Rather Expose Them Christian News Blog

Category: Bible Scripture

What Catholics Need to Know about Islam~A new book blasts the lies and distortions of Pope Francis and the Catholic hierarchy

BY RAYMOND IBRAHIM

SEE: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/11/what-catholics-need-know-about-islam-raymond-ibrahim/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Raymond Ibrahim is a Shillman Fellow at the David Horowitz Freedom Center.

Of the various strands of Christianity, historically, Catholicism was the chief enemy of Islam.  It was the popes who called for the crusades; and it was Catholics who took the cross.

Times have changed, radically.  Today, the Catholic Church’s hierarchy stands among the greatest apologists for Islam.  Europe’s top cardinal, Jean-Claude Hollerich, recently said, for instance, that “Prophet Muhammad would have been ashamed” of the terrorism plaguing France, including the butchery of elderly Christians inside their church in Nice, and the beheading of a French teacher who “blasphemed” against Muhammad. 

Indeed, one need only look to Pope Francis for a plethora of apologias concerning Islam, which he regularly presents as a “sister” religion to Christianity that seeks only to coexistent peacefully with Catholics and everyone else.  Just because some Muslims “misinterpret” their religion, the pope has insisted, is not Islam’s fault.

Thus, in 2016, when a journalist asked Pope Francis if Fr. Jacques—another French priest slaughtered by Muslims inside his church during mass—was “killed in the name of Islam,” Francis adamantly disagreed.  He argued that he hears of Catholics committing violence every day in Italy: “this one who has murdered his girlfriend, another who has murdered the mother-in-law… and these are baptized Catholics! There are violent Catholics!  If I speak of Islamic violence, I must speak of Catholic violence.”

Apparently, for this pope, violence done in accordance with Allah’s commandments—for example, the execution of blasphemers—is no more troubling than violence done in contradiction of the Christian God’s commandments.  By this perverse logic, if we hold Islam accountable, so must we hold Christianity accountable, regardless of the fact that Islam does justify violence—against apostates, blasphemers, infidels in general, et. al.—while Christianity condemns it.

If this is the Catholic hierarchy’s “official” position on Islam, clearly, the Catholic Church as a body is not just forfeiting its 1,400 years of experience with and knowledge of Islam; it is being indoctrinated in the exact opposite of truth.

It is for this reason that What Catholics Need to Know about Islam, a new book by William Kilpatrick, is a welcome and timely contribution.  Consisting of some 400 pages divided into 23 chapters, the author explores a variety of topics, which have largely been censored by the Catholic hierarchy, starting with the widespread claim that Christians and Muslims worship the same God—an obvious falsehood, unless one accepts that God is schizophrenic, presenting certain attributes about himself to one group of people, while denouncing those same attributes to another group.

Along with the outright suppression of facts foisted by the apologists, Kilpatrick shows how appeasement, political correctness, and Western self-hatred and/or guilt are being manipulated to make Christians—who by nature are already prone to forgiving their enemies while harshly judging themselves—inadvertently empower Islamic aggression against themselves, as a form of “piety.” 

The author also highlights a number of overlooked parallels.  For example, he shows how Muslim activists employ the same tactics—including through the infiltration and subsequent subversion of government, academia, and media—that have led to the meteoric rise of the LGBT movement, for example. 

Most importantly, Kilpatrick’s book gives the lie to—and is an antidote against—the Catholic hierarchy’s defenses of Islam, including by showing how, through their guidance, the church is dying in Europe, even as mosques litter the landscape.   As he writes, “We are now seeing the resurrection of Islam as a great and dangerous power.” Meanwhile, “the current crop of church leaders has shown an excessive tolerance not only toward Islam, but also toward the world, the flesh, and sometimes, it seems, even toward the devil.” 

That can all change, and rather easily, argues the author.   After all, we are living in a day and age when Islam is inherently weak, capable of terrorizing the West only because the latter provides it with the means to do so.  Thus, for Kilpatrick, to resist “Islam’s totalitarian incursions,” we need not turn to “raising armies and navies”; rather, we need to heed Christ’s words: “The truth shall set you free” (John 8:32).

And, when it comes to the truth concerning Muhammad’s religion—a dangerous truth which has been so utterly suppressed, not least by the Catholic hierarchy—What Catholics Need to Know about Islam is certainly a step in the right direction.

