Heartwarming or Heart wrenching?

On August 12, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage, Mother16 Comments

A few minutes ago, I watched a short video on The Christian Post. It was billed as a heartwarming reunion of parents and child. Many would agree and even become a bit teary-eyed. I cried because I saw tragedy.

Julia and Brian Woodburn are married and have a daughter, Addison who appears to be 3-4 years old. The difficulty arises because Mom and Dad both serve in the military and have both been deployed. Result? Mom, Dad, and little Addison have been in three different parts of the world for an extended period.

Their surprise for Addison was a reunion during a school-sponsored magic show in a gymnasium. The magician enabled Mom to pop out of an apparently empty box; Dad was costumed as a mascot bear, serving as the magician’s assistant. Just before the unveiling of the parents, the host “magically” selected Addison from the audience and briefly interviewed her. He asked Addison if her Mom was present. Gesturing panoramically, he asked if Addison’s mother was anywhere in the audience. Another off-camera child shouted, “SHE DOESN’T HAVE ONE; SHE’S DEPLOYED.” My tears flowed freely, not because of the reunion, but because the reunion never should have been necessary in the first place.

I have a great deal of respect, appreciation, and admiration for those serving in the military and regularly post Facebook messages to underscore that appreciation. Understandably and regretfully, it is necessary for a parent, often the father, to be deployed for a long period of time. But a young child should never have to be deprived of both parents, for extended periods, even if both are serving in the military. Such a tragic long-term separation is a serious indictment of our falling culture today.

What do YOU think?

If you’re curious, here’s the link: http://www.christianpost.com/buzzvine/soldiers-surprise-their-daughter-with-a-heartwarming-return-at-a-school-magic-show-142626/

Where is the body of believers today?

Where are the clergy?

What Did the First President George Say?

On August 11, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Baby Boomers, Education, Freedom, God's Love, Judeo-Christian CultureLeave a comment

“If I could have entertained the slightest apprehension that the Constitution framed by the Convention, where I had the honor to preside, might possibly endanger the religious rights of any ecclesiastical Society, certainly I would never have placed my signature to it.” Founder & President George Washington, May 10, 1789

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)

Past/Present Jews and Christians Saving Each Other from an Earthly Hell!

On August 7, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Education, Freedom, God's Love, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love2 Comments

Recently, I posted a message about a 95-year old Jewish Holocaust survivor who is personally arranging to rescue over 2,000 Middle East Christians fleeing ISIS. The elderly British man was a child in Austria who was part of a group of children rescued by British Christians and transported to England just before the breakout of World War II. He is flying the Christians to other countries and providing a fund that will support them for 12 to 18 months.

Meanwhile, 28 Iraqi Christians arrived in the United States legally, carrying all the necessary paperwork. They voluntarily reported to the immigration authorities, because they wanted to follow all the proper procedures. They requested sanctuary as refugees fleeing terrorism. How were they treated by the United States government? They have been detained at the Otay Detention Facility in San Diego for 4-6 months. Despite the euphemism, does that sound a bit like incarceration? Most of them have family in the United States and jobs waiting for them. Despite their efforts to honorably follow the rules, it was reported today that at least a dozen of them will be deported back to Iraq. The disposition of the rest remains unknown.

Along the same lines, there is an extraordinary docudrama on Netflix. This is a must see:

If you have access to Netflix, watch Nicky’s Family and keep the tissue nearby. It’s a factual story about Nicholas Winton, a young Brit who, during the run up to WWII, engineered the evacuation of about 669 Jewish children (babies to teenagers) from Czechoslovakia to England. The risks were extraordinarily high; the obstacles were enormous. The parents, knowing that war was coming, anguished over sending their children away—perhaps forever—but were simultaneously eager to save them. Some of the evacuated children received letters from their parents for a time. At varying intervals, the letters stopped. Apparently, all the parents and other adult family members perished in the Holocaust. Although valiant efforts were exerted, there is no evidence of any reunions after the war.

The act and anguish of the parents sending their children away is reminiscent of Moses’ mother placing the baby Moses in the basket along the Nile River. Surely his mother experienced the same indescribable anguish as the Czech parents. It’s difficult to imagine the extent of the anguish in both cases.

When the War broke out, Nicky’s efforts to save the children were forcibly blocked by the Nazis. He said the only thing left for him to do was to defend his country. Nicky joined the British Royal Air Force. He never had any contact with the children he saved. The children never knew who it was that saved their lives. Until now! Fifty years after the war, Nicky’s wife found an old scrapbook in the attic that told the story. After repeated efforts to publicize the story, it was picked up by the BBC. Many of the now aging children along with their children and grandchildren were rounded up on at least two occasions to honor Nicky—50 years after the war and again 70 years after the war (Nicky’s 100^th birthday party). It’s truly amazing how many of the children and grandchildren of the original 669 have been driven to lives of extraordinary service, inspired by the earthly savior of their parents or grandparents. The story continues even today.

