An Open Letter to Senator Nelson
December 21, 2009
To The Honorable Senator Nelson,
I was so proud of your stand for life against the current health care bill. No matter what the President or other leaders might say, we all know that the ultimate goal is to craft a plan that will provide Federally funded abortions. That has been patently obvious with the rejection of every simple amendment to the bill that clearly prohibited federally funded abortions, and that is why your stand was so inspiring especially considering the pressure coming from the leadership of your own party.
That being said, it was so disappointing to see that your stand for life ended in a compromise and in securing some funding to assist your state. While I understand the pressure on you is immense, citizens all around the nation were looking for you to stand firm and were extremely disappointed to see that the pressures of the moment overcame your own personal convictions and gave way to a compromise that ultimately will not protect us from the government sponsored execution of the nation’s own children. Make no mistake Senator, making abortion “safe and rare” or putting a few conditions on a federal abortion are not the same thing as protecting the lives of the unborn.
You could rightly argue that many of us do not understand the pressures and intricacies of federal politics. No doubt this is very true. Few of us have known the kind of pressure that can come from the leadership of the nation. It is also true that politics is, by its nature, a game of compromise. However, it is also true that history is made when a politician stands firm for what is right and rejects the mechanics of compromise when life and death issues are at stake. There are plenty of bills where compromise is good and necessary for without it our government would come to a grinding halt. However, when the lives of children are at state, the time comes to make a stand and lead the nation into what is right. An a historical example, could you imagine William Wilberforce agreeing to a “compromise” on human slavery?
You could also rightly argue that many of us compromise our heart values on a daily basis when much lesser things are at stake. Sadly, you would be right there as well. Millions of us compromise on a daily basis to avoid confrontation, pain, and cost preferring ease or the hope of some opportunity over staying true to what we know, deep down, is right. However this is exactly why we need you. We are a nation with precious few heroes. We need men like yourself to stand up unflinchingly for what is right and inspire us to also discard the compromise in their own lives and stand for what is right no matter how little or how great the cost. We have become a week kneed compromising society and we need heros to look to that stand unflinchingly for what they know in their heart is right that we might be inspired to do the same.
The good news is that there are still several days before the final vote. There is still time for you to vote your heart, rather than vote, under pressure, for something that you know is wrong and not in the best interest of the country. If you vote for this bill, this will be a vote that will haunt you your entire life. It is not enough to be personally opposed to abortion if you do not make a public stand, without compromise, for life. There is a reason this bill has been put together in private rather than publicly as the President promised. There is a reason there is such a rush to get it passed with claims that the bill does not fund abortion while any amendments that secure that promise are quickly rejected.
You and I both know that the leadership of both the senate and house are counting on using the process of reconciling the bills to remove any abortion restrictions. I am sure, Senator, that you would argue that your stand did secure a measure of restriction on abortion, however, I would expect that these restrictions will be reduced to paperwork or eliminated by the time the actual final bill is formed. They are securing your vote only so that they can push a bill forward. Based on the response to amendments restricting abortion funding and the development of the bill behind closed doors, we all know well and good that they know how to eliminate all abortion restrictions from this bill by the time it is made law.
Your compromise then will not even secure the restrictions you asked for, your compromise will only enable those who seek to provide full federally funded abortion. This is the cost of compromise on moral issues. In the end, the compromise does not even secure the ends that are desired. This is why moral issues cannot be compromised. By their very nature, once compromise has entered the picture they are lost. Do you want your vote to be the enabling vote to a process that has proven thus far that it is committed to a final outcome that will include the federally funded extermination of our children?
Public opinion polls show clearly that the health care bill is not the top agenda in the minds of citizens. Public opinion polls also show that the nation is becoming increasingly pro life. This is a bad time to hastily compromise and rush through a very significant bill that will have negative implications for the nation for decades to come as well as help to promote the slaughter of millions of our unborn children. The very fact that they are trying to rush this bill through so quickly before an election year when it is not the top agenda of the America people along should give you pause in making last minute compromises.
Senator, many of us are praying for you. We are praying that you will make history by standing firm in your convictions, as those who make history must do, rather than succumbing to political favors to vote for something you know in your heart is wrong. Voting against this bill, at this point, may look like political suicide. However, better that than suicide of the heart. I have to believe the people of the great state of Nebraska, whether they agreed with you or not, would respect your history making stand to refuse to vote for this bill in its current form. Men of character are hard to come by and I, for one, would be proud to see my Senator set his face like flint and stand for what is right.
