Sadam Should Be Swinging Soon

Sadam Hussein has been sentenced to death but in a predictable wave of protest, Cardinal Renato Martino, head of the Vatican's Council for Justice and Peace, said “carrying out the death sentence would be an unjustifiably vindictive action.”

The Cardinal and many other good Catholics who have been parroting the same nonsense need to do a review of the Scriptures and make their decisions on the basis of what sayeth the Lord.

Nothing I have read to date has been grounded in biblical theology but church tradition, or personal opinion.

The sentence of death was implemented by God for three reasons primarily. 1.Was to serve as a warning to other would-be murders that they would pay the ultimate price for a capital crime. 2. Deterrence though was not the bottom line. The higher goal was to remove the evil from the community such that the quality of life of the innocent was improved. This was and is to be the focal point of any penal system. Under such a rubric even the extreme penalty of execution is not seen as barbaric but in fact, merciful.

3. It was to demonstrate that the human being is unique in all of creation and to murder another human being who was the image bearer of the Creator was to offend that Creator. In removing the murderer by taking his life, showed the value of the human race at large.

Sadam Hussein was a mass murderer executing hundreds of thousands of men, women and children simply because he could. No clearer case of the warrant for the ultimate punishment exists in recent history.

It is disturbing that the Catholic Church is missing the point on this issue. It is disturbing because it shows an utter ignorance of Biblical theology or an utter disregard of the same.

“When the sentence for a crime is not quickly carried out, the hearts of the people are filled with schemes to do wrong.” Eccles. 8:11

The Justice system of Iraq has determined Sadam should be executed within *30 days. The only consideration that should preclude his execution is if his remaining alive will somehow serve in bringing to justice other war criminals. Otherwise, let him dangle.

(In fact, he may have already been hanged.)

A New Year With More Of the Same Old Stuff

A Commack New York bus driver was ordered to remove his Santa Hat when supposedly child complained to his parent. Kenneth Mott has been wearing his Santa hat since he started driving for the bus company five years ago. Now all of a sudden it’s a problem.

Mott just finished his route when supervisors called him in and told him that a parent complained stating that the child doesn’t believe in Santa Claus and was bothered by the hat. They demanded he remove the hat. At first Mott thought it was a joke. It wasn’t and Mott resolved to keep his hat on the top of his head.

Mott said he doesn’t pretend to be Santa Claus while he’s driving the bus and doesn’t play music or decorate. “This is America. I’m not hurting anybody.”

For some reason, which is not clear from the report, the bus company changed their minds.

The whole incident was attributed to a “misunderstanding, which is code for, “We knew we were on thin legal ice and wanted to get back to safe ground.”

When the report first came out and it was not settled yet, one commentator said that it is the right of every American now to be offended if something bothers us. He misstates the problem. It is only every American’s right to be offended if something bothers him unless that which bothers him is perverse.

Can you imagine a bus company telling a transgendered man that he cannot dress like a woman because it bothers the children on the bus? Not only would you never see that, but the lawsuits would be fast and furious if a company dared to try such a thing.

But let a perfectly innocent, upstanding citizen with a big white beard put on a red and white hat, and watch the firestorm because it bothers someone.

On this first day of the New Year—people of faith—I hope and pray that you are ready for more perversion, more absurdity, more injustice, and more discrimination against people of faith than ever before. It is the time in which we are living and we will either honor the One we serve by unswerving faithfulness or we will accommodate our culture lest we appear narrow and hateful. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news but that’s the way it is. And Happy New Year by the way.

On the Brink Of Another New Year

Is it really possible that in two days and some change, we will be writing “2007” on our checks? Wasn’t it just a couple months ago that the world was freaking out over something called Y2K, or the Millennium Bug or some such thing. It seems so to me. If I’m not mistaken, I may still have some jugs of water in my basement ready for the cataclysm when we wouldn’t have drinking water because of the small over sight in the chips of computers.