NOW THAT’S GOD’S LOVE IN ACTION!

The movie is an incredibly powerful and gripping docudrama. Don’t miss it!

Where is the body of believers today?

Where are the clergy?

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)

It’s Shocking That Sin No Longer Shocks!

On July 27, 2015July 27, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, God's Love, Judeo-Christian Culture, LightLeave a comment

Sin is still sin. It has not gone away. The overarching message of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation is God’s provision for redemption from the ravages of sin. The utter depravity of sin is the baseline from which we are extracted or redeemed, ultimately to experience the fullness of God’s love. Yet, today we seldom hear much about sin from the pulpits of America.

The low level of preaching about sin tacitly communicates to believers that sin has a low level of priority or is even unimportant among many Biblical messages. The decades-long decline in the apparent importance of sin encourages believers to flirt with, compromise, or participate in sinful thoughts and activities. The believers’ minds rationalize the compromises, in part, by sugar coating their lives with regular attendance at church or synagogue.

Putting distance between us and sin moves us closer to the Lord. While it is important to keep our eye on, “…the goal to win the prize of God’s heavenly call in the Messiah Jesus,” [Philippians 3:14 Aramaic Bible in Plain English] we must be fleeing from sin every moment along the way.

Consider one definition of sin. In its simplest form, sin is just doing things my way instead of God’s way. My way is pride-driven, self-indulgent, self-centered and therefore evil, because it is antagonistic to God. God’s way is other-centered and an expression of His infinite love. My way and God’s way are diametrically opposed and cannot co-exist for very long.

In short, sin is a man or woman’s private war with God. It is the equivalent of shaking an angry fist in the face of God, effectively saying, “I don’t care what You want; I’m going to do it my way, anyway.” Does that form a revolting and unacceptable mental image? Good! Then, we’re getting somewhere. Read on.

Sin should always shock, but may not always be surprising. If sin is not shocking, some contemplative self-reflection is in order. We should and must always be shocked by each new disturbing, public revelation about same-sex marriage, abortion, assisted suicide, cohabitation, divorce, or anything else contrary to the plain reading of scripture.

The recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling on homosexual or lesbian marriage should be a huge shock and wake-up call. Although the decision may not have been surprising in today’s culture, a believer must not confuse shock with surprise.

Surprise is emotional. Shock is soul-deep
Surprise may provoke anger or joy. Shock inspires action, corrective action if sin is involved.
Surprise is temporary. Shock is, or should be, enduring.

If you did not understand the difference between surprise and shock, with abundant clarity, before reading this, it may be because many believers (and clergy too) underestimate the depravity of sin, God’s utter revulsion of sin, and impact of sin on every area of life.

Light cannot shine in the daytime. It is over taken by the brilliance of the sun. Similarly, the light of the believer cannot shine while basking in the glory of God. He is infinite light. His light overtakes the light of the believer, when he or she is in God’s particular presence such as in the protected environment of a place of worship. The light of the believer shines in times and places of spiritual darkness. That is when the believer lights the way for the unbeliever.

The clergy and the body must continually sensitize each other to the evil, disgusting, and relentless nature of sin. We have tended to lose sight of even the definition of sin.

The spirit of believers has become numbed by a secular culture that does not believe the spirit exists. Good preaching lights the way for the believers. But preaching about sin has dwindled in recent decades implying God’s approval through the tacit approval of the clergy. Focused, convicting messages have been replaced by feel-good or how-to messages—with an invitation at the end in conservative churches. Of course, the invitation is important, but the new believer needs enormous support to reach spiritual maturity.

A tree can only grow to a height that matches the depth of its root system. Similarly, our sense of the joy of the Lord can only rise to a height that matches the depth of our conviction of sin. Consider the data: After two years of research, George Barna reported:

“What we’re finding is that when we ask them (pastors) about all the key issues of the day [90 percent of them are] telling us, ‘Yes, the Bible speaks to every one of these issues.’ Then we ask them: ‘Well, are you teaching your people what the Bible says about those issues?’ – and the numbers drop … to less than 10 percent of pastors who say they will speak to it.”

Good heavens! Why? If the clergy fail to speak forcefully and convincingly to the issues, the people are without direction. The clergy are the ones primarily responsible for applying Biblical truths to today’s culture, in an uncompromising way.

