Day: July 10, 2018

TRUMP PICKS PRO SECOND AMENDMENT JUDGE BRETT KAVANAUGH FOR SUPREME COURT~”HEART & SOUL OF ESTABLISHMENT”?~CATHOLIC NOMINEE WOULD FOLLOW ROE V. WADE ABORTION LAW AS HAVING “BINDING PRECEDENT”


TRUMP PICKS PRO SECOND AMENDMENT JUDGE BRETT KAVANAUGH FOR SUPREME COURT
BY TRED LAW
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2018/07/trump-picks-pro-second-amendment-judge-brett-kavanaugh-for-supreme-court/#axzz5KqqEFSiG; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

Washington, DC – –(Ammoland.com)- President Donald Trump on Monday night nominated Brett Kavanaugh, a federal appeals court judge in Washington, to succeed Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court.
Trump made the announcement at the White House, where he was joined by Kavanaugh and his family. Judge Kavanaugh’s opening statement began with him making the point that “a judge must be independent and must interpret the law, not make the law.” It is a very reassuring statement to hear when gun owners greatest fear is to get another activist judge on the high court.
While Kavanaugh’s long record of legal opinions and his work in fierce partisan battles are likely to offer Democrats plenty of ammunition for tough questions, gun activists can take comfort. Kavanaugh’s recent minority dissent, when the D.C. Circuit panel’s majority upheld the District of Columbia’s ban on possession of most semi-automatic rifles and its registration requirement for all guns in D.C, was a positive sign.
Judge Kavanaugh dissented (in Heller v. D.C. (2011)). An excerpt from his dissent:
In Heller, the Supreme Court held that handguns – the vast majority of which today are semi-automatic – are constitutionally protected because they have not traditionally been banned and are in common use by law-abiding citizens. There is no meaningful or persuasive constitutional distinction between semi-automatic handguns and semiautomatic rifles. Semi-automatic rifles, like semi-automatic handguns, have not traditionally been banned and are in common use by law-abiding citizens for self-defense in the home, hunting, and other lawful uses. Moreover, semiautomatic handguns are used in connection with violent crimes far more than semi-automatic rifles are. It follows from Heller’s protection of semi-automatic handguns that semi-automatic rifles are also constitutionally protected and that D.C.’s ban on them is unconstitutional. (By contrast, fully automatic weapons, also known as machine guns, have traditionally been banned and may continue to be banned after Heller.)
D.C.’s registration requirement, which is significantly more stringent than any other federal or state gun law in the United States, is likewise unconstitutional. Heller and later McDonald said that regulations on the sale, possession, or use of guns are permissible if they are within the class of traditional, “longstanding” gun regulations in the United States. Registration of all lawfully possessed guns – as distinct from licensing of gun owners or mandatory record-keeping by gun sellers – has not traditionally been required in the United States and even today remains highly unusual. Under Heller’s history- and tradition-based test, D.C.’s registration requirement is therefore unconstitutional.
AmmoLand News readers know we are in for a tough fight. The left and the get-Trump-media will be pulling out all the stops to block another rock-solid originalist judge to the supreme court. Get ready to vote in November and email your Senate representative and tell them to quickly appoint Judge Kavanaugh to the supreme court.

Brett Kavanaugh Solidifies Conservative Majority on Supreme Court!!!

DR. STEVE TURLEY’S ANALYSIS

Roger Stone: Establishment Ties Of Trump’s New SCOTUS Pick Are Troubling
Roger Stone joins Alex Jones live via Skype to give his expert analysis on the pros and cons of President Trump’s pick to confirm as a new Justice on the Supreme Court of the United States: Brett Kavanaugh.

KAVANAUGH: The Good, The Bad, The Unknown
What do Kavanaugh’s past decisions tell us about the kind of Supreme Court Justice he’ll be? Is it wise to pin our hopes on the Supreme Court or are there better ways to achieve liberty?
Napolitano: Kavanaugh 
“Heart, Soul of Establishment”
Trump bowed to Washingon elite, say critics
SEE: https://newswars.com/judge-napolitano-kavanaugh-heart-soul-of-establishment

Trump Nominates Roman Catholic Brett Kavanaugh to Replace Retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy on the Supreme Court

Trump Supreme Court Nominee Kavanaugh on Abortion: ‘I Would Follow Roe v. Wade Faithfully and Fully’ [Video]

SEE: https://christiannews.net/2018/07/09/trump-supreme-court-nominee-kavanaugh-on-abortion-i-would-follow-roe-v-wade-faithfully-and-fully/

NRA Applauds Brett Kavanaugh’s Nomination to the U.S. Supreme Court

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Trump Supreme Court Nominee Brett Kavanaugh Relies Heavily on Judicial Precedents

