Category: Church

Big Guns are Aimed at YOUR FAMILY! Will It Survive? (Part 2)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Father, God's Love, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, MotherLeave a comment

In modern America, God’s grand and glorious institution, the family, is being ferociously attacked. The relentless and malicious attacks are aimed at the traditional family in general and YOUR family in particular. Consider seriously, Part 2 of this vital discussion.

Group of different families together of all races

Part 1 identified the most aggressive and influential enemies of the traditional family and the primary targets of those groups. Part 2 profiles the stunning heavy artillery amassed by the anti-family groups and their sources of immense power, along with a challenge to protect YOUR FAMILY. Part 3 characterizes a power far greater than all the combined power arrayed against us. Finally, Part 4 provides the practical, detailed strategy to protect YOUR FAMILY.

Stunning Heavy Artillery Amassed by the Anti-Family Groups

Weapons are required to destroy the targets. The anti-family groups have assembled a formidable arsenal of powerful weapons aimed at YOUR family, including but not limited to.

  • Political correctness, a means to shut down all opposing viewpoints, by eliminating freedom of speech.
    • Unconditional abortion often paid for by the government
      • No-fault divorce
        • Social approval of cohabitation
          • Encourage single-parent “families.”
            • Social approval of out-of-wedlock births
              • Malignant welfare state establishing permanent dependence on government
                • Effectively ban religion from public discourse by abusive interpretation of the First Amendment to the U.S. Constitution
                  • Legal recognition of same-sex “marriage”
                  • Theory of evolution
  • Child adoption by same-sex couples
    • Surrogate births for same-sex couples
      • Unlimited government regulations of every area of life
        • Easy student loans create dependence on government
          • Promote massive change using the judicial system to bypass the voters
            • Prioritize career over family, withdrawing women and love from the home
              • Legal recognition of transgendered individuals.
                • First promote “tolerance” of all manner of perverse behavior followed by legal recognition of “equality” of practitioners (establishes the moral equivalence of good and evil; lack of tolerance for sinful behavior is proclaimed “evil”)
                  • Government takeover of parental responsibilities
                  • Claimed racism
                  • Infanticide/euthanasia

Fearsome Power of the Anti-Family Groups

The attackers have available the formidable and intimidating power of the:

  • Highest level politicians
    • Full weight of the mainstream press
      • Highly publicized personal and moral failures of sports and entertainment celebrities
        • Emotional and spiritual power of most of the entertainment industry
          • Peer and cultural pressure of a rapidly collapsing American culture
            • Corrupt public school systems that have become intellectually incompetent as well as emotionally and spiritually toxic
              • Brute force of the Federal government facilitated by a runaway judiciary

YOU Must Protect YOUR Family from Cultural Devastation!

The Judeo-Christian family today faces a formidable array of big guns designed to weaken and destroy it. The family has already been directly substantially weakened by

  1. Dilution (cohabitation)
  2. Redefinition (any combination of people living together)
  3. Government intrusion into every aspect of family life
  4. Destruction of the sanctity of life
  5. Decimation of the sanctity of marriage
  6. Annihilation of the sovereignty of the family

The traditional family is virtually at war with the federal government. Many people would not choose a term as harsh as war. But the tension between the sovereignty of the family and the sovereignty of the state has undeniably escalated in recent decades.

The government breaches family sovereignty by:

  • Encouraging divorce, abortion, euthanasia, assisted suicide
  • Removing children from their family
    • Tacitly for ever increasing amounts of “education”
    • Physically for an ever-widening list of alleged “abuses”
  • Dilution, diffusion, and redefinition (ever broadening definition of “family” to include a growing list of “alternative lifestyles”)
  • Increasing control over personal health, including life and death decisions
  • Promoting radical feminism and materialism, which undermine and scatter the family
  • Attacking traditional Biblical roles of family members
  • Facilitating a progressively increasing dependence on government
  • Replacing traditional family values with evolution-rooted post-modern views (no god; no absolute/objective truth; no single set of universal values)
  • Promoting multiculturalism while denying the value and importance of traditional Judeo-Christian culture and values
  • Adopting a suffocating array of ever increasing over-regulations

The collective effect of the big guns attaches plausibility to non-Biblical and immoral conditions and behaviors. The ever increasing number of “alternative lifestyles,” represented here as heavy artillery, elicit an unending series of compromises to the institution of marriage, the sanctity of life, and the sovereignty of the family. Aggregated compromises become cultural bunker busters.

Part 3 is a discussion of a power so great that it can easily overcome the formidable forces arrayed against us.

Big Guns are Aimed at YOUR FAMILY! Will It Survive? (Part 1)

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Family, Father, God's Love, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother3 Comments

In modern America, God’s grand and glorious institution, the family, is being ferociously attacked. The relentless and malicious attacks are aimed at the traditional family in general and YOUR family in particular.

Group of different families together of all races

Consider first the context of the modern American culture. Then wrestle with the grim and determined attacks by the unprecedented number of highly organized groups determined to destroy YOUR family. They have specific targets, a huge arsenal of devastating weapons, and massive power.

