Ladies, Would You Stay?

I tried but I just couldn't resist the infamous true life story of the man who denied his blackness. Tiger Woods, the famed world-class golfer managed to accumulate another "back nine" over the years...According to ABC's The View, 9 women have now come forth to claim that Tiger was their lover...He was clubbed by his wife Elin for one or two of them, now his wallet is open and he's bleeding ink. In fact it can't flow quickly enough.

The latest is that Tiger is currently re-modifying his prenup in order to save his marriage. Originally the prenup would have given Elin the right to $20 Million if there was a breakup after 10 years of marriage. however, all that's changed. Here's what a site (The Daily Beast by Gerald Posner) with intimate details of the current negotiations says:

"The lawyer familiar with the couple’s negotiations told The Daily Beast that Tiger also has agreed to shorten the original prenup to seven years from the date of marriage, meaning it will vest in another two. And the revised agreement provides for a staggered schedule of payments spread out over five years that could be worth upward of $75 million. So for Elin to collect $80 million, she’ll need to stay with Tiger another seven years, be a dutiful wife in showing up with him at social events and in public as if they were still the perfect couple, and sign a nondisclosure form that will prevent her from ever telling her story. Even if she lasts only two more years, she’ll still walk away with nearly twice what she was entitled to under the original prenup."

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The Good News & The Bad News RE: COGIC 2009 Sexual Miscounduct Policy

And not a minute too soon...The long awaited and much anticipated COGIC sexual abuse information entitled, "The Church Of God In Christ's Continued Stand Against Sexual Misconduct" has arrived. In fact this was distributed during the 2009 Holy Convocation in Memphis Tn.

There is some good news and some bad news however and one can read for themselves and formulate their own opinions:

The Good News:

There will be Mandatory Background Screening for all officers, officials and employees of the National church.

The Bad News:

This policy is still however only SUGGESTED as a best practice for all local churches.

The Good News:

There will be Mandatory Education and Training for all individuals desiring to be an elder, minister, missionary, and evangelist within the church. For the national department leaders this will be required training.

The Bad News:

The jurisdiction will be able to select who does the training, when and where and are only "recommended" to do it once per year so in essence the training will not be uniform although the material may.

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Dan Barker...Da Pimp Of Atheism!

Former Christian Dan Barker and Dinesh D'Souza Debate

Former Christian Dan Barker now turned anti-Christ advocate and Dinesh DSouza debate the existence of God. If you have a couple of hours go through the complete video. Also, at least Dinesh understands the Philosophical Metaphysical Naturalism and atheism of Darwinian evolution as you will hear him argue in the vid. The scientific principles that we've discussed in "Is Evolution Science" and "Does Science Presuppose Atheism" and other posts such as "Unnaturally Selected, 150 Years Of Deception" provide a good foundation for understanding the arguments and reading between the multiple lines of Barker's obfuscations.

The atheists claim that Dinesh was emotional, and threw red herrings and ad hominems. Quite the opposite was true. Barker threw out all kinds of red herrings. I guess the godless say anything to try to divert from the truth that Dan Barker was HANDLED, and that atheism, as a world view, makes some fanciful leaps of unfounded faith as Dinesh allows Barker to reveal. 

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The Legacy Of The Modern Church

Time To Air Some Dirty Laundry

The 21st Century church is undergoing a modern metamorphosis of epidemic proportions and if it were not for the prayer of Jesus:

Lk. 22:31-31~ "31-And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired [to have] you, that he may sift [you] as wheat: 32-But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art converted, strengthen thy brethren."

The church and all believers would certainly be without hope.

If it were not for the promise of God, I would also be confident that the mutations that we see are irreversible. Why? Because what is emerging does not look like, act like, taste like or even smell like what the apostles and early church died for and what the pioneers of the faith contended for. In fact what is emerging doesn't even resemble any part or type of the dedication that the church had 50 years ago.

Pt. I: Pastor, We've Advanced So Much

Yes we have made our advances in the 21st Century. As noted in my post What Does 21st Century Holiness Look Like?, we as a people, now look better than ever. We live in better homes, we are more mobile and more adept on an array of issues. We are regular thespians in our Platonic and Socratic understandings of the world in which we live. We have made progress in networking, information exchange, systems upgrades, ecumenical ministry target marketing and all, but at what cost has this success come? What has the church paid in return for many of the advances that we have made? Has it cost us a debt that we cannot pay?

One only need to look around to see why I'm even asking the question. From leadership on we seem to be

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Does Eternal Really Mean Eternal In Hell? Pt. 2

This article is continued from Pt.1

Objection III: Hell wasn't created for men therefore men won't suffer or continue to suffer in it.

One of our regular readers holds that since hell was created for the devil and his angles, that the suffering of men in it will at best be limited because hell was not designed for men. This is a scripture used to support the assertion at times:

Matthew 25:41~"Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the DEVIL AND his angels:"

Variation:

Some promoters of this argument also state that even if men do go to hell, the punishment of it is temporary in duration because hell was not made to house men. I call this the "temporary hell thesis" The temporary nature of hell will be dealt with in Objection IV listed below however, in this section,  I will deal with hell as an abode for anyone including rebelling angels.

Hell, The Abode Of The devil And Rebelling demons Or Unrepentant Men?

There are a number of things to say about this argument, but I believe that the assertion itself begs the question "If the suffering or better described torment of hell is somehow limited, and is not intended for men, why should men suffer in hell at all?" Was God somehow caught in an unready state or condition for unrepentant and sinful men? This is highly unlikely since Jesus was a lamb slain from the foundation of the world. (Rev. 13:8). In other words if God made preparation for sin why would he not have made preparation for the judgement of man. As we'll see further in the article, annihilation is inconsistent with the judgement of God as revealed within scripture.

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Who Paid Bishop Carton Pearson $100,000 To Speak At Azusa In 1990? Pimped & Being Pimped Pt. 1

The Lexi Show Strikes Again

In what was one of the most spiritually diverse interviews between African American leaders of the church, Lexi allowed the founder of modern Pentecostalism's Azusa Conferences, Bishop Carton Pearson a former pentecostal turned Universalist, to share the stage with Dr. Jamaal "Intellectual Orgasm" Bryant, Bishop George Bloomer and Rev. Dr. Van Gayton President Of Logos Bible College & Seminary and, you guessed it, there were some significant claims and statements made.