BY BOB ADELMANN
SEE: https://www.thenewamerican.com/usnews/constitution/item/29496-trump-supreme-court-nominee-brett-kavanaugh-relies-heavily-on-judicial-precedents; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
After days of consideration, President Donald Trump on Monday night put to rest all speculation about whom he would nominate to fill retiring Justice Anthony Kennedy’s place on the high court. He named a leading light on the highly influential U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia: Judge Brett Kavanaugh (shown). Constitutionalists were hoping that Trump’s pick would be an originalist — someone who believes that the Constitution should be understood on the basis of what it actually says and the intent of the people who drafted it. But although Kavanaugh has stated that judges should not make law, his judicial record shows that he relies heavily on past judicial precedents that have often been in conflict with the clear language of the Constitution.
The president didn’t make up his mind until the very last minute, carefully considering Judges Hardiman and Barrett, whose credentials made them close seconds.
Kavanaugh, age 53, holds BA and JD degrees from Yale College. He spent his early years in private practice in Washington, D.C. before accepting a position as a law clerk for Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy in 1993. He became associate counsel to President George W. Bush in 2001. In 2003 he was named assistant to the president and his staff secretary before being nominated to the D.C. Circuit. That nomination was bottled up for nearly three years before clearing the Senate in 2006.
Kavanaugh took significant roles in drafting the Starr Report, which urged the impeachment of President Bill Clinton, and led the investigation in the “suicide” of Clinton aide Vince Foster.
In the last 12 years Kavanaugh has drafted more than 300 opinions while on the bench of the D.C. Circuit Court of Appeals.
His fight to be confirmed by the Senate is expected to last well into late summer, but his confirmation is expected well before the high court’s fall session begins in October.
That confirmation battle has already begun, with forces on both sides committing to spending millions either to support his confirmation or to deny it. The fight takes place as the November midterm elections draw ever closer, and both parties are hoping that the outcome will serve their collective but significantly different interests.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-Ky.) cannot afford to lose any Republicans, especially since Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.) remains at home being treated for brain cancer. The margin enjoyed by Republicans is so close that the final vote for confirmation of Kavanaugh may be cast by Vice President Mike Pence.
Democrats are hoping to persuade Senators Susan Collins (R-Maine) and Lisa Murkowski (R-Alaska) to jump ship and join them in opposing the judge’s confirmation, while Republicans and the judge’s supporters are working to persuade three red-state Democrats running for reelection in November to join them in supporting his confirmation. Those three — Senators Heidi Heitkamp (D-N.D.), Joe Donnelly (D-Ind.), and Joe Machin (E-W.Va.) — are facing existential questions. Each voted in favor of Neil Gorsuch’s confirmation last year but now must decide how to vote on Kavanaugh’s. If they vote for his confirmation, each will alienate a large part of their electoral base and almost virtually guarantee their losses in November. If they vote against Kavanaugh, they will alienate the larger part of each state’s electorate which more than likely will replace them with Republicans in the fall, giving that party a significantly larger majority in the Senate going into the next congressional term.
Once confirmed, Kavanaugh will be the center of attention as new cases come before the high court. The Wall Street Journal noted that “Justice Kennedy, though a conservative, has long been a swing vote on the court, sometimes siding with liberal justices” while Kavanaugh is expected to hew closer to the Constitution in critical cases. Based on previous decisions, Kavanaugh has revealed positions comforting to limited government advocates. For example, the EPA has long been a target of Kavanaugh’s opinions and dissents, criticizing how the agency under Obama implemented “clean air” rules while ignoring the costs of such rules borne by the agency’s targets.
He has also been highly critical of the unconstitutional nature of the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). He ruled against it in 2016 because its director couldn’t easily be removed by the president. In general, wrote Kavanaugh, “independent agencies collectively constitute, in effect, a headless fourth branch of the U.S. government. They hold enormous power over the economic and social life of the United States. Because of their massive power and the absence of Presidential supervision and direction, independent agencies [such as the CFPB] pose a significant threat to individual liberty and to the constitutional system of separation of powers and checks and balances.”
He supported religious liberty in the famous case Priests for Life v. HHS where he wrote that “the regulations [imposed by the HHS] substantially burden the religious organizations’ exercise of religion because [those] regulations require the organizations to take an action contrary to their sincere religious beliefs.” He included a line that roused concerns among religious conservatives, however, adding that Supreme Court precedent “strongly suggests that the government has a compelling interest in facilitating access to contraception for the employees of these religious organizations.”
In another case Kavanaugh also noted that precedent, to him, carries the weight of settled law: “all parties to this case [Garza v. Hargan] recognize Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey as precedents we must follow.”
That simply is not so. Consider several instances where the Supreme Court’s opinions were later overturned by another decision by the court or by constitutional amendment. In 2003 the Supreme Court decided in Lawrence v. Texas to reject its previous ruling in Bowers v. Hardwick upholding the anti-sodomy law in Texas. Wrote Justice Anthony Kennedy, “Bowers was not correct when it was decided, and it is not correct today. It ought not to remain binding precedent. Bowers v. Hardwick should be and now is overruled.”
In 2010 the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission overturned Austin v. Michigan State Chamber of Commerce (1990). In Citizens the court ruled that corporate political spending is legal for a simple reason: money equals speech and therefore corporations have the same right to free speech as do individuals.
The 13th and 14th Amendments in effect overturned one of the most pernicious decisions by the Supreme Court: Dred Scott v. Sandford (1857). The original 6-3 decision declared that black people were inferior to whites, weren’t and couldn’t be U.S. citizens, had no right to file federal lawsuits, and were property that couldn’t be taken from their owners without due process.
And the Supreme Court corrected itself in 1954 with its opinion in Brown v Board of Education of Topeka, Kansas which overrode Plessy v. Ferguson (1896) in which the court ruled that Louisiana’s “separate but equal facilities” laws were constitutional.
Those expecting great things from Kavanaugh, once he is confirmed to the high court, may be disappointed. But the chances that President Trump will have still another opportunity to move the court back to the Constitution continue to improve over time. Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg turned 85 in March and Justice Stephen Breyer turns 80 in August. And the names that Trump didn’t pick from his list of potential nominees will still be there.
Imagine a Supreme Court enjoying a majority of justices coming from the originalist or textualist schools, including not only Thomas, Alito, Gorsuch, and Kavanaugh, but Hardiman and Barrett as well. It could happen. 

HARRY POTTER VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL THEMES CONTINUE IN 2018

HARRY POTTER VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL THEMES CONTINUE IN 2018 
SEE: http://pulpitandpen.org/2018/07/06/harry-potter-vbs-themes-continue-in-2018/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
Chattanooga, Tennessee – In the Old Testament, witches and wizards were condemned under the penalty of death (Exodus 22:18, Leviticus 20:6, 27). In the New Testament, witches and wizardry are again reiterated as grievous evils (Galatians 5:20, Revelation 9:21, 18:23, 21:8). In the 21st Century, Christian churches think witchcraft and wizardry are cute Vacation Bible School themes (may consider witchcraft and wizardry to be harmless because the best-selling children’s tale is fiction, one might argue that studio-produced hardcore porn storylines are “fiction,” but God still hates it). 
East Brainerd Church of Christ, located in Chattanooga, Tennessee, is one such church that is using Harry Potter as the theme for their VBS.
The church boasts the upcoming Harry Potter VBS on their website.
Likewise, the Church of the Holy Comforter is hosting a “Hogwarts Vacation Bible School” (Hogwarts is the magic academy that is the setting for the Harry Potter book series). Two weeks ago, Grace Church in Gainsville, Florida, hosted a VBS named, “Wizards and Wonders: A Hero’s Journey with Harry Potter.” Beginning July 16, the Church of the Ascension will join The Fountains Methodist Church to host a VBS entitled, “Harry Potter and the Light of the World.”