Part 1 identifies the most aggressive and influential enemies of the traditional family and the primary targets of those groups. Part 2 profiles the stunning heavy artillery amassed by the anti-family groups and their sources of immense power, along with a challenge to protect YOUR FAMILY. Part 3 characterizes a power far greater than all the combined power arrayed against us. Finally, Part 4 provides the practical, detailed strategy to protect YOUR FAMILY.

Powerful Anti-Family Enemies Aligned Against YOUR Family

  • Evolutionists
    • Radical feminists
      • Multiculturalists
        • Planned Parenthood
          • American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU)
            • Liberal/Progressives
              • LGBT Organizations
                • Muslims/Islamists
                  • Abortion activists
                  • Socialists/Marxists
                  • Animal rights activists

All of these groups are Humanist or antagonistic to the American family or both. They have made man his own god. They are determined to reshape America in the socialist, Humanist mold, a “fundamental transformation.”

Perhaps, like many, you have concluded that as a Judeo-Christian believer, “I don’t belong to any of these groups nor do I support them.” Therefore, they have nothing to do with me. Wrong! Wrong! Dead wrong! They have everything to do with YOU. They ALL share a publically declared goal to destroy YOUR FAMILY. They will mock your successes and cheer your failures. In the Internet Age of virtually no privacy and instant everything, you can no longer “fly under the radar” and be protected by a weekly trip to church or synagogue.

Collectively, the groups create a cultural climate that undermines and weakens the sanctity of life, the sanctity of marriage, and the sovereignty of the family. The statistically equivalent rates of abortion and divorce between conservative believers and atheists/agnostics unambiguously demonstrates that the body of believers has been severely and negatively compromised by the combined efforts of the anti-family groups.

Targets of the Anti-Family Groups Include YOUR Family

To fundamentally transform America, the anti-family groups must have specific targets and objectives. A few of them are:

  • Destroy the Biblical family INCLUDING YOURS
    • Ridicule patriotism (an outgrowth of Judeo-Christian tradition)
      • Substantially weaken the Unites States Constitution
        • Undermine the concept of a representative republic (democracy)
          • Abolish capitalism and the free enterprise system
            • Denigrate the Founding Fathers
              • Eliminate the sanctity marriage
                • Destroy the sanctity of life
                  • Annihilate the sovereignty of the family

The God-created, God-ordained, Biblical family is the only real source of long-term cultural stability. A culture is stable only to the extent that the people consider the needs of others before the needs of self. It is an unassailable Biblical principle that can only be passed on to posterity through soulfully committed traditional families. The family is the heart and strength of the “Great American Experiment.” No nation has ever survived the breakdown of the family.

The anti-family Humanist groups must destabilize, weaken, and eventually destroy the family to make the American culture receptive to massive change (fundamental transformation). The intent to deliberately destroy the institution of the family is well documented in their published writings.

Part 2 will identify the mind blowing weaponry and the sources of the massive power available to the anti-family groups. Do not be discouraged. Part 2 will also include a challenge to protect YOUR FAMILY. Subsequent parts will explain how.

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Church, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian CultureLeave a comment

Hand On Well Used Old Bible Under Painted Light

“In the case of Rex v. Woolston … the (New York Supreme) court said … whatever strikes at the root of Christianity, tends manifestly to the dissolution of civil government. The same doctrine was laid down in the late case of The King v. Williams…the authorities show that blasphemy against God, and contumelious reproaches and profane ridicule of Christ or the Holy Scriptures…are offenses punishable at common law, whether uttered by words or writings. … because it tends to corrupt the morals of the people, and to destroy good order. … They are treated as affecting the essential interests of civil society. … We stand equally in need, now as formerly, of all the moral discipline, and of those principles of virtue, which help to bind society together.

“The people of this state, in common with the people of this country, profess the general doctrines of Christianity, as the rule of their faith and practice; and to scandalize the author of these doctrines is not only, in a religious point of view, extremely impious, but, even in respect to the obligations due to society, is a gross violation of decency and good order. …”

Chief Justice James Kent,

New York Supreme Court

Love is NOT what you think!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Church, Family, God's Love, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, MarriageLeave a comment

It is always amazing to see how miss-translation from one language into another causes all manner of miscommunication and misunderstanding. Consider the word “love” as applied to interpersonal relationships.

undying love

Authors have written a myriad of books and ministers have preached endless sermons claiming that four Greek words represent four different kinds of love. Why? Because that is what they have been taught and that is the conclusion drawn by the Bible translators.

Actually, some have said that as many as 6-7 Greek words should be translated as “love.” Nevertheless, four Greek words are more than enough to examine here. Of the four, only two actually appear in Scripture, but it helps to present the context of all four. Only one is actually love. Consider each separately; then examine the context:

  • Eros (not in Scripture)—an intense, hormone-driven attraction, sometimes called romance, ultimately manifested by sexual intimacy. Physical intimacy is God’s incredibly awesome gift to the couple who has already developed a soul-deep bond of love and committed that bond to a lifetime of protection within the covenant of marriage. It is intended to “seal the deal” and provide for cohesive families and a sustainable culture. However, it is NOT love.
  • Storge (not in Scripture)—a natural affection between and among family members. It is wonderful to experience such affection, but the feelings can peak and wane like a roller coaster, depending on short-term and long-term circumstances. However, it is NOT love.
  • Phileo (found in Scripture)—a brotherly affection for others. It is also wonderful to experience such affection, but the feelings and attachments can rise and fall like a roller coaster, depending on short-term and long-term circumstances. However, it is NOT love.
  • Agape (found in Scripture)—the very nature of God. Scripture unequivocally defines love. “God is love.” [1 John 4:16 KJV] God is the origin and originator of love. All love comes from God, whether or not He gets credit for it. It is the only real love. God’s love is the action of putting others before self. Love cannot exist without giving. “For God so loved…that He gave His…Son (the most valuable gift of all)…” [John 3:16 KJV]