For those who don't know, or maybe just unaware, Bishop Pearson came through the ranks of the Church Of God In Christ to become one of the most charismatic television evangelists and ministers ever associated with Dr. Oral Roberts and The Oral Roberts University. He managed to woo almost the entire Pentecostal world with his recounting of holiness as taught by many of the early 1900's pentecostal church leaders along with his dynamic singing voice and inviting personality. All of this seems to have concluded and been brought to a screeching halt with his acceptance of the message of inclusion also known as the doctrine of universal reconciliation, which states that men and women everywhere and without repentance from sin or even the acknowledgement of Jesus as Lord or his atoning work, are already saved because Jesus paid for the sins of the whole world. Initially, Bishop Pearson reluctantly promoted this doctrine, along with it's many other caveats such as no hell or penalty for sin, lost almost all of his former ministry associates because of it and rocked the Charismatic wing of the church in the United States.

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Does Eternal Really Mean Eternal In Hell? Pt.1

There is a view espoused by many individuals within Christian circles who don't believe in the ongoing reality of hell neither it's eternal punishment. That view is called Annihilationism. Here is a working definition of this view:

Annihilationism ~"A Christian doctrine that sinners are destroyed rather than tormented forever in "hell" or the lake of fire. It is directly related to the doctrine of conditional immortality, the idea that a human soul is not immortal unless it is given eternal life. Annihilationism asserts that God will eventually destroy or annihilate the wicked, leaving only the righteous to live on in immortality. Some annihilationists believe the wicked will be punished for their sins in the lake of fire before being annihilated, others that hell is a false doctrine of pagan origin."

Now, in my previous post, Does The Bible Teach A Literal Hell, we addressed the fact that hell is taught throughout the bible and that hell is a literal and not merely figurative place. In fact hell as is taught throughout scripture is a place of ongoing conscious reality and one of torment.

However under the annihilationist construct, there is an emotional appeal to a western sense of morality and guilt based righteousness. Hell either does not exist as a literal place or abode, or is a temporary place of punishment described with figurative terminology specifying extinction rather than an ongoing conscious reality of suffering. Scriptures such as Ecclesiastes 9:5,  Ecclesiastes 9:10, which are used to claim that there is no consciousness or pain beyond death and  Malachai 4:1,  and Mt. 10:28,  claiming that the destruction of the individual in hell is actually the extinction of the individual rather than eternal ongoing punishment.

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Omniscience and Freewill, Does God Know All Or Did He Leave Some Wiggle Room?

The Proposition:

In Is there a God? (Oxford, 1996, p.7-9) Professor Richard Swinburne, Emeritus Nolloth Professor of the Philosophy of the Christian Religion, University of Oxford said this:

"It seems to me that the same considerations require that we understand God being omniscient in a similarly careful way. Just as God cannot be required to do what is logically impossible to do, so God cannot be required to know what is logically impossible to know. It seems to me that it is logically impossible to know (without the possibility of mistake) what someone will do freely tomorrow. If I am really free to choose tomorrow whether I will go to London or stay at home, then if anyone today has some belief about what I will do (e.g. that I will go to London), I have it in my power tomorrow to make that belief false (e.g. by staying at home). So no one (not even God) can know today (without the possibility of mistake) what I will choose to do tomorrow. So I suggest that we understand God being omniscient as God knowing at any time all that is logically possible to know at that time. That will not include knowledge, before they have done it, of what human persons will do freely. Since God is omnipotent, it will only be because God allows there to be free persons that there will be any free persons. So this limit to divine omniscience arises from the consequences (which God could foresee) of his own choice to create free agents. I must, however, warn the reader that this view of mine that God does not know (without the possibility of mistake) what free agents will do until they do it is not the normal Christian (or Jewish or Islamic) view. My view is, however, implied, I believe, by certain biblical passages; it seems, for example, the natural interpretation of the book of Jonah that, when God told Jonah to preach to Nineveh that it would be destroyed, he believed that probably he would need to destroy it, but that fortunately, since the people of Nineveh repented, God saw no need to carry out his prophecy. In advocating this refinement of our understanding of omniscience, I am simply carrying further the process of internal clarification of the basic Christian understanding of God which other Christian philosophers such as Aquinas pursued in earlier days."...“All this does of course assume that human beings have some limited free will, in the sense that no causes (whether brain states or God) determine fully how they will choose. That is the way it often seems to us that we have such a power. Even the inanimate world, scientists now realize, is not a fully deterministic world—and the world of thought and choice is even less obviously a predictable world.”

The Concept, Called the "Open Futures View" Also Commonly Known As "Open Theism":

1- God is the creator of all things

2- God gave mankind free will.

3- God does not fatalistically predetermine free-will creature's actions

4- God knows only what is logically possible to know about the future
5- The possibility exists that God is wrong about his creation's future actions if they act illogically

6- Therefore God can change his mind to account for what was previously unforeseeable

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HIV/AIDS & Health Care Reform, What Do We Really Know?

This Post Discusses Adult Situations And Describes Sexual Activities That Some May Find Offensive. Material Contained Herein Is For Educational Purposes

In the days of health care reform one thing is abundantly clear. No matter what the public says Washington will reform the system in some manner or fashion. Supposedly this reform is for the approximately 38 to 45 million uninsured individuals in the United States legally. This reform will, in some form or fashion, make employers responsible for the health care of their employees imposing penalties for failure to acquire health plans. This in and of itself could put some companies out of business depending upon the requirements. While it is not yet all hashed out there is also additional pressure for what has been called the "Public Option". This option is said to be a way for individuals to secure coverage at supposedly lower and more competitive prices group rate prices as opposed to individual plan prices. I have placed the most up to date information on the current congressional wrangling at Dunamis Insurance & Business Services web site, and will update that regularly to clarify exactly what's going on regarding this issue.

However, as noted in "Hate Crimes Legislation, Presidential Approval Of The Gay Agenda" in light of our President's agenda to normalize homosexuality, even calling homosexual relationships:

"just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman."

We should ask and look critically at the real motivation behind such an expansive move, and we should better define what is really occurring and why there is such a push to insure the "uninsured". Most of those infected with HIV/AIDS in care rely on public sector insurance programs or are uninsured, estimated to range between approximately 70% and 83%  [Fleishman, J., Personal communication, Analysis of HCSUS Data, January 2002 also see: Nakashima AK. “Who Will Pay for HIV Treatment? Health Insurance Status of HIV-Infected Persons.” In: Proceedings of the 1997 Meeting of the Infectious Diseases Society of America; September 13-16, 1997; San Francisco, CA. Abstract 293.]

3 Facts To Keep In Mind Before We Embark Upon This Subject:

1- America's citizens should have access to excellent health care and there is enough money within the system to provide such for all of it's citizens. That doesn't necessarily mean that health care should be controlled or distributed by the government. Those things are a separate issue from this writing.

2- No individual should be denied adequate health care because of any factor including sexual orientation. To suggest so is a ridiculous notion. This article makes no such suggestion.

3- There is NO ENDORSEMENT of any immoral sexual activity within this article. God's way of marriage and one man and one woman still is the best prescription for sexual activity, health, growth of the family and health of the community and society in general.

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A Declaration Of Youth Freedom & Liberation At The 2009 COGIC Convocation

In what was one of the many very powerful sessions of the COGIC 2009 Convocation, on Saturday afternoon 11/7/09 Pastor Donnie McClurkin spoke to the youth plainly, openly, and freely:

"We talk about Tonex but we should know, God did not call us to such perversion"..."God did not call this generation to such perversion"..."They have lied to this generation" If it hadn't been for this Jesus, I would be a homosexual today, BUT he is a deliverer, he is a deliverer today...He's a strong deliverer"

The Message Of Youth Renewal

Pastor McClurkin was used of the Lord to deliver a word to more than 5000 youth that attended the service to present the year end presentation of the COGIC International Youth Department. Preaching a message directed toward them who have been "lost in the house", it was clear to understand and clearly received that the Church Of God In Christ is not a place for homosexual, youth or otherwise, to park and or hide out while he/she proliferates their ungodly lifestyle.

Fathers To Sons & Daughters

There was much food on the table and something for everyone to eat. To the fathers, Pastor McClurkin made note of the fact that the father has long been absent from the midst of the children and the family and have left the youth exposed to the rudiments of the world and to a society that is morally imbalanced.

"Remnants of a holy generation will rise up past their peers and society"

"Young people are not comfortable being real...I went to Mason Temple and I sat in the musical...where are the fathers that will embrace the boys and say NO, NO NO, he (the devil) can't have you!"

"I see feminine men, do not applaud because it sounds like a bash, it's because we've failed, our boys, we've failed our girls, but TODAY, satan's hold will be destroyed from
over the lives of our youth."

 Rehashing some of his own history regarding being raped at 8 Yeas old by his uncle, Pastor McClurkin admonished the parents to become more involv ed with their children and find out more about  their lives and their disappointments in order to effectively serve them and help them when they are in need. He said emphatically:

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COGIC Issues: 102nd Annual Holy Convocation

Corrections have been made to this page 11/02/2009: Bishop Gilkey's first name is Joseph and Enoch Perry's title was referenced as "Bishop". Those statements were incorrect. Special note 11/29/09: See bottom of the article for commentary and update.

As the Church Of God In Christ's 102nd Annual Holy Convocation  begins Nov. 2-9, 2009, there are some significant 21st century challenges that the church faces.

2 of the most acute questions have been asked by individuals such as Pastor D.L.Foster of GCMWatch.com and myself among others:

1- How will COGIC handle the perpetrators of sexual abuse among clergy?

2- How will COGIC handle the victims of sexual abuse and make them whole?

And what may be a similarly related issue:

3- Truly, how is the real property of congregations and the congregations themselves handled when a pastor dies and why is the congregation overlooked?

Section I: Clergy Sexual Abuse

1- How will COGIC handle the perpetrators of sexual abuse among clergy?

2- How will COGIC handle the victims of sexual abuse and make them whole?

In what was a shocking revelation, Deidre Malone of the Malone Group, and spokeswoman on behalf of COGIC, said that the Presiding Bishop of the Church Of God In Christ, Bishop Charles E. Blake stated that:   She further stated that Bishop Charles E. Blake will announce an initiative regarding clergy sexual misconduct during the Holy Convocation Nov. 2-9.

"The church has been working on this issue for more than 15 years,"

First, it is refreshing to see that this issue will be addressed and addressed openly and hopefully clearly. Although I haven't heard from any official as to the plans and statements that will be made, at ReportCOGICabuse.org, it can be noted that I have at least tried to at least present information pertinent to addressing the care of the victims of these sort of atrocities.

The sad thing is that if the church has been aware of these sort of atrocities for 15 years, why hasn't it  responded with greater sense of urgency and a more exacting resolve? Over the last 15 years there have been 3 Chief Apostles of the church:

Bishop Chandler D. Owens

Bishop G.E. Patterson

Bishop Charles E. Blake

I would say that based on the atrocities of former General Board member, Bishop J.D. Husband, that someone had to know that there was trouble long prior to 15 years ago. GCMWatch also reported this:

"In 1991, through his lawyer, Bishop J.D. Husband, a charter member of the Church of God in Christ’s General Board, admitted guilt to “all charges” levied against him. But multitudes of people are still baffled about what Husband did. Other than rumors, the evidence against him was kept secretive and not even reported to legal authorities."

Although Mrs. Malone's comments leave much open room, one wonders what is it that the church has been working on for 15 years regarding the clergy sexual abuse issue and under who's direction that this "work" been taking place and to what aim. Hopefully that will be addressed during the Convocation and the church will come out with a greater sensitivity toward the victims of sexual abuse and a plan that will permanently remove sexual predators and abuses from all clergy activities. Clearly the days of simply looking the other way, as has been the recent MO of many of our leaders, is over, and children of God are demanding a much greater and more biblical accountability of the church leadership.

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Youth S.O.S!

We Must Rescue Our Youth

"We're not animals. We're not savages.

We're students and we're trying to achieve,"

Maritza Morales

Richmond High student

Richmond High School in Richmond, CA. has become the center of attention over the last week but not in the way that either it's citizens or the rest of America would have liked.

One would not have thought that a school Homecoming celebration would take on a criminal tone and be froth with what could be considered the most animalistic and degrading treatment of a fellow human being in recent times.

According to CNN.com, It was at a school homecoming that a 15 year old girl had her human dignity stripped away from her while as many as 20 or more people looked on with amusement. This was heinous crime that needs our attention as the church and as a community of believers. It is our time to rise and go back to what we know that works and the only thing that will deliver our youth and families from the whims of human moral relativism and the dank and dark depths and capacity of sin found within the human heart without Christ as savior.

Because of this I have enclosed a special message that I hope will encourage you to be and further become a part of the solution to this degeneration and decay of human value that is all too prevalent and observable within our communities. Please be encouraged: (Click on POSTS at the bottom of the player and then click the message to play it in its entirity)

****The Special Broadcast Program Can Now Be Heard HERE ****

So far there have been approximately 5 arrests and a host of individuals identified that were simply perverted , spineless onlookers who found pleasure in the degradation of a fellow human being.  Video and tape sales won't help us past this one...we don't need personality, we need Jesus! Let us engage in prayer for this young lady who from all accounts was a good person and regardless of that was a person who certainly did not deserve to be demoralized and dehumanized in this way. May the grace, peace and strength and healing power of the Lord Jesus be with her now like never before! Amen.

Blessed!

Further Details Mercury News.com

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Larry D. Trotter: "I Was At Death's Door"

1/18/2013: For those seeking information on the "Baby Bathtub Scandal", Bishop Trotter's response can be found HERE. We will have NO ARTICLE regarding the issue.  The Dunamis Word DOES NOT ascribe to the terrible internet GOSSIP currently circulating regarding the situation in general, however we can make no sense of why a grown man would be bathing with a child under any circumstance. 

ORIGINAL ARTICLE:

This article is not filled with bold faced assertions and character assassination is not the object. The object is to examine the conflict between the understanding and application of holiness in the life of many 21st Century leaders.

An Interview With The Bishop

Leadership, is one of the greatest jobs a person can have. Whether it's leading a crew of employees in secular employment or leading a team to competition and victory. The greatest and most exhaustive type of leadership is spiritual leadership. It's often thankless and strenuous. Many desire the accolades that leadership sometimes brings but few want the responsibility or criticisms that comes along with it.

Recently I come across a leader that has a long history within the church and decided to take a listen and hear for myself what he had to say. I can't tell you enough how surprised I was to hear some of what I heard and also how relived I was to hear some things especially if his accounting was true. So far as the content and even my assertions, one can judge for themselves and feel free to express your opinions if you would like.

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Unnaturally Selected, 150 Years Of Deception

Before We Get Started:

We have had some recent and good discussion regarding science, evolution and evolutionary theory on this blog. This will likely be my last post in the series. The other posts can be located as follows:

The Rottweiler Who Lost His Teeth & His Mind

Is Evolution Science?

Does Science Presuppose Atheism?

Women, Mathematics & Evolution

Until recently even the radicals have been fairly behaved and welcomed. Those whom we've come to know as regulars are yet welcomed, and new individuals willing to respectfully engage are certainly encouraged to provide their insights, but the charlatans that think that ad hominems are basis for debate, or that can't read what is directly addressed, can crawl back into the pit of primordial slime from which they believe they have arrived. Those individuals are certainly not welcomed. But for the rest, atheist and theist alike, who simply love true dialogue and debate, and want to get to the truth of the issues, let us press on.

150 Years Of Deceit

As we run headlong into the 150th anniversary of the Magnum Opus of Charles R. Darwin's "On The Origin Of Species By Means Of Natural Selection Or The Preservation Of Favored Races In The Struggle For Life (Yes, Favored Races, namely and more specifically them that are WHITE- and they continue to say he wasn't racist-go figure!)

There is a WHY to life and that why is  not in natural processes but in Jesus Christ!  As Christians we are becoming equipped to both understand evolutionary arguments and also put down evolutionary rhetoric and dogmas which have made their rounds, deceiving many into believing that both man and ape share what is called a common ancestor. In fact the Darwinian evolutionary theory of common descent is that all biological beings share this common ancestor, and over time, through process of natural selection, mutation and what is otherwise considered blind process, there have been branches upon branches of species and phyla created to produce this wonderful world of diversity and what we call life.

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"Hate Crimes" Legislation, Presidential Approval Of The Gay Agenda

This Is What God Says:

Leviticus 18:22-30 ~ 22-THOU SHALT NOT LIE with mankind, as with womankind: it [is] abomination. 23-Neither shalt thou lie with any beast to defile thyself therewith: neither shall any woman stand before a beast to lie down thereto: it [is] confusion. 24-Defile not ye yourselves in any of these things: for in all these the nations are defiled which I cast out before you: 25-And the land is defiled: therefore I do visit the iniquity thereof upon it, and the land itself vomiteth out her inhabitants. 26- Ye shall therefore keep my statutes and my judgments, and shall not commit [any] of these abominations; [neither] any of your own nation, nor any stranger that sojourneth among you: 27-(For all these abominations have the men of the land done, which [were] before you, and the land is defiled;) 28-That the land spue not you out also, when ye defile it, as it spued out the nations that [were] before you.  29-For whosoever shall commit any of these abominations, even the souls that commit [them] shall be cut off from among their people. 30- Therefore shall ye keep mine ordinance, that [ye] commit not [any one] of these abominable customs, which were committed before you, and that ye defile not yourselves therein: I [am] the LORD your God.

This Is What The President Obama Says:

"My expectation is that when you  look back on these years, you will see a time in which we put a stop to discrimination against gays and lesbians whether in the office or on the battlefield. You will see a time in which we as a nation finally recognized relationships between two men or two women, are just as real and admirable as relationships between a man and a woman."

On Oct. 10,2009 President Barack Obama said these words to a warm and welcoming cheer from the crowd of about 3,000 at the annual dinner of the Human Rights Campaign, (HRC) a gay rights advocacy group which we have detailed on this site. In fact gay advocate, Harry Knox, current member of the Advisory Council on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships was the former director of the HRC until Presidential appointment in April of this year.

In one of the most shocking parts of the President's speech he single handedly and in one sentence exalted gay and lesbian relationships to "admirability". Not only are the immoral relationships of homosexual unions out of the closet, they have taken center stage and are now touted as being something worth aspiring to. This means that homosexual relationships are, in the minds of many leaders of our country, at least equally as desirable as heterosexual ones. What has happened? This indicates a paradigm shift of morality, from objective values to culturally commensurate and relative values. Plain and simple the winds of CHANGE has shifted from the absolute truth of the God's word to a standard that is both socially and culturally acceptable and ever changing.

On Military Service

"I will end 'don't-ask-don't tell,'"..."We should not be punishing patriotic Americans who have stepped forward to serve the country,"..."We should be celebrating their willingness to step forward and show such courage and selflessness on behalf of their fellow citizens ... especially when we are fighting two wars."...I will end don't-ask-don't tell, that's my commitment to you."

Don't-Ask-Don't-Tell was the tag name of the law was passed by Congress in 1993 and signed by President Bill Clinton. The act prohibits any homosexual or bisexual person from disclosing his or her sexual orientation or from speaking about any homosexual relationships, including marriages or other familial attributes, while serving in the United States armed forces. President Obama said that he's working with Pentagon and congressional leaders on ending the policy so that gays can serve openly in the military without fear of reprisal or discharge.

The question is do the straight men and women that serve in the military mind taking showers with and bunking with individuals who are openly gay? Is there a psychology that comes along with these type of associations that make it difficult for both the straight and homosexual person? Will there be a greater risk on the battlefield for a homosexual than for a straight individual.? Will the homosexual receive preferential treatment in advancements and promotions?

I'll deal with some of these questions in the racism & the struggle for equal rights below.

On Marriage

"And I've called on congress to repeal the so called defense of marriage act and and to pass the domestic partners benefit and obligations act."

The HRC was one of the major advocates for repealing Prop. 8 in California and suffered a black eye at the hand of what they considered to be the "religious right". Since then 7 states plus DC have joined the ranks of legalized gay marriage bringing the total to 9 states plus DC. This is working according to the plans of the gay activist movement and in particularly groups such as Gay And Lesbian Advocate Defenders (GLAD) and Lambda Legal. who have aggressive plans to make homosexual marriages legal across the United States.

With that comes child indoctrination. As homosexual marriages become legal, and because we currently allow a system of federally controlled education, text books and syllabuses must be changed to reflect the laws of the land. This has happened, and will continue to happen as parents find that they have no rights when it comes to protecting their children in the public education setting. I've documented one such case HERE in Massachusetts which is the "gold standard" for homosexual educational rights.

President Obama has further committed and deeply entrenched himself himself into the homosexual agenda. From the Presidential Web site the further plans are open for everyone to view:

"President Obama also continues to support the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and believes that our anti-discrimination employment laws should be expanded to include sexual orientation and gender identity. He supports full civil unions and federal rights for LGBT couples and opposes a constitutional ban on same-sex marriage. He supports repealing Don’t Ask Don’t Tell in a sensible way that strengthens our armed forces and our national security, and also believes that we must ensure adoption rights for all couples and individuals, regardless of their sexual orientation."

Racism & The Struggle For Equal Rights

Is the struggle against racism and for homosexual rights equated? In my opinion absolutely NO. Homosexuality DOES NOT equal the struggle for racial equality although the struggle for social acceptance follows the a similar path.

The critic says that in all of those questions that were asked above, we can simply remove homosexual and insert Black. Those were similar considerations when Blacks were allowed to serve in the proverbial "white man's" army? But is that really the case?

Being Black is certainly nothing that can be changed neither can it be repressed although many try. Black is something that is beyond an individuals choice "to do" and one cannot vacillate between being black and or any other color. In fact once a person IS Black they cannot become any other race or nationality. most say that 1% of blood that is Black is Black forever no matter how bleached it may be.

Similarly to my Grandmother who was 100% Chippewa. By all accounts she looked like a white woman. She married a Black man. When that happened,  her future children, as fair skinned as they would be, were no longer considered Indian (except by the gov't & casino industry) They were considered Black. In fact when my father showed up at the job at General Motors in Detroit, MI., light skinned and as much straight hair as he wanted to have, his skin was yet a half hue darker than white, and immediately my Grandmother, as faithful and good worker as whe was lost her job.

Sexual Choice

You see, all sex is a choice. Although many feel sex is an uncontrollable urge, it's really a choice. Love is also a choice and it is a spiritual venture not meant to be controlled by feelings (as it often is) or emotions (as is the modern standard). Homosexuality is not subject to the constraints of God and is a violation of his word. Plain and simple. It is a sin, along with heterosexual sin, and one must be saved or delivered from sexual sins IF that is one's propensity. I have written about a much argued point on Homosexuality In The New Testament HERE. FYI: God still does not favor homosexuality and it is still a sin.

Be it known, as I have stated clearly before on this blog, no person deserves to be discriminated against in employment, housing or the right to live and pursue freedom because they are homosexual. The reason is because homosexuality is not an illegal activity under the law (at least in most places). Homosexuality has advanced in the American Psychiatric Association (APA) definitions, and was declassified as a mental disorder in 1973. All disciplines soon followed. 

However the doors are open to members and advocates of other so called "sexual minorities" such as pedophiles and the incestuous, who are making the statement and asking the question, "I'm think I'm normal, why not make my sexual lifestyle legal?"

I'm sure that Warren Steed Jeffs is claiming that polygamy and pedophilia have not been give a fair hearing, and that he should not be in jail, not only because he's God's messenger, but also because he's simply a "sexual minority". Then there's movie mogul Roman Polanski who certainly feels unfairly treated especially since the young lady he sexually assaulted 10 years ago was 13 years old. He knows that the legal age of sexual consent in the Netherlands is 12, (see note below) and that America is just plain ole unfair.

Conclusion:

President Obama ended his speech by saying,

"Thank you for the work you're doing, God bless you, God bless America!"

The reality is how can we ask God to bless us when we endorse something contrary to his nature, his will and his word? How can that be blessed of God?

God has spoke and the President has spoken. Who's words will you follow and believe?

For me I'll conclude by saying this:

Joshua 24:15 ~ "And if it seem evil unto you to serve the LORD, choose you this day whom ye will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that [were] on the other side of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell: but AS FOR ME AND MY HOUSE, we will serve the LORD."

Blessed!

Should We Be Alarmed About Hate Crimes Legislation?
Read HERE and then read HERE.

Note:
The Netherlands has no sodomy laws, the age of sexual consent is 16 for all, sex between an adult and a young person between the ages of 12 and 16 is permitted by law, as long as the young person consents. It may only be prosecuted by complaint from the young person or the young person’s parents. The question remains whether the public prosecutions department would proceed to prosecute if the young person themself had consented and their parents filed the complaint.

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COGIC Victims Advocacy, Essential, Necessary & Urgent Pt. 2

As a subsequent article to our initial post COGIC Victims Advocacy, Essential, Necessary & Urgent Pt. 1 , on 10/15/2009 Charisma Magazine Online featured the work of Pastor D. L. Foster of GCMWatch in bringing attention to what has been considered by many, including myself, to be unchecked immoral and criminal behavior among some fellow COGIC ministry brethern.

In the Charisma article Pastor Foster points toward the newly established web site created to assist COGIC victims of sexual abuse in the healing process with spiritual support as well as poignant advice on how to proceed to rectify problems or file complaints in the event of criminal activity. The site is known as Reportcogicabuse.com. The site is not sponsored or run by the national church but is certainly endorsed by this ministry and many other COGIC ministries across the country. Whether the General Board Of Bishops knows it or not there is an outcry across the nation for the healing of God's people.  

As stated in the previous article, on an unsolicited basis, I personally undertook the opportunity to address the glaring problems that COGIC faced and continues to face from the improprieties of some of it's clergy. In fact my proposal, presented to the highest officials of our church, covered a period of 20 years in which time various elders and ministers and Bishops engaged in improper sexual activity and criminal behaviors. These crimes were documented and in many cases resulted in the perpetrators receiving the full weight of penalty under the law. In some cases individuals died before prosecution could begin and no restitution was ever made.

One such case that did not escape the courts was that of Supt. Leon Dupree of New York. This Elder was charged with rape, burglary and assault with a weapon purportedly done to one of the members of his former church in 1988. Here's the summary from the news report regarding his crime:

[Rome] Daily Sentinel 5/28/88

Rev. Leon Dupree, 47, pastor of Lily of the Valley Church of God in Christ in Rochester, NY, is charged with first degree sexual assault and first degree burglary of a 26 year old woman. She said he was armed with a hammer and struck her with a screwdriver. Dupree was convicted of second degree manslaughter in a 1978 drunken driving fatality and served time in state prison.

Not only did Elder Dupree kill someone before he was saved (I assume) he faced conviction as a rapist and a burglar while he was a pastor. Now a fair question is was he convicted? In response to that, there is no statement from Elder Dupree in any venue proclaiming his innocence. That may be an argument from silence in lieu of court records, but in this case it's pretty powerful. To the heart of the matter, Elder Dupree is currently Pastoring a new and reorganized church called New Visions Community COGIC and his church is in the jurisdiction of General Board member Bishop Frank O. White, which for some reason was absolutely unavailable both in person, phone and fax when my proposal was sent to his fellow Presidium members.

Now the problem with this is NOT that Elder Dupree can repent, serve time and make restitution, as he did at least once previously. Thank God IF he has been restored. The problem is the "IF", and the shuffle.

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Does Science Presuppose Atheism?

"I toyed with atheism from the age of about nine, originally because I worked out that, of all the hundreds of religions in the world, it was the sheerest accident that I was brought up Christian. They couldn’t all be right, so maybe none of them was. I later reverted to a kind of pantheism when I realised the shattering complexity and beauty of the living world. Then, around the age of 16, I first understood that Darwinism provides an explanation big enough and elegant enough to replace gods. I have been an atheist ever since." [Richard Dawkins You Ask The Questions Independent February 20 2003]

The Problem

As mentioned in the post The Rottweiler Who Lost His Teeth & His Mind, and later questioned in Is Evolution Science? It seems that modern scientific theory comes with an automatic presuppositional bias against theism in general. This bias is constructed on the chassis of methodological naturalism, which primarily deals with how one gains "trustworthy" knowledge or information from the natural or material world in which we live. This is called epistemology.

Usually, along with the proposition of methodological naturalism, comes a stance know as Metaphysical Naturalism, which focuses on what actually exists within the natural world and makes bold statements of what doesn't exist within the natural world. This is called ontology. Both of these constructs usually lend themselves to anti-super-naturalism, which is the belief that there is no outside intervention in the present day world from any source and specifically the source called God. I've discussed that topic and the flaws of that sort of reasoning in depth HERE. The backbone of all of this sort of thinking is atheism (the denial of the existence of God).

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The Dunamis Word On Satellite & Internet Radio

Thank God For HIS Goodness & Opportunity!

Pastor Harvey Burnett & The  Dunamis Word will be broadcast on satellite and simulcast on Internet radio beginning Saturday morning Oct. 17th 2009 at 9:30 AM CST. The broadcast will also be available for replay by Gcast.

The satellite stations carrying the broadcast will be Galaxy 19, Glory Star and SpiritCast. You can get to the live Internet stream link at Universal Christian Radio . Simply click the appropriate download speed for your computer.

As previously mentioned for those who miss the initial broadcast, the program will be saved and available on GCast. The GCast link will be  posted to this site.  We will deal with topics ranging from Christian faith and practice to post modern Christian culture, evangelism and apologetics.

Pastor Burnett will be interested in prayer requests and addressing listener inquiries. To suggest a topic please email at Dunamis1@netzero.com. Also remember to continue to pray for this ministry as we expand to fulfill the mission of Christ and meet the needs of God's people.

Luke 10:2 ~ "Therefore said he unto them, The harvest truly [is] great, but the labourers [are] few: pray ye therefore the LORD OF THE HARVEST, that he would send forth labourers into his harvest."

Blessed!

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Is Evolution Science?

I: Evolution ~ Philosophical Metaphysical Naturalism

"May not a future generation well ask how any scientist, in full possession of his intellectual faculties and with adequate knowledge of information theory could ever execute the feat of cognitive acrobatics necessary to sincerely believe that a (supremely complex) machine system of information, storage and retrieval, servicing millions of cells, diagnosing defects and them repairing them in a teleonomic Von Newman machine manner, arose in randomness-the antipole of information"~Dr. A.E. Wilder-Smith (Triple Doctorate) Huxley Memorial Lecture at the Oxford Union, Oxford University 2/14/1986

Dover, PA. 2005 Definition Of Science:

In the case where Intelligent Design (ID) was being taught in Public schools as science, the court held that the school board violated the establishment clause and that ID was no  more than  creationism repackaged. The court also held to the  validity of science according to the standards of the National Academy of Science's definition and said the following:

"As the National Academy of Sciences (hereinafter "NAS") was recognized by experts for both parties as the "most prestigious" scientific association in this country, we will accordingly cite to its opinion where appropriate. (1:94, 160-61 (Miller); 14:72 (Alters); 37:31 (Minnich)). NAS is in agreement that science is limited to empirical, observable and ultimately testable data: "Science is a particular way of knowing about the world. In science, explanations are restricted to those that can be inferred from the confirmable data – the results obtained through observations and experiments that can be substantiated by other scientists. Anything that can be observed or measured is amenable to scientific investigation. Explanations that cannot be based upon empirical evidence are not part of science." ( P-649 at 27)."

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The Rottweiler Who Lost His Teeth & His Mind

Genesis 2:7 ~ "And the LORD GOD FORMED MAN [of] the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul."

"This is not an anti-religious book"..."God, to repeat this point, which ought to be obvious, but isn't, never made a tiny wing in his eternal life."

Young Earth creationists are, he writes, "deluded to the point of perversity"..."all but the woefully uninformed are forced to accept the fact of evolution".

Atheist and evolutionary evangelist Dr. Richard Dawkins recently sought to advance evolution and do his part to stamp out creationism with the presentation of what he calls the "facts of evolution" in his new book 'The Greatest Show On Earth'. The author of several books, the most recent being "The God Delusion" in which he claimed that all Christians were deluded for believing in God.

In this book, though leveling insults at Christians, especially those who believe in the Old Testament and the creation narratives, in almost every chapter, Dr. Dawkins has supposedly "evolved" to believe that belief in evolution and belief in God are incompatible relationships. He recently said this to Newsweek.com:

"No, I don't think they're incompatible (belief in God & evolution) if only because there are many intelligent evolutionary scientists who also believe in God—to name only Francis Collins [the geneticist and Christian believer recently chosen to head the National Institutes of Health] as an outstanding example. So it clearly is possible to be both. This book more or less begins by accepting that there is that compatibility. The God Delusion did make a case against that compatibility in my own mind."

Two things are for sure, similar to his predecessor, Charles Darwin, Dr. Dawkins does not deal with 'first life' (how life first began) within any of his theories. In fact he would rather claim that we came from 'aliens' than attribute life on this planet to God. Secondly Dr. Dawkins is frustrated that large numbers of the general populous doubt whether evolution actually does what it claims. The  problem is that more and more scientists  are realizing that the human  genome and the universe and life in general is far too complex to simply have arisen by the process of time, environmental conditions and random chance as the "theory" of evolution holds. 

When combined with the fact that there is no modern archaeological evidence of any transitional form between humans, apes or chimps and their supposed common ancestor, (which Dr. Dawkins says really isn't necessary for evolution to be true-wouldn't ya know it?) the theory of evolution is being quickly reconsidered, repackaged and rethought on almost every front.

The Beginnings

What began 150 years ago in approximately 1859 with naturalist scientist Charles Darwin (2/12/1809- 4/19/1882) quickly became the 'rational man's' way to think of his origins and relive himself of any connection or responsibility to or with God or a creator.  Probably developed with many of the underpinnings of his Grandfather Erasmus Darwin, who was an materialist evolutionist, the theory of evolution, would change the approach to understanding the world that we live in. The backbone of his theory was to repudiate the idea that divine assistance was necessary for any apparent design in the origin of the species or humankind. Please keep this in mind: Darwin’s claim was that all species are modified descendants of a common ancestor. This is called the theory of Common Descent.  Important note: The theory of evolution as set forth by Darwin does not deal with first life (how life came to be) it merely deals with how existing life changes into new species and manifests itself. This is a point often misunderstood by most creationists or those who hold to a biblical worldview of the origin of life. This proves to be the most fatal self-inflicted wound of evolutionary theory as we will see in this writing.

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God's Not Dead, But Tonex Is In His Sins...

This post is a special thanks to a commentor named Rogers for directing us to this interview.

I debated over whether to  add to the post "Holy Ghost Filled, Fire Baptized Gay People" or simply make a new post all together. I decided to create a new one because the more I read and see the more it is confirmed that Tonex takes apostasy to new heights. In a recent interview with Blackvoices.com Tonex decided to place more of his confused and anti-Christ views on the table in effort to followup with the fallout from the Lexi interview. One thing has never been more clear: Tonex is confused, and does not know how to find a balance between serving God and yielding to the "feelings" that he points out in the video.

Before I mention his erroneous statements and assertions from the interview, I remembered that last year  both Tonex and Ricky Dillard appeared on The Bobby Jones Show around the same time. In fact, I saw parts of a Sunday morning show that  included both. Although I'm unsure if they were there at the same recording I remember saying that it was a "GAY FEST" extraordinaire. I remember seeing both groups doing a bunch of shouting and dancing, putting on a show. I told people at a church I was ministering at that  the homosexuals were sending a message. Well, I guess I was right about that assessment. I believe that spiritual folk knew the message Tonex was trying to send long ago. Recently, he confessed that he used his music to send a message. Here's his words and his video:

"I talked about my same-sex attraction. I don't think that there was any new information here. I've addressed this issue in my music for years."

 

I believe that these are the segments that appeared on Bobby Jones show when I saw them. What I believe these charlatans need to know is that they are seen and their sins are not hidden. Here's Sister Ricky with his stage show too:

Yes, it was a gay-a-thon, that looked like church, sounded like church and obviously felt like church to many...but it was flesh and devil inspired. I make no apologies for stating that these individuals, even with a rich and deep church history, are apostates and on their way to hell for being doorways to immorality. (Don't try to cop that subject preachers, I already got it on lock)

These individuals, and many like them, believe that sexuality is simply a "preference" and that it has no moral effect and should not be a basis whereby one proves their relationship with God among mankind. Tonex affirms this in his recent interview claiming:

"What I am saying is that we need to stop focusing on people's private lives and sexual orientation and preach the truth of God's salvation. Whatever your faith may be, no one has the right to blatantly disrespect or harass another human being. Beyond that, we have no need to go into people's closets and private matters. Teach the word, and let God handle the rest."

Teaching sexual purity, righteousness and the standard of holiness sexually is "disrespect" and "harassment" to Tonex. This is an affirmation that is heard over and over from the gay community and proponents of the gay agenda. To carry this out and place proper perspective on it, the question is should all types of sexual immorality be off limits to the pulpits? From group sex to fornication to other perversions...According to this type of analysis every teaching against sexual immorality could be considered "harassment" by those who love their sins.

Tonex and those who hold his affirmation are unrepentant of their sins, and will be destroyed by and in their own lusts (James 1:15). What makes it even worse is that these type of individuals are endorsed by other spiritual apostates some of which call themselves leaders. Tonex, like many, further believe that the church should accept them as they are because they claim to be children of God. In fact like Tonex, they try to use psychology to condemn those of us who hold to biblical standards:

"His (God's) love is much greater than His judgment."

As if to say that God's love will somehow trump his justice...what he doesn't realize is  if that happens, God would preform the greatest evil by failing to judge according to his standard and allowing sin to become a pathway to God's favor. However one, thing he dopes not realize is that it is IMPOSSIBLE for God to lie. (Heb. 6:18) This is the twisted reasoning of Tonex, whether he can verbalize it that way or not...that's the consequence and result of his apostate belief.

In The Interview:

Church Folk & Sexual Repression

Not only does Tonex say that most gospel musicians either are or were homosexuals:

"...although it's common knowledge that some of the most anointed musicians and singer-songwriters have, or have dealt with, same-sex attraction at some point."

He then casts the stone of "sexual repression" at the church:

"So much more to my story then the sexuality part, but most church folks are sexually repressed anyway, so they naturally gravitate right toward that type of subject matter."

I don't think a person who has sex both with men and women knows what sexual repression is. What Tonex thinks is liberty is actually bondage. The inability to distinguish proper sexual desires from "feelings" as he states in his video is the utmost bondage. Further, when a person is gender confused and living in not merely a sin, but abomination, such as Tonex admits, that is the essence of repression...It's not liberation to be drawn away with feelings and emotions until you sin with your body, mind and spirit as homosexuals do to fulfill their desires. That is bondage and entrapment.

Tonex claims that church folk are so sexually repressed that the church automatically finds what he's talking about interesting, because we're sitting on the sidelines fulfilling some inner desire that is not being met. He is interesting as in a lab rat being interesting to a scientist. However, in his statement and entire interview Tonex shows not only his lack of biblical knowledge, but also his acknowledgement that  he knows he is wrong, his self exaltation in spite of that wrong and his utter disdain for the church and living right.

I'm On A Mission, Beam Me  Up Scottie!

Tonex now assumes his mission to deliver the homosexual crowd from the oppression of the church interpretation of the bible although he readily admits he doesn't know what the bible says about homosexuality...Well that's a lie  because he does know. In fact it is clear that he feels condemned, but his feelings of love for the same sex overshadow what he knows is truth. Tonex rejects what he knows and what he's told. He  turns it around and makes it a purpose for his existence. This is his new mission:

"The hypocrisy of this should have left me quite burnt out with the whole situation. So then I had to shift my focus off of religion and move toward being a pioneer. Charting new territory for an oppressed people that truly love God and have been ostracized beyond belief -- the sheep of another fold.."

Similar to the man who says that the woman "made" him hit her, Tonex feels that this situation is for him to be a homosexual and be used by God to minister to homosexuals, assuring them that they too are acceptable with God, because after all, he is acceptable with God too. Next an ongoing tactic: Let's Use the Music

"I speak of them in a song called 'This is All of Me'. I was speaking for all the "kids" around the world. Basically the kids are boys and girls that are LGBT (lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender), a group that has a 30 percent suicide rate among gay and bisexual youth. And the young men with more "feminine gender-role characteristics" and those who recognized their same-sex orientation at an early age and acted on those sexual feelings seem to face the highest risk of self-destructive behavior"..."I will continue my recording activism, advocating fair treatment of all people, including these people, my own people, with whom I not only sympathize but empathize."

Anyone unconvinced that the devil is  using these artists to speak not only their version of the gospel, but  to also speak to their lovers and homosexual associates, must look again and think twice. These people are using their air time to affirm themselves in their sins and assocaite with one another in the face of God and at the expense of the church.

Conclusion:

To condemn the church and call it insensitive to what he feels is the gay agenda is ungodly. What Tonex fails to admit is the clear teaching of the bible against homosexuality. He overlooks the word that has condemned the sins of not only homosexuality but all perversions and unrighteousness whether homosexual formulated or not. There is no comfort in condoning sin. Sometimes we try to perceive whether actions are pleasing to God or not and those endeavors should be gladly undertaken, but to reject the word of the Lord and use the church as a marketing tool is the epitome of ungodliness and unrighteousness.

Tonex would have done better to simply repent for his sins,  ask for spiritual leadership and strong council and seek God in the most deep and sincere manner of his life. Instead he equivocates and makes excuses for his  sins and condemns others for both allowing him to continue and condemning his actions all at the same time.

What will he do? He will probably become Carlton Pearson's minister of music. Carlton will gladly receive him and indoctrinate him in his gospel of inclusion, produce and event called Gay Azusa and sell millions of tapes and CD's.

Romans 1:24-32 ~ "24-Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, to dishonour their own bodies between themselves: 25-Who changed the truth of God into a lie, and worshipped and served the creature more than the Creator, who is blessed for ever. Amen. 26-For this cause God gave them up unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is against nature: 27-And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and receiving in themselves that recompence of their error which was meet. 28-And even as they did not like to retain God in [their] knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, to do those things which are not convenient; 29-Being filled with all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, 30-Backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, 31-Without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerciful: 32-Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

Blessed!

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