Integrity, Of A Deeper Value Than Activity

I found this on an atheist website. It is more than well worthwhile and certainly thought provoking. Integrity and purity of the believer is essential to the completion of the mission and representation of Christ.  When the Gospel is "used" as a means to an end instead of lived, this is the result. Also, see the ppdate at the end of this post. 

Visit msnbc.com for breaking news, world news, and news about the economy

Secial thanks to my debate friend John Loftus at Debunking Christianity. Even Atheists deserve to know that Christians will live the life they believe in. The church must get its house in order!

What the critic can't understand is that there really is noplace to escape the power and presence of the Lord. Even in tragedy, there is victory in Christ as will be seen.

Blessed!

Update 4/29/2010 9:00PM cst: A person identifying herself as "Annette" responded in the comments section of the atheist website saying that part of this stroy was about her. This is what she said:

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To Publically Pray Or Not To Pray? That Is The Question.

Since 1952, the National Day Of Prayer (NDOP)has been a solid part of the public landscape of religion, Christianity in particular, in the United States. The first Thursday in May all around the country has been generally filled with high expectation and ceremony as the religious faithful call on the name of the Lord and discuss how irreligious ideas and concepts have damaged the nation taking it away from its foundational and biblically centered principles.

As you can see from the video, the prayer has become a complex legal matter. Legal pressures have challenged the celebration and a recent ruling by a federal judge may cause this years celebration to be the last time that public prayer receives the encouragement and endorsement of the Executive and Legislative branches of the federal Government.

Certainly Shirley Dobson, spouse of James Dobson and leader of the National Day of Prayer Task Force, isn't excited about this. Although President Obama, after not attending or seeming too excited about the NDOP in 2009, even refusing to acknowledge the gatherings by proclamations until late in the day, after most ceremonies were completed, has vowed that his White House will fight to maintain the Governmental endorsement of the NDOP.

Biblical Prayer vs. Public Prayer?

Matthew 6:5-7 ~ "5-And when thou prayest, thou shalt not be as the hypocrites [are]: for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and in the corners of the streets, that they may be seen of men. Verily I say unto you, They have their reward. 6-But thou, when thou prayest, enter into thy closet, and when thou hast shut thy door, pray to thy Father which is in secret; and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly. 7-But when ye pray, use not vain repetitions, as the heathen [do]: for they think that they shall be heard for their much speaking. 8-Be not ye therefore like unto them: for your Father knoweth what things ye have need of, before ye ask him.

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"Pray For Me And Leave Me Be!"

The ministry of Joyce Meyer has been filled with controversy for a number of years. Many claim that she is simply bilking the flock of God in a womanly way. After 80 books, national and international television and radio broadcasts, annual conferences and a host of other ministry marketing schemes, she has got to be hailed as one of the most prolific sellers of the gospel of our time. 

Remember this, out of $100 Million raised annually by her organization, only $14 million is spent on humanitarian aid and relief efforts. Although Joyce receives less than .5% of ministry proceeds in salary, the question is raised is the ministry "right sized" in proportion to what it is supposed to do?

The following is an interview recently completed by ABC News's Nightline. Please note the answers to the questions asked and judge biblically whether her expectations are biblically centered. I've enclosed a few excerpts that I thought were interesting:

The Jet 

Q: So if Jesus were here he's have a coorporate jet?

Meyer: He might today, maybe they weren't available then so...y'u-know it's like, why can't you look at the good I'm doin'?"..."She is helpin' so many people, y'u-know, we can, we can just allow her that one luxury, because man, she's worked hard for 32 years, she's helped a lot of people, she's given up her privacy...So, it's like; is there no reward for anybody that's doin' what I'm doin? y'u-know do we only have to just suffer and never have anything so people will be happy?"

The Money

Meyer: You see giving, is a major part of the whole Christian dogma...

Q: But do you believe that is someone gives money to the ministries that more will come back to them?

Meyer: Yes. Absolutely.

Conclusion

Aside from the doctrinal errors of Joyce Meyer, which I haven't discussed here, I would like to pose  additional questions:

• 
  
  Can a ministry be so commercialized until ministry becomes secondary?
• 
  
  Has God called ministry to be commercialized in this sort of fashion?
• 
  
  Should ministers seek to accomplish and do what Joyce Meyer and other mega-ministry preachers are doing? 

Blessed!

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The Myth Of Magnet Morality

“You think of morality as being a really high-level behavior,”...“To be able to apply (a magnetic field) to a specific brain region and change people’s moral judgments is really astonishing.”

~ Dr. Liane Young MIT

First, it is beyond me what lengths the critic of absolute morality and moral values will go to in trying to assert that man can be moral without God. Although that is another issue there is a relationship between that and what I discuss in this article.

Recently there was additional ongoing research about discovering the "role of emotion in moral judgement" seeking to find out if individual moral judgements can be altered by manipulating certain parts of the brain believed responsible for morally deciphering and judging the moral actions of others. The question was can those judgements and ultimately perceptions of morality, be altered by manipulation or causing the brain to function abnormally?

