Devastation from Fatherless Homes Soars! Where is the Church?

On August 31, 2015 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:

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?

Childish Workplace Behavior Elicited by “Offended” Culture

On August 21, 2015August 21, 2015 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:

“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 August 20, 2015 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:

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

Words Are More Powerful Than Nuclear Weapons!

On August 18, 2015August 29, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Baby Boomers, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Same Sex Marriage9 Comments

The following summarizes an e-mail from a Liberty University history professor to Jason and David Benham (The Benhams have graciously provided a strong endorsement for my book.). It highlights the incredible power of words:

Words are powerful tools. They can be used to build up or tear down. To inspire or incite. To encourage or defeat. To cause trouble or create calm. To unite or divide. To liberate or enslave. Words can, and often are, used to divert, deflect, deceive, or hide the true motives of the one speaking. Words are powerful.

For a people to come together, form a culture, and live in peace and safety, they must be able to communicate with each other. Language, which involves the use of words, is the tool that serves that purpose. And for communication to take place, words must have commonly understood and generally accepted meanings.

All manner of problems emerge when language breaks down. Let me give you an example. What do you hear me saying in this statement? “I am a perfect gay liberal man who can do nothing to stop abortion.” This would be a rather startling announcement from a conservative. But let’s take a look at what I just said.

Some of you may be thinking, “What is he, a homosexual left-wing guy who supports the deliberate killing of unborn babies?” If that is what you think I said, communication between us did not take place. Because I used those words according to their standard and historically accepted meanings; that is, the meaning those words conveyed prior to the time when radicals began deconstructing the English language.

Radicals among us have been busy tearing down our language for more than a hundred years. They disregard the generally accepted meaning of words and use words in ways that are contrary to their intended meanings. The end result of this subterfuge is to make language ultimately meaningless. Justice Antonin Scalia said in his dissenting opinion in the latest Obamacare ruling, that “words no longer have meaning.”

Let me tell you what I meant when I said I am “a perfect gay liberal man who could do nothing to stop abortion.” What I was attempting to communicate to you through the use of those words was this, “I am a mature, happy, liberty-minded man who is unable to prevent expectant mothers from suffering miscarriages.”

Hmm.

Let’s break those words down. “Perfect” means mature, “gay” means happy, “liberal” means the maximizing of liberty, and “abortion” means miscarriage. That was the clear and commonly accepted meaning of those words before radicals started using them for their own purposes.

Did you know that in the first trimester, approximately 20 percent of known pregnancies unfortunately end in miscarriage? However, the medical word for a miscarriage is “spontaneous abortion.” Yes, a miscarriage is called an abortion by the medical community. The deliberate killing of an unborn child is not an abortion. Abortion is the term used by medical professionals, whereas miscarriage is the word used by the general culture to describe the same thing.

The deliberate act of killing an unborn child is a feticide or an aborticide. Just like insecticide is the killing of insects, herbicide is the killing of weeds, homicide is the killing of individual people, and genocide is the killing of a political, or cultural group of people, infanticide is the killing of an infant. So the deliberate killing of a preborn child is a feticide or an aborticide. The English root “cide” comes from the Latin “cidium,” which means the act of killing.

Whenever a group of radicals seeks to mainstream a deviant, disturbing or evil practice, they must first desensitize the general public as to the gravity of their deviancy. To do so, they steal an upright word and by repetitious use superimpose that word on that which the general public finds abhorrent. Their objective is to attach some new meaning to the word in the minds of their hearers and thereby transfer that good feeling people previously associated that word to their diabolical practice.

You see, radicals of all stripes have no principles – they only have goals. Their goal is to destroy everything this country and culture stand for … and to rebuild anew on a man-made foundation. They will twist, distort and misuse language if it advances their agenda and moves them closer to their goal. It is the end that is all-important to them, not the means. Changing language, words and their meanings is a major weapon in their arsenal in doing so.

We must ever be mindful that whoever controls the use and meaning of words comes to control the cultural and political agenda, as well as the emotions of the masses. Right now, more than ever in history, emotions control the agenda far more than facts. So more bluntly stated, “he who defines the terms always wins the debate.”

If we want to be victorious and see liberty restored and preserved, we must retake command of the words we use and thereby reframe the argument. When we do so, we will win every debate.

I close with a quote from Sam Adams, that revolutionary firebrand, and defender of liberty in the late 18th century. He said, “How strangely will the tools of a tyrant pervert the plain meaning of words.”
http://www.wnd.com/2015/08/a-perfectly-gay-liberal-man-who-cant-stop-abortion/#qy8isQx4kE3dC2Rl.99

Constitution and Religion Cannot be Separated!

On August 8, 2015August 8, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian CultureLeave a comment

These fundamental objects of the constitution are in perfect harmony with the revealed objects of the Christian religion. Union, justice, peace, the general welfare, and the blessings of civil and religious liberty, are the objects of Christianity and always secured under its practical and beneficent reign.”

“The state must rest upon the basis of religion, and it must preserve this basis, or itself must fall. But the support which religion gives to the state will obviously cease the moment religion loses it hold upon the popular mind. The very fact that the state must have religion as a support for its own authority demands that some means for teaching religion be employed. Better for it to give up all other instruction than that religion should be disregarded in its schools. The state itself has a more vital interest in this continued influence of religion over its citizens than in their culture in any other respect.” Benjamin Franklin Morris (1864)

Secular education … demands that the student have a good knowledge of the Bible.