Photo: Catholic Family News

 

The Trail of Spiritual Delusion: Our Weary World Has Seen It All Before

BY TED KYLE

SEE: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2020/newsletter20201130.htm;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

There is nothing new under the sun (Eccl. 1:9). Everything that man can do to man has been done before—and will be done again.

This is especially true of false teachers and prophets leading the credulous astray. It was done anciently; it was done in the middle years; it is being done today; and it will be done in the end of days. More about the connection with today and the last days, after a bit of historical catching-up.

This trail of betrayal and delusion began with the first gathering of mankind together into a nation. That nation was ruled by Nimrod (Gen. 10:8; 1 Chron. 1:10; Micah 5:6), until his death; and in that same general time frame, God splintered the proto-nation into family (tribal) groups with the confusion of tongues at Babel.

But then, as Alexander Hislop (1807-1865) pieced pre-history together1, Semiramis, Nimrod’s widow, was the guiding (human) spirit behind a new religion artfully crafted to pull the tribes of man back into a new spiritual unity–and ultimately a political unity as well. Guiding the guide, of course, was Satan, ever intent on thwarting God’s plans for man and substituting his own.

So powerful was this pagan religion that it ultimately led very nearly the entire world into apostasy. It goes by many names and takes many forms in many lands. It pays homage to many gods. But their original impetus derived from the first delusion of a powerful leader (Nimrod) who was slain and who was believed to have returned to life as a great god

These related religions were known as “mystery religions,” for they were shrouded in mysteries revealed only to initiates. Hence there was a popular level of revealed pagan religion, into which the masses entered, and a higher level open only to a select few, who underwent initiation rites which they were sworn never to reveal.

How Did the Great Apostasy Happen?
Please recall that all this began just a few generations after the Great Flood. Nimrod was a great-grandson of Noah (Gen. 10:7)–and Noah was well acquainted with Jehovah God! Not only did Noah know God, he survived the Flood by 350 years (Gen. 9:28). So he was still very much alive when Nimrod flourished! (If you wish to delve into this complex web of false spirits and false gods for yourself, see footnote 1 for a source to begin.)

In view of the brief time frame and the overwhelming success of the mystery religions, we must ask: How was it possible to pull the wool over almost the whole of mankind so thoroughly as to cause them to turn their backs upon the true God, who had so recently revealed His awesome power through the Great Flood?

There is a large clue in Deuteronomy 13:1-3. In this passage, which is included in Moses’ restatement and summation of the Mosaic Law, is a warning from God about false prophets: “If there arise among you a prophet, or a dreamer of dreams, and giveth thee a sign or a wonder, And the sign or the wonder come to pass, whereof he spake unto thee, saying, Let us go after other gods, which thou hast not known, and let us serve them; Thou shalt not hearken unto the words of that prophet, or that dreamer of dreams: for the Lord your God proveth you, to know whether ye love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul.”

If a prophet gives a sign or wonder, and the sign or wonder comes to pass . . .  Think about that. God was warning the children of Israel against genuine wonders-—things that would really happen or at the very least would convincingly appear to happen-—but they would be false signs. And God would allow this as a test to show who really loved Him—and who therefore would resist the tremendous temptation to follow the crowd, which was being swayed by what their eyes beheld or their hearts believed.

We are told by ancient historians Justin and Epiphanius that in the initiation rites, the image of a god (Osiris, Tammuz, or Adonis—all of whom Hislop believed represented Nimrod) spoke to the candidates (Hislop, p. 67). We are also, however, given to understand that powerful drugs were administered to the candidates, and these may have been hallucinatory. In any case, the candidates were convinced—not only of the truth of the vision but also that they would be forever lost if they revealed beyond the brotherhood what they had seen and heard.

A Three-Fold Deception
I believe that the appeal of this false religion was three-fold, relying on false signs, a false vision, and a false permissiveness. I am convinced the vision centered on a false messiah or savior, who offered devotees the salvation mankind has always yearned for. This false messiah was Nimrod or one of his many avatars.2 But this spiritual bait offered yet more—much more! Not only was a savior put forward, with the hope of eternal life, but men and women could have all this without giving up the sinful pleasures of this life. In fact, Semiramis, who was subsequently “deified” by this false religion, was known to be a lewd woman, reveling in orgies. She encouraged her devotees to follow her example—and perhaps this was the greatest lure of all!

Summing up, think of the great deception as a savior offered, with confirming signs, and “come as you are—stay as you are.” Small wonder that the bait was swallowed en masse!