Children are dressed up as wizards during their VBS graduation ceremony.
Tosha Williams, of Vanguard Church, created “The Potter Project,” a curriculum designed for children to teach ostensibly Christian themes. She told Christianity Today way back in 2005 that she doesn’t listen to the critics who think fictional witchcraft shouldn’t be used in conjunction with Christian teaching.
Williams said, “We have tried to respond graciously. Although our methods are different than other Christians’, our goal is the same—to see people come to Christ. We were simply doing what we believe God was calling us to do. Obviously, the people who burned the books felt they were doing God’s will also. How God reconciles it all I don’t know, but we did not want to be divisive.”
Jared Moore, the previous Second Vice President of the Southern Baptist Convention wrote a Harry Potter Bible Study and lauds the wizard as an avenue to bring people to Christ to this very day.
In spite of the last Harry Potter movie being released way back in 2011, churches continue to use Harry Potter to attract children, even though Kindergarteners and First Graders weren’t even alive when Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part II was released.
In the meantime, churches should be reminded that using Harry Potter as their VBS theme and representing the character’s or storyline’s likeness without the explicit written consent of Warner Bros is copyright infringement and opens the church to both criminal and civil liability. It is, for lack of a better word, intellectual piracy and grift.
However, the good news is that there is a completely free resource with tons and tons of relatable stories and illustrations that can help convey the Gospel’s truths and are relatable to children. That resource can be downloaded for free in dozens of different formats and in hundreds of different languages.
It’s called the Bible.
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SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT HARRY POTTER:

‘SALUTE TO ABORTION’: NETFLIX SHOW CELEBRATES KILLING UNBORN BABIES

‘Salute to Abortion’: Netflix Show Celebrates Killing Unborn Babies
‘SALUTE TO ABORTION’: NETFLIX SHOW CELEBRATES KILLING UNBORN BABIES

‘God Bless Abortions!’ host says

SEE: https://www.infowars.com/salute-to-abortion-netflix-show-celebrates-killing-unborn-babies/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
A new show on Netflix hosted by comedian Michelle Wolf celebrated the murder of babies in the womb.
In its latest episode, “The Break with Michelle Wolf” threw a star-spangled tribute to abortion, as liberals fear Roe v. Wade could be overturned by President Trump’s new Supreme Court pick.
Wolf’s act included “jokes” claiming abortion is not killing a baby, but instead like going back in time: “Some people say abortion is killing a baby. It’s not; it’s stopping a baby from happening. It’s like Back to the Future and abortion is the DeLorean. And everyone loves DeLoreans. ”
She also claimed there’s no such thing as someone who is pro-life: “And, I know, some people call themselves ‘pro-life’- but, ‘pro-life’ is a propaganda term that isn’t real, like healthy ice cream and handsome testicles.”
Abortions, Wolf said, should be obtained as easily as getting a burger off the dollar menu at McDonald’s.
Wolf went on to cheer with a marching band as she threw glitter every time she mentioned abortion:
“Abortion, I salute you!
“Women, if you need an abortion, get one!
“If you want an abortion, get one!
“If you’re not pregnant but you think you eventually might be and want to order a future abortion, get one!
“If you’re pregnant and you want to be pregnant, don’t get one!
“It’s up to you, and it doesn’t have to be a big deal. It’s actually a great deal. It’s about $300 – that’s like six movie tickets. Movie tickets: a big deal!
“And women, don’t forget: you have the power to give life and men will try to control that – don’t let them!
“God bless abortions and God bless America!”
Wolf’s biggest accolade is hosting the White House correspondence dinner where she made several vile jokes at the expense of members of the Trump administration in attendance.
President Trump will announce his choice to replace Justice Anthony Kennedy’s position on the Supreme Court on Monday evening.
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DEATH CULTS: Then & Now

Michelle Wolf isn’t the first one to celebrate the cult of death. The Aztecs also ripped the heart out of their human sacrifices in a way that’s remarkably similar to abortion.

Michelle Wolf Wants ‘Dollar Menu’ Abortions

Netflix show host Michelle Wolf openly admits that she wants abortion to be as easy as pressing a button on a TV remote or going through a drive-through.


WILLOW CREEK LEADERS DENOUNCE BILL HYBELS, APOLOGIZE TO VICTIMS

ABOVE: Willow Creek Community Church founder Bill Hybels (L) and Vonda Dyer (R), one of multiple women who have accused him of sexual misconduct.
BELOW: HEATHER LARSEN & STEVE CARTER
SEE OUR PREVIOUS POST:
Bill Hybels’ Successors Announced; Willow Creek Becomes ...
WILLOW CREEK LEADERS DENOUNCE BILL HYBELS, APOLOGIZE TO VICTIMS 
SEE: http://pulpitandpen.org/2018/07/02/willow-creek-leaders-denounce-hybels-apologize-to-victims/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
When allegations first surfaced of Bill Hybel’s sexual sin at the Willow Creek megachurch, church leaders insinuated that the women and their testimonies were untrustworthy. An internal investigation was launched by Willow Creek into Hybels’ behavior, initially with just one woman known to cooperate with the investigatory committee. According to the Chicago Tribune, which spearheaded the press’ inquiry, several women declined to speak to the church’s investigatory committee, some because they feared the investigation lacked integrity and others because Hybels had been so instrumental in promoting their personal ministry. After further investigation and new revelations, Willow Creek leaders have come to the conclusion that Hybels was guilty of at least some sexual sins and furthermore, that they themselves did not act properly in response to the accusations.
Heather Larsen – the new (female) lead pastor of Willow Creek – and the new teaching pastor, Steve Carter, issued the statement of apology and regret. Larsen, who also serves as church “CEO,” wrote the following:
It was stated that the allegations are all lies, and I do not believe that. I should have jumped in and declared that personally right away when that statement was made. I believe the stories that Bill had interactions that were hurtful to these women. That is wrong, and I hope and pray that someday this can be made right.
I ask for forgiveness that I did not personally declare that sooner.

 he women showed courage in coming forward. In full transparency of what was going on in me, one of the hardest parts for me was that I did not agree with how the information came out in the media, and I allowed that to get in the way of focusing on the pain of these women. I am sorry. I should have listened more to why the women felt like they were forced to take that path.