Wasn’t the world going to come to an end then, wasn’t the Lord supposed to return then? It seems pretty foolish now; now, 7 years after the fact. But that’s my point today as we stand on the brink of another year. Things that happened 7 years ago and took up a bunch of emotional energy and in some cases, financial resources proved to be a big poof of flour in the air; no substance and yet didn’t it eat our lunches for many months?

So what is eating you today that looms so big and catastrophic yet 7 years from now may hardly be remembered? Are you getting my point?

“Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?” Matthew 6:27 Jesus asked.

“You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trusts in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.” Wrote Isaiah.

Paul wrote, “Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.” Philip. 4:6-7

If we could view the coming year from the vantage point of already being 7 years down the road beyond it, don’t you think this coming year would be easier to take? Well, that’s precisely the Lord’s vantage point on our lives.

David wrote:
“My help comes from the LORD,
Who made heaven and earth.
He will not allow your foot to slip;
He who keeps you will not slumber.
Behold, He who keeps Israel
Will neither slumber nor sleep.”
Psalm 121:2-4

Do yourself a HUGE favor this coming year—find yourself a Bible believing church that will care for your spiritual and personal welfare. And if you’re in our area, Faith is committed to doing just that. God is waiting.

Is Your Pastor Preaching the TRUTH?

In a recent meeting with religious leaders from our community, one of the men was lamenting the fact that many pastors are not doing their jobs of warning the people to flee from sins. They fear offending their flock lest they scatter.

The Word of the Lord has some strong things to say, in principle, about such a matter. The prophet Ezekiel says, “If I bring a sword upon a land, and the people of the land take one man from among them and make him their watchman; and he sees the sword coming and he warns the people, then he who hears the sound of the trumpet and does not take warning, and a sword comes and takes him away, his blood will be on his own head… 'But if the watchman sees the sword coming and does not warn the people, and a sword comes and takes a person from them…his blood I will require from the watchman's hand.’” Ezekiel 33:2-6

If it is fair to equate pastors with the OT concept of the watchman, the principle is clear. When a pastor shies away from the truth and the people sin as a result of his failing to warn them, that pastor will bear responsibility for the people’s sins. In the scope of eternity I’m not sure what that means exactly but it doesn’t sound good.

Honestly, this is a huge problem in today’s world of convenient tolerance where the Word of God has been pastorally, reinterpreted, twisted and turned to fit the cultural milieu of their church. In small churches, the threat of saying something that offends can have big repercussions on the budget which means big repercussions on the pastor’s salary.

Do you encourage your pastor to speak the truth? Our church has grown from a small church of 35 people to the church it is today with about 1000 people regularly involved. That happened in part—a big part I am convinced--because I have preached God’s word without fear of who I might offend--except the Lord God Himself. If people are going to bail because of the truth—so be it.

The church’s mission is not making people feel good. It is proclaiming what is true, good and right, not according to the loudest to squawk but according to the Word of the Lord. Then the rest is up to Him.

Santa Just Can't Win!

Tis the season for the Grinches to emerge in full force which at times, grows comical. Here’s the latest holiday absurdity which comes to us from Warwick, New York.

Sandorville Elementary School has had a “Breakfast With Santa” fundraiser for some time but apparently one theologically challenged parent “wrote a letter to the school board asserting that Santa represents Christmas -- a Christian holiday -- and by law, a public school is not allowed to promote religion.” The parent claimed the intended program would “illegally spotlight a religious figure: Santa Claus.”

That parent, who did not wish to have her name used, suggested Frosty the Snowman as an alternative icon.

Now let’s try something these types are incapable of doing; let’s try a reasoned approach.
Santa Claus has been excommunicated from many Bible believing churches precisely because he IS a secular figure. This nameless faceless cowardly ignoramus who brought the complaint betrays their narrow and ignorant mindedness. Frosty the Snowman is as much a symbol of Christmas as Santa so while this moronic parent would be satisfied with Frosty replacing Santa, the next parent may not be. Think I’m crazy? It was just a couple years ago that a New England school banned the colors red and green from school because they were colors associated with Christmas!