Stand firm Senator, and be an example to the nation. Know that there are millions looking to you for a strong stand even if that means, at times, a stand against our President.
Blessings,
Samuel
Politics and Government
February 23, 2009
Politics is like marrying and crying and laughing and buying. We should do it, but only as though not doing it – John Piper.
The Christian response to the recent elections has been somewhat troubling to me. On one side, there are the despondent ones. These act as though the Kingdom of God is almost subservient to the government and seem to believe that God is finished with America since the government is in the control of the “liberals.” On the other hand there are those that are engaging in a bitter spirit of political contention. They tend to appear to be more passionate about conservative talk show hosts than Christ, and are more energized by the liberal versus conservative debate than they are the eternal elements of the kingdom. They seem to have forgotten that God is not a Republican, nor a Democrat, and that no system of man, moral or not, is a substitute for the coming kingdom and the coming King.
Please do not understand. I know the moral policies that the government embraces are significant and have significant consequences. I believe in passionate intercession for the nation and understanding the criticality of the hour the western nations are in. Yes, we must vote and maintain a voice for righteousness. By all means let us cry out that God might have mercy and overturn unjust laws and give us righteous leaders. However, let us always keep this in eternal perspective and realize just whose kingdom we truly are citizens of. I believe you will find John Piper’s post election comments to be a refreshing exhortation that is valuable in mainting the proper perspective.
Read on here for the rest of what he had to say:
http://www.worldmag.com/articles/14639
I have had some tell me that when they click the link, they cannot read the entire article. Apparently the article is available if you are referred by Google, but not by other sites. Here is how to read the article:
- Go to Google. Enter the following as your search: “Marry. Cry. Rejoice. Buy. john piper”
- The article will be the first search result. Click on it and World magazine will display the entire article. Yes, I know this is bizarre, but it works.
John Piper also wrote essentially the same thing before the election and you can read it at the Desiring God block by clicking on this link.
The Call to Dunkirk
January 2, 2009
Saints, why do we continue to send Christian children to schools that are dedicated to challenging our values? Honestly, I do not believe there is any way we can keep our kids short of taking drastic measures with their education and socialization. We must begin raising children in Christ infused greenhouses or they will all be lost.
Powerful Message from Abortion Survivor
November 12, 2008
This is an excellent message from the mildly handicapped abortion survivor Gianna Jessen. It is one of the most striking presentations against abortion that you will ever hear. That being said, there are other elements here to consider. In this address she is speaking at Queen’s Hall, Parliment House in Victoria, Australia. In other words, this is not a church it is a public forum. No doubt many in the audience are hostile to her views. Her topic was abortion and she spoke the day before a debate on decriminalizing abortion in the province. However, beyond her impassioned plea for abortion, she demonstrates something that really moves my heart. Though abortion is her topic, she utilizes the opportunity to make confrontational statements that engage the conscience with regard to the issue of Christ and human morality. Without using these specific words, she calls them to the fact that their very humanity demands Christian morality.
In an age where, sadly, the church is losing young people at a rate that will threaten its very survival without some sort of awakening, she is a powerful example of how a young person can use their testimony and their gift to confront men with the gospel. As I mentioned, the setting is not a church and she’s not a preacher, but I dare say she exposes the heart more in these 15 minutes than most preachers in America do in their 45 minutes on Sunday. Though my words are awkward in this post, I hope you can see what I’m driving at. My heart burns for a generation that will present an authentic witness to the earth of Jesus. They will be preachers that confront men and drive the wedge of Christianity right into their consciences with no regard for the superficial civility of society that embraces barbarisms such as abortion. As you watch this brief message, please cry out with me that God would give us 10,000 Giannas who do not just address abortion, but serve as prophets to men’s souls and are not ashamed of the issue of Jesus, the most divisive issue in history.