The problem is however, that many (such as atheist and Moral Nihilist [who considers himself to be neither],Walter Sinnott-Armstrong, professor of philosophy at Duke University) interpret the study as research on how morality itself comes to be and suggests that the understanding of how one judges or interprets the morality of others is the same set of functioning and or reasoning whereby we construct and conduct moral actions or develop moral values.

To be clear, there is a big difference between understanding the existence of moral values and understanding how one interprets moral actions and values. Mainstream media and radicals such as Armstrong, have managed to blur the lines (when it's convenient) lumping the two together as if the existence of moral values and the interpretation of moral values and actions are one in the same.  What we will discover is that this is a false assumption, one based more on philosophy rather than science. 

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The Sharpton Challenge

Will Rev. Al Sharpton respond to our challenge and challenge Bishop Charles E. Blake to institute steps in favor of the victims of COGIC clergy sexual abuse?

The enclosed  post and podcast expounds on a radio interview conducted on the April 7th, 2010's edition of 'Keeping It Real' with Rev. Al Sharpton. In this segment discussion centers around an article by Dr. Eddie Glaude Jr. who provocatively states that the black church is dead. He is rebutted by Dr. Eugene Rivers, the Chief Policy Advisor to Bishop Charles E. Blake, Presiding Bishop of the Church Of God In Christ, who claims that Dr. Glaude has not supported his position with evidence to the fact. As a point of agreement however, both men hail Bishop Charles E. Blake as a visionary with global concern for individuals and children, and as a 'voice crying in the wilderness' in favor of President Obama's recently enacted health care reform.

As a call in guest, I take the time to address some reasons as to why I feel that the black church has lost its influence within the community and set forth the notion that the black church has misplaced its sense of value for souls seeking associations, political favors and seeking to profit off of the people instead of minister to the people. I also set forth the notion that the 'little people' who are hurting victims of sexual abuse, have slipped through the cracks of the system as noted at Reportcogicabuse.com . As Bishop Blake is hailed for his humanitarian service, we must also ask why has there been no action within the Church Of God In Christ to institute any resemblence of a victims advocacy program to help the church minister to its own hurting victims of clregy sexual abuse and misconduct? Dr. Rivers claims this area is a "legally complicated issue" and offers his own version of why the church is doing what it is doing and approaching the subject as it has been. See what you think of his apologetic and please chime in with your comments. If you cannot listen to the full 30 minute broadcast below, go to our The Dunamis Word Podcast and download this cast for yourself.  Don't forget to pass it on to a friend also!   

The Challenge: 

Within the Church Of God In Christ Bishop Blake has instituted reforms of educating ministry personell on clergy sexual harassment and misconduct and even clergy sexual abuse, but has not instituted anything to secure or minister to the victims of such abuse and misconduct. I challenge Rev. Sharpton to address Bishop Blake on this issue and ask him to institute an acceptable victims advocacy program that will be sustainable and viable within the Church Of God In Christ. In a followup email I ask that this be addressed by Sharpton to Bishop Blake directly as  Bishop Blake  will be receiving a Keepers Of The Dream Award at the National Action Network National Conference on Thursday April 15th 2010. 

"What time is it? It's Rev. Al Sharpton's Time

The Sharpton Challenge

Podcast Hosting at CyberEars.com

The Dunamis Word Podcast

{The Podcast is approximately 30 minutes and the dialogue between Dr. Rivers and myself is at approximately 13:44 in. If you cannot get the full cast here please go to The Dunamis Word Podcast Page and play the entire broadcast.}

Blessed!

For additional information go to GCMWatch.com. In addition please read Clergy Sexual Sins Pt. 2 on this site for additional information contained within the podcast.

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The New Enlightenment Pt. 7

John 3:19-21 ~ "19-And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil. 20-For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. 21-But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God."

Can I Get A Word From The REAL Gospel Sistahs On This?

Dr. Iyanla Vanzant (pictured below and second from left) a supposed Yoruba Priestess, recently completed what she called the 'Take Back Your Life Mind, Body and Soul Women's retreat' in Chicago, IL. For those who don't remember, Dr. Vanzant gained her claim to fame through my dearest "Teflon Donett" Oprah Winfrey. She was a regular on her show and was one of the first to have a show spun off in her name and supported by Oprah. 

Word is that Dr. Vanzant  and Oprah ran into some production issues as Vanzant is said to have wanted to include people (Barbara Walters) in her production staff which Oprah wasn't trying to hear or allow. Others suggest that Vanzant felt that she couldn't come out with her full message as she wanted to and felt pressured too often by Oprah. It could be a combination of all of the above, but aside from that, Vanzant certainly continues to do what she does...deceive thousands with a false religion and diversionary tactics that draw hearts away from  the truth of the Gospel and who Jesus really is!

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Apostates, Heretics, & False Doctrines II

Apostasy/Heresy Central: "Jesus Was Spoken Into Existence"

What amazes me is the sheer volumes of individuals who can't identify false doctrine. For a babe in Christ I certainly understand this dilemma and am here to hopefully encourage your spiritual growth and add a dimension of discernment to your spiritual walk. The problem is that we are seeing more and more of  individuals who have supposedly been around church, attending bible studies, listening to the preached message for years and who still yet don't know how to identify false doctrine or either just don't care. 