On August 1, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Education, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Science4 Comments

“Better known works which rely on allusions from the Bible include Milton’s Paradise Lost … Shakespeare … and Melville’s Moby Dick. … Secular education … demands that the student have a good knowledge of the Bible.”

Crockett v. Sorenson,

U.S. District Court (1983)

We Are Sacrificing Our Children to Molech!

On July 24, 2015July 24, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Baby Boomers, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Mother2 Comments

Many people were shocked, or should have been shocked, this week when two horrifying videos were publicly released. They exposed casual luncheon conversations with people at the highest levels of Planned Parenthood leadership. They were discussing the harvesting and sale of organs from aborted babies, adding that they were feverishly developing “less crunchy” abortion techniques that would kill the baby without damaging the organs. The emphasis on retrieving in-tact organs itself confirms the personhood of the unborn baby.

One presidential candidate claimed that Planned Parenthood would deny life-confirming ultrasounds to pregnant mothers, but would use the ultrasounds to preserve the organs of dead babies.

We have finally exceeded the depravity of the ancient Israelites who strayed and sacrificed their children to the pagan god, Molech, “Do not give any of your children to be sacrificed to Molek, for you must not profane the name of your God. I am the LORD.” [Leviticus 18:21 NIV]

“You shall not worship the Lord your God in that way, for every abominable thing that the Lord hates they have done for their gods, for they even burn their sons and their daughters in the fire to their gods.” [Deuteronomy 12:31 ESV]

“Any one of the people of Israel or of the strangers who sojourn in Israel who gives any of his children to Molech shall surely be put to death. The people of the land shall stone him with stones. I myself will set my face against that man and will cut him off from among his people, because he has given one of his children to Molech, to make my sanctuary unclean and to profane my holy name. And if the people of the land do at all close their eyes to that man when he gives one of his children to Molech, and do not put him to death, then I will set my face against that man and against his clan and will cut them off from among their people, him and all who follow him in whoring after Molech.” [Leviticus 20:1-5 ESV]

Of course, we do not talk about Molech today. We’re modern. We sacrifice our babies and children to:

The pagan god of money
The pagan god of materialism
The pagan god of personal convenience
The pagan humanistic god of our own pride

Astonishingly, the ghastly practice of selling “baby parts” has apparently been common practice at least since 1998, according to a price list uncovered by a pro-life organization. Even the post-abortion procedures are horrific. If you can stomach the read, the details are explained at http://www.wnd.com/2015/07/20-years-fresh-and-frozen-baby-parts-sold-across-u-s/ The gruesome practice is reminiscent of the cruel, inhuman, and excruciatingly painful “research” conducted by the notorious Dr. Mengele of the Third Reich.

Rather than simply recoil at a few sick news items, view them in the cultural context of another controversial current event. Our President and his team recently negotiated an apparent nuclear agreement with Iran. It is so shallow, incomplete, extremely one-sided, and lacking in accountability that the President has been compared with Neville Chamberlain, the notorious pre-World War II appeaser. He attempted to appease Adolph Hitler, by negotiating a shamefully failed treaty with the vicious dictator. Appeasement failed then and it will fail now.

Far worse however, is that we have become a nation of citizen appeasers in the name of political correctness. Children used to chant a jingle, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but names will never hurt me.” Today, we cower in fear that somehow we might offend someone or even worse be called an unkind name. It is ironic that the name callers are the authors of the cancerous political correctness. They do not seem to mind offending others. While screaming “tolerance,” they have developed name calling into a finely tuned weapon.

Given current conditions, cultural appeasement might be understandable to some extent within the background secular culture. But the body of believers has compromised so much that many would rather appease sin, or even participate in it, than publically confront it. Such astonishing spiritual weakness is evident in every major controversy including abortion, infanticide, divorce, same-sex “marriage,” assisted suicide, euthanasia and many others. Such shocking news events should drive every believer to his/her knees in prayer, arising afterwards with a powerful conviction to take action.

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

The Decline and Fall of America as Prophesied in the Congressional Record, 1963

On July 22, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Baby Boomers, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian CultureLeave a comment

Today, I discovered something surprising. Perhaps disturbing, troubling, or even terrifying would be better descriptors. The discovery was published in the Congressional Record, January 10, 1963, fifty-two years ago. What was so terrifying? It was a list of “Current Communist Goals.” The shock is that today, in 2015, most of the goals have been achieved.

The list, published in the Congressional Record, was abstracted from a wildly popular book, “The Naked Communist,” by Cleon Skousen. Mr. Skousen was a Washington, DC attorney who passed away in 2006. By then, he had published 23 books, including, “The 5000 Year Leap.” It was book about the principles of freedom that President Reagan wanted taught in all of the nation’s schools. It did not happen, but Reagan’s desire attaches great credibility to Skousen and his work.

But how could it happen? We haven’t heard much about communism in a long time. Younger generations cannot even relate to, what to them, is a strange sounding word. Fast forward 53 years. Today, we do hear a great deal about the liberal/progressive movement. The goals of the modern liberal/progressive movement and those of the old communist movement are virtually identical. The differences are indistinguishable Only the names have changed. The modern movement has relentlessly pursued the goals for decades.

That is how most of the goals have been achieved, but at a fearful price. The cost of achieving the goals has been an enormous loss of freedom.