Well, you can guess the rest. School superintendent Frank Greenhall contacted an attorney, who advised him in a letter that the district "should, at a minimum, modify the events to avoid potential litigation." Note the attorney didn’t advise that the school was in violation of any law; he simply said--paraphrasing loosely--“Anyone can sue at any time for anything and though it is without legal merit, it will cost us big bucks to defend.” The school caved and changed the name to the Winter Holiday Breakfast. This is another victory for idiots who rule the land.

I do understand the financial stress schools are under and they can’t even risk a lawsuit so the buckle to this tyranny. So I’m waiting to see some wealthy person step forward to bankroll an all out defense of this nonsense and go for the jugular with a counter suit for damages, courts costs, legal expenses, the works. That is the only thing that will stop these kind of suits down the road.

Mass. High School No Longer Publishing Honor Roll

A story out of our neighboring state to the south finds Paul Richards—Principal of Needham High School bring a halt to the publication of the names of honor roll attainees in the local newspaper.

“Richards said a key reason for stopping the practice is its contribution to students' stress level in ‘This high expectations-high-achievement culture.’"

Mind you, according to this “expert” in child development the stress in children’s lives today is NOT because they are brainwashed incessantly that to be normal and healthy they have to be dressing 5-8 years beyond their age, must weigh less than moth, must have the latest and greatest video game, must have their own cell phone and of course their own sexual experience with the male or female of their choice.

The stress in these kid’s lives today is NOT because either they, or a best friend of theirs has only one parent with whom they can live at any given time. The stress in these kid’s lives is NOT because they suffer from a deficiency in reliable and honor-worthy adults in their lives, and that they have nothing worthwhile to live for. No, the stress in their lives is due to our “high expectations—high achievement culture.”

Richards said publishing of the honor roll represented "an unhealthy focus on grades."

Now mind you this is coming from one who has been raised up in the genetic make up of the National Education Association whose two main reasons for existing it seems is to support godless causes with extorted funds from unwilling teachers, and to insure job security no matter how ill equipped, and uneducated the teacher is in their subject matter.

In other words, competent performance is a scurrilous concept. No wonder Richards doesn’t want to focus on the students’ ability to master subject matter; that would place the student above the typical teacher.

Principal Richards needs to be horse whipped if only to improve my self-esteem if not his. There is nothing wrong with healthy competition and healthy recognition for a job well done.

If someone else succeeding makes another feel jealous or inadequate, they have a choice to respond by working harder or they can claim victimization by an unjust system. We are seeing too clearly the consequence of the victim culture and this plays right into it.

Enough already!

How About "People for the Ethical Treatment of Humans?"

On my drive down to Boston to see my daughter’s family, I was listening to the Howie Carr Show. His guest on the show this day was a representative from PETA—People For the Ethical Treatment of Animals.

Being the season for devouring thousands of turkeys, this person was advocating for a wonderful—animal free—holiday meal. The interview was focused on the treatment of turkeys as they are being raised for slaughter. The PETA representative displayed tremendous patience with the listening audience of the show which tends to be a tad right of center.

Some of what the PETA official stated made good sense but most was outright balderdash and his arguments were punctuated with appeals to some kind of generic morality, the origins of which seemed to stem from his own conscience.

As I listened though, I was taken back to a brief encounter I had in Chicago with a group of PETA protestors picketing a downtown furrier. As we chatted, a horse drawn carriage passed by with tourists and the protestor used the opportunity to explain to me how that horse was being treated cruelly and had every right to be treated as a person. I wanted to laugh at this lunacy but I restrained myself and decided on another tact.

I asked, “What do you think of abortion?” The response was moronic. “Oh, I don’t get in to that stuff.” I said wait a minute, you’re concerned about the rights of a horse; what about a little baby? That horse has more protections than a human! He said again with brilliance, “Uh, well, I really don’t get into that stuff man.”

I chided him for his vacuous position and left before I lost it. That was about 20 years ago.