It was wrong to host those first family meetings and to release those initial posted statements in the way we did. We should have started by listening. As I walked out on stage that first night, I realized that the humility and tone were not right, and I have deep regrets about even holding those meetings. I said things that hurt people, and I am deeply sorry.
Steve Carter, who is responsible for much of the teaching at Willow Creek, also said:
Specifically, I do not think it should have been said that the women were lying or that they were colluding against Bill and the church. I believe the women and applaud their courage.
I have personally reached out to and connected with several of the victims and listened to their experiences. I have made private apologies to several of the women and their families for the way they have been treated. I thank God for the opportunity to seek grace and forgiveness from these individuals.
I recognize that I am not blameless in this. I take full responsibility for my actions that contributed to the injustice that was done to these women. I should not have been on stage for any of the family meetings, to pray or lead any part of those nights. I believe now that what our church needed initially was to practice transparency and repentance, to grieve, and to reflect on what Jesus was inviting us into and to listen to the Holy Spirit.
It is unknown if Willow Creek church leaders will evaluate the role of women in ministry, and how it played a role in the sexual abuse or sin in the congregation. As reported by the Chicago Tribune, stonewalling the process of the investigation were many women who had advanced in ministry positions throughout the organization due to Hybels’ influence, and he used his ability to promote women throughout the ministry ranks in exchange for carnal affection.
While Hybels is first and foremost responsible for his sin, along with any willing participants, a serious discussion needs to be had in regards to how women being in ministry so extensively at Willow Creek led to the toxic environment that made such predation possible among co-workers.

UNRESTRAINED CATHOLICISM: PRIEST KICKS OUT GRIEVING FAMILY, ENDS FUNERAL MASS, AFTER CHALICE CUP KNOCKED OVER

PRIEST MICHAEL BRIESE
PRIEST KICKS OUT GRIEVING FAMILY, 
ENDS FUNERAL MASS, AFTER CHALICE CUP KNOCKED OVER 
SEE: http://pulpitandpen.org/2018/07/03/video-priest-kicks-out-grieving-family-ends-funeral-after-chalice-knocked-over/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
An entire family was kicked out of a funeral and the corpse removed from St. Mary’s Roman Catholic Church in Charlotte Hall, Maryland, last Tuesday. Agnes Hicks was being celebrated at the funeral with a Mass when an attendee at the funeral accidentally bumped into and knocked over the chalice, or sacred cup used for priestcraft rituals.
People quickly took out their cellphones to record the priest screaming at the family and kicking them – and the corpse – out. The priest, Michael Briese, can be heard shouting:
There will be no funeral, there will be no mass, no repass, everyone get the hell out of my church.
He then referred to the corpse of Agnes Hicks as “the thing” and said, “Get this thing out of my church!”
Knocking over the sacred cup was an accident, caused by someone going in to give the bereaved a hug. But for the priest, who ascribes spiritual power and influence to created things (which is the very nature of idolatry), that was an unforgivable offense. After screaming at the family, the priest called the police. Upon arrival, the police took the side of the family and arranged for a different setting for the funeral – a funeral home nearby – and a different pastor did the funeral.
One of the daughters of Agnes Hicks, Renetta Baker, said, “Bad enough we had to bury our own mother yesterday but for you to say she’s a ‘thing’ and there will be no funeral. You’re not a preacher. You’re not a pastor. You’re not a father of the Lord. You’re not any of that. You’re the devil.”
The Archdiocese of Washington issued an apology later in the day for the behavior of this particular church and its priest.

TENNESSEE: GREG LOCKE ADMITS DESIRE FOR CHURCH SECRETARY

pastor greg locke
GREG LOCKE ADMITS DESIRE FOR 
CHURCH SECRETARY 
BY SETH DUNN
SEE: http://pulpitandpen.org/2018/07/03/greg-locke-admits-desire-for-church-secretary/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
The following story is the product of interviews with and submissions from numerous sources local to Middle Tennessee.  The truth of the reporting here is dependent on the accuracy of the information reported by those sources.  Pulpit & Pen is confident in the accuracy of the information provided. Anyone with first-hand information about Pastor Greg Locke, his actions toward Global Vision Bible Church and or his wife, is encouraged to contact Pulpit & Pen at talkback@pulpitandpen.org.
Tai Cowan, church secretary, sat in one of the front pews of Global Vision Bible Church.  Her mother sat behind her, rubbing her shoulders.  The church’s pastor, Greg Locke, stood in the pulpit and addressed the congregation.  He professed his love for Tai and the congregation clapped and cheered. It would be a perfect love story if not for the sordid and sinful details.
Greg Locke is the famous internet “pastor” of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.  On June 10th, Pulpit & Pen published an article entitled “Greg Locke Jumps the Gun” which included pictures of Locke’s minivan parked outside of his church secretary’s house during the night and before his divorce from his estranged wife Melissa.  The very day the article was published, Locke called this writer and threatened a lawsuit.  Soon after, the secretary, a woman named Tai, was removed from the Global Vision Bible Church staff webpage. This weekend, Greg Locke called a special meeting at Global Vision Bible Church and announced that he was romantically involved with Tai.  Locke claimed that he developed his amorous feelings for Tai after he filed for divorce from his wife of twenty years.  All the recent media scrutiny, Greg claimed, had pushed them together.  To say the least, it is interesting that Locke announced his feelings for Tai after photographic evidence was released showing him at her house during the night.  Even if Locke’s claim about when he developed romantic affection for his secretary is to be believed, his actions disqualify him for the pastorate.  Locke’s divorce is biblically unjustified.  To make matters worse, Locke’s romantic advances are towards an employee of his church and the wife of another man.  It is not yet clear to Pulpit & Pen if Tai’s marriage to her former husband, Chris, has been legally ended.  What is clear is that the clergyman who officiated that marriage was none other than Greg Locke himself.