Love characterizes all interpersonal relationships—God/man; man/woman; parent/child; boss/employee; teacher/student; or friend/friend. “…if God so loved us, we ought also to love one another…If we love one another, God dwelleth in us, and his love is perfected in us.” [1John 4:11, 12 KJV]

Love and the relationships that it binds can only exist to the extent that there is regular mutual giving. In the absence of giving, relationships will weaken and eventually break. The exception of course is marriage that may become lifeless in the absence of giving, but must not be broken.

Unfortunately, the various Greek words typically translated as “love” can be misleading and elicit compromise. For example, George emerges from where he just heard a brilliant sermon on the four different kinds of love. He muses to himself, “I can understand and relate to eros, phileo, and storge. But that unconditional agape? I just don’t know. After all Jesus said, “love your enemies.” [Matthew 5:44 KJV] I don’t know if I can do that. There was only One who could unconditionally love His enemies. Well, I guess I have a lifetime to grow into it.”

George walks away comfortable with three different kinds of attractions that are not love, conceding that the only real love is seemingly out of reach. He quickly returns to life as usual; nothing has changed.

Yet God is telling us in Scripture that unless any relationship is characterized by agape, manifested in unconditional giving, there is no love in the relationship. There is no love, because the three attractions are all self-serving to some extent. They are all tied to conditions. The end result is that George ceases to grow and mature or does so at a snail’s pace.

Growth and maturity are produced by agape love. There is no substitute. The affections masquerading as love tend to be fruitless over the long-term. Their self-serving nature becomes a barrier to the growth of real godly love.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Church, Freedom, God's Love, Judeo-Christian CultureLeave a comment

Moses Ten Commandments Stones Isolated on White Background.

“I had to choose between your law and God’s law, and no matter how much power you have to enforce your law, it is inconsequential next go God’s. His laws are eternal, not merely for the moment. No mortal, not even you, may annul the laws of God.”

Antigone by Sophocles

From Ripples to Tsunami—Religious Freedom is Lost!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Church, Education, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage, Same Sex MarriageLeave a comment

There has been near saturation coverage of the brief incarceration of Kim Davis. Of course, she is the Clerk of Rowan County, Kentucky who was held in contempt of court after refusing to issue marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Her Christian faith prohibited actions that would publically express her approval of homosexual or lesbian “marriages.”

kim-davis

There is no need to rehash the widespread news coverage of the event. Instead, mentally zoom out for a few thoughtful moments to consider the darker, far more widespread, and sinister cultural damage emerging from Kim’s experience and thousands of similar ones.

Often such incidents are reported by the press, including the Judeo-Christian press, ministers, and nationally known Christian leaders as “infringing on freedom of religion” or “encroaching on religious rights.” Words like infringing and encroaching suggest a nibbling away at the grander, bedrock, freedom of religion that has anchored America since its founding.

For a moment, let’s sidestep the obvious that an aggregation of nibbles eventually consumes the whole. No matter how much you may have overeaten during an annual Thanksgiving feast, you did it one bite at a time. However, there are far larger more insidious and enduring impacts.

Whenever a,

  • judge issues and ruling contrary to Scripture,
  • legislature passes a law that restricts religious freedom, or an
  • executive (president, governor, or mayor) issues an order that interferes with the free exercise of religion,

the long-term impact on our nation, culture, and families contributes to a looming darkness.

Each of these seemingly narrowly-focused or targeted incidents unleashes ultimately the full, virtually unlimited might, of the federal government and often the full force of the best-known media to proclaim directly or indirectly any of several false and extremely alarming messages:

  • God does not exist.
  • If God does exist, he is somewhere in the cosmos unconcerned about our lives as individuals or collectively as a nation.
  • The government is more important than God.
  • The government has the authority to overrule God.

Essentially, the government is at war with God. The secular humanists (liberal/progressives) are, knowingly or unknowingly, fighting on behalf of the “‘prince of the power of the air,’ the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience…” [Ephesian 2:2 KJV] to amass as much temporal power as possible, at the expense of the people. “…because the sinful mind is hostile to God. It does not submit to God’s law, nor can it do so.” [Romans 8:7 NIV]

Meanwhile, Judeo-Christian believers have been largely shutdown by the cultural pressures of political correctness. They have become too timid to express the courage of their convictions. Far too many have lost the courage of their convictions and some have even lost their convictions. Many believers in the United States are no longer the salt of the earth or the light of the world, at least not visibly.

Apathy comes with a fearful price. Not only is the faith of believers weakened by the relentless pounding of government skepticism, but our children and grandchildren are routinely exposed to the same pounding, during the most vulnerable growing period of their lives. They are constantly exposed to the same alarming messages as everyone else.

