Pro-abortion
pastors from different “Christian” denominations distributed condoms outside a
Hobby Lobby store to protest this week’s Supreme Court decision giving it and other companies the
ability to opt out of the Obamacare HHS mandate that compels them to pay for
abortion-causing drugs for their employees.
This comes after a NARAL board member suggested abortion activists have sex in Hobby Lobby
stores as a protest.
Christian clergy and activists from different faiths protested outside a
Hobby Lobby in Naperville, IN. Wednesday in protest of the U.S. Supreme Court’s
decision that says some companies can opt out of new health provisions for
no-cost prescription contraception for women.
The gathering was organized by retired minister Rev. Emmy Lou Belcher of
the DuPage Unitarian Universalist Church and the Rev. Mark Winters of First
Congregational United Church of Christ in Naperville. The group distributed
packets of condoms and contraception information to shoppers going into the
Route 59 and 75 Street store on the Aurora side of Route 59.
“This is an issue about power, where employers control the most intimate
details of their employees’ lives,” Belcher said.
Belcher said she was surprised by Monday’s Supreme Court decision. She
said the decision was not a matter of religious freedom, but rather corporate
control.
“This may be the religious
beliefs of the owners, but employees are not required to pass a religious
litmus test and that is essentially what the Supreme Court has dipped its foot
into,” she said.
“It’s hard enough to find a job without having to vet the religious
beliefs of your boss first,” said Cheryl Newman, of Naperville.
Some people accepted the free condoms, while others turned away and said
no. One woman handed the packet back and when several feet away screamed back
in defense of Hobby Lobby.
“I know them and they are
Godly people!” the woman exclaimed.
Finding a red heifer is like finding a needle in a hay
stack. But early this week some overly industrious Jew managed to
do just that in the United States of America.
This finding is all the more intriguing considering that
on the coming Sabbath (Shabbat) Jews will read in the synagogues the Torah
portion that begins with one of the mysterious commandment of the Red Heifer:
“Tell the Israelites to procure for you a red heifer that is free from every
blemish and defect and on which no yoke has ever been laid…” (Num. 19:2ff).
The Red Heifer is an extremely rare creature. According
to Jewish tradition, during the two thousand years from the time this
commandment was given until the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 AD, only
nine red cows that met the biblical criteria were ever found.
For a cow to be
a Red Heifer it has to be without blemish, one that was never put to work and
completely reddish. Jewish law requires keeping the young cow under strict care until it reaches three years old.
During this time, leaning on the cow, riding it even once or even putting a piece of cloth on its back disqualifies it
from becoming a Red Heifer.
Strict rules
also apply to its color. Two single hairs of a color other than red automatically
disqualify it from becoming a Red Heifer. A Red Heifer candidate that was discovered
in 2000 was disqualified after two black hairs were found on it.
Likewise, a cow that meets all other criteria, but is
older than four is disqualified. The present calf has a long way until, if at
all, it will become a real Red Heifer.
In biblical times, the Red Heifer was to be completely
burnt by a priest outside the Temple. Interestingly enough, the Red Heifer was
burnt on the Mount of Olives, where the Dominus Flevit [The Lord Cried] Church
is located today.
After being
burnt, the Red Heifer’s ashes were mixed with water called the “water of remission,” which
was used to purify people, especially those defiled by touching dead animals.
This most serious form of defilement required Jews to undergo a ceremonial cleansing
with the ash of a Red Heifer before they could again enter the Temple
courtyards. In other
words, without the Red Heifer, Jewish worship on the Temple Mount is not
possible.
The discovery of a red calf that could potentially become
a Red Heifer excites many Jews who believe that Moses prepared the first Red
Heifer and Messiah will prepare the last one.
The possibility of finding a real Red Heifer prompted the
Temple Institute to make the logistic preparations needed for bringing the
American calf to Israel and to train priests that will perform this sacred and
rare sacrificial ceremony.
At least in theory, this calf could help Jews
sufficiently purify themselves to engage in real Temple activities. For now,
however, believers will have to chew their nails for at least two and a half
years before it will be known whether or not this import is the Red Heifer.
Nestled in the hills
outside of Jerusalem is a
Messianic communal village founded nearly 40 years ago by Finnish Christians
who believed in the biblical restoration of Israel to the Jewish people. Today,
some 150 Israeli believers and evangelical Christians live and work there while
providing a “living testimony” as Israeli believers in Jesus Christ.
But now the faith-based community of Yad Hashmonah may be forced to shut its doors after being ordered by an Israeli court to compensate two lesbians who were not allowed to hold their “gay” wedding at the banquet hall and biblical gardens.
“We do not hate homosexuals or lesbians. We love them. We simply told the court that it is God’s word in the Bible that calls homosexuality an abomination,” Ayelet Ronen, general secretary for the village said.
But now the faith-based community of Yad Hashmonah may be forced to shut its doors after being ordered by an Israeli court to compensate two lesbians who were not allowed to hold their “gay” wedding at the banquet hall and biblical gardens.
“We do not hate homosexuals or lesbians. We love them. We simply told the court that it is God’s word in the Bible that calls homosexuality an abomination,” Ayelet Ronen, general secretary for the village said.
The women, who were married in England, where same-sex unions are legal, wanted to renew their vows and hold a reception at the Messianic Israeli moshav, or settlement. When the receptionist explained “the owners are believers in the Bible and cannot perform a ceremony of this nature here,” the women filed a lawsuit.