Not many decades ago cultural pressures encouraged right, moral living. Today, relentless, merciless cultural pressures push people nearly irresistibly toward the lures of all manner of sin. The flocks need the collective support of other believers. They also need the strength of their shepherds constantly contrasting the disgusting, evil nature of even so-called minor sins with the glories of God’s infinite love and redemption. It is the starkness of the contrast and the enormity of the gap that inspires.

One cannot fully experience the mountain top without knowing the depth of the valleys. One cannot experience the fullness of God’s love without understanding the utter depravity of sin at a soul-deep level. An intellectual understanding is not sufficient. A transient emotional impression is not sufficient.

It is not necessary to personally experience sin, though to some extent it is driven naturally by the sin nature. Maturity is the lifelong effort to minimize sin in the life of the believer. The Spirit of God will provide conviction through the Bible. The spiritual energy produced must be regularly harnessed and directed by the clergy.

A soul-deep understanding of sin propels the spread of God’s word by lifestyle example and direct evangelism. Witnessing follows conviction (internal) far more than exhortation (external).

Replace milky messages with meaty ones. “I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it…” [1 Corinthians 3:2 KJV] Believers are begging for the meat of the Word. They are ready for it.

Too much preaching today begins at a neutral point, urging people to love God. When neutrality is the starting point there is a reduced perception of a need for God, especially if everything seems to be going well for now. People sense a need for God and experience His love to the extent that they understand the depth and evilness of sin.

God, in His Word, commands us to flee from sin (evil). Various translations of Romans 12:9 order us to:

Hate evil
Recoil from what is evil
Detest evil
Abhor evil

We can hate, recoil from, detest, or abhor only those things which God hates, recoils from, detests, or abhors, which of course is sin. 1 Corinthians 6:8 requires us to “flee immorality.” [NAS] 1 Corinthians 10:14 adds the mandate to “flee from idolatry.” [NAS]

We flee only from what we fear. We must fear evil (sin) for its relentless destructive effect on:

us,
our interpersonal relationships,
our children and descendants, and
our relationship with God.

Unless believers collectively flee from evil, it will destroy our culture and our nation as well.

Sin always separates. Love unites. Sin or evil is the opposite of love. Sin is self-centered and antagonistic to God’s nature. Sin cannot coexist with God’s love, which is other-centered. “For thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” [Psalms 5:4-5 KJV]

“Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature of the sin committed, as in the greatness of the Person sinned against.” [Puritan prayer]

What does it take to wake up the believers?

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

On July 26, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, God's Love, Judeo-Christian Culture4 Comments

“It should bother us as a society that we have use for aborted human organs, but not the baby that provides them.” Michael Wear

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?

American Founders Were Deeply Concerned About Posterity. Are YOU!

On July 17, 2015July 17, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Freedom, God's Love, Judeo-Christian Culture1 Comment

When was the last time you heard anyone use the word “posterity?” Ever? Certainly not often. Posterity is a concern for all future generations until the end of time or until the Messiah comes. Posterity was an overarching concern of the Founders of the United States. Their often stated goal was to establish a country that would be safe and free for the citizens for posterity. They guarded against a runaway government and were particularly concerned about a potentially runaway judiciary. Their provision for posterity was the tightly written Constitution of the United States.

Today, it is difficult to find people concerned about the country and culture that will be handed to their children and grandchildren, much less posterity. Until now, every generation throughout our country’s existence and the colonies’ existence before independence (over 400 years combined) handed the baton of time to the succeeding generation after a net improvement to life in America. Today’s generation is the first one who will leave our nation in substantially worse condition than the one inherited. We have witnessed the greatest cultural collapse in recorded history. Even America’s continued existence is threatened, not so much from without, but from within.

Why? Judeo-Christian believers have their collective head in the sand. Pursuing the image one step further, if our head is in the sand, what part of our anatomy is exposed? That’s the image we are presenting to unbelievers.

A recent message declared, “Freedom is a gift from God not a grant from government.” For doubters, the statement is explained and supported on my blog site at lloydstebbins.com.

“God who gave us life gave us liberty. And can the liberties of a nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are of the Gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever.” Thomas Jefferson

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?”

Judeo-Christian believers are the only ones who care or should care about freedom, precisely because it is a gift from God. Believers are made in the image of God [Genesis 1:26:27 KJV] and created to be free representatives of God, continually fellowshipping with God. The individual are more important than the state. Individuals (souls) are eternal. God created individuals; man created the state. The state only exists to assure individual freedom and protect that freedom from encroachment from outside powers. Freedom is paramount. That is the Biblical worldview.