Former President Ronald Reagan loudly proclaimed, “Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed on for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

As free Americans, we must aggressively fight to protect our God-given freedom with,

  • persistent prayer,
  • careful voting,
  • letters to public figures,
  • alternatives to public schools, and
  • civil disobedience, as necessary.

Kim Davis opted for civil disobedience. Her actions triggered a long overdue national and very public conversation regarding the concept of same-sex “marriage.” Organized resistance to restrictions on religious freedom is no longer an option; it is inescapable—unless we want to see America irretrievably broken, another sad relic of history.

Each case like Kim’s are the ripples in the war to save America. The growing might of the massive government is the tsunami. Are YOU willing to take a stand?

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Devastation from Fatherless Homes Soars! Where is the Church?

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Father, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, MarriageLeave a comment

The U.S. Census Bureau reports that, 43 percent of U.S. children live without their fathers. The impact on families and the American culture have been cataclysmic. Consider a few statistics:

Colors of anger

  • Ninety percent of homeless and runaway children are from fatherless homes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Census Bureau).
  • Eighty percent of rapists motivated with displaced anger come from fatherless homes (Criminal Justice & Behaviour, Vol. 14, pp. 403-26, 1978).
  • Sixty-three percent of youth suicides involve individuals from fatherless homes (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Census Bureau).
  • Eighty-five percent of children who exhibit behavioral disorders come from fatherless homes (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention).
  • Seventy percent of juveniles in state-operated institutions have no fathers (U.S. Department of Justice, Special Report, September 1988).
  • Eighty-five percent of youths in prisons grew up in a fatherless homes (Fulton County Georgia jail populations, Texas Department of Corrections, 1992).

Are these statistics shocking or are they becoming all too familiar—too familiar to capture meaningful attention? The numbers profile only the most serious aspects of a childhood without a father, the tip of the metaphorical iceberg.

Ninety-three percent of a real iceberg is underwater. Similarly, the crisis-burdened statistics mask a vast modern childhood culture that routinely exhibits uncivil behavior, immoral practices, underdeveloped character, and weak values, widely departing from Judeo-Christian standards. They are the harbinger of an even more ungodly future of the remnant of the American culture.

Little is reported about the chaotic childhood culture that is facilitated by a seriously broken government-run (public) school system and camouflaged by an endless round of nursery schools, day care centers, before school care, after school care, and all manner of babysitters. Absentee parenting does not work! It never has and never will.

All-too-often, fatherhood has shockingly dwindled to a source of sperm and a possible source of money. Others have written extensively about the importance of having a father and the specific responsibilities of a father. Of course the best source is always Scripture. Here is a link to 71 Bible verses about the responsibilities of fathers: http://bible.knowing-jesus.com/topics/Fathers,-Responsibilities-Of

The virtually out-of-control crisis of fatherless homes (absolutely absent-by-law, or by choice, or effectively absent by over-the-top commitments to non-family matters) begs the extremely serious question, “Where is the Church?” Consider the sad profile:

  • 1962—Using a tortured interpretation of the “separation of church and state,” the U.S. Supreme Court banned prayer in the public schools. The Church was conspicuously silent.
  • 1963—The U.S. Supreme Court banned Bible reading in the public schools. The Church was conspicuously silent.
  • 1973—The U.S. Supreme Court legalized abortion (Roe v. Wade). The Catholic Church cried “foul” immediately. The Protestant Church was conspicuously silent for at least 5-8 years.
  • 1970s/1980s—A wave of no-fault divorce laws swept the states. Previously required “grounds for divorce” were rooted in various interpretations of Scripture. The Church has been conspicuously silent.
  • 1960s/2000s—A long series of evolution-related controversies engulfed the public schools. The Church has been conspicuously silent.
  • 1960s/2000s—Political correctness movement has successfully applied plausible euphemisms to all manner of sinful activities, enabling an explosive increase in the activities. The euphemisms use language as a powerful tool to create the appearance of taking the evil out of sin. The Church has been conspicuously silent.
  • 2015—The U.S. Supreme Courts rules that same-sex “marriage” is a Constitutional right. National Christian leaders have been boldly outspoken, but the Church was conspicuously silent.

As a result of the long series of milestones-of-decay, along with the additional cultural pressures of radical feminism and multiculturalism, it may not be surprising that the role of the American male in the family has diminished and the role of fatherhood nearly collapsed. Yet, aside from an individual’s personal relationship with our Creator, God through Scripture assigns the roles of fathers, mothers, and families the highest of all life’s priorities.

Josh McDowell has confirmed that “If a child doesn’t accept Christ by age 12, there’s only a 4 percent change he or she [ever] will.” It is far less likely to happen among fatherless children or in homes with absentee parents.

Today, with a greater urgency than ever before, the churches, the synagogues, and the clergy in charge must embed in the believing culture a strong sense of the evilness of sin and the terribleness of Hell as well as the incomparable glories of God and Heaven to come.

The greater the gap between dark, despicable, evil and our majestic God, including the grand glories of Heaven, the greater the likelihood that people will flee from the former and relentlessly pursue the latter. Life choices, major and minor, that conform to Biblical commands inspire the most exciting life in the universe.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Same-Sex “Marriage” Ruling is a Cultural Tsunami!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Church, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage, Same Sex MarriageLeave a comment

James Dobson

Most people are already aware that Dr. James Dobson has soundly condemned the recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that established a nationwide “right” to same-sex marriage. While much of the commentary focuses on the gay marriage issue, he contends that the intentional impact is far larger. We are not talking about a ripple effect. The consequences will be a spiritual and temporal tsunami.