Greg Locke prays over Tai Cowan’s estranged husband.
What kind of pastor, what kind of man, performs the marriage of a woman, gives her a job, and then divorces his own wife and begins a romantic relationship with her?  The answer is “Pastor” Greg Locke of Global Vision Bible Church in Mt. Juliet, Tennessee.  Locke, presenting himself as a social conservative, has used political videos and online sermons to develop a Facebook following of nearly 1.5 million.  Global Vision Bible Church even boasts “internet members” who stream worship services online and donate money from all over the country.  Amazingly, Greg Locke continues to garner both a local and internet following even after reports of divorce, demonstrable lies, and spousal abuse have surfaced. Not only has Greg Locke’s moral character come into question, the financial operations of Global Vision Bible Church have also been a matter of concern to former members.  People are wondering if the church paid $10,000 for Greg’s ex-wife to have weight loss surgery.  People are wondering if the church paid for Greg and his executive pastor to get new cars.  It is now being disseminated by sources in Mt. Juliet that Global Vision Bible Church Executive Pastor Jarrod Almond has left the organization.  With the departure of Almond, will more financial concerns come to light?

Greg Locke has filed for bankruptcy. Is he mismanaging the finances of GVBC? The church elders quit over financial accountability.
Greg Locke has run into financial problems before; a background check revealed that he filed for Chapter 7 bankruptcy in 2009.  A background check on Tai revealed that she was in criminal trouble with the state of Tennessee for “Obtaining Control Substance by Fraud” in 2008.  Locke himself was a delinquent in his youth.  Given the behavior of Greg and Tai, should anyone believe that they are changed people who bear fruit in keeping with repentance?  Should anyone trust them to steward the resources of Christ’s church, especially given their marital records.  As for Greg’s claim that he only began to have feelings for Tai after filing for divorce, his ex-wife Melissa went on the record with Pulpit & Pen in early March claiming that Greg told her:
As soon as the divorce is final, (Tai and I) are getting together.  We see each other at work, at church, and most evening for dinner.  You know Melissa I hope somebody else loves you because it will never be me.
According to Melissa, Tai even asked Melissa if she’d want her to raise her kids for her if she died.  Greg and Tai may just be a perfect, yet unholy match.
What kind of people remain at Global Vision Bible Church defending these two?  Greg Locke, and whatever congregants remain at his church, demonstrate the worst of the visible church.  To be certain, no one who fears God should fear Greg Locke.  The more people local to GVBC keep silent about Greg Locke and his many pastoral abuses, the more people may be spiritually damaged under his care.  People with knowledge of the situation are encouraged to speak out.  Greg, Tai, and those who condone their behavior are a kingdom embarrassment.
Nevertheless, both Greg and Tai could find salvation in Christ if they were to turn from their sins and put their faith in the risen Jesus.  All who call upon the name will be saved, so says the Bible.  That includes readers of this article, whoever they may be.
*Please note that the preceding is my personal opinion. It is not necessarily the opinion of any entity by which I am employed, any church at which I am a member, any church which I attend, or the educational institution at which I am enrolled. Any copyrighted material displayed or referenced is done under the doctrine of fair use.
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SEE OUR PREVIOUS POST:

POPE FRANCIS EMBRACES TERM “LGBT” IN LIEU OF “HOMOSEXUAL”

Pope Francis Embraces ‘LGBT’
SEE: http://pulpitandpen.org/2018/07/07/pope-francis-embraces-lgbt/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
New York, New York – The New York Times recently printed an op-ed from John Gehring, a Roman Catholic commentator and author, wondering aloud if the church would ever fully embrace the LGBT movement. After many years of providing expert commentary on the Vatican and its various policies, Gehring’s professional assessment is that yes, the Vatican will come to a full embrace of the queer. The reason, for Gehring, is that Pope Francis has given subtle clues to his evolution on the topic of sodomy, the most astonishing of which is his embrace of the ‘LGBT’ term.
As Gehring writes, “Well, last week, the Vatican used ‘L.G.B.T.’ for what is believed to be the first time ever in a document prepared for a major gathering of bishops and young people in October. ‘Some L.G.B.T. youth,’ it reads, want to ‘benefit from greater closeness and experience greater care from the church.’
As the Vatican commentator points out, this may very well be the first time the Roman Catholic headquarters has used the term, “LGBT.”
Many people are wondering exactly how ground-breaking or earth-shattering that is, perhaps not convinced this signals an evolution in thought. However, the homosexual agenda in America did not gain any momentum or commandeer any power in America until it successfully changed the terminology from sodomy and homosexuality to the initialism, LGBT.
Using LGBT as the term for gross sexual deviancy had many benefits. The initialism began to replace common nomenclatures like “gay,” and “queer” in the 1980s, which had already begun to replace the more scientifically precise and biblically-accurate term, sodomy, in the 1960s.
The first benefit of using the initialism is that it solidified sexually deviant behavior of all stripes. Whether it was men lying with men or women lying with women (different psychological problems underly homosexual behavior between the sexes, and usually have different motivations and outworking), bisexuality (which simply does not fit into the paradigm of “sexual orientation,” thereby fitting into the 21st Century narrative of sexual ethics like a square peg in a round hole), and trans (and its nearly unlimited forms from transvestitism, transgenderism, transsexuality, or even transpecies-ism). Instead of having to defend every one of these aberrant, asinine deviations from normalcy and morality (defending anal intercourse between males certainly requires a different apologetic from defending the notion that a man can be a woman by only the virtue of his false self-identification). The term, LGBT – especially when combined with “Q” as first added in 1996 – makes an immoral union for any and all perversions of the only kind of true sexual relationship that happens exclusively between post-pubescent opposite-sex partners.
The second benefit of using the LGBT initialism is that it puts distance in the mind between the sexual deviancy itself and the subject being discussed. The term sanitizes or whitewashes concepts like male-to-male anal penetration or grown, bearded men dressing like little girls, or the butch lesbian who has marred her feminine beauty but isn’t convincing anyone she’s a man. Similarly, the term makes the sin sound like a mere condition, like HIV, ALS, HPV, or RAS. It makes the most scientifically indefensible behavior in the world (the concept of two same-sex creatures trying to have intercourse) seem clinical. In other words, it gives sodomy more dignity than it deserves.
That the Vatican would embrace language invented by homosexual activists to promote the homosexual agenda does not bode well for the Papists. Sadly, and to our shame, our evangelical leaders – from Russell Moore at the ERLC to Albert Mohler at SBTS – have already adopted the LGBT language long ago.
Gehring agrees, saying in the Times:
Not exactly breaking news, you might argue. But adopting “L.G.B.T.” is emblematic of an emerging shift in the church’s posture toward gay, lesbian and transgender people. Catholic teaching documents have typically used “homosexual” or referred to those with “homosexual tendencies,” which reduce a person’s multidimensional humanity to the mechanics of sex. Using the L.G.B.T. descriptor, often preferred by many gay, lesbian and transgender people, is a sign of respect.
This is in keeping with numerous overtures toward homosexuals by Francis, in a tone that is as softening on homosexuality as is the Southern Baptist Convention’s. Pope Francis gave the “Who am I to judge” answer regarding homosexuality (answer: the supposed head of the church). He’s met with people claiming to be “transgender” (you can’t really change your gender because it’s the same as your sex, and sex cannot be changed). And, Francis told one gay man that God made him that way and loves him just the way he is.
Other signs of the Vatican shifting its position on sodomy are present as well. Jesuit priest, James Martin, is banned from certain Catholic circles in the U.S. for being pro-sodomy, but was recently invited to speak at the World Meeting of Families (sponsored by the Vatican) in Dublin. Joe Tobin, the Cardinal in Newark, invited the LGBT to make a pilgrimage to the cathedral there. More and more lay Catholic leaders are speaking out or writing in advocacy for sodomy, with virtually no resistance from the Vatican or its power-structure.