A judge ruled in favor of the lesbian couple and awarded them $20,000 in “damages.” And now that lower court ruling has been upheld by the Jerusalem District Court.
Judge Moshe Yoad Cohen determined the village violated a law prohibiting discrimination based on sexual orientation and that the village cannot refuse to host a same-sex wedding reception despite religious objections.
During the trial, representatives of the moshav quoted from both Old and New Testaments.
“As a faith-based community we need to be able to refuse events that blatantly oppose our religious beliefs. We explained to the judge that a same-sex celebration would ruin our business. The majority of our clientele are Christians who vigorously oppose gay marriage,” said Ronen.
The lesbians’ lawyer also accused the village of “homophobia” after the moshav published an announcement that “no homosexual or lesbian organization will be allowed to rent space for functions on our premises.”
As Bible believers, the community also refuses services for abortion activists and yoga enthusiasts.
“We have already received phone calls from many more homosexual groups and couples saying they want to get married here. To avoid another legal problem, for now, we simply cannot book anything at all,” said Ronen.
The moshav has now completely shuttered its banquet facility, resulting in huge financial losses.
“We used to host an average of 35-50 weddings a year over the past 12 years. Israelis from all over the country, religious and secular, loved to come here. Now there are none,” added Ronen.
The United Church
of Christ (UCC) bills itself as "the church where God is still
speaking." Apparently, God's Word is falling on deaf ears of the
leadership.
The UCC, which considers itself a mainline Protestant denomination—claiming over 1 million members and about 5,200 congregations in the U.S.—proudly announced it will serve as a major sponsor of the Gay Games. The UCC will now go down in Christian history as the first major denomination to sponsor the homosexual Olympics when the games roll into Cleveland, Ohio, in August.
I guess my jaw shouldn't have dropped when I read the news, considering the UCC in April filed a gay marriage rights lawsuit in North Carolina. But not only did my jaw drop, I'm shaking my head. J. Bennett Guess, one of the UCC's national officers and its first openly gay church executive, calls it a social justice issue and says the denomination prides itself on "being a bold voice for progressive Christianity."
In case you aren't familiar with what the term "progressive Christianity" really means, let's take a moment to define it. Progressive Christianity has a strong focus on social justice and environmentalism. Progressive Christianity focuses on concepts like "collective salvation"—where entire cultures and societies, rather than just individuals with faith in Christ, are redeemed—and bends toward a Marxist economic philosophy. And Progressive Christianity does not subscribe to the biblical doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture.
That last line explains a lot. For example, it explains why the UCC was the first mainline denomination to affirm equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. It explains why the UCC was the first to ordain an openly gay man. And, overall, it explains why the UCC has fallen into the deception of sponsoring events that celebrate LGBT people instead of trying to love them to Christ.
But even denominations that don't consider themselves part of the Progressive Christianity movement are falling into this deception. The Presbyterian Church (USA) last week voted to allow its ministers to perform gay weddings in states where it's legal. On Tuesday, Methodist Pastor Frank Schaefer, who was defrocked for officiating his son's gay wedding, was fully reinstated and the Moravians voted to ordain gay clergy. My research shows there's a long and growing list of gay-affirming denominations, including the Affirming Pentecostal Church International.
Saints, we're seeing 1 Timothy 4:1 playing out right before our very eyes. It's called the Great Apostasy and it's well underway. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
The UCC, which considers itself a mainline Protestant denomination—claiming over 1 million members and about 5,200 congregations in the U.S.—proudly announced it will serve as a major sponsor of the Gay Games. The UCC will now go down in Christian history as the first major denomination to sponsor the homosexual Olympics when the games roll into Cleveland, Ohio, in August.
I guess my jaw shouldn't have dropped when I read the news, considering the UCC in April filed a gay marriage rights lawsuit in North Carolina. But not only did my jaw drop, I'm shaking my head. J. Bennett Guess, one of the UCC's national officers and its first openly gay church executive, calls it a social justice issue and says the denomination prides itself on "being a bold voice for progressive Christianity."
In case you aren't familiar with what the term "progressive Christianity" really means, let's take a moment to define it. Progressive Christianity has a strong focus on social justice and environmentalism. Progressive Christianity focuses on concepts like "collective salvation"—where entire cultures and societies, rather than just individuals with faith in Christ, are redeemed—and bends toward a Marxist economic philosophy. And Progressive Christianity does not subscribe to the biblical doctrine of the inerrancy of Scripture.
That last line explains a lot. For example, it explains why the UCC was the first mainline denomination to affirm equal marriage rights for same-sex couples. It explains why the UCC was the first to ordain an openly gay man. And, overall, it explains why the UCC has fallen into the deception of sponsoring events that celebrate LGBT people instead of trying to love them to Christ.
But even denominations that don't consider themselves part of the Progressive Christianity movement are falling into this deception. The Presbyterian Church (USA) last week voted to allow its ministers to perform gay weddings in states where it's legal. On Tuesday, Methodist Pastor Frank Schaefer, who was defrocked for officiating his son's gay wedding, was fully reinstated and the Moravians voted to ordain gay clergy. My research shows there's a long and growing list of gay-affirming denominations, including the Affirming Pentecostal Church International.
Saints, we're seeing 1 Timothy 4:1 playing out right before our very eyes. It's called the Great Apostasy and it's well underway. By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, Paul wrote: "Now the Spirit expressly says that in latter times some will depart from the faith, giving heed to deceiving spirits and doctrines of demons.