In a recently published piece, I observed that Freedom is a Gift from God, Not a Grant from Government. Only Judeo-Christian believers know, or should know, that freedom is a gift from God. Only Judeo-Christian believers understand, or should understand, at a soul-deep level the preciousness and fragility of that freedom. As a gift from God, freedom carries huge responsibilities for the believer:

Guard it jealously
Protect and defend it zealously from within and without
Use it wisely

Since freedom is undeniably a gift from God, we are accountable to Him for it. One day He may ask of each of us, “What did you do with My incomparable gift of freedom?”

Throughout most of world history, mankind has repeatedly been the tragic victim of his own uncontrollable pride. “Man’s inhumanity to man,” need not be further documented here. Nevertheless, in the midst of man’s morass, God had provided at least two spectacularly noticeable chances for real freedom. The first was the Exodus of the ancient Israelites from Egypt, an event sometimes referred to as the birth of freedom. They enjoyed that freedom for most of the 400-year period of the Judges, until they demanded a king like other nations. That demand precipitated a centuries-long downfall.

God granted a second spectacular chance at freedom to the settlers that came to America seeking freedom to worship Him. After several hundred years, freedom was temporally secured by the Revolutionary War. Freedom was anchored by the Declaration of Independence and the United States Constitution. After the completion of the Constitution, a lady asked Benjamin Franklin, “What do we have, Dr. Franklin, a monarchy or a republic?” He replied, “A republic, if you can keep it.”

We kept the republic for about 200 years, until Judeo-Christian believers lost touch with their responsibility to protect God’s awesome gift of freedom. It is time to wake up and appreciate what we have lost.

The following list has been copied directly from the Congressional Record, January 10, 1963. No changes have been made; no editorial comments have been offered. Please—I beg of you, take the time to read all 45 items. The high percentage of these goals that have been achieved, is a measure of how far America has fallen. The only possible push back can come from Judeo-Christian believers or direct intervention by God.

Read them; read them all. You may find yourself shedding tears, getting angry, or even inspired to take action—hopefully and prayerfully, all three.

CURRENT COMMUNIST GOALS

U.S. acceptance of coexistence as the only alternative to atomic war.
U.S. willingness to capitulate in preference to engaging in atomic war.
Develop the illusion that total disarmament [by] the United States would be a demonstration of moral strength.
Permit free trade between all nations regardless of Communist affiliation and regardless of whether or not items could be used for war.
Extension of long-term loans to Russia and Soviet satellites.
Provide American aid to all nations regardless of Communist domination.
Grant recognition of Red China. Admission of Red China to the U.N.
Set up East and West Germany as separate states in spite of Khrushchev’s promise in 1955 to settle the German question by free elections under supervision of the U.N.
Prolong the conferences to ban atomic tests because the United States has agreed to suspend tests as long as negotiations are in progress.
Allow all Soviet satellites individual representation in the U.N.
Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind. If its charter is rewritten, demand that it be set up as a one-world government with its own independent armed forces. (Some Communist leaders believe the world can be taken over as easily by the U.N. as by Moscow. Sometimes these two centers compete with each other as they are now doing in the Congo.)
Resist any attempt to outlaw the Communist Party.
Do away with all loyalty oaths.
Continue giving Russia access to the U.S. Patent Office.
Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.
Use technical decisions of the courts to weaken basic American institutions by claiming their activities violate civil rights.
Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations. Put the party line in textbooks.
Gain control of all student newspapers.
Use student riots to foment public protests against programs or organizations which are under Communist attack.
Infiltrate the press. Get control of book-review assignments, editorial writing, policymaking positions.
Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.
Continue discrediting American culture by degrading all forms of artistic expression. An American Communist cell was told to “eliminate all good sculpture from parks and buildings, substitute shapeless, awkward and meaningless forms.”
Control art critics and directors of art museums. “Our plan is to promote ugliness, repulsive, meaningless art.”
Eliminate all laws governing obscenity by calling them “censorship” and a violation of free speech and free press.
Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.
Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”
Infiltrate the churches and replace revealed religion with “social” religion. Discredit the Bible and emphasize the need for intellectual maturity which does not need a “religious crutch.”
Eliminate prayer or any phase of religious expression in the schools on the ground that it violates the principle of “separation of church and state.”
Discredit the American Constitution by calling it inadequate, old-fashioned, out of step with modern needs, a hindrance to cooperation between nations on a worldwide basis.
Discredit the American Founding Fathers. Present them as selfish aristocrats who had no concern for the “common man.”
Belittle all forms of American culture and discourage the teaching of American history on the ground that it was only a minor part of the “big picture.” Give more emphasis to Russian history since the Communists took over.
Support any socialist movement to give centralized control over any part of the culture–education, social agencies, welfare programs, mental health clinics, etc.
Eliminate all laws or procedures which interfere with the operation of the Communist apparatus.
Eliminate the House Committee on Un-American Activities.
Discredit and eventually dismantle the FBI.
Infiltrate and gain control of more unions.
Infiltrate and gain control of big business.
Transfer some of the powers of arrest from the police to social agencies. Treat all behavioral problems as psychiatric disorders which no one but psychiatrists can understand [or treat].
Dominate the psychiatric profession and use mental health laws as a means of gaining coercive control over those who oppose Communist goals.
Discredit the family as an institution. Encourage promiscuity and easy divorce.
Emphasize the need to raise children away from the negative influence of parents. Attribute prejudices, mental blocks and retarding of children to suppressive influence of parents.
Create the impression that violence and insurrection are legitimate aspects of the American tradition; that students and special-interest groups should rise up and use [“]united force[“] to solve economic, political or social problems.
Overthrow all colonial governments before native populations are ready for self-government.
Internationalize the Panama Canal.
Repeal the Connally reservation so the United States cannot prevent the World Court from seizing jurisdiction [over domestic problems. Give the World Court jurisdiction] over nations and individuals alike.