False Teachers And Heretical Teaching

In the following video, I don't know which to be more incensed by; the preacher spouting off what is clearly false doctrine, or the people that are sitting, cheering, praising and seemingly eating up every word? In my opinion, both are in a desperate situation.

Dr. Mark Chironna, who seems to be an open repository of false and non-biblical claims, has done it once again. Listen for yourself as Dr. Chironna claims that Jesus was "spoken into existence" when God said "let there be light" in Genesis 1:11. This is truly unbelievable from anyone calling themselves a Christian. I mean I would expect to hear something like this from a Jehovah's Witness or even a Mormon, but certainly not a Christian. Which makes me wonder, does Mark Chironna claim to be a Christian minister?

(Click the read more tab for the video)

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Clergy Sexual SINS Pt. 2

As Continued From Pt. 1

Often individuals can become desensitized to clergy sexual abuse and the real costs associated with sexual misconduct in general. These cases are often only considered in terms of monetary value and not the real human value and equity that is lost as a result of these incidents. Because things can be covered and "out of sight" is sometimes "out of mind" individuals can get a sense that there are no problems and that everything will simply just work out.

COGIC...Just In Case

The most easy thing to do is believe that incidents like this are confined to the Catholic Church. Quite the contrary is true. The COGIC has experienced sexual abuse and clergy sexual misconduct at what I consider to be an alarming rate over the last 20 years as documented Reportcogicabuse.com. This issue was addressed in the 2009 session of the General Assembly of the Church Of Gon In Christ. The official minutes record the following:

"He (Judge Enoch Perry) reported that in over 100 years, there have been 20-25 processed cases of sexual misconduct. He stated statistically the numbers are significantly small; however, there should not be one case among us. Judge perry reported there has not been one successful lawsuit against the church; cases have either been settled or dismissed. He further stated that Bishop Blake supports the church's zero tolerance policy against sexual misconduct." ~ [2009 COGIC General Assembly Minutes Pg. 2 Para. 2 parenthesis added]  

Later, Presiding Bishop Charles Blake remarks included the following:

"Presiding Bishop Blake thanked Judge Perry for his remarks regarding the church's policy in relationship to sexual misconduct. he pointed out that, on average, the church spends about $800,000 to settle legal matters many of which have to do with accusations of sexual misconduct. (Who made the comment? and that one singe lawsuit has the potential to bankrupt the church.)" ~ [2009 COGIC General Assembly Minutes Pg. 3 Para. 2 as it is in the minutes]

Now it seems to be somewhat of a disconnect. How can a settled lawsuit be unsuccessful when $800,000 on average is paid toward the settlement and legal matters regarding it? According to Perry's numbers,  this would mean that about $16,000,000 to $20,000,000 dollars (almost $200,000 per year over 100 years) have been paid out to adjudicate matters of this kind and this is only from the national church perspective. I believe these numbers don't even begin to tell the real story however, because the fact is that it has been documented that over the last 20 years there have been over 35 visible cases of clergy sexual misconduct and abuse among COGIC clergy. Some of these cases were highly publicized and ended in incarceration.

If we condense even Perry's numbers (which are more than likely understated) into the 20 to 25 year period of time in which we can document publicized cases of abuse and misconduct, that would mean that the church has paid an average of approximately $1,000,000 per year toward the adjudication of sexual misconduct cases. Remember this is $1,000,000 per year of national report and auxillary fund dollars collected and paid to defend and or settle sexual abuse, misuse, harassment, and other sexual misconduct cases.

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Clergy Sexual SINS Pt. 1

I wonder how many ministers are outraged at his?

A series of recent allegations began when a lawsuit was filed claiming that Rev. Lawrence Murphy (who died in 1998) admitted to diocese officials in the 1990s that he molested over 200 boys while working at St. John's School for the Deaf in St. Francis, Wisc., for 25 years from 1950 to 1975. This was after other allegations of sexual abuse had arisen among the priesthood in Germany where 4 Priests and 2 Nuns are said to have been responsible for the physical and sexual abuse of over 300 former students who were children at the time. In fact the Pope admits to having slapped children on occasion but claimed that such practice was common place and not considered abuse by German standards.

Aside from the horrible crimes of physical and sexual sexual abuse perpetrated by these leaders, another crime was committed when, during the 1990's,  after reviewing letters from two Wisconsin bishops rendering the priests former crimes, the administrating Bishop, Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, now Pope Benedict XVI, asked for for a secret church trial and ultimately granted extreme leniency in dealing with the crimes of Murphy.

According to ABC News, the following note is said to have been the reason why then Cardinal Ratzinger granted this leniency to the criminal priest:

"I have just recently suffered another stroke which has left me in a weakened state. I have repented of any of my past transgressions, and have been living peaceably in northern Wisconsin for 24 years. I simply want to live out the time that I have left in the dignity of my priesthood."  ~ Former and the late rev. Lawrence Murphy to Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger. 