Last week an 18 year old woman went to a Miami abortion clinic to obtain an abortion and before the abortionist got to her, she delivered a baby girl. The baby was placed in a plastic bag and tossed on the roof of the clinic. Imagine if that were done to a kitten…

Last week, the U.S. House of Representatives failed to pass the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act the gist of which if it pertained to animals, would be mandatory I am certain.

Where’s People for the Ethical Treatment of Humans when you need them?

The Church is NOT a Relief Organization

A move being touted as an exemplary model of “Christian unity” is troublesome to say the least.
The Virginia union called “LARC” which stands for Lutheran—Anglican—Roman Catholic has been changed to LARCUM with the addition of the United Methodist Church to make a four denomination cooperative so to speak. Of course the world of “secular religion” loves this sort of thing.
The report goes on to say, “Although the denominations differ on modern issues — such as homosexuality — Bishop Charlene Kammerer, of the United Methodist Church, says places where the denominations agree offer the chance for cooperation.”
Rev. James Parke, with the LARCUM planning committee said, "It takes people that are willing to move out of their own little churches and see the need to work together."
But, work together to do WHAT? It sounds wonderful to the secular mind but the differing views on certain “Biblical” issues--they’re not merely “social” issues—shows that there are vital differences in the Church’s very views of Scripture.
That skews, or rather obliterates, the very reason for the existence of the church in the first place. These churches all tend to see themselves, and other churches, as glorified social service agencies with a cheap, religious veneer. With such a low view of the Word of God, laying aside one’s doctrinal distinctives is part and parcel of being a “good Christian.”
But the church—called the “Body of Christ on earth” was not and is not a relief organization. Jesus—the first Body of Christ on earth--said plainly, “I came to seek and to save those who are lost.”
Which means the church exists to warn people of the condemnation their sin has earned and the wonderful escape God has provided through His miraculous taking on of human form. Working together to make sandwiches, or provide coats, and gloves is all well and good, but such “good deeds” must never become the reason for the church’s existence, which is pretty much what many of the main line churches have done.
Lest there is any misunderstanding about the church and kindness, Faith Evangelical Free Church, does more for the community in the way of relief and charitable works than your typical church—even your typical liberal church that loves to blow its own horn when it does--but it is always with a view and the intention of being ready to give account of the hope that lies within.” (1 Peter 3:15)
Making someone warmer, or giving them a full belly while they rush head long into a Christless eternity is hardly compassionate and it’s hardly the mission of the Body of Christ on earth.

Hollywood's Only Green when It Comes To MONEY!

I always enjoy it immensely when the loudest, meanest, nastiest, critics of our time are shown to be who they really are. For example, last week another study revealed that for all the caterwauling the liberal left does about religious right’s lack of benevolence, compassion and charity, the religious right is far more generous, in every way, than the libs who only talk a good game of it.

But this commentary isn’t about charity. It’s about the liberal left’s boisterous crusades against the President in particular and conservatives in general for raping and pillaging their dear mother earth.

Low and behold the University of California at Los Angeles better known as UCLA, concluded a study finding that one of the largest polluters and contributors to defacing mother earth is none other than—I hear trumpets sounding—the loudmouths of Hollywood who take such pride in deriding conservatives for being so calloused to such grave issues.

According to the study, get this—it is the film and television industry whose activities contribute more to air pollution in the five county area of Los Angeles than is individually produced by aerospace manufacturing, apparel, hotels and semiconductor manufacturing. The only industry that was worse was the folks in petroleum..

One ironic illustration of the hypocrisy of Hollywood’s elites is that in making the film “The Day After Tomorrow”-- a propaganda spectacular about the horrors of global warming—these environmentally sensitive elites produced 10,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions.

Lisa Day, spokeswoman for Participant Productions which worked on offsetting carbon emissions from the making of "An Inconvenient Truth," (That was Al Gore’s piece of field fodder) said, “she was a little surprised by the study's findings.” There’s conviction for you.

Ted Reiff, president of ReUse People of America, makes a living attempting to get Hollywood to be more environmentally friendly but he said, "They're not green at all except when they're forced to be…" Warner Brothers refused comment. Imagine that! One thing is certain and this is no surprise, the only time Hollywood is truly “Green” is when you’re talking about MONEY!