APOSTATE STEVEN FURTICK BOASTS IN DOUBTING JESUS; SAYS NOBODY FULLY BELIEVES


APOSTATE STEVEN FURTICK BOASTS IN DOUBTING JESUS; 
SAYS NOBODY FULLY BELIEVES
SEE: http://pulpitandpen.org/2018/07/07/furtick-boasts-in-doubting-jesus-says-nobody-fully-believes/; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
Steven Furtick recently preached a message to his congregation, stating that he had doubts in the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. Furthermore, he claimed that no one in the congregation fully believed these things. You can watch the video, with commentary and explanation provided below. When discussing the “Sinner’s Prayer” given at the end of the service, Furtick instructed the campus pastor not to make people say that they fully believe the words they were repeating.

He is assuming that faith is the absence of doubt. For me, faith has never been the absence of doubt. Faith is not the absence of doubt; it is the means to overcome it. Do you hear what I’m saying? ‘Cause we get to church and we just all go into this Walking Dead willing suspension of disbelief. And we just believe things that have no impact on our everyday life, like we’re binge-watching Netflix, like ‘I’m just going to watch this a little while and hear a comforting word,’ but then we go out into the world and we doubt this stuff, but we can’t say we doubt this stuff, because doubt is bad an isn’t doubt bad?
Furtick went on to explain – in his opinion – the importance of the Sinner’s Prayer, the superstitious incantation that certain evangelical churches have adopted from the 19th Century heretic, Charles Finney. In the tradition, the church offers an ‘invitation’ and leads the penitent in repeating the words, and usually ends in a pronunciation of salvation. According to Furtick, an Elevation campus pastor led the prayer to the congregation and made a mistake, which Furtick himself had to correct:
To me he made a really big mistake when he was praying the prayer because he was inviting people to pray the prayer and he said, “If you want to give your heart to Christ today and know for sure that you have a relationship with him, pray this: Lord Jesus, I believe I’m a sinner in need of a Savior, and I believe without a doubt…and that’s the part he should’ve left out…That one parenthetical insert without a doubt, I told him never again when you stand in the pulpit at Elevation do I want you to put people into a position to pray something that they can’t honestly pray. In fact, don’t put them in a position to pray something that you can’t honestly pray. Because there’s not one of you in the room – even with tabs in your pink Bible – that you can honestly say [the Sinner’s Prayer] without a doubt (not one of you).
Even Furtick has doubts, according to the skinny jeans-wearing, muscle-bound pastor:
I have my doubts. I don’t believe this because I don’t doubt it. If you don’t doubt it, you’re not reading it.
This notion – of doubt not being contradictory to faith – has been a popular talking point among younger and more culturally-popular pastors for six or seven years. New SBC president, JD Greear, also said, “Faith is not the absence of doubt; it is continuing to follow Jesus in the midst of doubt.” Many others have expressed the sentiment, including son of John Piper, Barnabas Piper, in his book, “Help My Unbelief: Why Doubt is Not the Enemy of Faith.”
In reality, it seems that many megachurch pastors will say whatever they need to say to convince lost people in their stadium seating that they’re saved, even if it’s telling them it’s okay to doubt the death, burial and resurrection of Christ.
The Bible does not speak favorably of doubt, nor does it speak of the compatibility of doubt with faith. Likewise, Furtick is demonstrably wrong for telling the campus pastor to ask people to pray with doubt. This is explicitly against the teaching of Scripture, which reads:
But let him ask in faith, with no doubting, for the one who doubts is like a wave of the sea that is driven and tossed by the wind – James 1:6
Furtick added, “I have my doubts. Is that alright? Do you need to find another church now that you know the man with the mic has doubts? I have my doubts.”