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

On July 3, 2015July 3, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Holidays, Judeo-Christian Culture, LoveLeave a comment

The Fourth of July (Independence Day) , “…will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary Festival. It ought to be commemorated, as the Day of Deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever.”

Founder John Adams

On July 1, 2015July 1, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Family, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, MarriageLeave a comment

“…I can’t understand how this people [United States] dare to defy Christ’s explicit orders as our Lord prohibited mankind from sodomy,” …the American tradition and heritage was based on lofty Christian principles, but to the detriment of this great nation, America’s corrupt political elite is acting according to their diabolic whims.

Robert Mugabe on Same-Sex Marriage

President

Zimbabwe

Imperial Justices Shake Their Fists at God!

On June 27, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, MarriageLeave a comment

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife:

and they shall be one flesh.” [Genesis 2:24 KJV]

That’s marriage—one man and one woman for one lifetime, an institution created by God, defined by God, and accountable to God. On 6-26-2015, five of the nine unelected and unaccountable United States Supreme Court Justices voted to overrule God. They voted to codify same-sex marriage as the law of the land in all 50 states. With the stroke of a pen, they declared sin to be a Constitutional “right.”

Intimate same-sex relationships are immoral. Formally codifying them within the institution of marriage is unconscionable. The Biblical condemnations of such relationships, primarily in the Books of Leviticus and Romans are well known. Nevertheless, the Supreme Court Justices have shaken their fists in the face of God effectively proclaiming, “God—We don’t care what you think! We know better and are determined to do it our way.” “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap.” [Galatians 6:7 KJV]

For believers, God’s Word, the Bible, is the final authority. No outside support is necessary. He established certain moral limits as an expression of His infinite love, knowing that painful natural consequences lurk outside those limits. Let’s take a look.

Holistically, when people live happily within God’s moral requirements, including limiting sexual intimacy to within marriage, the result is cohesive families and a strong sustainable culture throughout the generations. Flagrant flouting of God’s requirements produces weakened and failed families as well as an unstable and eventually collapsed culture. “Marriage is to be held in honor among all, and the marriage bed is to be undefiled; for fornicators and adulterers God will judge.” [Hebrews 13:4 NAS] Same-sex ‘marriage’ will weaken the traditional family and ultimately lead to an acceleration of the downfall of America. No civilization or culture has ever survived the breakdown of the family!

God designed a man and a woman to complement each other in awesome and miraculous ways. He designed them to have vital complementary roles for raising children. Consider the devastating impact of same-sex adoptions on children.

The birth of a child is the greatest expression of the love between a man and a woman. The conception of a child is a miracle from God; the birth of a child is a gift from God. After conception, the mother bonds with the child throughout the nine months of pregnancy. She bonds with the child during childbirth and continues bonding with the child throughout the period she is nursing the child. Her husband does not participate in the physical bonding. He nevertheless bonds with his wife and child emotionally and spiritually throughout that period. A gay or lesbian couple cannot participate in any of these events and therefore do not have the soul-deep roots necessary to sustain them throughout the child rearing years.

What happens during the growing years after birth? A boy must have a role-model father to learn what it means and how to be a man, husband and father. He needs a role-model mother so that when he reaches the age of searching for a wife of his own he knows how and where to look. A girl must have a role-model mother to learn what it means and how to be a woman, wife, and mother. She needs a role-model father so that when she reaches the age of searching for a husband of her own she knows how and where to look.

A powerful Sunday school lesson will not do it; an emotion-charged message at a summer camp for teens cannot do it. Even the best of churches cannot do what God designed Mom and Dad to do. Same-sex couples not only cannot do it, they may and often do damage the child and his or her future. The damage, cited in numerous studies, seriously weakens the traditional family and substantially damages the national culture.

The massive difference between natural God-given biological parents and artificial same-sex adoptive ‘parents’ is like the difference between and emotional passion and a spiritual passion. Perhaps a sports analogy illustrates it best.

An emotional passion is like a short-term roller coaster ride that arises when your favorite NFL team makes it to the Super Bowl. For a week or so before the big event that’s all you can talk about. The anticipation and excitement builds. On the big day, you invite your friends and put on a pot of your favorite chili. You spend the evening cheering loud and often until your overworked voice is reduced to a whisper. Win or lose, the Super Bowl is all the water cooler talk at work for a day or so afterwards. Then—it’s gone. It’s over. It’s forgotten. Forever!

A spiritual passion is what drives and Olympic athlete to painfully train for 4, 8, 12, 16 years or longer for the privilege of participating in one or a few events with the possibility of winning a medal. The medal actually has little intrinsic value. But it creates significance and meaning in the life of the athlete who has become part of something much bigger than the athlete.

Now, return to the comparison of God-given biological parents with artificial same-sex adoptive ‘parents.’ Biological parents have a strongly bonded soul-deep passionate love for their children. The family has meaning because it is bigger than either parent alone. It’s God’s picture of the church and its relationship to Him. Even if their teenagers are found to have committed a crime, the natural parents will be among the first to forgive their children and search for ways to overcome the impact of the crime. The offending children may have a public price to pay for their crimes, but they can count on their parents to love them for a lifetime.