Why are so many Christians
in the U.S. and elsewhere standing up and taking notice of an Israeli
government action to set aside $29 million to encourage local farmers to
observe an ancient biblical commandment to let their fields lay fallow every
seventh year?
To understand what’s grabbing the attention of Bible prophecy students around the world, the confluence of events taking place in 2014 and 2015 that many suspect show the hand of God at work.
In Exodus 23:10-11, you will find this commandment of God to Israel: “And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.”
Modern Israel hasn’t paid much attention to this ancient commandment – until recently.
More and more farmers and consumers are expressing concern about fruits and vegetable intentionally grown and harvested in the seventh year – also known as the Shemitah year, or Sabbath year.
Now the Israeli government and Jewish religious leaders are hoping to work together to reinstate the practice.
The next Shemitah year on the biblical calendar begins Sept. 25, 2014 – Rosh Hashanah, the civil new year.
The new Shemitah budget will go to the Religious Affairs Ministry, which intends to use a portion of the funds for promotional materials, and educational assistance for farmers wishing to honor the commandment. Another small portion of the budget will be used for the special ceremony that marks the end of the Shemitah year Sept. 13, 2015 or Elul 29 on the Hebrew calendar. That ceremony will take place at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem during Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles.
The bulk of the appropriated funds will be used to support farmers who will suffer loss of income, but who nevertheless, choose to keep the Shemitah, allowing their fields to lie fallow in obedience to God’s law.
Despite the government’s assistance, concerns surrounding the observance of the sabbatical year are complex, and involve Jewish legal issues and opinions on how best to adhere to the command without negatively affecting the income of farmers who follow the Sabbatical law and to protect the fragile agricultural economy. After all, the Shemitah has not been observed in Israel in any meaningful way since the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Additionally, observant Jews in Israel will need guidance on how best to purchase foods that have not been grown on Israel’s soil during the yearlong observance.
In the period when kings ruled in Israel, disobedience to the Sabbatical laws brought Divine punishment. Israel’s 70 years in Babylonian captivity were, in part, due to the failure of the Jews to observe the Shemitah for 70 years, according to II Chronicles 36:20-23.
An additional feature of the law, waives all outstanding, personal debts between Jews (Deuteronomy 15:1-2) However, for Orthodox Jews, the Jewish Talmud disallows loan amnesty related to the Shemitah, except when the agricultural rules are also observed.
So what does all of this have to do with non-Jewish Christians around the world and Bible prophecy?
Many non-Jews first learned about the significance of the Shemitah year while reading the best-selling Christian book of recent years, “The Harbinger,” by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, or by watching the documentary version of the messianic rabbi’s teaching, “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment,” the best-selling Christian movie of 2012 and 2013.
“While the Shemitah was designed by God to be a blessing to the people, when it was not observed, and when the people walked away from God, it became a curse,” explains Cahn.
In his book and movie works, Cahn, reveals that the two greatest financial calamities in American history occurred on successive Shemitah years following the 9/11 Islamist terror attacks on the U.S.
September 17, 2001, six days after the 9/11 attacks, the stock market re-opened and suffered the greatest point loss in its history, to that date. The market dropped 700 points, or 7 percent in one day. In response, the Federal Reserve slashed the nation’s interest rates, ushering in a period of economic devastation for the U.S. Sept. 17, 2001, was the end of the Shemitah year – Elul 29.
Seven years later, September 29, 2008, would prove to be even worse! The days leading up to that date saw the government bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the two largest mortgage companies in the U.S., in a bid to prevent the collapse of the two. Shortly thereafter, Lehmann Brothers once considered the pinnacle of financial firms, reported losses of 45 percent and filed bankruptcy rather than accept a government bailout. The stock market dropped 777.7 points or 7 percent, (notice the number 7 God’s number) wiping out all gains of the past seven years. Thus making it the largest ever one-day drop in the U.S. stock market history. Sept. 29, 2008, fell on Elul 20, marking the end of the Shemitah year in Israel.
What followed was an implosion of the U.S. and world economies.
Many are wondering now what will happen at the end of the next Shemitah year – Sept. 13, 2015.
But it gets even more interesting when you factor in the astronomical occurrence in 2014 and 2015 of what has become known as the blood moon tetrad – a series of four lunar eclipses occurring on Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles. The end of the Shemitah year in 2015 will be celebrated Sept. 28 at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. On the same evening, the fourth and final blood moon will occur, as pointed out by author Mark Biltz, who wrote “Blood Moons” and was the inspiration behind the movie of the same name.
The first of the blood moons occurred on Passover, April 15, 2014.
Biltz, the discoverer of the blood moons phenomenon and pastor of El Shaddai Ministries in Tacoma, Washington, ties previous rare blood moons tetrads to significant developments in the history of the Jewish people – including the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the rebirth of the state of Israel and the recapture of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967.
Where’s Biltz going to be on the Feast of Tabernacles in 2014 and 2015? He’s planning on being in Israel to see what’s happening first hand.
To understand what’s grabbing the attention of Bible prophecy students around the world, the confluence of events taking place in 2014 and 2015 that many suspect show the hand of God at work.
In Exodus 23:10-11, you will find this commandment of God to Israel: “And six years thou shalt sow thy land, and shalt gather in the fruits thereof: But the seventh year thou shalt let it rest and lie still; that the poor of thy people may eat: and what they leave the beasts of the field shall eat. In like manner thou shalt deal with thy vineyard, and with thy oliveyard.”