Note especially that Satan put forward his own candidate for the Messiah many centuries before God, in the fullness of time, revealed Jesus Christ as the true Messiah (see Hislop, chapter 2, sub-section 5, p. 58 ff).

Demonic Influence Over Israel and the Young Church
I will not belabor this point, for it is obvious that the same seductive power which was exercised over all mankind shortly after the Fall was specifically exercised over the children of Israel to lead them from worshipping Jehovah God to serving the false gods of surrounding pagan nations. Suffice it to quote a warning from God given shortly before Moses’ successor, Joshua, led the Israelites into the Promised Land.

Moses told the assembled people that after they crossed the Jordan, they would face blessings from Mt. Gerizim if they obeyed the Lord, and curses from Mt. Ebal if they disobeyed Him. The first curse pronounced was against setting up idols, which represented false gods: “Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten image, an abomination unto the LORD, the work of the hands of the craftsman, and putteth it in a secret place. And all the people shall answer and say, Amen” (Deut. 27:15). But despite their good intentions at that instant, the time came when “They sacrificed unto devils, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to new gods that came newly up, whom your fathers feared not” (Deut. 32:17). The Old Testament goes on to record the dismal fulfillment of that curse and its consequences among the Chosen People.

That the apostasy was still a huge issue at the time of Christ, and spilled over into His young church, is shown in Paul’s warning to the Corinthians: “What say I then? that the idol is any thing, or that which is offered in sacrifice to idols is any thing? But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils (demons), and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils. Ye cannot drink the cup of the Lord, and the cup of devils: ye cannot be partakers of the Lord’s table, and of the table of devils” (1 Cor. 10:19-21).

Demonic Power Is at Work Even Now
Is demonic power active in our present-day culture? Indeed it is, despite the fact that we live in a society that largely does not believe in supernatural power of any sort. For this reason, Satan’s “powers of the air” tend to be low-key and at work behind the scenes, but they are present. For example, Mormon missionaries ask prospective converts to read the Book of Mormon and then wait for a burning in their breast, which, they say, will confirm the truth of the Book of Mormon. If they pray for it, they will generally get it!

Many New Agers look for the appearance of The Coming One prophesied by Alice Ann Bailey, who wrote books dictated to her by her “spirit master.”3 Ray Yungen (see footnote 3) notes: “To occultists, the significance of the Alice Bailey writings has heralded anticipation of a World Healer and Savior [author’s emphasis] in the coming Aquarian Age (the astrological age of enlightenment and peace). This savior would unite all mankind under his guidance. This person was not to be the Lord Jesus Christ, of whom Christians await the return, but an entirely different individual who would embody all the great principles of occultism, chiefly the divinity and perfectibility of man.”4

In Yungen’s book, he documents the rapid expansion of New Age principles in the present day, including ominous inroads into the church. But while the principles are purely New Age, they are being sold to the credulous as exciting revelations of new paths to spiritual growth for our time. And this is taking place not only in mainline denominations which have been drifting from biblical Christianity for decades, but also in evangelical churches.

Demonic Power Will Grow Stronger in the Last Days
The world is being prepared even now to accept and believe the witness of the sign when the false prophet will call down fire from heaven (Rev. 13:13). Note, for example, the unprecedented increase in emphasis on television on supernatural powers, ghosts, and spirits. These themes have been around for a very long time, but not since the superstitious days of the Middle Ages have they been accentuated so heavily. I believe this build-up is preparing the populace for Satan’s introduction of the Beast and his false prophet, who will deceive “them that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do in the sight of the beast;” (Rev. 13-14).

Thus will the false prophet seemingly verify that the Beast that rose out of the sea (Rev. 13:1), also known as “the son of perdition” and the anti-Christ, is indeed the promised Messiah. Once again, God will be testing mankind by allowing these miracle-signs to reveal the faithful remnant who will cling to the revealed Word and will not be snared by powerful delusion.

May all who read these words be among that faithful remnant!

Footnotes:
1. Alexander Hislop, The Two Babylons, researched and first published as a book in 1858. Note: While some of Hislop’s extrapolations and projections seem forced, his prodigious research into ancient sources cannot be written off, and I believe that his general conclusions are sound. It is obvious that something led the world rapidly away from God, and Hislop’s explanation is the most logical description I know of.
2. Ibid., p. 59
3. Ray Yungen, A Time of Departing, 2d ed. (Eureka, MT: Lighthouse Trails Publishing, 2006), p. 112 ff.
4. Ibid., p. 113.