There was so much mercy extended that the crimes of this priest (which were revealed during a secret trial) were neither reported, handled, or addressed in any sufficient manner other than shuffling off the priest to another location and keeping quiet.

One Can't Escape The Judgement Of God

Covering crimes and serious negligence has led to the current scandal and seemingly blasphemous chorus from individuals calling for the Pope himself  to step down because of his irresponsible and untrustworthy actions.

Numbers 32:23 ~ "But if ye will not do so, behold, ye have sinned against the LORD: and be sure your sin will find you out."

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The New Enlightenment Pt. 6

The Struggle Of Balancing The Yin and The Yang

Q: Tiger, you’ve been a master of control your entire life, how did things get so out of control?

Woods: Going against your core values, losing sight of it. I quit meditating, I quit being a Buddhist, and my life changed upside down. I felt entitled, which I had never felt before. Consequently, I hurt so many people by my own reckless attitude and behavior.

~ The National Post 

from The Golf Channel

Tiger Woods has made more than a splash of late with the revelation of his multiple adulterous acts and subsequent offer of millions of dollars to his wife, Elin, to stay married instead of leave. Although many debated over whether Elin should have stayed and whether Tiger was serious, he has insistently claimed that his failure was due in part because he had left his "core values" associated with and relating to Buddhism.

Those of eclectic belief systems such as Oprah Winfrey and Eckhart Tolle which I have featured in various articles on this site, hold that all paths lead to the same God and there is really no reason to distinguish the differences between religion and religious thought. For many, all religions have valuable insights, sayings and teachings whereby humankind can be benefited and individuals seeking personal improvements can be benefited.

The More Things Change...

Unknowingly, what many espouse is a modern and revamped  form of Shamanism which is having a serious awakening within the Christian church, the educational arena, personal empowerment gurus and many religious fringe groups claiming to be Christian under the guise of spiritual coaching or spiritual guidance services. I'll do an article specifically on Shamanism and how it effects the modern Christian church in the near future, but I don't believe that there is anything more dangerous than the trend that has emerged and been given endorsement and credibility among biblically illiterate and non-discerning Christians. What we face is a total redefinition of the Christian faith whereby the word is interpreted in the light of personal experience and not on the basis of it's context and command.

The Religion Of Star Appeal

It should be of no surprise to the church that the differences between Christianity and Buddhism have never been blurred as thoroughly as it has been within this "pop" generation culture. However upon careful examination we can see a vast and distinguishable difference that cannot be reconciled.

The differences are especially revealing in some of Tiger Woods' statements pertaining to why he felt he failed and fell into adultery in his marriage. His statements show the true nature of Buddhism and why, as a religion, it is wholly incompatible with Christianity and (although this is a free country) not a belief system that a true believer in a biblical paradigm or worldview could ever encourage or endorse as being helpful to the spiritual and emotional well being of individuals.

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Presidential Executive Order On Abortion In Health Care Bill

It's the last hour. By Monday March 22nd, we may have a national health care law in place. Once such problem that has been raised is the problem of tax dollar funded abortions. In my opinion this is a sad issue as Planned parenthood already receives tax dollars in funding their abortion services. Nevertheless, courtesy of CNN, here is the Executive Order supposedly barring abortions from being a part of any public health care plan:

Executive Order

"Ensuring enforcement and implementation of abortion restrictions in the patient protection and affordable care act

By the authority vested in me as President by the Constitution and the laws of the United States of America, including the “Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act” (approved March ­­__, 2010), I hereby order as follows:

Section 1. Policy.

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Pimps Say, "Even God Needs A Lender!"

The global financial recession has had it's impact on every economy around the world. There is probably no developed country that has escaped the impact of sinking monetary values, market instability and just abysmal returns on equity. One would not readily relate an earthquake to a financial recession, but as Pat Robertson relates the Haitian earthquake to an agreement to buy freedom at almost any cost over 200 years ago, we have other "Profits" that are also offering their strange, weird and ongoing, "greasy-spoon" interpretations and revelations of what God did (which is a false assumption) and why he's doing it.  

When God Needs A Lender

In financial circles it is often said that the ability to lend and borrow is the lifeblood of businesses and the economy in general. According to Pastor Steve Munsey, (a regular on TBN) God is in the same boat and borrowing and lending is the method that God will use and has planned to jump-start the economy. 

It begins like this, as a guest on 'Creating Your World' with Profit Mark Chironna, (who is said to charge $125 per half hour for life coaching) [I wonder how much does he charge to pastor???] Pastor Munsey introduced his book that he called "7 Blessings To Passover" (just in time for Easter) which is a new revelation that Pastor Munsey personally promises will change situations in your life the day after Passover.

Real quickly all it takes is for those planning to celebrate Passover, to "believe God" on the day after Passover. In fact if you follow the directions that Pastor Munsey lays out, you can expect at least 7 supernatural blessings. The video below outlines them but I'll outline them here as follows:

1- An Angel will be dispatched on your behalf

2- God will be an enemy to your enemies

3- Spirit of prosperity present

4- Sickness taken away from you

5-Long life

6-Increase and inheritance in your life

7- Special year of blessing

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Have You Been A Victim Of CSM?