Modern Israel hasn’t paid much attention to this ancient commandment – until recently.
More and more farmers and consumers are expressing concern about fruits and vegetable intentionally grown and harvested in the seventh year – also known as the Shemitah year, or Sabbath year.
Now the Israeli government and Jewish religious leaders are hoping to work together to reinstate the practice.
The next Shemitah year on the biblical calendar begins Sept. 25, 2014 – Rosh Hashanah, the civil new year.
The new Shemitah budget will go to the Religious Affairs Ministry, which intends to use a portion of the funds for promotional materials, and educational assistance for farmers wishing to honor the commandment. Another small portion of the budget will be used for the special ceremony that marks the end of the Shemitah year Sept. 13, 2015 or Elul 29 on the Hebrew calendar. That ceremony will take place at the Western Wall, in Jerusalem during Sukkot, also known as the Feast of Tabernacles.
The bulk of the appropriated funds will be used to support farmers who will suffer loss of income, but who nevertheless, choose to keep the Shemitah, allowing their fields to lie fallow in obedience to God’s law.
Despite the government’s assistance, concerns surrounding the observance of the sabbatical year are complex, and involve Jewish legal issues and opinions on how best to adhere to the command without negatively affecting the income of farmers who follow the Sabbatical law and to protect the fragile agricultural economy. After all, the Shemitah has not been observed in Israel in any meaningful way since the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
Additionally, observant Jews in Israel will need guidance on how best to purchase foods that have not been grown on Israel’s soil during the yearlong observance.
In the period when kings ruled in Israel, disobedience to the Sabbatical laws brought Divine punishment. Israel’s 70 years in Babylonian captivity were, in part, due to the failure of the Jews to observe the Shemitah for 70 years, according to II Chronicles 36:20-23.
An additional feature of the law, waives all outstanding, personal debts between Jews (Deuteronomy 15:1-2) However, for Orthodox Jews, the Jewish Talmud disallows loan amnesty related to the Shemitah, except when the agricultural rules are also observed.
So what does all of this have to do with non-Jewish Christians around the world and Bible prophecy?
Many non-Jews first learned about the significance of the Shemitah year while reading the best-selling Christian book of recent years, “The Harbinger,” by Rabbi Jonathan Cahn, or by watching the documentary version of the messianic rabbi’s teaching, “The Isaiah 9:10 Judgment,” the best-selling Christian movie of 2012 and 2013.
“While the Shemitah was designed by God to be a blessing to the people, when it was not observed, and when the people walked away from God, it became a curse,” explains Cahn.
In his book and movie works, Cahn, reveals that the two greatest financial calamities in American history occurred on successive Shemitah years following the 9/11 Islamist terror attacks on the U.S.
September 17, 2001, six days after the 9/11 attacks, the stock market re-opened and suffered the greatest point loss in its history, to that date. The market dropped 700 points, or 7 percent in one day. In response, the Federal Reserve slashed the nation’s interest rates, ushering in a period of economic devastation for the U.S. Sept. 17, 2001, was the end of the Shemitah year – Elul 29.
Seven years later, September 29, 2008, would prove to be even worse! The days leading up to that date saw the government bailout of Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, the two largest mortgage companies in the U.S., in a bid to prevent the collapse of the two. Shortly thereafter, Lehmann Brothers once considered the pinnacle of financial firms, reported losses of 45 percent and filed bankruptcy rather than accept a government bailout. The stock market dropped 777.7 points or 7 percent, (notice the number 7 God’s number) wiping out all gains of the past seven years. Thus making it the largest ever one-day drop in the U.S. stock market history. Sept. 29, 2008, fell on Elul 20, marking the end of the Shemitah year in Israel.
What followed was an implosion of the U.S. and world economies.
Many are wondering now what will happen at the end of the next Shemitah year – Sept. 13, 2015.
But it gets even more interesting when you factor in the astronomical occurrence in 2014 and 2015 of what has become known as the blood moon tetrad – a series of four lunar eclipses occurring on Passover, the Feast of Tabernacles. The end of the Shemitah year in 2015 will be celebrated Sept. 28 at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. On the same evening, the fourth and final blood moon will occur, as pointed out by author Mark Biltz, who wrote “Blood Moons” and was the inspiration behind the movie of the same name.
The first of the blood moons occurred on Passover, April 15, 2014.
Biltz, the discoverer of the blood moons phenomenon and pastor of El Shaddai Ministries in Tacoma, Washington, ties previous rare blood moons tetrads to significant developments in the history of the Jewish people – including the expulsion of the Jews from Spain, the rebirth of the state of Israel and the recapture of Jerusalem in the Six-Day War of 1967.
Where’s Biltz going to be on the Feast of Tabernacles in 2014 and 2015? He’s planning on being in Israel to see what’s happening first hand.
Also
Israel will celebrate a jubilee in 2017 and the Church Age is now 2000 years
old and due to close at any time with the occurrence of the Rapture. There were
4000 years from Adam to Yeshua, 2000 years in the Church Age and 1000 years in
the millennium. so several Biblical
phenomena are converging around the same general time frame.
Almost every
day conservative Christians are told that if we don't become more enlightened
and progressive, we will become irrelevant to society as our numbers continue
to decline.
In reality, the opposite is true: We will only be relevant to the extent we honor God and hold fast to biblical truth, which is why the more "progressive" and "enlightened churches" are the ones losing members the most rapidly.
God will back His gospel, not some man-made, watered-down message.