APOSTATE PCUSA CHURCH GENERAL ASSEMBLY REFUSES TO CONDEMN HAMAS~ANTI HAMAS ACTIVIST GETS DEATH THREAT

APOSTATE PCUSA CHURCH GENERAL ASSEMBLY REFUSES TO CONDEMN HAMAS~
ANTI HAMAS ACTIVIST GETS DEATH THREAT 
BY ROBERT SPENCER
SEE: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2018/07/presbyterian-church-general-assembly-refuses-to-condemn-hamas-anti-hamas-activist-gets-death-threat; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
The Presbyterian Leftists refused to condemn Hamas, and then a Muslim at the gathering threatened to kill the anti-Hamas activist. That about sums up the state of the Left today.
“Palestinian Human Rights Activist: ‘PCUSA More Extremist Than Middle East Extremists,’” by Eliana Rudee, Breaking Israel News, July 3, 2018:
Human rights activist Bassem Eid is no stranger to death threats. Imprisoned in 1996 by Yasser Arafat, Chairman of the PLO and PA at the time, the Palestinian Muslim activist has been attacked before for exposing Palestinian human rights violations, but until today, he has continued to speak out against further violations and anti-Israel bias.
But little did he expect that he would receive yet another death threat at the most recent Presbyterian Church USA General Assembly (PCUSA GA) in St. Louis Missouri from June 16-23.
Eid, a Jerusalem-based political analyst, human rights pioneer and expert on Arab and Palestinian Affairs was born in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem under Jordanian occupation at the time. After his release from Palestinian prison, the activist established the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group and resigned as a senior field researcher from B’Tselem, an Israeli Human Rights monitoring organization, after B’Tselem decided not to report on human rights abuses of Palestinians by the PA. Today, chairman at the Center for Near East Policy Research, Eid continues to monitor human rights abuses of Palestinians committed by the PA.
At the conference, 13 anti-Israel resolutions were considered by the Middle East committee, including resolutions ending economic and military aid to Israel as well as a call to cut off dialogue between Presbyterians and Jews who are insufficiently critical of Israel.
Eid attended the conference on June 18 to testify for a resolution that sought to condemn Hamas for militarizing the Palestinian children in the Gaza strip.
“I work with Gazan people every day and have no doubt that they are using people as a human shield,” Eid told Breaking Israel News.
But to Eid’s dismay, the resolution for which he testified did not pass. “PCUSA didn’t condemn Hamas,” said Eid, who claimed, “these Presbyterians were more extremist than many extremists of the Middle East – they are completely disconnected from reality.”
And even worse than that, Eid said, he received a death threat in which another Palestinian Muslim man named Bassem Masri yelled, “I know who you are. I’m going to kill you.”
According to Eid, “During a break, I approached a water cooler and suddenly someone was standing beside me, speaking to me in Arabic telling me he was going to kill me.”
Continued Eid, “I ignored him, but he followed me and on the escalator and again said in Arabic that he will kill me and that I am a traitor and a Zionist collaborator.”
“Collaborator” is an accusation that Hamas has used to justify executing Palestinians in Gaza, noted Eid.
The aggressor followed Eid to his hotel, who had arranged for others to accompany him back to the conference center. After police came for Eid’s statement, they identified the aggressor from his Facebook page. And although Masri received a warning, he was let back into the building nevertheless.
“He seemed to be a strong supporter of Hamas because of some of the videos that were on his Facebook,” maintained Eid, who added that “after police reviewed the videos on his Facebook, they decided there is a case for persecuting.”
While the PCUSA said they would apprehend the aggressor and ban him from the facility, no such action was taken….

VIDEO FROM FRANCE: MUSLIMS BUILDING MOSQUE AT THE SITE OF THE BATTLE OF TOURS IN A.D. 732

VIDEO FROM FRANCE: MUSLIMS BUILDING MOSQUE AT THE SITE OF THE BATTLE OF TOURS IN A.D. 732 
BY ROBERT SPENCER
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:
This is momentous. In my new book The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS, I recount how warriors of jihad in October 732 marched upon the shrine of St. Martin of Tours in north-central France, a favored site of pilgrims that contained a good deal of silver and gold.

But the Muslims made a disastrous miscalculation, drastically underestimating the strength of the forces that gathered between Tours and Poitiers to stop them. The commander of those forces was a Frankish duke named Charles, who gained the name Martel, “The Hammer,” for his decisive victory there. October 25, 732 was a bitterly cold day, and the Franks routed the jihadis, who had come dressed for a Spanish summer. The jihadis beat a scorched-earth retreat back to al-Andalus, burning and looting everything in sight.



The victory was decisive and all-important. The eighteenth-century English historian Edward Gibbon envisioned the continent’s complete Islamization had the Franks lost at Tours:





A victorious line of march had been prolonged above a thou- sand miles from the rock of Gibraltar to the banks of the Loire; the repetition of an equal space would have carried the Saracens to the confines of Poland and the Highlands of Scotland; the Rhine is not more impassable than the Nile or Euphrates, and the Arabian fleet might have sailed with- out a naval combat into the mouth of the Thames. Perhaps the interpretation of the Koran would now be taught in the schools of Oxford, and her pulpits might demonstrate to a circumcised people the sanctity and truth of the revelation of Mahomet.





Of course, the teaching of the Qur’an in the schools of Oxford and the Islamization of France were not prevented, only delayed. Now the jihad is on again in full force, aided and abetted by clueless and complicit Western authorities. Get the whole story in The History of Jihad From Muhammad to ISIS, which you can preorder here.



(Thanks to Vlad Tepes for the video.)