"If this was any other man, I would have known it was not right,...

But church is supposed to be a sanctuary. I couldn't make sense of what was happening.

He broke my connection to all that is holy. What hurts me the most is that this wasn't just physical rape, it was spiritual rape."

~Carolyn, survivor of Clergy Sexual Misconduct 

Clergy Sexual Misconduct

According to a 2009 study spearheaded by Baylor University more than 3 % of adult women who attend religious services at least once a month have been the victims of clergy sexual misconduct since turning age 18. Placing the numbers in perspective, it is reported that the average U.S. congregation size is about 400 adult members. This averages out that within the average congregation that there are about  7 women who have been victimized at some point in their adult lives. 92% of the solicitations or advances for sex were done in secret and 67% of the offenders (church leaders) were married. 

The Abuse Of Position & Power

"When a religious leader has a sexual relationship with a congregant, it's not an affair,...It's abuse of power-the power that we give to our religious leader as a community. It must be addressed in that context."

This unprecedented study was done under the direction of  Dr. Diana Garland, dean of Baylor University's School of Social Work, and continues to rock the religious community.

"Because many people are familiar with some of the high-profile cases of sexual misconduct, most people assume that it is just a matter of a few charismatic leaders preying on vulnerable followers...What the research tells us, however, is that clergy sexual misconduct with adults is a widespread problem in congregations of all sizes and occurs across denominations. Now that we have a better understanding of the problem, we can start looking at prevention strategies...We examined this problem to help the church take leadership in responding; the church needs to be the church,...Clergy sexual misconduct tears a church apart, and we must address it."

In effort to bring attention and solid solutions to this problem within the church Baylor University has also launched a Clergy Sexual Misconduct Awareness & Prevention Web Site. They have also introduced a sample code of ethics for congregational leaders as follows:

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Does Atheism Contribute To Alzheimers & Bad Health?

John 10:10 ~ "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have [it] more abundantly

A recent recent study has shown that having a greater purpose in life can stave off alzheimers disease. So says Dr. Patricia Boyle of Rush University Medical Ctr. in Chicago, IL March issue of the journal 'Archives of General Psychiatry'. On Chicago's WVON AM 1690's, The Santita Jackon show, Dr. Boyle reported that people with purpose live longer and healthier lives. According to ABC News the panel of Doctors and Scientists delivered the following:

"The tendency to derive meaning from life's experiences and to possess a sense of intentionality and goal directedness are associated with a substantially reduced risk of Alzheimer's disease and a less rapid rate of cognitive decline in older age,"

Researchers in Chicago measured purpose of life of 951 older people who did not have dementia over an average of four years. People who scored in the top 10 per cent on the purpose of life measure were found to be approximately 2.4 times less likely to develop Alzheimers disease than those in the bottom 10 per cent.

Greater purpose in life was associated with a 52 percent reduced risk of Alzheimers, and those with a high score on the purpose-in-life measurement were 2.4 times more likely to remain disease-free than low-scorers. There was a 30% reduction in the risk of heart attack, among them with purpose and a 1.5% increased likelihood of remaining heart attack free as compared to those who scored low on the purpose of life scores. The panel defined purpose as follows:

a "psychological tendency to derive meaning from life's experiences and to possess a sense of intentionality and goal directedness that guides behavior"

Similarly, those who developed mild cognitive impairment (MCI) were older and reported lower purpose in life scores than those who were not impaired. They also had a higher number of depressive symptoms. They found that people who agreed with statements such as, "I feel good when I think of what I have done in the past and what I hope to do in the future" and "I have a sense of direction and purpose in life" were less likely to develop the disease than those who did not agree.

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The Lie: Abstinence Education Doesn't Work.

A Budgetarily Funded Lie

As continued from "Planned Parenthood Helps Teen Birthrate Decline. What???" , part of what Planned Parenthood had to say about the President Obama's 2010 FY budget is that it doesn't go far enough in helping them to help us, but it does eliminate those dreaded ineffective abstinence only programs:

“President Obama’s budget makes clear that the government won’t waste federal dollars on programs that don’t reduce the number of teen pregnancies or keep teens healthy and safe. We applaud the president for rejecting failed abstinence-only programs that have cost our government more than $1 billion and, instead, investing in evidence-based sex ed programs that have proven to help prevent teen pregnancy,” ~ PPFA President Cecile Richards. (1)

Cut To The Heart Of The Matter

Let's define what is actually being said here. Evidence-based interventions (EBIs) is a practice in which the efficacy of interventions is demonstrated "supposedly" by a credible body of scientific work. This has proven effective in helping a child learn math, or reading, or even how to modify behavior. However, the world of evidence based psychology or science is also the backbone for evidence based sexual education strategies. Right off, one might think this is a good thing. There are significant problems however that we should be made aware of right off the bat.

Problem With This Approach

Experts agree that there are generally 4 inhibitors to this type of approach the third of which specifically deals with what I feel is a growing and glaring problem with President Obama's agenda and organizations such as Planned Parenthood's support of evidence based sexual education programs:

1.More and more educators and groups are reviewing research with the intent of establishing an evidence base for their work. Although there is some overlap in the coding criteria in use, the diversity of efforts has created challenges for consumers.