God will back the exaltation of Jesus, not some muddled, every-path-leads-to-God nonsense.
God will back the call to take up the cross and live for Him, not some flesh-pleasing success formula.
God will back biblical standards, not some meet-me-halfway, worldly-wise compromise.
The truth be told, most people who are serious about spiritual things are looking to join with people of like mind, while most people who don't take God's Word seriously will not take spiritual commitment seriously either.
Why bother going to church if you don't believe what's being preached? Why go to a prayer meeting or a Bible study if you're not sure any of it is real? Why make a serious commitment to church life if you view committed Christians as radical extremists?
In 1974, a German theologian named Gerhard Meier wrote a bold and controversial book entitled The End of the Historical Critical Method, explaining that what the seminaries were teaching the pastors was not helping the people.
Maier argued that pastors in training would attend seminary, where they would learn the "historical critical" method of interpretation, being told that Moses didn't write the Pentateuch, that the prophets didn't predict the coming of the Messiah, that Jesus didn't really rise from the dead, and that the Bible was not truly God's Word, among other things. Then they would go and preach to their congregations, but they had nothing to give them.
The congregants came to church services to find strength and guidance, to grow in faith and hope, to learn how to cope with difficult circumstances, but the pastors were full of unbelief. And so, cathedrals that seated 3,000 people would have 30 in attendance on Sunday morning.
Recently, in light of a steep decline in attendance at Church of England services, Baroness Brenda Hale, one of England's top judges, told a conference at Yale Law School that the Church of England is in decline precisely it makes so few demands on its adherents: "It has no dietary laws, no dress codes for men or women and very little that its members can say is actually required of them by way of observance."
How remarkable. It appears that Lady Hale is aware of the old adage that if something costs nothing, it is worth nothing.
To be sure, some church groups will grow because of an "itching ear" message, as the preachers tell the people what they want to hear. This is one of the reasons that Jesus said that the road to destruction is broad (see Matthew 7:13). But over the long haul, there will not likely be sustainable life and growth on a denominational level where compromise is the hallmark.
And there are, it is true, conservative denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention that have seen a decline in membership in recent years, although the reasons for that appear to be varied.
But it is the liberal churches, those which embrace abortion and homosexual practice and which compromise biblical truth and biblical standards, which have experienced the steepest decline in membership. In all likelihood, they also have far lower commitment levels from their people.
Wikipedia notes that, "At the time of its formation, the UCC [United Church of Christ] had over 2 million members in nearly 7,000 churches. The denomination has suffered a 44 percent loss in membership since the mid-1960s ... As of the 2014 Annual Yearbook of the UCC, membership is listed as 979,239 members in 5154 local churches."
The Episcopal Church had a membership of 3.4 million in the mid-1960s; today, that number is slightly over 2 million.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has dropped from a membership of 4.25 million in the mid-1960s to 1.8 million today, a number that is expected to decline rapidly in the coming years.
Yet these are some of the churches which have led the charge on liberal causes like the redefining of marriage.
I thought young people were leaving our churches because we weren't liberal enough. I thought young people and old people were flocking to these enlightened, progressive churches. Perhaps the reports about why people are leaving the churches are not as accurate as they seem?
I don't dispute that many Americans, especially young people, have been turned off to "religion" and have left the church because they view Christians as hypocrites or because they are turned off by the politicizing of American Christianity.
But it appears that many of those who have left were affiliated with liberal denominations more than conservative denominations. As noted in a 2011 report by the National Council of Churches, while many liberal, so-called "mainline" Protestant churches were declining in membership, "strong figures from the Assemblies of God and the Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.) suggest an increase in the number of adherents to Pentecostal groups ..." (quoting Rev. Eileen Linder; recent reports from the AG do confirm this growth trend, both in the USA and abroad).
This is true around the world (primarily outside of Europe and North America), where Bible-based, Spirit-filled churches that hold to conservative moral values are outgrowing all other religious expressions, as the respected statistician David Barrett has documented for more than three decades. When people truly encounter the Lord, they will gladly forsake everything and follow Him.
Let's not believe the lie that the way to win the world is by becoming worldly.
Let's hold fast to Jesus, let's ask the Lord to cleanse us from all hypocrisy and compromise, let's renew our love for the Lord and for our neighbor, let's ask our Father for a fresh touch of His Spirit, and let's live out the high and lofty standards of the Word, without compromise or apology.
No doubt, opposition will come. But so will the people—hungry, thirsty, hurting and ready to give their lives for something that counts forever.
In reality, the opposite is true: We will only be relevant to the extent we honor God and hold fast to biblical truth, which is why the more "progressive" and "enlightened churches" are the ones losing members the most rapidly.
God will back His gospel, not some man-made, watered-down message.
God will back the exaltation of Jesus, not some muddled, every-path-leads-to-God nonsense.
God will back the call to take up the cross and live for Him, not some flesh-pleasing success formula.
God will back biblical standards, not some meet-me-halfway, worldly-wise compromise.
The truth be told, most people who are serious about spiritual things are looking to join with people of like mind, while most people who don't take God's Word seriously will not take spiritual commitment seriously either.
Why bother going to church if you don't believe what's being preached? Why go to a prayer meeting or a Bible study if you're not sure any of it is real? Why make a serious commitment to church life if you view committed Christians as radical extremists?
In 1974, a German theologian named Gerhard Meier wrote a bold and controversial book entitled The End of the Historical Critical Method, explaining that what the seminaries were teaching the pastors was not helping the people.