In a recent newsletter, Dobson explains, “We are convinced that this unconstitutional decision, issued by five unelected, unaccountable and imperious justices, will ultimately prove to be as catastrophic as Dred Scott v. Sanford in 1857 and Roe v. Wade in 1973. It will touch every dimension of culture…This court decision is not about same-sex marriage, except only tangentially. Many gay and lesbian groups have admitted that marriage has never been their primary objective. Instead, it is about everything else.”

“What’s at stake is the entire culture war.” Dobson characterized the decision as an “expression of hostility toward people who take their Christianity seriously.”

“As you probably know, certain groups and organizations hate us. It is about weakening the church of Jesus Christ and limiting what pastors and ministers can say and do publicly…It is about undermining the religious liberties of Christians that are guaranteed by the Constitution. It is about attacking Christian schools, Christian non-profit organizations such as Family Talk, and Christian businesses, hospitals, charities, and seminaries. It is about Christian colleges and universities, and about whom their leaders choose as professors and what their students will be taught. It’s about government funding and accreditation.”

“There is almost no limit to what will be imposed on the American public as a result of Obergefell. There is every indication that a barrage of court cases has been pre-planned and will be implemented against those who dare to disagree with the government’s view of marriage. Some will lose their jobs for failing to knuckle under…Some will lose their professional licenses. Some will be persecuted, ridiculed and fined. Some will go to prison. After all, the Supreme Court has ruled that same-sex marriage is an inviolable constitutional right that will trump other liberties considered untouchable for more than 200 years.”

Dobson expressed a particular concern for the children. “I grieve over what will happen to kids in public schools. They will be taught that right is wrong and wrong is right, and that the teachings of Scripture are unreliable and inaccurate.”

“How unthinkable it is that in some states kindergartners, barely out of babyhood, are being taught adult perverse behavior that should never be discussed in the classroom. Soon, publishers of public school textbooks throughout the country will have to re-write and re-illustrate materials to make them conform to the demands of Obergefell. It matters not that these revisions will contradict the beliefs and convictions of Christian parents. It has already become the law of the land in some states.”

Dobson chillingly warns that anything activists “can dream up could be imposed on our children by liberal judges.”

“LGBT propaganda will be blatantly taught to wide-eyed kids who are too young to understand how they are being manipulated. There is no consideration that the messages given will contradict the beliefs and convictions of millions of parents. The wishes of moms and dads will have been overridden and superseded by five justices who have a better plan for their kids,” he writes.

It all has a familiar ring. Remember that Adolf Hitler said, “Your child belongs to us already … what are you? You will pass on. Your descendants, however, now stand in the new camp. In a short time they will know nothing but this new community.”

Quoting Rod Dreher, senior editor at the American Conservative, Dobson adds, “The alarm that the four dissenting justices sounded in their minority opinions…Chief Justice John Roberts and Justice Antonin Scalia were particularly scathing in pointing out the philosophical and historical groundlessness of the majority’s opinion. Justice Scalia even called the decision ‘a threat to democracy,’ and denounced it, shockingly, in the language of revolution.”

It is up to the pastors to lead, warn, and prepare the body of believers. “…if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not blow the trumpet to warn the people and the sword comes and takes the life of one of them, that man will be taken away because of his sin, but I will hold the watchman accountable for his blood.” [Ezekiel 33:6 NIV]

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Storm Clouds are Gathering—Again!

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Freedom, God's Love, Judeo-Christian CultureLeave a comment

Majestic United States Flag

The ACLU has filed complaints against four schools in Indiana, California, New Jersey, and Oklahoma and New Jersey. Their crime? The have used a sign with “God Bless America.” The complaints demand that the schools remove the words “God Bless America” from their signs, alleging that the phrase is hurtful, divisive and a violation of the constitution.

How far can America implode? Recall that just a few years ago, all of Congress stood outside the Capitol and sang, “God Bless America.” The occasion was just after the terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. After that infamous date, the song was heard often. It has been only 14 years!

Irving Berlin composed that song in 1918. It sat in his desk drawer for twenty years until 1938. Here is the original:

God bless America, land that I love

Stand beside her and guide her

Through the night with a light from above

From the mountains, to the prairies

To the oceans white with foam

God bless America

My home sweet home

The song was popularized by Kate Smith after a preamble was added. Here’s the complete version:

While the storm clouds gather far across the sea

Let us swear allegiance to a land that’s free

Let us all be grateful for a land so fair

As we raise our voices in a solemn prayer:

God bless America, land that I love

Stand beside her and guide her

Through the night with a light from above

From the mountains, to the prairies

To the oceans white with foam

God bless America

My home sweet home

Notice that the song, so often sung in a celebratory mood today was popularized as a “solemn prayer.” Why? World War II had not yet broken out, but the rapidly gathering dark clouds of war were unmistakably clear, especially to families who had already lost loved ones in World War just twenty years before.