2.Integrating EBIs into practice is not always well tailored to the realities practitioners face-for example, administrative and practical barriers that are not present in research settings.

3.When designing, implementing, and evaluating their own interventions, some psychologists may be more influenced by clinical judgment than by research supporting EBIs.

4.Many psychologists-both trainers and practitioners-lack the training to implement EBIs in their school practice. Teachers are also often involved in implementing interventions in schools, further increasing the complexity of adopting EBIs and meeting training needs. (2)

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Planned Parenthood Helps Teen Birthrate Decline. What???

This video is a look back at what then Candidate Obama said at a Planned Parenthood gathering. The title of this article says it all. At about 14:40 into this speech, Planned Parenthood was accredited by this President as being one organization that has helped the teen birthrate decline...I guess this is in part by providing a significant portion of the over 1450 abortions PER DAY within the black community and nearly 50 Million abortions since Roe v.Wade in 1973.



I had to restate another favorite and unbelievable part of this speech.

"So you know where I stand. But this is more than just about standing our ground. It must be about more than just protecting the gains of the past. We're at a crossroads right now in America., and we have to move this country forward, this election is not just about playing defense, it's also about playing offense, it's not just about defending what is, it's about creating what might be in this country. That's what we've gotta work together on. There will always be people, many of good will, who do not share my view on the issue of choice. On this fundamental issue, I will not yield and Planned parenthood will not yield , but that doesn't mean that we can't find common ground. Because we know that what's at stake is more than whether or not a woman can choose an abortion, Choice is about how we lead our lives. It's about our families, our communities, it's about our daughters and whether they will have the same opportunities as our sons. There are those who want us to believe otherwise. They want us to believe that there's nothing that unites us as Americans, there's only what divides us. They'll seek out the narrowest and most divisive ground. That is the strategy to always argue small instead of looking at the big picture. They will stand in the way of any attempt to find common ground, at a time when the real war is being fought abroad, they would have us fight culture wars here at home"...~ Candidate Barack Obama 7/17/07 Planned Parenthood Action Forum

OK, if no one will yield, then what type of common ground can there be or is there? In other words, YOU will have to change from your "narrow" arguments IF you want things to be different because "we" won't change from ours.

In the speech, Candidate Obama also referenced the estimated 10,000 American teenagers get an STD everyday. 55 of which contract HIV and 2400 becoming pregnant.  He was hot that America supposedly spends 1.5 billion in schools to teach abstinence but fail to teach basic science and basic contraception. He says that it's a "false argument" to teach that the only way to prevent disease and unwanted pregnancy is abstinence education, and just as equally false to teach that the only way to prevent this is through contraception...he says it's not either or...it's both and.

This was the past. In my next post we'll discover what has recently happened and what these playa's have to say about it...and I do mean playa's..Pimpin' America for all that it's worth...unfortunately to the Chinese, it's not worth too much right about now. 

Blessed!

Update 10/11/2012

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Just In Case You Didn't Believe That There Is A Gay Agenda

In the comments section of Does the Bible Deal With Sexual Orientation? A black, homosexual, humanist/atheist who delivers the blog AUSFHART (which is the German word for exit) delivered the following commentary:

"The job of the gay community is not to deal with extremists( the black church) who would castigate us or put us on an island and drop an H-bomb on us. The fact of the matter is that there is a small percentage of people in America who understand the true nature of the homosexual community. There is another small percentage who will never understand us ( like Supt. Burnett who believes in a Bible that deems him a descendant of Ham: a slave).

Our job is not to get those people who dislike us to love us. Nor was our aim in the civil rights movement to get prejudiced white people to love us. Our aim was to try to create the kind of America, legislatively, morally, and psychologically, such that even though some whites continued to hate us, they could not openly manifest that hate. That's our job today: to control the extent to which people can publicly manifest anti-gay sentiment.

Therefore, you Negros can pontificate till judgement day, but this Black, gay man will lobby, vote, influence, and agitate for equality. Hey, you hetero Negros cannot make marriage work( marriage rate has plummeted from 70% to 30% currently) so let us Black gays set the example for education achievement, wealth building, family dynamics, child rearing, marriage bliss, love, sex, and overall successful living. You know I'm telling the truth!" ~ February 28, 2010 9:29 AM

Are We At A Loss? What Are We To Say?

I would guess that comments like this would make those cower who really didn't know the truth and chose to live in ignorance. Even children today watching advertisements and the parading of gay individuals, can easily see that gays have an agenda and that agenda is not only for equality, as AUSFHART suggests, but it is about domination, and suppression of anything that doesn't include it, honor it, or make room for it. If it were not for the fact that we've known for a number of years that the gay agenda is what it is, ie: an agenda, I guess we would be caught off guard with sentiments such as these. So in short we are not at a loss for words, neither are we surprised by radical homosexuals such as this. Let's discuss a few aspects of this confusion 

The Analysis Of AUSFAHRT's Statements & Assertions

1- Proponents Of The Homosexual Agenda Commonly Promote Religious & Class Discrimination

AUSFAHRT starts off by saying what the "job of the gay community" is not, and then goes on to deliver the biggest "straw-man", "red herring" and down right lie ever told in history. He states that

1- The "black church" is religious extremists (not full of them, we ARE them)

2- That church exists to castigate homosexuals and or drop h-bomb on all of them if possible.