So the next time you see Susan Sarandon, Tim Robbins, and the myriad of Hollywood big mouths who love excoriating the rest of us, just think, “Put up or shut up!” And then click the remote.

Gov't Screws It All Up--Again!

Few things in life are reliable; I mean really reliable; like you can almost stake your life on something taking place but one such reliability is that when the government becomes in involved in anything, it gets totally screwed up; costs way more money; and is usually corrupted and ends up pretty much worthless. In that vane, Fairfax County, Virginia has passed a new law making it illegal for any ministry, any church, and even any private individual from making meals, or anything edible in a kitchen that has not been approved by the county health officials.
In case you haven’t quite caught that, making a home cooked meal for a homeless person, or making cookies for a church or soup kitchen that distributes the food to the needy is now against the law.
Behind the legislation is the good intention of trying to protect the homeless from food poisoning. Okay, point taken. But in the words of Jim Brigl-- chief executive of Fairfax Area Christian Emergency & Transitional Services--"We're very aware that a number of homeless people eat out of dumpsters, and mom's pot roast has got to be healthier than that, but that doesn't meet the code."
According to code, food served to the public must be prepared in a kitchen that has been inspected and certified by the county Health Department. The standards for certification are not easily met and would put many ministries out of business so to speak. Under the code, anyone preparing such food—even a private person in their home—would require a “commercial-grade refrigerator, a three-compartment sink to wash, rinse and sanitize dishes and a separate hand-washing sink, among various other requirements.”
Understand there has not been any kind of outbreak of food borne illness. The new law could leave the 2000 homeless of the county starving. Ah, but when you’re a law maker, starvation, apparently, is a more healthy alternative than eating food which might possibly, perhaps, maybe, theoretically, someday, give someone a stomach ache.
In a typical and almost comical gesture, the county is waiving the $60 certification fee. Honestly, are these people from another planet? When someone becomes employed by a governmental agency at any level do they automatically submit to a radical brainectomy?
Someone slap me and tell me this has all been a bad dream!

The Windy City Blows Hard Against Christian Faith

Each year I bring you stories of discrimination against Christians who simply wish to avail themselves of the same first amendment rights as anyone else. Well here it is, December, 6th and we start the season of Christian bigotry off with a news item out of my home town of Chicago.
You may have seen the advertisements and movie trailers for the new movie The Nativity Story” which opened last Thursday. Of course the timing isn’t coincidental; Christmas is after all about—forgive me—Jesus—the one called Christ.
So when the Windy City put on a Christmas festival, New Line Cinema, the folks who made the movie, had planned to play a loop of its film on monitors at the event. But, and here comes the shocker, the city of Chicago banned the ads for the movie and of course you can guess why. Yup! The movie theme—remember this is a--Christmas Festival—might offend non-Christians.
I know, I know, they’re just being sensitive to others who don’t share the same faith but like I said, this was a Christmas festival. If the city were to host a Ramadan Festival, would it ban mention of Allah for fear it would offend Non-Muslims? You and I both know the answer to that.
Well it’s caused quite a stir in the city of Mayor Daley and he is probably shaking his head trying to figure out what’s all the bother.
But Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law and Justice explains all the bother. He said, "To suggest that a movie about the birth of Jesus Christ should not be included in a Christmas festival is absurd. This transcends political correctness and centers squarely on religious bigotry." So what’s new?
The ACLJ said it will send a letter to city officials and festival organizers urging them to end their discriminatory practices and to permit the movie to serve as a sponsor for the festival.
"This is one of the most blatant forms of religious discrimination imaginable," Sekulow said.
Well, sports fans, tis the season to be jolly and as followers of Jesus, the One called the Skandolon; the one over whom people would stumble falling head long in to the abyss of eternal condemnation, we must stay true to Him. He IS the reason for the season. “God desires no one perish” the Scriptures say, that is why He came; why we have Christmas. But the way is broad that leads to destruction and many are those who enter by it.