Famed singer Kate Smith introduced the song in her Armistice Day (now called Veteran’s Day) radio broadcast, November 11, 1938. It was just a day after the senseless, tragic Kristallnacht, a series of deadly Nazi attacks on Jews throughout Germany and Austria.

Estimates vary widely, but hundreds died during that horrific two night period. Another 30,000 Jews were arrested and sent to Nazi concentration camps. Over 1000 synagogues were burned and over 7,000 Jewish businesses were destroyed or damaged.

The rapidly gathering dark clouds of war were inescapable. That is why “God Bless America” was a solemn prayer.

But today, it is 2015. There is some saber rattling going on in North Korea. Terrorists from a variety of organizations are wreaking worldwide havoc and causing unspeakable violence, without much apparent opposition. Certainly, those are dark clouds of our time.

But there are even darker clouds with even more formidable consequences. They are the dark clouds of America’s apostasy. America has increasingly abandoned God and the Judeo-Christian principles that made America great.

Others have said that judgment follows desecration. Scripture proclaims, “For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every hidden thing, whether good or evil.” [Ecclesiastes 12:14 NIV] Also, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin condemns any people.” [Proverbs 12:34 NIV]

Now is a good time to go back and read the lyrics (no music please) of the expanded version of “God Bless America.” Read it; pray it as a heart wrenching “solemn prayer.”

While you are at it, pray for the ACLU!

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Childish Workplace Behavior Elicited by “Offended” Culture

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Baby Boomers, Church, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian CultureLeave a comment

Mass murders or extreme violence are often reported in the national news. Such extremes mask the growing mass of coarse and uncivil behavior not considered newsworthy. But now, growing national immaturity has become an important story. Consider this from CBS News:

Office life: business team having a fight

“According to the poll (conducted by CareerBuilder) of over 2,500 hiring and human resources managers as well as more than 3,000 adult employees across a wide spectrum of industries and companies, “adolescent” behaviors such as whining, pouting and temper tantrums are an all-too-common occurrence in U.S. offices and other work spaces.

More than three-quarters of the employees polled said they’ve witnessed some type of childish behavior among their colleagues. More than half, 55 percent, said they’ve dealt with whining, and 46 percent have watched other employees openly pout over events that didn’t go their way.” http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-rise-of-childish-workplace-behavior/

For the last 50 years, a growing body of common law has unleashed the brute force of government to require people to do this… or not do that…, because somebody, somewhere “might” be offended.

Anyone who has ever been married knows that it is nearly impossible to get through more than a few days without offending your spouse—the one who is closer to you than anyone in the universe. If occasionally offending your spouse is inevitable, it is not possible to live life without occasionally offending people, whether it is intentional or inadvertent.

Most of the time, being offended is a mark of immaturity or childishness in this context. A mature person of good character will deliberately choose NOT to be offended, regardless of what others say or do.

I have often told groups of people that my joy comes from the Lord and nothing anyone says or does will deprive me of that joy. The comment can be very disarming and allows people to relax and enjoy a conversation free from anxiety.

Sadly, the American culture has, for decades, rewarded claims of being offended. If one or a group whines loud enough, they are often given what they want to shut them up or maintain an uneasy peace. Our culture has learned to reward weak character.

The government set the pace; business sheepishly followed. Anyone in business knows that you get more of whatever is rewarded. Childish behavior is often rewarded. The result is that it grows. Today, it is careening out of control.

The childish behavior and its rewards continue to grow because today many managers have grown up in the same dysfunctional culture as their usually younger employees. In addition, there has been a growing popularity of 360-degree evaluations in business, education, and government. The well-known concept provides a formal mechanism for employees to evaluate their peers, bosses, and subordinates. Consequently, the mangers become Neville Chamberlain peace-at-any-price supervisors, rewarding whiners to shut them up or risk a negative evaluation.

Is there a solution? Of course there is! As always, it is found in the Holy Scriptures. We cannot stop others from whining or complaining, but the Bible is very clear about how we should respond:

“The mouth of the righteous man utters wisdom, and his tongue speaks what is just.” [Psalm 37:30 NIV] “Do not forsake wisdom, and she will protect you; love her, and she will watch over you. Wisdom is supreme; therefore get wisdom. Though it cost all you have, get understanding.” [Proverbs 4:6-7 NIV] “Whoever would love life and see good days must keep their tongue from evil and their lips from deceitful speech.” [1 Peter 3:10 NIV]

A mature manager or employee knows that, “Above all, you must understand that in the last days scoffers will come, scoffing and following their own evil desires.” [2 Peter 3:3 NIV] Proverbs 3:34 says that God “scoffs at the scoffers, yet He gives grace to the afflicted.” [ESV]

Scripture proclaims God’s ideal behavior, “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.” [Ephesians 4:29 ESV] Finally, “Give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” [1 Thessalonians 5:18 ESV]

But citing Scripture verses is not sufficient. It is merely an intellectual exercise. The passages do not incite action until they are soul-deep. When they are instinctively and routinely acted upon, we call it maturity.

There is not instant road to maturity. In each person, it must begin during earliest childhood. Real biological parents who are not absentee parents and the clergy must together instill positive character, beginning with small children and continuing throughout their lifetime. The very survival of the American culture depends on it. The American culture depends on YOU.