Part 1
Part 2
Economic Crash Course
November 4, 2008
No doubt the economy is one of the biggest topics around right now. That being said, what is startling is how little the average American really knows about our economic system and how it really works. This was startlingly obvious recently when the bailout bills were being debated. The reality is that if the average citizen really understood what the nation was facing, they would be terrified. That terror would in turn lead them to alter their lifestyle and this lifestyle subsequently would even further negatively affect the system due to its inherent flaws. That leaves us with a system that is fatally flawed being run by power brokers who have a massive investment is maintaining the status quo for as long as possible. Tragically, this is terribly irresponsible. We are like those on the Titanic that are swaying to the music on the deck rather than saving those in the icy waters on the hope that we will be dead and gone before the ship sinks and forces us into the cold, icy waters. I believe our current refusal to deal with these issues is criminal with regard to what we are going to be leaving our children. Sadly, politicians and power brokers do not communicate the reality of things because they know they cannot get elected on that platform, and apparently no one has the leadership and character to stand up to the nation and tell us that we need to make some hard decisions and make some sacrifices or risk a certain catastrophe.
If nothing else, the year 2008 has shown the cracks in our economic foundations. Sure, many will tell us that it is patched, but it like applying a patch to the Titanic. We are still steadily taking on a lot of water. Do not believe that this is limited to Wall Street either because Wall Street and Main Street have become inseparably joined. If we are going to be leaders, as believers and as citizens we must educate ourselves about the risks our economy faces and the immense challenges that are coming. We must do this to prepare ourselves and our families. We must be wise and prepared for the days ahead. We do not prepare out of fear, but out of sobriety that we might be prepared when the financial system that has been built by the ingenuity and greed of man begins to collapse. How tragic it will be if believers are swallowed in the collapse rather than being lighthouses that can rescue their neighbors and demonstrate a life established on eternal realities!
With this in mind, I want to offer an excellent tool to educate yourself. Chris Martenson has put together a free video class that explains both how our economic system works and the challenges it faces in the years ahead. He is not alarmist, nor is it full of propaganda. He remains serious and let upbeat and stays very factual. He uses easy to understand language so that you can clearly understand what is going on. In fact, if you and your children understand his material, you will know more about economics than the vast amount of Americans and you will be well prepared for the days to come. His class is also broken up into short topics and videos (3-20 minutes in length) to make it easy to view a little each day and still grasp the material. For the sake of yourself and your family, please view this material and pass it along to other believers that we might be prepared for the days to come.
Here’s the link to his presentation:
http://www.chrismartenson.com/crash-course/chapter-1-three-beliefs
What’s At Stake This November
October 17, 2008
This is not a political blog, so I typically avoid political content. However, the election in the US this November is going to have grave consequences. Every election they say that “this is the most election of our lifetimes” in order to try to get out the vote, but this time it may actually prove to be a turning point in this nation. One thing I fear is that God is going to finally give the nation over to a leadership that embraces the kind of morality that we have slowly adopted as a nation. In years past we have had a tension where the Presidency and the Congress were often at odds and it tended to result in relatively slow change. We are now staring at the possibility that one ideology will control both the Presidency and the Congress and therefore be able to change the nation in a way that previous administrations were not. The reality is that neither candidate is an ideal choice, but the truth is that one candidate has an agenda that should be enough to cause us to be on our knees and at the polls.
What is at stake the election, beyond the economy (which I’m convinced neither candidate can fix), is the Supreme Court. One candidate will ensure that infanticide (a.ka. abortion) will be cemented in our culture. We must raise our voices. The reality is that many Americans care more about their pocketbooks than the blood the nation spills by the day. The problem is that God’s priorities are not ours. The shed blood cries out from the ground. God may turn a nation over to its own lusts this fall, but let us pray that He may have mercy on us yet.
Every voter should read (and forward) the article below on to others. This post clearly details better than I could just what the key issue is this November.
Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed
May 23, 2008
I can’t believe I’m posting another film. I have some other things to post, so I’ll try to get them up soon. I just stumbled on this film called “Expelled.” Basically it’s a documentary that is now in theaters starring Ben Stein (!). The film examines the bias against intelligent design that is now the de facto standard in main stream academia. I have observed this before such as when a court ruled that there could not even be a sticker on science text books mentioning that evolution was a theory and that other theories existed.
While I have not yet seen the film, this is a serious issue. I have noticed that leading scientists who are Darwinists no longer debate on the merits of their theory but rather have adopted an elitism that holds any possibility of God to be absurd and therefore any scientific theories involving intellegent design to therefore be absurd as well. Rather then debating evidence and merits, they choose a rigid platform that allows them to treat dissenters as if they are not even worthy of consideration. They no longer debate point by point but try to push their agenda by presenting that there is no debate at all and anything other than Darwinism is beneath the consideration of any civilized person. Continue Reading Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed »