Image, Assets & Liability Pt. 1..."Silent Associations"

This is the first of a three part series in which I will briefly examine the fallout from covering child sexual abuse in both the secular and religious world. 

Recently, in the news, we have witnessed organizations and individuals held liable for the abuse and mistreatment of individuals. Let's look at the first of a few examples:

Penn State University

"We're going to hold off on making a crime log entry. At this point in time I can justify that decision because of the lack of clear evidence of a crime."  email from Penn State Police Chief Thomas Harmon to Penn State President Gary Schultz regarding a mother's report to campus officials that Jerry Sandusky had engaged in inappropriate sexual contact with her 11 year old son. 

At Penn State University, we are witnessing a whole collegiate system being held accountable for covering up, shuffling off and otherwise accommodating ONE convicted and confused child molester and rapist Jerry Sandusky. I'm quite sure that none of the individuals who were aware of Sandusky's actions would have ever thought that they would be held accountable for what he was doing. They didn't understand that their silence was similar to them taking part in the rape and abuse of children as well. 

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Keep Your Intolerance Out Of My Chicken!

Remember August 1st 2012

To the INTOLERANT Commu-Nazi Dictators of Boston & Chicago

We support our AMERICAN rights as American Citizens to eat at whatever restaurant we want even if the owners don't support your favorite sins. 

As Black folk, we ate at restaurants when we weren't allowed based on the color of our skin. Neither you nor your predecessors barred any of those "good ole boys" from making money and even expanding their business. 

Unlike you however, we support and encourage sound and biblically centered moral values, especially those which have brought society this far. 
So I guess Americans DO have a RIGHT to their own choices. I suppose it's called FREEDOM? Do you remember what that is?

Blessed!

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"Confessions" Of Juanita Bynum II, The Law Of Attraction & Devaluing God

On Juanita Bynum's "Inspirational Vitamin, The Power Of Purpose" on V 103 Radio of Atl. she made the startling confession that she has done it all including lesbianism.

Juanita II at V 103

“I’ve been there and I’ve done it all, I’ve [done] the drugs. I’ve been with men. I’ve been with women.” “It’s not a line, it’s my life!”...“That abuse that I suffered was because I attracted after my own kind. That abuse was already sitting in me.”

Now some are up in arms because Juanita so readily and easily admitted that she experimented with lesbianism throughout what she calls her many "conversions". Yes, this is strange and should be alarming. but the truth is that every "sinner" doesn't sin the same and we all know that Juanita has long had a mental challenge that was made worse when her marriage to Bishop Thomas Weeks II was destroyed. 

There is no way that anyone could think that this lady was thinking with a full deck when she changed her name and showed up to her birthday celebration in her wedding gown and with a sword in hand...FYI: Juanita was far gone at that point and all most of her fans wanted to know was when she was going to next preach so that  they could receive some type of prophecy or to help make a conference budget if they were the sponsor. Y'u-know, they wanted to know when Juanita was going to be able to help make one of those $300,000 to $500,000 offering nights. Plain and simple Juanita was and still is a "cash cau" in many places and in many circumstances. 

The Blame Game

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Is "Pagan Christianity" A Distortion Of Truth?

In 2002 authors Frank Viola, and George Barna, undertook to deliver a work called "Pagan Christianity, Exploring The Roots Of Our Church Practices" in which the claim was made that after reading the book one would have "Tough questions. Nagging questions. Even frightening questions." and that what we would be left with would be "disturbing answers" that would lead us to "the richest truths that Christians can discover" (1)

While I can say that they were certainly correct, because after reading just a portion of the book, I am left with some tough questions, nagging questions and even some frightening questions, but not necessarily for reasons that either of them thought or intended that anyone would be left with such questions. 

Needless to say I am frightened at the completely overstated assumptions, special pleading, genetic fallacy and straw men arguments that Frank and George have delivered in order to critique and , in Frank's own words, "deconstruct" the modern church. While he does deliver a great deal of information, his assumptions are flawed and rooted heavily in genetic fallacy. All of this has led us to not only ask the tough questions of ...what the heck were they thinking???.... and the nagging question of,  "why would someone who does not honor or acknowledge the system of the church seek to profit from it, all at the same time trying to destroy it?"...But we ask other frightening questions such as why would authors interlace and mix so much error with truth if the whole point was to help reform the church? Similar to many groups that seek to undermine Christianity, Frank and George are ultimately making the case that post 1st century, Christianity has merely borrowed it's practices from Paganism and is not centered in truth. What is further puzzling is that they make these assertions as opposed to looking further to see the Jewish roots of many modern Christian beliefs and practices. 

A Brief Example:

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CFR Exposed On Word His Way

Listen to internet radio with HisWordHisWay on Blog Talk Radio

Pastor Harvey Burnett will be one in a panel of featured guests on the Word His Way Blogtalk Radio broadcast, hosted by Pastor Saiko Woods on Thursday July 19th 7:30 PM CST.  Click the Blogtalk Radio link above to hear the program right now...

The show will be open to guests and callers, and Dunamis readers are welcomed and encouraged to attend. The call in number is 858.365.5507.

Sounding The Alarm!

The topic is "Churchfolkradio Exposed Pt. 2 ~ The Saga Continues". The discussion will be a followup to a previous  conversation regarding an internet group called Church Folk Revolution, which among other things, in recent days, promoted sex outside of marriage as a viable behavior for believing Christians. 

In fact, speaking in the context of sexual purity, in a broadcast entitled, "Saved, Single, And Having Sex" 6/4/2012, one of their primary and most vocal teachers claimed that God spoke to him saying, 

"You can't pray away what you're supposed to hump away"

This is simply the tip of the iceberg. Pt. 1 of this conversation was conducted by Pastor Tetaun Moffett of Exministries on The Moment Of Truth Internet broadcast. I will post a link to a portion of that conversation when one is available.

Blessed!   

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"Christian" POLITICS

Dr. Gregory Boyd wrote and presented a book called "The Myth Of A Christian Nation". In the 2012 Presidential election we are confronted with a choice between a Mormon and a Ultra-liberal "Christian". I believe that we should review why and how the Kingdom of God is vastly and uniquely different than any political system or political agenda that we face today.

Has God Called Us To Translate Kingdom Ethics Into Public Policy?

What is the relationship between biblical Christianity and political ethics?

In addition, 2012 is a Church Of God In Christ election year. Not only does the Presiding Bishop, Charles E. Blake, face reelection, but from what I have heard, there are approximately 3 General Board seats that are up and nearly 30 candidates vieing for position.

All I want to know is WHERE IS THE AGENDA FROM ANY OF THE GENERAL BOARD CANDIDATES IN FAVOR OF THOSE THAT HAVE BEEN SEXUALLY ABUSED AND MISUSED BY COGIC CLERGY SEXUAL SINS??? WHERE IS THE CALL FOR COGIC REFORM AND RENEWAL? WE'RE CALLING OUT EVERY CANDIDATE ON THE ISSUE.

That is ANOTHER post soon to come!

Question of the day:

HAS Politics And Political Aspirations Destroyed The Church? 

Enjoy Dr. Boyd as he discusses how social and secular political myths have invaded the church and caused us much damage.
Pt. 1
  

Pt. 2


Pt. 3

  

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The Black Boule Say You Only Understand FAILURE!

Those who have read this blog long enough can readily see that while I love the history, I have very little affinity for the social positions of the Black Boule. Y'u-know, the Boule that was entrusted to oversee the affairs of the Black community and make sure that OUR needs were taken care of and addressed in the political and social arena???

OK, so you didn't get that memo...

Well someplace between when the memo was penned and the Black community crumbling under the weight of inept social, political, economic and educational policy (y'u-know the very things that the Boule was to shore Black people up against) SOMEBODY went on the take...Since most of them who were taking were spawn by the church, and since some of the worst social policy and endorsements in history are now emanating from the Black church in particular (and this is NOT the post for the Black church/White church/Jesus church argument please...) we can only conclude that the church itself is probably one of the greatest progenitors of the absolute breakdown of moral and social values that we are experiencing and facing within the Black community today...

How So???

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Bishop C. H. Mason, Pentecostalism, Magic & Divination. A Response To The Critic

Recently an apparent attack was levied against the founder of the Church Of God In Christ, Bishop C.H. Mason, claiming that he had used the art of Black magic and divination as a method to both divine the Saints of God and deliver the message of Pentecostalism to his followers.

Although Pentecostalism and Mason has had their fair share of critics over the years, this particular attack seemed to have been  inspired in part by the book "Black Magic: Religion And The African American Conjuring Tradition" by Yvonne Chireau University Of CA press 2006.

The book builds upon the assertion that post slavery spiritual ethics revolved around  the use of special material objects as a source of power. As stated in the excerpt, (pg. 111) Bishop Mason would illustrate his sermons by pointing out "earthly signs" and "freaks of nature". What is not discussed as much, is that these "illustrations" were used to deliver analogies in order to support a spiritual point. What was also overlooked was the Jesus often did as much using common and natural objects to illustrate spiritual points or make spiritual teachings. I'll discuss that more specifically toward the end of the article.

Clarifying The Confusion 

Now, the author didn't seem to have studied enough for this compilation of information. Though it wasn't short on information or historical research, it was woefully short on responsible delivery and handling of the information. The author misinterprets the setting of African American response to biblical instructions at the turn of the century, and how biblical commands were carried out within the Black community in general. In addition the author incorrectly classifies all meta-spiritual occurrences  as magic, further exacerbating the problem by lumping all classes of these occurrences together as one or a singular type of event; ie: Black Magic. This is an incorrect and, in my opinion, unscholarly approach set on course by a presupposition which leads to an incorrect examination of the causes that inspired and under girds reported spiritual events, miracles and observations. One can't assume that because mysticism occurred among African cultures that their descendants were inclined to the same type and practices of mysticism. This is a stereotype and a boarder-line insult if not an out right insult on all Black people who hold to and value their spirituality and in particularly their relationship to Christ.

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Along Came A Spider ~ Morgan Freeman: "We Invented God"

According to a recent article by the Huffington Post, one of my favorite actors and host of the Science Channel show "Through the Wormhole With Morgan Freeman." recently said this of God:

"Yes [...] Well, here's a scientific question: Has anybody ever seen hard evidence? What we get is theories from our earlier prophets. Now, people who think that God invented us think that the Earth can't be more than 6,000 years old. So I guess it's a question of belief. My belief system doesn't support a creator as such, as we can call God, who created us in His/Her/Its image."

Tell Me It Ain't So Morgan!

Famous for his roles in suspenseful movies such as "7" (which I couldn't stand the ending), "Along Came A Spider" and "Kiss The Girls", which the latter being among some of the all time favorites of my wife, Morgan Freeman seemed to have left all thinking capacities on the silver screen to deliver a complete non-sequiter regarding theistic religious beliefs.  

Hard Evidence???

Throwing a dagger at Christianity that Morgan thinks rules out the existence of God, Freeman makes the claim that first, noone has ever delivered "hard evidence" for God. I would assume that this is the reason that he does not believe in God. The question are, what IS "hard evidence" and what relationship does "hard evidence" have on the evaluation of truth claims or reality?

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