What does it take to wake up the body of believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Will the Church Rise Up to End Abortion?

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Baby Boomers, Church, God's Love, GovernmentLeave a comment

One of the delights of blogging is the relationships built with other bloggers. Below is an excerpt from a blog, posted by Brian Fisher, regarding the recently-released series of videos exposing the hideous work of Planned Parenthood:

gynecologist's office

What is new is the undercover videos showing what has previously been hidden from the public eye. Will Americans finally have enough of this barbaric nonsense? Will they compel their elected officials to continue the fight to defund Planned Parenthood and treat preborn humans with some dignity?

It depends on our national attention span. We Americans have a nasty habit of moving on from bad news pretty quickly. We needn’t look any further than the murder trial of abortionist Kermit Gosnell, which after some prodding from pro-life organizations was covered – albeit with a pro-abortion slant – for about one week in 2013. Two years later, both Gosnell and his murderous slaughter of full-term, delivered babies have been long forgotten and our nation lulled back into its apathetic slumber.

The Church’s Watershed Moment

Yet the ultimate outcome of the undercover Planned Parenthood video is dependent on the Church. And as best as I can tell, aside from a few engaged, the Church has been eerily quiet about Planned Parenthood’s horrific, and potentially illegal activities.

…to my dismay – few evangelical leaders are using the videos as an opportunity to decry the abortion holocaust, defend preborn humans, and speak out against this human rights atrocity.

On the other hand, ironically, politicians are speaking out. When the politicians are ahead of the Church on a moral issue, you know we have problems.

The Catholic Church has been and continues to be a vocal opponent to abortion. And the national director of Priests for Life, and our friend, Fr. Frank Pavone has been speaking out against Planned Parenthood and these videos on a regular basis. But not enough Protestant leaders have publicly condemned the activities uncovered by the videos.

The Protestant Church’s profound silence about the evils of abortion is starting to drive me crazy (and I’m Protestant). If there was ever a time in the last 10 years for the Protestant Church to step up, use these videos as an opportunity to educate their congregations, and make enormous headway to cause abortion to become unthinkable and unavailable in our country, now is that time.

“But Brian, abortion is a political issue. Churches shouldn’t talk about it.”

Hogwash. Abortion is a spiritual issue. It’s a decision to kill a precious, innocent human being who was created by God in His own image. The Church should be the primary, vocal, consistent, vehement protector and defender of preborn children. Indeed the Church’s silence regarding the abortion holocaust has undoubtedly contributed to the death of almost 60 million preborn children since 1973.

“But Brian, this just isn’t at the top of the list of issues for my church.”

Then your church’s list of issues is incorrectly prioritized. About one-third of the women in your church have likely had an abortion and are probably still suffering from it. Moreover one-third of the men in your church have actively or passively participated in killing another human being. And as I lay out on pages 116-117 of my recent book Deliver Us from Abortion, many post-abortive men and women struggle with substance abuse, divorce, spousal and child abuse, depression, suicide, and a long list of other human sufferings. Truly, abortion is at the root of many of the problems in your church.

It’s time for the Church to face reality. Abortion is the leading cause of death in America. Abortion tears apart families. Abortion kills preborn children in your own city, your community, and your neighborhood.

“But Brian, our church doesn’t engage in culture.”

Then you should consider finding another church. We are commanded to teach ALL that Jesus taught, and my Bible touches on every facet of human existence. It also deals quite extensively with social justice, life and death, mercy, compassion, and providing for the least of these.

“But Brian, are you suggesting that American churches should be activists?”

Of course that is what I’m suggesting. That doesn’t mean every church should be picketing the local abortion clinic, but it does mean every church is intentionally, deeply, and passionately involved in culture-changing community work. And that work MUST involve intentional, passionate efforts to end abortion.

Read Proverbs 24:11-12 (NIV)…“Rescue those being led away to death; hold back those staggering toward slaughter. If you say, ‘But we knew nothing about this,’ does not he who weighs the heart perceive it? Does not he who guards your life know it?” In these two verses, there’s a command to protect innocent lives and a warning about what will happen to us if we don’t. Does your church take that warning seriously? Do we?

If we view church as somewhere to go to hear a nice sermon, give to missions, and sing a few songs on Sundays, then we don’t understand true Christianity. True Christianity is an every moment, intimate relationship with Jesus that, by the very nature of that relationship, results in everyday, passionate engagement with the world around us. And that passionate involvement must, because of the demands of our faith, result in our protection of those “being led away to death.”

Now is the time for churches to talk about abortion, social justice, protecting the preborn, and the entirety of the gospel. The Planned Parenthood videos provide context—we are now seeing with our own eyes the atrocities committed against preborn children. The public is more aware of abortion now than they have been since the Kermit Gosnell trial. People who are on the fence about abortion are open to conversations because of what they are seeing, and Christians are the right people with whom they should have those conversations.

Not all churches are silent, of course…There is a large Bible church in the Dallas–Forth Worth area that Online for Life was introduced to a few months ago. They came and visited us and, within just a few weeks, decided they were going to act on their convictions to help end abortion.

They are leading the effort in their community and joining forces with OFL to build a definable, measurable strategy to end abortion in their county within the next five years. In all my years in this effort, I’ve never seen a more dedicated, passionate, forward-thinking church. I love it.