Artificial same-sex adoptive parents cannot love as deeply or provide for the children in many other ways that can only be provided by traditional parents. The same-sex parents necessarily have more of an emotional passion for the children. Some people try to argue that same-sex parents love their children the same as natural parents. It is not the same.

Although not often publicized in the main stream media, there are growing numbers of adults raised in ‘families’ with same-sex ‘parents’ who report seriously troubled childhoods. One young woman was interviewed by The Christian Post, an outstanding online Christian news service. The woman was raised by two lesbians, one of whom was bio-mom. The woman said that throughout childhood she felt an emotional vacuum, because of not having a father. She reported seeing things at gay pride parades that no child should ever have to see.

When the woman, raised by lesbians grew up and went to college, she met a young Christian man who was different than the negative, bigoted stereotype she had been taught. Eventually, he took her home to meet his parents. His parents turned out to be loving and not negative in any way. The family began taking her to church regularly. She maintained a pretty face on the outside, but inwardly mocked the “hypocritical Christians.”

Nevertheless, the “Great Hound of Heaven” eventually captured her attention. She became a believer. The young couple were married. In scriptural terms, in the fullness of time she gave birth. The moment the new mother held her baby for the first time, she reported that the vital importance of a father hit her “like a ton of bricks.” Her long-term emotional longing for a father, became a soul-deep understanding through the birth of her child.

The impact of licensing same-sex marriages will be devastating. It may ratchet the body of believers even further from the anchor of Scripture. The reason? Many believers have come to view same-sex marriage as a responsible concept, because they simply do not understand this message and have been caught up in the cultural flow.

The good news is that God is still in charge! Pray the all believers will come to understand the true nature of this vitally important issue. Pray that God will unleash the greatest awakening of all time. Otherwise, prepare for His judgment.

On June 26, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture2 Comments

“The germ of dissolution of our federal government is in … the federal judiciary; an irresponsible body (for impeachment is scarcely a scare-crow) working like gravity by night and by day, gaining a little today and a little tomorrow, and advancing its noiseless step like a thief, over the field of jurisdiction, until all shall be usurped from the States.” Thomas Jefferson

Sing a Little Louder

On June 12, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Baby Boomers, Education, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, MarriageLeave a comment

An old man tells a profound story about a childhood experience. As a young boy during World War II, he lived in Nazi-controlled Germany. His family regularly attended a church located along side railroad tracks. Trains regularly passed the church during the church services.

They were long strings of cattle cars painfully overloaded with terrified Jews destined for work camps, concentration camps, and usually death. There was no food, no provisions for personal hygiene, and no considerations for people with special needs. In the heat of summer, the extremely cramped cattle cars became ovens. The stench from accumulating body waste was suffocating.

On at least one occasion, a train stopped outside the church. In the absence of air conditioning, the windows were frequently open. The congregation could hear anguished cries of pain and desperate pleas for help.

The pastor raised his voice so he could be heard above the din. When it was time for the choir to sing, the pastor instructed them to, “Sing a little louder,” to cover the disturbing sounds from outside. The compelling experience seared into the boys mind and changed his life forever. The story has become a book and recently a movie.

What about today? Are we being told to “Sing a little louder?”

55,000,000 unborn babies have been murdered using increasingly gruesome processes euphemistically called “abortion.” When we hear their cries, are we being told to “Sing a little louder?”

America’s Judeo-Christian culture is being destroyed by massive government-encouraged immigration that includes the immigration of large numbers of criminals, terrorists, and people adhering to religious beliefs that are hostile to Jews and Christians as well as millions of immigrants too poor and uneducated to support themselves. (Refer to Ann Coulter’s new book, “Adios America.”) Are we being told to “Sing a little louder?”

Our culture, including a large portion of the body of Judeo-Christian believers is rapidly sinking into a moral abyss. Are we being told to “Sing a little louder?”

The witness of believers is being crushed by the relentless pressures of political correctness. Are we being told to “Sing a little louder?”
The public school system has become intellectually inept as well as emotionally and spiritually toxic. (Refer to “Crimes of the Educators: How Utopians are Using Government Schools to Destroy America’s Children,” by Samuel Blumenfeld and Alex Newman.) Are we being told to “Sing a little louder?”
The politicians of both political parties are spending America into irretrievable bankruptcy. Are we being told to “Sing a little louder?”
The United States Supreme Court appears poised to declare the sin of oxymoronic “same-sex marriage” to be a Constitutional right. Are we being told to “Sing a little louder?”
The military valiantly protects our freedom from without. But our individual freedom is being lost from within by the feeding frenzy of a rabid, out-of-control government. Freedom is a gift from God, not a grant from government. Are we moving to protect that divine gift or are we being told to “Sing a little louder?”
Large numbers of believers around the world, especially in the Middle East are being tortured, shot, hanged, burned alive, or beheaded, because they refuse to renounce their Messiah. Are we being told to “Sing a little louder?”

Who among the clergy or laity has the courage to stand up and demand that we sing a new song? No—not the one we will sing in glory, but the new song for today that actively confronts the exponentially increasing evils of 21^st Century America.

What would the Apostles Paul, Peter, and John say if they were with us today?

The movie, Sing a Little Louder, is now available for viewing in places of worship. Find it at http://singloudermovie.com/

What will YOU do?