DELAWARE: LEGISLATURE ADJOURNS WITH GUN CONTROL BILLS PENDING

Delaware: Legislature Adjourns from its 
2018 Legislative Session
SEE: https://www.ammoland.com/2018/07/delaware-legislature-adjourns-from-its-2018-legislative-session/#axzz5KmjPd7W9; republished below in full unedited for informational, educational and research purposes:

Fairfax, VA – –(Ammoland.com)- July 1st, the Delaware General Assembly adjourned from their 2018 Legislative Session. Anti-gun legislators and Governor Carney worked hard this session in an attempt to impose extreme anti-gun legislation onto law-abiding Delaware gun owners.  Thankfully when the gavel finally fell, those gun control measure had failed to garner enough votes to make it to Governor Carney’s desk.  A few of those bills are outlined below:

  • Senate Bill 163 pushed by Governor Carney, sought to ban semi-automatic firearms commonly-owned for self-defense, target shooting and hunting.  Further, SB 163 would have banned the sale, transfer, purchase, or possession of so-called “assault weapons.”  Senate Bill 163 was one of the most extreme gun control bills introduced this session.
  • House Bill 375 originally sought to ban the manufacture, sale, purchase, transfer, or delivery of so-called “large-capacity magazines.”  What the bill really intended to ban was standard capacity magazines with the capacity to accept more than 10 rounds of ammunition.  The legislation even acknowledged that “thousands of law-abiding Delawareans currently possess” such magazines, and will allow them to use them at the range but not in public for self-defense.  Since this legislation, like all other gun control bills, would be disregarded by criminals, House Bill 375 was literally drafted with the express intent to restrict law-abiding Delawareans from being able to use the most effective means to defend themselves.
  • House Bill 330, legislation that would have prohibited law-abiding adults aged 18 to 20 from purchasing or transferring a rifle or rifle ammunition without permission from a parent or guardian.  This legislation is outright offensive and demeaning to Delaware’s young adults who are otherwise allowed to vote, join the military, and exercise every other constitutionally guaranteed right.
While the above and other anti-gun bills died this session, multiple pro-hunting bills were passed to the Governor’s desk, including:
  • Senate Bill 198 eliminates the prohibition against hunting for deer on Sundays and allows for the harvesting of deer on Sundays through DNREC’s deer depredation programs.
  • Senate Bill 31 allows a hunter to use a handgun in lieu of a shotgun on farms permitted by DNREC through their Deer depredation programs to reduce agricultural crop damage.
Thank you to the Delaware State Sportsmen’s Association, NRA Members and all Second Amendment supporters who continued to contact their legislators in strong opposition to these gun control measures. It was because of you that they were defeated.  Also, special thanks to those legislators who staunchly opposed these anti-gun bills through the 2018 Legislative Session.
National Rifle Association Institute For Legislative Action (NRA-ILA)
About:
Established in 1975, the Institute for Legislative Action (ILA) is the “lobbying” arm of the National Rifle Association of America. ILA is responsible for preserving the right of all law-abiding individuals in the legislative, political, and legal arenas, to purchase, possess and use firearms for legitimate purposes as guaranteed by the Second Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. Visit: www.nra.org

PHILADELPHIA: PROFESSING CHRISTIAN FOSTER, ADOPTION AGENCY AGREES TO PLACE CHILDREN WITH HOMOSEXUALS

Professing Christian Foster, Adoption Agency Agrees to Place Children With Homosexuals to Comply With Philadelphia Law

BY HEATHER CLARK
PHILADELPHIA, Pa. — A well-known professing Christian charity has agreed to work with homosexuals seeking to foster or adopt children after its contract with the City of Philadelphia was suspended for a time due to its policies on child placement.
According to The Philadelphia Inquirer, Bethany Christian Services of Greater Delaware Valley has agreed to comply with the City’s nondiscrimination laws and has partnered with Mayor Jim Kenney’s Office of LGBT Affairs to train staff regarding “cultural competency for serving individuals and same-sex couples who are LGBTQ.”
“Our faith calls us to work with vulnerable children and families, and therefore, it is important that Christians remain in this space,” Bethany Christian Services said in a statement. “To that end, while we will remain compliant with the law, we also remain committed to our Christian beliefs and core values.”
When asked by the Christian Post if the organization will indeed place children in the homes of homosexuals, it replied, “As the statement addresses, Bethany of Greater Delaware Valley will comply with the law.” It did not explain how it would do so without violating the organization’s stated Christian values.
On a corporate level, Bethany Christian Services is led by Chris Palusky, who formerly served in a leadership capacity at World Vision, and also has been involved with Samaritan’s Purse, CARE and World Relief.
Palusky began serving as president of Bethany Christian Services in January, a position that according to a 990 form posted online, paid his predecessor over $230,000 a year. He lists Rob Bell, Rick Warren, Coldplay, The Police, Sting and U2 among his likes on social media. Under his “religious views” section, he provides a link to a message from Rob Bell. Palusky also characterizes his political views as being in the “center.”
Christian News Network reached out to Palusky about the policy change allowing the placements; a response was not received by press time.
As previously reported, following the release of an article earlier this year by The Philadelphia Inquirer, the Philadelphia Department of Human Services decided to suspend its partnerships with Bethany Christian Services and Catholic Social Services after learning that the organizations do not place children with homosexuals. The suspension and investigation meant that the groups were unable to help place children who are in government custody until the contracts were reinstated.
The outlet had shared the report of two lesbians, who said that they had approached Bethany Christian Services in October and were advised that the organization had never placed a child in a same-sex home. The representative rather offered the women referrals to others who might do so.
In reporting on the occurrence, The Philadelphia Inquirer decided to also reach out to Catholic Social Services to ask about its practices, and was informed that the entity likewise doesn’t place children with two men or two women. The organization has never been approached by anyone in a same-sex relationship, the representative noted.
Both organizations were consequently placed under investigation and further placements of any kind were halted. Philadelphia City Council also passed a resolution to look into the Department of Human Services’ policy on working with agencies that decline to place children with homosexuals.
Catholic Social Services has since sued the City of Philadelphia over the matter, and still refuses to bend, while Bethany Christian Services decided to change its policies to conform to the City’s nondiscrimination ordinance in order to resume the partnership.
“We appreciate the city’s decision to allow Bethany Christian Services of Greater Delaware Valley to continue to serve foster youth throughout the Philadelphia community,” the organization said. “We have a long-standing history of partnering with government and secular organizations to aid children in crisis, and we look forward to continuing our nearly 20 year partnership with the city.”
Proverbs 25:26 reads, “A righteous man falling down before the wicked is as a troubled fountain and a corrupt spring.”
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