Maier argued that pastors in training would attend seminary, where they would learn the "historical critical" method of interpretation, being told that Moses didn't write the Pentateuch, that the prophets didn't predict the coming of the Messiah, that Jesus didn't really rise from the dead, and that the Bible was not truly God's Word, among other things. Then they would go and preach to their congregations, but they had nothing to give them.
The congregants came to church services to find strength and guidance, to grow in faith and hope, to learn how to cope with difficult circumstances, but the pastors were full of unbelief. And so, cathedrals that seated 3,000 people would have 30 in attendance on Sunday morning.
Recently, in light of a steep decline in attendance at Church of England services, Baroness Brenda Hale, one of England's top judges, told a conference at Yale Law School that the Church of England is in decline precisely it makes so few demands on its adherents: "It has no dietary laws, no dress codes for men or women and very little that its members can say is actually required of them by way of observance."
How remarkable. It appears that Lady Hale is aware of the old adage that if something costs nothing, it is worth nothing.
To be sure, some church groups will grow because of an "itching ear" message, as the preachers tell the people what they want to hear. This is one of the reasons that Jesus said that the road to destruction is broad (see Matthew 7:13). But over the long haul, there will not likely be sustainable life and growth on a denominational level where compromise is the hallmark.
And there are, it is true, conservative denominations like the Southern Baptist Convention that have seen a decline in membership in recent years, although the reasons for that appear to be varied.
But it is the liberal churches, those which embrace abortion and homosexual practice and which compromise biblical truth and biblical standards, which have experienced the steepest decline in membership. In all likelihood, they also have far lower commitment levels from their people.
Wikipedia notes that, "At the time of its formation, the UCC [United Church of Christ] had over 2 million members in nearly 7,000 churches. The denomination has suffered a 44 percent loss in membership since the mid-1960s ... As of the 2014 Annual Yearbook of the UCC, membership is listed as 979,239 members in 5154 local churches."
The Episcopal Church had a membership of 3.4 million in the mid-1960s; today, that number is slightly over 2 million.
The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has dropped from a membership of 4.25 million in the mid-1960s to 1.8 million today, a number that is expected to decline rapidly in the coming years.
Yet these are some of the churches which have led the charge on liberal causes like the redefining of marriage.
I thought young people were leaving our churches because we weren't liberal enough. I thought young people and old people were flocking to these enlightened, progressive churches. Perhaps the reports about why people are leaving the churches are not as accurate as they seem?
I don't dispute that many Americans, especially young people, have been turned off to "religion" and have left the church because they view Christians as hypocrites or because they are turned off by the politicizing of American Christianity.
But it appears that many of those who have left were affiliated with liberal denominations more than conservative denominations. As noted in a 2011 report by the National Council of Churches, while many liberal, so-called "mainline" Protestant churches were declining in membership, "strong figures from the Assemblies of God and the Church of God (Cleveland, Tenn.) suggest an increase in the number of adherents to Pentecostal groups ..." (quoting Rev. Eileen Linder; recent reports from the AG do confirm this growth trend, both in the USA and abroad).
This is true around the world (primarily outside of Europe and North America), where Bible-based, Spirit-filled churches that hold to conservative moral values are outgrowing all other religious expressions, as the respected statistician David Barrett has documented for more than three decades. When people truly encounter the Lord, they will gladly forsake everything and follow Him.
Let's not believe the lie that the way to win the world is by becoming worldly.
Let's hold fast to Jesus, let's ask the Lord to cleanse us from all hypocrisy and compromise, let's renew our love for the Lord and for our neighbor, let's ask our Father for a fresh touch of His Spirit, and let's live out the high and lofty standards of the Word, without compromise or apology.
No doubt, opposition will come. But so will the people—hungry, thirsty, hurting and ready to give their lives for something that counts forever.
Obama’s Pentagon uses Gender Confused former Navy SEAL to Recruit
Sadly, America has sunk to lows not thought of when I was growing up. At
that time we had just "legalized" the murder of the unborn and called
it a choice. As I became a teenager sodomites began to whine about their
victimhood because of GRIDS (Gay Related
Immune Deficiency Syndrome, renamed as AIDS to protect the
guilty), which led to a campaign to use the term "gay" instead of
other references in hopes that it would make it more palatable to society,
which it did. Lately it's been what is commonly called transgendered people
that will be put out on display to be pushed to be "accepted." The
latest in this round of degeneracy is former Navy SEAL Team 6 senior chief
petty officer Christopher Beck, who had surgery to remove his penis and
testicles, put in a gash that is a "pretend vagina," and took
hormones in the vain thought of becoming a woman, and Barack Obama's Pentagon
thinks he is a great poster child for military recruitment. Nothing says,
"Be all you can be" like this, right?
It wasn't enough that the Obama administration has revoked "Don't
Ask, Don't Tell," to not enforce the law of the land under the Defense of
Marriage Act and to actually promote the wickedness and perversion of
homosexuality. Now his Defense Department thinks it is wise to take a mentally
ill former SEAL and use him as a recruitment tool.... and Beck is a tool.
Bill Gertz reports:
Kristin Beck, formerly Senior Chief Petty Officer Christopher Beck,
spoke recently at several high-profile events at intelligence agencies and the
Pentagon to promote the integration of transgenders. "Transgender
service in the armed forces, yes it will happen soon," she said on
Twitter.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, among the most politically correct
Pentagon chiefs of the past several decades, fueled the effort within the
Pentagon to integrate transgenders in May when he said the policy of banning
transgenders should be reviewed continually. The
transgender drive is the latest element of the Obama administration's social
engineering within the U.S. military.