First, I have not read any literature where any church, black or white (by tradition) has said anything close to what AUSFAHRT asserts. What this is called is sensationalism and extremism. The comment has no bearing in truth and is not supported by any evidence whatsoever, but yet he calls the "black church" extremists. Further, the comment is a complete lie designed to stereotype, castigate, humiliate and demonize anyone in the "black church" who stands against homosexuality and in favor of the traditional family (ie: marriage between one man and one woman) as outlined and endorsed in the word of God.

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Some People Get Tired Of "Light Bread"

The Exodus

Exodus 16:13-16 ~ "13-And it came to pass, that at even the quails came up, and covered the camp: and in the morning the dew lay round about the host. 14-And when the dew that lay was gone up, behold, upon the face of the wilderness [there lay] a small round thing, [as] small as the hoar frost on the ground. 15-And when the children of Israel saw [it], they said one to another, It [is] manna: for they wist not what it [was]. And Moses said unto them, This [is] the bread which the LORD hath given you to eat."

Two and a half months after being set free from the bonds of slavery abuse and misuse, Israel came to the wilderness of Sin. That parallel of language is telling because it was in Sin that the complaint was made:

Exodus 16:3 ~ "And the children of Israel said unto them, Would to God we had died by the hand of the LORD in the land of Egypt, when we sat by the flesh pots, [and] when we did eat bread to the full; for ye have brought us forth into this wilderness, to kill this whole assembly with hunger."

In Sin not only was the leadership of Israel tried, but also the patience of God was put to the test. Here in just over 2 months the people had forgotten about their sons being made slaves, their daughters being raped and abused and their seniors being disrespected, not to mention their hopes and dreams being destroyed. So, strangely it seems, that they clamoured for the old setting and way things used to be in order to suit their needs.

In spite of it all, God by his mercy and compassion fed the people daily. He prepared a little white wafer that sat upon the ground after the dew rose. Noone knew what it was so they called it "Manna" meaning "what it is" ie: it is what it is. So what they received was sustenance for them and obviously had the ability to nurture their complete physical being. The problem is that even after being fed by the hand of God himself, the people lost interest and wanted variety. They wanted something other than what God was giving them. The late Bishop G.E. Patterson preached a message on this subject some years ago, and in that message he said that the people got tired of eating "light bread" and demanded that the Lord feed them something else. In other words even though God was feeding the people and meeting their needs in the wilderness, their appetite was greater than the manna that they were receiving from the Lord.

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Are Your Children Safe At The Doctor?

One would never think in a million years that aside from potential germs, that the Dr's office could be an unsafe place, and that medical professionals entrusted with the most intimate details of our physical bodies would perpetrate terror upon children.

Then we enter the world of Dr. Earl Bradley who received a 160 page indictment on 471 counts of sexual crimes against 103 children some as young as 3 months old...3 MONTHS OLD! He is currently being held on $2.9 Million cash bond. This is one of the most tragic events I have ever seen. Aol News reports the following:

"Charges against Bradley include first-degree and second-degree rape, first-degree unlawful sexual contact, first-degree reckless endangerment, second-degree assault, sexual exploitation of a child and continuing sexual abuse of a child. "These were crimes committed against the most vulnerable among us -- those without voices," Biden said. The crimes were "committed by someone with whom an entire community and parents had placed their trust." Bradley was initially arrested on 33 felony charges, including rape and sexual exploitation of a child. That arrest came on Dec. 16 after a 2-year-old girl told her mother that Bradley had taken her into a basement room of his office and hurt her. A search warrant executed on Bradley's medical practice and home resulted in the discovery of more than 13 hours of video recordings depicting multiple incidents of child sexual abuse, authorities said. It remains unclear how many of the alleged victims in the recordings have been identified. The number of alleged victims has significantly increased throughout the course of the investigation, prosecutors said. They said they expect to add more counts to the already lengthy indictment."

The Biden in the story is the son of Vice President Joe Biden, Attorney General Beau Biden.  Mr. Biden stated that reports on this molester go back as far as 2005. CNN reports that this may even go back as far as 10 years. It is also reported that everyone has joined in the effort to make sure that Dr. Bradley never practices or sees the light of day again. The Delaware Board of Medical Practice revoked Bradley's medical license at a public hearing last week. and reportedly stated the following:

"The order entered by the board today furthers its mission of protecting the public," board President Raymond L. Moore Sr. told NewarkPostOnline.com. "Our actions to date reflect the seriousness of the charges and of the impact on the victims. We are imposing the most severe sanction available under our statute by permanently revoking the medical license of Earl Bradley, M.D."

There are plenty of questions about all of this such as how did the Dr. get alone time with the children?

Where were the other professionals in this practice? Did they notice anything strange over the years?

Why did it take the court so long to move and respond off of supposedly credible complaints over the years?