A Majority Vote Cannot Overrule God (Same-sex “Marriage”)

On June 10, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Education, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, MarriageLeave a comment

The United States Supreme Court is nearing a decision on a case that could mandate recognition of same-sex marriage nationwide. If so, nine unaccountable, unelected black-robed justices will have succeeded in turning the sin of homosexuality, an abomination to God, into a government endorsed Constitutional Right. The results would be devastating.

According to Franklin Graham, freedom of speech, press, and religion “have suffered greatly” in Canada since it began federally mandating same-sex marriage in 2005. “[In Canada] If you say or write anything questioning same-sex marriage you could face discipline, termination of employment , or prosecution by the government!” (Graham’s Facebook page) We can expect the same here if the Supreme Court federally sanctions same-sex marriage.

For 7,000 years, marriage has been defined in virtually all cultures as a man and a woman married in a lifetime commitment. The Christian scriptures are clear, “Marriage is honourable in all, and the bed undefiled: but whoremongers and adulterers God will judge.” [Hebrews 13:4 KJV] Many cultures elevate traditional marriage because it is the incomparable nucleus of a cohesive culture that is sustainable across many generations. Since the traditional family was created by God, it cannot be arbitrarily redefined by the government or anyone else. No culture has ever survived the breakdown of the traditional family.

A majority vote cannot overrule God

A majority vote cannot turn a vice into a virtue.

A majority vote cannot declare a sin to be non-sin.

Are you willing to sign the “Pledge in Solidarity to Defend Marriage” at http://www.defendmarriage.org/pledge-in-solidarity-to-defend-marriage lead by Dr. James Dobson and other prominent Judeo-Christian Leaders? The exact language was crafted in part by Mathew Staver, Chairman of Liberty Counsel Action. Many of the signers have pledged civil disobedience as necessary if the Supreme Court hands down a ruling establishing same-sex marriage as a nationwide new norm that defies God and millennia of worldwide experience. Rev. Rick Scarborough, president of Vision America Action, says our nation is approaching a Bonhoeffer moment. Dietrich Bonhoeffer was a German minister who sacrificed his own life for his faith in Nazi-controlled WWII Germany.

You must save America and the family. The rest is up to YOU!

On June 3, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Education, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian CultureLeave a comment

“We are not to simply bandage the wounds of victims beneath the wheels of injustice, we are to drive a spoke into the wheel itself.” Dietrich Bonhoeffer

Freedom is a Gift from God not a Grant from Government!

On May 25, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Education, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Holidays, Judeo-Christian Culture4 Comments

The Declaration of Independence firmly embedded God’s gift of freedom in the souls of all Americans, “We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men…are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.–That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed…”

All civilizations begin in a condition of chaos and anarchy with no external control by government or any other authority. Consider what might happen if you went down in a commercial airliner crash and became part of 100 survivors stranded on a remote uncharted island with no means of communication and little chance of rescue. You and the other survivors initially work together for survival determining how to meet the immediate needs for food and shelter. Soon, however, disagreements break out, tending to escalate with time. At some point, a council of volunteers or elected members forms to draft guidelines for assuring more harmonious living among the survivors. The guidelines prohibit certain actions and mandate others. But the voluntary guidelines are only partially effective and conflict continues. A mechanism is designed and designated people are given the authority to monitor compliance with the guidelines, seek violators, and punish them in a predetermined fashion. The guidelines have now become the beginnings of enforceable law.

Whoa! What just happened? All freedom…that’s right, all freedom comes from God as the incredible gift of free will, bounded only by certain moral limitations that He applies for harmonious living and to protect you and others from physical, emotional, and spiritual harm. Any form of government can only can only limit or deny any particular freedoms. Governments can only wield money and power in an impersonal way; they have no moral authority or ability.

Government continues to be “of the people, by the people, and for the people” as long as the laws passed and regulations adopted conform to or are aligned with Scriptural mandates. God-given freedom powered by His love and limited by Scriptural boundaries—primarily the prohibitions of the Ten Commandments and moral/ethical limitations on behavior—depend on voluntary restraint. The prohibitions and limitations were given for the benefit of mankind to assure the richness of the human experience.

“…where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty” [2 Corinthians 3:17 KJV ]

“Stand fast therefore in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.” [Galatians 5:1 KJV ]

“From the day of the Declaration…they [the American people] were bound by the laws of God, which they all, and by the laws of the gospel, which they nearly all, acknowledged as the rules of their conduct” John Quincy Adams

Freedom is provided by God (“endowed by our Creator”) as the awesome gift of free will. Freedom, enshrined in the Declaration of Independence as “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness,” can only be curtailed or restricted by a government that exceeds the moral limits defined by God. Government can only become the source of freedom after the government has seized total control of every aspect of life, then doles out a sort of pseudo-freedom in bits and pieces as incentives to control the people. That is not freedom.

The constitutional form of the United States government was designed to protect the God-given freedom, which was won by great sacrifice in the Revolutionary War and preserved by great sacrifices in all later wars. The Constitution provided for the military to protect American citizens from foreign intervention and a network of separation of powers as well as limiting checks and balances to protect the citizens from progressive government intrusion.

It has been the Great American Experiment in self-rule, “of the people, by the people, and for the people.” The military protects the freedom in America from external invasion. However, freedom will decay from within unless our culture is constantly nourished with a spiritual and emotional passion for freedom and the people defend it vigorously.

