to be more "progressive".

In a piece I wrote called, "The Cheap Gospel", I discuss this same issue that perturbs me so much. Our wishy-washiness and "tolerant" nature towards the Gospel has opened this country up to all measures of foolishness. There are lives on the line here. To me, it is that serious. People will get offended, but the "followers of Christ" need to come out from their complacent slumber and start telling the truth. Truth is not an ambiguous concept or idea. It is not specific to individuals like New Jersey Governor McGreevey who recently professed his own "truth". Truth is not some trivialized "ideal" or something that just shows up when we light incense, hum songs and act deep. No; Truth is Jesus Christ. Truth is not walking around in flowing robes, always stroking the common opinion either. No. Truth is divisive, and sometimes offensive because it calls for us to make a decision as to how we will live our lives.

I think it is the fear of the confrontational aspect of being a Christian that has given birth to the "mamby-pamby" movement. What is this I'm a Christian with a "little c" ideology? This is not a political party folks, this is a way of life.
posted by ambra at 9/22/2004 01:17:00 PM