In short, it was the video evidence that is the most damaging. Hours of videos of children being abused. What a tragedy. Parents hold on to your babies. I know I will.

Blessed!

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Was Paul A "Sinner" For Christ?

The Sinful Paul Thesis

Romans 7: 23-25 ~ "23-But I see another law in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of sin which is in my members. 24-O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver me from the body of this death? 25-I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord. So then with the mind I myself serve the law of God; but with the flesh the law of sin."

In the comments of the post Does The Bible Deal With Sexual Orientation? I was amazed to find that some Christians view Apostle Paul as a person struggling with sin within his personal Christian life to the extent that he was overwhelmed by it within his own Christian walk. This view is held by some who interpret certain verses of Romans 7 to be Paul's confessional and personal declaration of his own depravity.  One thing to note, is that many who hold to that interpretation superimpose their life and struggle with sin on top of Paul's words in order to create a sinful Paul from his very own words in effort to make sense of their personal struggles. I call this the "Sinful Paul Thesis".

Assumptions such as these presuppose that Paul was "like us" in what he had been exposed to in life and that his sinful inclinations, propensities, and social conditions were similar to ours. The problem with this is that in order to make Paul like us, we have to strip him of his moral base. The life of a first century Jew was dramatically and drastically different than ours in 21st century Western America. Paul being a pious and zealous Jew was steeped in scriptural teachings and Jewish traditions which he readily admits. This by itself does not exempt Paul in any way from sin and that's certainly not the claim that we make, but it does set the backdrop of understanding that Paul would not have readily been a willing participant in issues that he knew were sin especially on an ongoing basis. Paul was familiar with certain disciplines that kept him from certain types of sins and sin in general. He introduces concepts of fasting prayer, meditation, supplication and immersion in the word of God in effort to give believers the strength to overcome personal struggles and to help edify the church and all believers in general. To take spiritual disciplines in Christ away from Paul is to miss his complete message as it pertains to overcoming sin through Christ and as it pertains to his understanding and explanation of what Christ actually did on the cross.  

So at best individuals claiming that Paul was somehow a closet sinner do the gospel a disservice by actually taking Paul out of the context in which he existed, stripping him of his value set, and recreating a Paul who affirms and suits 21st Century struggles and failures. Further they create a message of Christ that is powerless to effect the practice of sin in the flesh. As we can see not only is this a bad way to read the bible it will never allow one to come to an accurate understanding of what's being communicated and it has some far reaching impacts.

The Impact Of A Sinful Paul

The fact is that Paul certainly sinned. That is not in question. However, for one to suggest that the overarching premise of Paul's life was sinful, is not only an perversion of scripture, it is a totally absurd and unsupportable view. This is the focus of what we are discovering in this post. 

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Does The Bible Deal With Sexual Orientation?

Or at least so says Rev. Dr. Martha Simmons, Creator and Director of The African American Lectionary. During a Feb. 18th 2010 interview with Santita Jackson on Chicago's WVON 1690 She appeared along with Dr. Brenda Wade who we will feature in another article. Dr. Simmons stated that not only does the bible not address the issue of sexual orientation, but the word which many people claim that was used to address this issue  (Gk: arsenokoites)  was a word of unknown origin and meaning and was allowed to creep in later translations of the bible. She stated that this word was defined by scholars as 1- sexual behavior or 2- sexual orientation. She says that most biblical translations only refer to homosexual sexual behavior not homosexual orientation.   

Here is the verse in question.

1 Cor. 6:9~ "Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind,"

Ἢ οὐκ οἴδατε ὅτι ἄδικοι θεοῦ βασιλείαν οὐ κληρονομήσουσιν; μὴ πλανᾶσθε· οὔτε πόρνοι οὔτε εἰδωλολάτραι οὔτε μοιχοὶ οὔτε μαλακοὶ οὔτε ἀρσενοκοῖται (arsenokoites)

Dr. Simmons also stated that the Gk word paiderfastis would have been used by Paul to point out homosexual orientation in the verse. She also says that the bible is ambiguous or does not address  how atoms split or when slavery should have ended,  but it does lay down the greater principle of how we should live and that is rooted and grounded in love. 

What Do We Make Of Dr. Simmons' Assertions?

Aside from the fact that Dr. Simmons got a "whole bunch" of things wrong in just a short and limited period of time, she leapt into a pool of erroneous and irresponsible doctrine.

First, we have done an article on The Dunamis Word 2, Homosexuality & The New Testament, addressing this specific use of the word arsenokoites, and how the word was derived and why Paul used that word rather than paiderfastis.

In that article we clearly state that although paiderfastis was used to describe homosexual behavior, it was the word used to describe men who had sex with young and fair skinned boys. In other words the use was limited to refer to same gender sexual relationships between men and boys. In actuality Paul's words were not limited to pederasts or those who's object of sex was young fair-skinned boys or females. Within the scripture arsenokoites opened up and broadened the meaning and spoke more completely toward men and women who had same gender sexual relationships. Therefore, the use of arsenokoites was used to imply a much more broad category of same gender sexual relationships covering adult to adult and adult to child relationships. 

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