“God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.”Daniel Webster

“Though, when a people shall have become incapable of governing themselves and fit for a master, it is of little consequence from what quarter he comes.” George Washington

America’s Traditional Enemies Readily Understand the Source of America’s Greatness—Many Americans Cannot! Why?

On May 23, 2015May 23, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Education, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Holidays, Judeo-Christian Culture2 Comments

The People’s Republic of China is officially atheist and communist. Yet their Academy of Social Sciences recently testified:

We were asked to look into what accounted for the preeminence of the West all over the world. At first we thought it was because you had more powerful guns then we had. Then we thought it was because you had the best political system. Next we focused on your economic system. But in the past 20 years we have realized the heart of your culture is your religion, Christianity. That is why the West has been so powerful. The Christian moral foundation of social and cultural life was what made possible the emergence of capitalism and then the successful transition to Democratic politics. We don’t have any doubt about this. The Christian Post May 22, 2015

In a recent speech, critical of the United States, Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin asserted that there can be no benefit to society when good and evil are treated equally.

What is going on here? Russian and Chinese leaders have come to actually admire the source of America’s strength, which of course comes from God. Our traditional enemies have admired the cultural strengths that far too many American have learned to ridicule. America is increasingly championing evil.

Many of our uncommonly wise Founders anticipated the current condition. Founder and early President John Adams expressed the concern clearly and forcefully:

“Statesmen, my dear Sir, may plan and speculate for liberty, but it is Religion and Morality alone, which can establish the Principles upon which Freedom can securely stand…The only foundation of a free Constitution is pure Virtue, and if this cannot be inspired into our People in a greater Measure, than they have it now, they may change their Rulers and the forms of Government, but they will not obtain a lasting liberty. June 21, 1776

We have no government armed with power capable of contending with human passions unbridled by morality and religion. Avarice, ambition, revenge, or gallantry, would break the strongest cords of our Constitution as a whale goes through a net. Our Constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other.” October 11, 1798 (Address to the military)

Founder and first President George Washington issued a prophetic proclamation during his first Inaugural Address:

“…there is no truth more thoroughly established than that there exists in the economy and course of nature an indissoluble union between virtue and happiness; between duty and advantage; between the genuine maxims of an honest and magnanimous policy and the solid rewards of public prosperity and felicity; since we ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself has ordained.” April 30, 1789

Seventy years later, President Abraham Lincoln sternly warned of the consequences of forgetting or abandoning God:

“We have been recipients of the choicest bounties of Heaven. We have been preserved, these many years, in peace and prosperity. We have grown in numbers, wealth, and power as no other nation has ever grown; but we have forgotten God. We have forgotten the gracious hand which preserved us in peace, and multiplied and enriched and strengthened us; and we have vainly imagined, in the deceitfulness of our hearts, that all these blessings were produced by some superior wisdom and virtue of our own.” March 30, 1863

In our time, the situation has become far more serious. Freedom is incredibly fragile and can be lost at any time. President Ronald Reagan 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.” Annual meeting of the Phoenix Chamber of Commerce (30 March 1961)

This time of year, we often hear the slogan Freedom is not free. It’s been paid for in blood. The blood of Jesus (Y’shua) was shed to give us spiritual freedom from the curse of sin. Throughout many wars, hundreds of thousands of our military warriors have shed their blood and given their lives to protect our freedom from outside encroachment by the armies of other nations.

But it is up to us to fight for and protect freedom from internal decay and collapse. Freedom is not a natural condition. The Garden of Eden was the only place where freedom was natural. Ever since the fall of Adam and Eve, pride has caused men or groups of men to seek power at the expense of the personal freedom of others.

Throughout history and in all cultures power has always tended to concentrate. The U.S. Constitution was the founder’s air tight box designed to contain the Federal government. Today, both major political parties are increasingly ignoring the Constitution; the U.S. Supreme Court long ago abandoned its primary obligation as the guarantor of the Constitution. The results have been tragic.

Listen to the stern, uncompromising admonition, of the great orator, Senator Daniel Webster (late nineteenth century):

“There is no nation on earth powerful enough to accomplish our overthrow. Our destruction, should it come at all, will be from another quarter. From the inattention of the people to the concerns of their government, from their carelessness and negligence. I must confess that I do apprehend some danger. I fear that they may place too implicit a confidence in their public servants and fail properly to scrutinize their conduct; that in this way they may be made the dupes of designing men and become the instruments of their own undoing.

Hold on, my friends, to the Constitution and to the Republic for which it stands. Miracles do not cluster, and what has happened once in 6000 years, may not happen again. Hold on to the Constitution, for if the American Constitution should fail, there will be anarchy throughout the world.

If we abide by the principles taught in the Bible, our country will go on prospering and to prosper; but if we and our posterity neglect its instruction and authority, no man can tell how sudden a catastrophe may overwhelm us and bury all our glory in profound obscurity.”

Freedom is a gift from God; it is not a grant from government. It is not natural and must be protected or it will dissipate and the fire of freedom, which George Washington called a “sacred fire,” will be extinguished. The trickle of lost freedom that began over 50 years ago has become a raging torrent today. Founder Samuel Adams, cousin of John Adams, had little patience with people unwilling to fight for freedom:

“If ye love wealth greater than liberty, the tranquility of servitude greater than the animating contest for freedom, go home and leave us in peace. We seek not your council, nor your arms. Crouch down and lick the hand that feeds you; and may posterity forget that ye were our country men.”