The opposing and mutually exclusive worldview is the evolution-rooted Humanistic worldview. The state is more important than the individual. The state is “eternal” and the individuals are merely tools to support the state. Individuals are dispensable when not considered useful (abortion, infanticide, assisted suicide, euthanasia, etc.). Freedom is inconsequential or perhaps a tool to be dribbled out to manage the masses. A few years ago, when one party controlled all three branches of government, Congressman Barney Frank was heard to say, “We must control the people.” On another occasion, he remarked, “We’re gobbling up power as fast as we can.” Such comments starkly summarize the Humanistic worldview that currently dominates the leadership of America.

If YOU are at all concerned about assuring that your children, grandchildren and beyond will be able to enjoy the freedom that was handed to you, at great sacrifice, by your ancestors, America must have a sustainable culture. Sustainability must have a sense of order. There are only to ways to achieve such order:

The brute force of a totalitarian government, which is where we are currently headed—order that is achieved at the expense of an enormous loss of freedom
The voluntary restraint of the people—voluntary restraint can only be inspired by faith in God producing a lifestyle exhibiting a relentless pursuit of strong character.

For centuries, the America culture was largely driven by Judeo-Christian tradition. Temporally, the culture was anchored and protected by the United States Constitution, which was rooted on Biblical principles. Our leaders today have found a great way to get around the limits of the Constitution. They simply ignore it. For centuries, the overarching authority of the Constitution was guaranteed by the U.S. Supreme Court. But the Court abandoned that responsibility decades ago. Since then there has been declining accountability to the Constitution and growing rebellion against God. The results have been tragic.

“…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.” John Adams, Founder and President

The Apostle Paul said, “…why should my freedom be judged by another man’s conscience?” [1 Corinthians 10:29 NIV] What do YOU say? What will YOU say, when God asks, “What did YOU do with my wonderful gift?”

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

What does it take to wake up the clergy?

Believers Cannot Be the Light of the World Until They Are Willing to Go Into the Storm

On July 12, 2015July 12, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn Abortion, American Culture, Freedom, God's Love, Judeo-Christian Culture, Light2 Comments

Christians and Jews are increasingly disliked and targeted for the same reason. A conspicuous godly lifestyle creates a standard of comparison:

Righteousness exposes wretchedness
Right exposes wrong
Light exposes anything hidden in the darkness

Exposure by godly believers triggers unwanted guilt, stress, disorder, and negative emotions in others. The reactions range from cynical criticism to powerful lawsuits and sometimes violence.

Believers are, or should be, the ‘light of the world’ [Isaiah 42:6; Matthew 5:15-16] exposing hidden wrongdoing to the extent that they live their lives as God intended. Because they aspire to live on a higher plane, the cultural impact of Christians and Jews greatly exceeds the number or proportion of believers in any culture. Unbelievers will respond or react even to the perceived righteousness of believers.

The impact of believers can be positive or negative. For the last 50 years, the American culture has been drifting away from God. The collective body of American believers has been caught in the backdraft of the cultural drift, always a few steps behind, but still drifting away from God. The light of believers has grown dim.

Large numbers of Christian and Jewish believers have compromised in every cultural, social, and family-linked controversy. Examples are legion and include the areas of abortion, divorce, cohabitation, “same-sex marriage,” and many others. As believers continue to drift away from God, the standard of comparison weakens. Unbelievers perceive the lifestyle compromises adopted by Christians and Jews as approval by God and license for even further compromises by the secular public. Believers are facilitating the destruction of the American culture and family.

Today, the drift has become a spiraling free fall into the storm of chaos as American believers have increasingly allowed themselves to be sequestered by the pressures of political correctness to within the four walls of their homes and the four walls of their places of worship.

Of course, God is still in charge. He is the source of infinite love and is always available. Believers can once again become the light of the world to the extent that they soulfully repent of their own wrongdoings and aggressively pursue the life that God clearly intended. Believers must be willing to personally go into the storm and publically let His light shine through them, regardless of the cost. Political correctness is nothing more than aggregated secular pressure to turn off God’s spotlight on their widespread and growing wrongdoing. It cannot continue. Believers must be willing to stand up and let God’s light shine through them once again.

It begins with YOU!

Are YOU willing to drive into the storm?

Your children, grandchildren, great grandchildren, great great grandchildren and God are depending on YOU.

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

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

On June 28, 2015September 17, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Church, Judeo-Christian Culture, Same Sex Marriage2 Comments

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

expands or ignores the God-given boundaries of morality,
encroaches on the sanctity of life,
infringes on the sanctity of marriage, or
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?

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

On June 22, 2015 By Dr. Lloyd StebbinsIn American Culture, Baby Boomers, Education, Family, Freedom, God's Love, Homemaker, Judeo-Christian Culture, Love, Marriage1 Comment

“It is not our duty to leave our children wealth, it is our duty to leave our children Liberty.” – Chaim Solomon – Financier of The American Revolution

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