The Pentagon currently defines transgenders as sexual deviants.
Among Ms. Beck's
recent appearances were speeches at the Defense
Intelligence Agency, the National Reconnaissance Office and at Hill
Air Force Base, Utah, according to the DIA and her Twitter feed. She
also was scheduled to speak to the Multicultural Heritage Committee at Offutt
Air Force Base, Nebraska, although one defense official said it is not
clear how transgenderism fits within the multicultural spectrum.
Did you get that? The Pentagon defines Beck as a "sexual
deviant," yet uses him to promote military recruitment. Unbelievable!
Furthermore, just because a man emasculates himself, grows his hair out,
puts makeup on, gets breast implants or takes hormones to grow them, doesn't
change the fact that his DNA determines that he will always be a male. Yes,
that little Y chromosome thing does make the difference.
Yeah, nothing screams fear to your enemies than a man in a dress, and
seriously, the last line about gender between your legs, or something bigger?
I'll hold back on any comment. But that is exactly the point isn't it? Gender
is more than just between your legs. Though outwardly that shows us gender,
it's actually bound
up in our DNA.
Beck claims, "The world is looking at us. You can change the
wallpaper, but I'm still right here. I can still do the job I was doing in
uniform."
More than performance, if the Pentagon defines transgenders as sexual deviants, why are they not upholding their own rules regarding such? This activity is banned, even though "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed. Why are they promoting a sexual deviant? I can answer that in two words: Political Correctness, and there is no doubt this will only weaken the US military, which is being purged and sodomized.
More than performance, if the Pentagon defines transgenders as sexual deviants, why are they not upholding their own rules regarding such? This activity is banned, even though "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" was repealed. Why are they promoting a sexual deviant? I can answer that in two words: Political Correctness, and there is no doubt this will only weaken the US military, which is being purged and sodomized.
No longer are people strong enough to call things what they are, because
they are afraid of being labeled "bigot," "homophobe,"
"xenophobe," "racist," or a myriad of names. Look, I would
just as soon see Beck repent of what he has done, but people coddling the
ridiculous notion that this man is a woman are only help to push him into it
further. Eventually, my guess is that Beck will find that he will be unable to
deal in the reality he has set himself in and as a result, he will follow a long line of
people who have gone down the same path and it ended in suicide. He
will encourage other confused men and women to continue in this practice to the
dishonor of their bodies, minds andthe US
military.
When the richest and most powerful nations on Earth formed
the G7, G8, G20 and the like, they united to combine their dominance over the
remaining 175 countries that make up humanity. And for decades, the wealthiest
20 countries led by the US have gotten exponentially wealthier at the expense
of the poorest 175 nations, who in turn have gotten even poorer. That’s been
the result of the West’s ‘New World Order’, led mainly by self-appointed global
governments like the International Monetary Fund and the World Trade
Organization.
133 of those 175 countries have had enough of the New World Order’s
rigged global financial system based in New York and London. They’ve seen their
economies destroyed by corrupt corporations and global governments that create
a cycle of never-ending dependence and poverty. They’ve seen their
nations’ vast resources stolen by multinational corporations. Their agriculture
landscape has been poisoned. Their citizens bankrupted by the IMF and
Wall Street. And their democratically elected leaders overthrown by foreign
agents from countries like the US.
They’ve had enough of the New World Order. And an alliance of
133 countries, two-thirds of the nations on Earth, signed an agreement this
weekend to end the West’s New World Order and replace it with a fair, honest
and legitimate World Order - one that lets everyone participate and
benefit, not just the super rich.
The Next World Order
The organization is officially called the ‘Group of 77 and
China’, but the alliance actually includes 133 nations. Showing just
how much influence they have, their meeting this weekend in Bolivia was opened
with a keynote speech by United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. In the
audience were over 30 heads of state from around the world and official
representatives from over 100 more governments. Also illustrating the
organization’s growing influence, China isn’t even a member of the G77, but
insisted on participating anyway in a show of unity
with the globe’s Next World Order.
Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro participated,
telling the gathered nations they had to unite to, “fight for fair and
sustainable economic growth and for a new world economic order.” Ecuadorian
President Rafael Correa went one step further, telling the gathered national
leaders and representatives, “Only when we are united across Latin America and
united around the world will we be able to make our voice heard and change an
international order that is not just unfair, it is immoral.”
A report from AFP on Yahoo News, about the only report
found in Western media, describes how Cuban President Raul Castro also
participated, but reserved his comments for a call to help their top ally
Venezuela. Cuba, Venezuela, Bolivia and a number of South American countries
have insisted they are currently under attack by the United States and the CIA,
who they insist are desperately trying to orchestrate coups to overthrow their
democratically elected, pro-socialist governments the same way they are accused
of doing in the Ukraine recently.
Iran and the UN
An announcement published by the United
Nations this weekend touts UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon’s enthusiastic
participation in the G77 meeting. It discusses how important this massive
alliance is to the goals of the UN, particularly with regard to reversing the
world’s growing economic inequality among nations. Moon and the UN are also
sponsoring a separate but related meeting of nations in September to draft new
climate resolutions to be enacted in 2015.