A generation later, Senator Daniel Webster added, “God grants liberty only to those who love it, and are always ready to guard and defend it.” Ultimately,

only Judeo-Christian believers can understand that freedom is a gift from God;
only believers can learn to treasure that gift.
Only believers can understand that freedom not jealously guarded and aggressively protected will be lost.

In view of the tragic collapse of the American culture, the obvious question becomes, “Where are all the believers?”

Believers have always had a cultural impact far beyond their actual numbers. Regretfully, many believers today don’t fully understand the concept of freedom. To varying degrees, believers have bought in to the ungodly cultural compromises.

The second, equally obvious question becomes, “Where are all the pastors, rabbis, and church/synagogue leaders who must embed the concept of God-given freedom in the souls of believers?

What do YOU think? What should be changed or pursued differently within the body of believers?

On May 4, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, LoveLeave a comment

“While most nations trace their origin to barbarians, the foundations of our nation were laid by civilized men, by Christians. … The memory of our fathers should be the watchword of liberty throughout the land; for, imperfect as they were, the world before had not seen their like, nor will it soon, we fear, behold their like again. Such models of moral excellence, such apostles of civil and religious liberty. … To ridicule them is national suicide.” McGuffey’s Eclectic Sixth Reader (1907)

On April 1, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Baby Boomers, Education, Entertainment, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Government, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Science10 Comments

“…the wisdom of this world is foolishness in God’s sight.” I Corinthians 3:19 NIV

Baby Boomers Gave Us the Greatest Cultural Collapse in History!

On March 27, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Baby Boomers, Family, Government, Judeo-Christian Culture, Marriage7 Comments

The widely acclaimed “Greatest Generation,” those that came of age during the 1930s and 1940s are often and rightfully praised for the sacrifices they made throughout the Great Depression and World War II, their firmly held values, and the quiet unobtrusive way they conducted their post-WWII lives.

However, the subsequent Baby Boom Generation (born between 1946 and 1964) emerged as the most selfish, self-indulgent, self-absorbed, irresponsible generation in the history of America and exhibited the greatest example of generational groupthink in history. The following account is not intended to point a finger or condemn an entire generation, but rather to provoke thoughtful consideration and meaningful discussion.

The Baby Boomers presided over the fastest and greatest cultural collapse in history. It was the Baby Boomers who gave us:

Woodstock
Much of the chaos of the 1960s
Replacement of love with lust
Abandonment of personal responsibility
An erosion of fundamental values
Explosion of abortions
Skyrocketing divorce rates
Splintering of the family
Alternative lifestyles that undermine and devalue the family
Widespread “dumping” of children into day care centers
Children to be raised by strangers
Large-scale shuffling of parents or other inconvenient loved ones perceived as less than whole to adult day care centers or nursing homes
Substantial concentrations of politicians and journalists of low character
People in Hollywood and on television who used their God-given creative talents to tear people down, rather than build them up
Multiculturalism that creates barriers to communications and relationships
Deterioration of the school systems
Removal of morality and religion and from public discourse
Separation of rights from responsibilities, exhibited by pushing the Bill of Rights to absurd extremes that ultimately lead to anarchy
Extreme political correctness, which stifles communication and the growth of meaningful relationships
By far, the greatest national debt in history imposing a bone-crushing burden on our children and grandchildren
Over-zealous government regulations that invade virtually every area of life
A malignant national government that makes god-like decisions, ranging from life/death to a limitless array of minutiae

God says, “Train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” [Proverbs 22:6 KJV] Whose responsibility is it to “train up a child”? Day care centers and the schools cannot do it; at best, they are geared to educating the intellect. The churches cannot do it in only a few hours per week. Only the parents can do it!

Yet, many of the Baby Boomers effectively abandoned their single most important responsibility, raising godly children. Instead, the Boomers turned their children over to strangers to be raised. In the Boomers’ view, their personal desires trumped the needs of their children.

The Baby Boomers’ careers, recreational, and other self-interests trumped everything. Do not mess with the Boomers or disrupt their golf game, tennis match, hunting trip, fishing trip, career plans or anything else that they want. In addition, their sheer numbers enable them to demand and get virtually anything they want when they want it. Of course, there are exceptions. There are a minority of Boomers who determined early in life that they would live their lives according to God’s purpose and plan. God always has a remnant. [Romans 9:27 KJV]

The Baby Boomers notable successes are mainly intellectual and include people like Bill Gates and other high technology leaders. However, the magnetically powerful effect of the intellectual achievements has all too often crowded out the emotional and spiritual influences that give life its richness as intended by the Creator. Despite the enormous importance and usefulness of high technology it has had the unfortunate and perhaps unintended consequence of progressively isolating individuals.

A walk down virtually any street, through any mall, or through any airport quickly reveals that nearly everyone is plugged into some electronic device and therefore unavailable for even casual conversation much less thoughtful engagement. The Bible says that, “I come that they might have life and that they might have it more abundantly” [John 10:10 KJV].

The abundant life lies in the richness of interpersonal relationships, beginning with the family. God seldom rewards the accumulation of “stuff,” but always rewards relationships when they are given a selfless priority. Yet, the “gift” of technology has all too often become a barrier to communications and the growth of interpersonal relationships. Indeed, the Boomer-spawned culture continues the relentless pursuit of stuff at the expense of relationships.

What do YOU think?