Their leadership is inspiring a handful of other local pro-life churches to do the same. Dallas–Fort Worth, where Roe v. Wade originated, may well be the first city to see abortion die. And it will die because of the Church.

Jessica Schuessler is a mom from Illinois with a powerful story of God’s redemptive work in her life. After reading Deliver Us from Abortion, she felt convicted to get the book into the hands of every pastor in her city. Then she realized God was calling her to get the book into the hands of every pastor in the STATE. Over the past few months, she has covered over 30 cities, mobilized a team to work in other parts of the state, and been interviewed by the media; now she is being invited to speak at various church events. See her story and campaign here. One woman is awakening the Church in Illinois to the horrors of abortion. And some pastors are beginning to take notice.

These undercover Planned Parenthood videos provide a phenomenal opportunity for the Church to help accelerate our mission of making abortion unthinkable and unavailable in America. Let’s not let it go to waste. Be sure to visit the blog again in the coming days, as we’ll announcing a site that provides resources that will equip pastors, church leaders and congregants in defending a pro-life position. Of course you can always financially and prayerfully support Online for Life in our mission to provide abortion-determined a grace-filled alternative to Planned Parenthood and their affiliates.

P.S. If you, your church, or your church leadership IS sounding the call to advance against Planned Parenthood in light of these videos, please share that with me in the blog comments. I’d love to hear what’s happening in your world.

http://onlineforlife.org/blog/will-the-church-rise-up-and-usher-in-abortions-demise/?utm_source=newsletter&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=commentary&utm_content=oflhousefile_8-19&_hsenc=p2ANqtz-8Orotw4nFxakdX9_-5g1Fr46rsaDE2V1iFcjmI61DTa7HAMsCnrwnT15XcTmovWOKwO3ZibreXC2_Tn04zi_W3VmXXPQ&_hsmi=21438774

Same-Sex ‘Marriage’ (?) United States Supreme Court Wins—Children Lose

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Church, Judeo-Christian Culture, Same Sex Marriage2 Comments

white-house-rainbow

Is that picture of the White House troubling? I hope so!

The ramifications of the United States Supreme Court decision to sanction same-sex marriages and require such marriages to be licensed in all 50 states are many. One of the most damaging is the impact on children. They are the biggest losers.

Dr. Michelle Cretella, President of the American College of Pediatricians (an apparently secular group) issued a statement saying:

“This is a tragic day for America’s children. The SCOTUS has just undermined the single greatest pro-child institution in the history of mankind: the natural family. Just as it did in the joint Roe v Wade and Doe v Bolton decisions, the SCOTUS has elevated and enshrined the wants of adults over the needs of children.”

Whenever a legislature passes a law or the judiciary issues a ruling that

  1. expands or ignores the God-given boundaries of morality,
  2. encroaches on the sanctity of life,
  3. infringes on the sanctity of marriage, or
  4. encourages abortion,

they always do so to satisfy the selfish desires of adults and is always at the expense of children.

Imagine you are asked to identify the most selfish decisions any person can make. Inescapably, the list must include

  • abortion,
  • divorce,
  • sacrificing child rearing on the altar of career, and
  • identifying parenthood as anything other than the child’s natural parents.

Each of the selfish decisions is scorned by God, but approved, sanctioned and encouraged by the government (most government entitlements subsidize sin). Children pay a fearful price for all of them.

Only the natural parents are directly charged by God with the responsibility of raising their children to be adults of strong character. Same-sex ‘parents’ cannot do it. The churches cannot do it. The schools will not do it. Children simply cannot raise themselves. Yet, many today find themselves with little direction from parents who are suffering from career absenteeism.

When we fail to raise our children to become adults of strong character, their lives are compromised, the cohesiveness of the family is seriously damaged, and the weakened culture will eventually self-destruct.

“And whoever welcomes a little child like this in my name welcomes me. But if anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drowned in the depths of the sea.“ [Matthew 18:5-6 NIV]

The Supreme Court ruling codifying same-sex marriage is simply a barometer of a much broader cultural decline. Today, we are very near the point of cultural implosion. Nearly 200 years ago, Alexis de Tocqueville observed that, “America is great because she is good. If America ceases to be good, America will cease to be great.”

He also summarized the results of his search for America’s greatness:

I sought for the greatness and genius of America in her commodious harbors and her ample rivers – and it was not there . . . in her fertile fields and boundless forests and it was not there . . . in her rich mines and her vast world commerce – and it was not there . . . in her democratic Congress and her matchless Constitution – and it was not there. Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with righteousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power. (emphasis added)

Same-sex marriage is wrong according to God and every reasonable temporal measure. It is now the law of the land, ultimately because the body of believers allowed it to happen just as the body of believers have allowed every other compromise and cultural controversy to emerge. Sadly, the body of believers have adopted many of the same compromises as the background secular culture. Sin has all-to-often become the new norm. After all, we must be “tolerant.”

Do America’s pulpits “flame with righteousness” today? If not, why not?

On By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, American Exceptionalism, Baby Boomers, Church, Education, Family, Father, God's Love, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, MotherLeave a comment

“Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins.” 1Peter 4:8 NIV “Hatred stirs up conflict, but love covers over all wrongs.” Proverbs 10:12 NIV