The announcement describes a private meeting between the UN
Secretary General and Iran’s Vice President, ‘On the margins of today's summit,
Mr. Ban met with the First Vice President of Iran, Eshaq Jahangiri, to discuss
development issues, as well as the potential role that Iran could play in
restoring stability in Iraq and Syria. The Secretary-General added that he
looked forward to Iran's positive involvement on climate change and said he
very much hoped that President Hassan Rouhani would attend the climate summit
this September.’ The report also says the two leaders discussed Iran’s nuclear
ambitions and the coming July deadline for compliance with past mandates.
Threats of America’s “second Vietnam”
Many of the government leaders in attendance took the
opportunity to strike a blow against what they consider to be the biggest enemy
of world peace, democracy and economic freedom - the United States. One leader
even went as far as calling out President Obama by name and threatening the
United States with a second Vietnam.
Bolivian President Evo Morales - threatened the United States
and the American President telling the gathered heads of state, “If Mr. Obama
keeps assailing the people of Venezuela, I am convinced that, faced with
provocation and aggression, Venezuela and Latin America will be a second
Vietnam for the United States. Let us defend democracy, natural resources, our
sovereignty and our dignity.”
Cuba’s President Raul Castro was possibly the most pointed
and focused in his remarks regarding the agenda of the participating countries.
As reported by the Havana Times, Castro told the alliance of
133 nations, “It is necessary to demand a new international financial and
monetary order and fair commercial conditions for producers and importers from
the guardians of capital, centered in the International Monetary Fund and the
World Bank, and from the defenders of neoliberalism grouped in the World Trade
Organization, which are attempting to divide us. Only unity will allow us to
make our ample majority prevail.”
UN Civil War - dissolving the UN Security Council
One of the more
ambitious goals of the G77 and its 133 participating countries is the
elimination of the United Nations Security Council. World leaders insist it is
little more than a five-nation tyranny over the full UN body. With five
permanent members of the UN Security Council having veto power over the rest,
UN policies and actions have been dictated by those five countries - US, UK,
Russia, France and China. Members of the G77 want the Security Council
eliminated so the UN can go back to being a purely democratic body.
The Cuban leader went on to describe a global economic system
run by American hypocrisy and financial corruption, “The principles of
International Law and the postulates of the New International Economic Order
are brazenly violated, concepts that attempt to legalize meddling are imposed,
force is used and threats of force are made with impunity, the media are used
to promote division.”
Dominoes beginning to fall
This is just the latest organized attack on a global
financial system rigged by corrupt governments and the multinational
corporations that control them. Just last month, Russia and China signed a long
term trade alliance that represents the first major crack in the US Dollar
bubble. The two countries agreed to stop using US Dollars in their transactions
and instead use their own two currencies. The two largest banks from both
countries immediately announced they would be dumping the US Dollar as well.
On top of that, the world’s ‘BRIC’ countries - Brazil,
Russia, India and China - have publicly declared their goal of replacing the
corrupted US Dollar with some other global default currency. Now that Russia
and China have finally taken actual steps to do that, the remaining two-thirds
of the world will most likely begin making preparations to stop using the US
Dollar as well. It was only this weekend that 133 of them pledged to do just
that.
The scary part for Americans is that both Washington and Wall
Street have promised this would never happen, because if it did, it would
destroy the US economic system and possibly the US itself. Read the Whiteout
Press article, ‘Russia-China Deals move US Dollar closer to Collapse’
for more information.
Ohio Governor John Kasich and President
Obama would go to war over National Guard Downed Chemical Trail Spraying Plane.
Just as China helped Down and reverse engineer a USA Drone, Gov. Kasich could order National Guard to protect Ohio from those spraying Biological Weapons on them regularly.
John Kasich could hold a press conference and invite the press to view and display to the public the Plane, Sprayers and Tanks spraying Ohio with Chemtrails on a almost daily basis. The Aircrew of the Chemtrail plane could be locked up and held on charges of Terrorism, use of a Biological Weapon on the people of Ohio. If they refuse to co-operate with the investigation, they can be locked up forever just like all those guys in Gitmo, but protected from the Federal Government that may be in on this attack on Life in Ohio.
If Ohio National Guard troops forced a Chemtrail plane to land at a Ohio Airport and the Local Law Enforcement and Governor gained access to the Aluminum and Barium Chemical Toxic Mixture being sprayed over Ohio, and could gain information about the program from the pilots of the Plane such as Base of Operation, Command Structure and Supply chain for the operation, Then those responsible could do long Jail time for use of Biological Weapons against Humans, Animals and the Poisoning of the Environment.
Just as China helped Down and reverse engineer a USA Drone, Gov. Kasich could order National Guard to protect Ohio from those spraying Biological Weapons on them regularly.
John Kasich could hold a press conference and invite the press to view and display to the public the Plane, Sprayers and Tanks spraying Ohio with Chemtrails on a almost daily basis. The Aircrew of the Chemtrail plane could be locked up and held on charges of Terrorism, use of a Biological Weapon on the people of Ohio. If they refuse to co-operate with the investigation, they can be locked up forever just like all those guys in Gitmo, but protected from the Federal Government that may be in on this attack on Life in Ohio.
If Ohio National Guard troops forced a Chemtrail plane to land at a Ohio Airport and the Local Law Enforcement and Governor gained access to the Aluminum and Barium Chemical Toxic Mixture being sprayed over Ohio, and could gain information about the program from the pilots of the Plane such as Base of Operation, Command Structure and Supply chain for the operation, Then those responsible could do long Jail time for use of Biological Weapons against Humans, Animals and the Poisoning of the Environment.
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