Related Information:
New Ageism: A Vision That Will Usher in the End of History by Ted Kyle

(Painting by Pieter Bruegel the Elder, 1563, in public domain, taken from Wikipedia)

 

Remembering the Forgotten Pilgrims

BY BILL RANDLES

SEE: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2020/newsletter20201130.htm;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing whither he went.

By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise:

For he looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

Through faith also Sara herself received strength to conceive seed, and was delivered of a child when she was past age, because she judged him faithful who had promised.

Therefore sprang there even of one, and him as good as dead, so many as the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable.  (Hebrews 11:8-12)

Our Western society loves to commemorate historic anniversaries. When I was a child, we commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Civil War. It was constant and pervasive, and as a child I loved it. Picture books, lectures, studies of generals such as Grant and Lee everywhere we turned.

The November 22, 1963 anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy is dutifully remembered every single year. More recently we had a four-year remembrance of the hundredth anniversary of World War 1 (which I have found fascinating also).

I was in the UK a few years ago, and they were commemorating the four-hundredth anniversary of the King James version of the Bible. It was amazing. The UK, I know, is a very secular, post-Christian society (with a very strong but tiny remnant church), but even the godless BBC heavily commemorated the King James version, and its contribution to the English language.

But there is an equally profound four-hundred-year anniversary, which, for the most part, is relatively ignored by our society. I speak of the landing of the Pilgrim fathers on the Mayflower. I am amazed at the relative lack of popular, mainstream interest in the event and have been pondering why before God.

It’s not that we just can’t remember that far back anymore; after all, last year America was awash with the “1619 project,” a Marxist and deeply flawed version of America’s founding. It was 1619 that the first African slaves were brought to the New World.

Every where we turn, there is an unprecedented educational push to establish the lie that America’s real founding is based upon racism and exploitation. There are millions of tax dollars flowing in order to insert this propaganda in public schools.

What does it mean that 1619 is so emphasized , while 1620 is basically ignored?

It is just another example of the spiritual battle being waged for the soul of our nation, between those who were formed by the Judeo-Christian outlook and those who are the fruit of the ongoing atheistic revolution. The idea is to spiritually demoralize America, to disintegrate our body politic, and to disinherit us from the faith and accomplishments of so many of our forefathers.

Admittedly, America has always had two souls; Jamestown, was a colony established by freeloading “Gentlemen” out for treasure and wealth, and who refused to work to feed themselves, instead living off of the good will of the Indian tribes, and eventually cheating and stealing from them.

The other soul of America is that of the Puritans, separatists, and other devoted Christian believers who risked all to come here to establish a “City on a Hill,” a place to worship God and evangelize the Native American Indians.

I believe 1620 is ignored now because this a Christian story, complete with earnest God-fearing people, miracles, and a sixty-year peace treaty with the Indians. These people wanted to serve God, to live honest lives, to make settlements, raise children, and build a just society for future generations.

That doesn’t fit the atheistic narrative. The Pilgrims were not oppressors— they were peace-loving settlers. They were builders as well as worshippers.

Originating from the village of Scrooby in England, the original Pilgrim fathers were non-conformists; a religious designation, they were Christians but didn’t want to worship in the Anglican (state) Church. They wanted to form their own assemblies, preach the Gospel, and practice evangelism. But for that, many were arrested, harassed, and their churches were shut down by government agents. (Ironically, I just saw English police invade a church service recently in the name of protecting people from Covid. They barged right in during worship, scaring women and children and proclaiming that the worshippers were an unlawful assembly. The more things change the more, they remain the same).

The small persecuted group of believers from Scrooby scraped together their meager funds and moved to Holland where there was more religious freedom. But after a few years, the Pilgrims found Holland to be too worldly and were concerned about losing their children to the world. So out of their extreme poverty, they pooled enough funds to charter two boats and half of the congregation set out for the New World in search of religious freedom. They soon had to turn back because one of the ships leaked so badly it was deemed unseaworthy, so they crammed into one ship—the Mayflower.

These weren’t professional soldiers or adventurers; they were simple, English Bible-believing Christians who risked all on that boat in search of religious freedom. Many had sold themselves into indentured servitude in order to afford the journey.

There were miracles of God’s providence:

  • The sailors abused the Pilgrims badly, calling them “Psalm-singing pukestockings” and threatened to throw them overboard. They even tried to prevent them from bringing a prized printing press. (The Pilgrims wanted to print the Bible in America.) Had the sailors succeeded, the ship would have been in deep trouble. A storm broke the undergirding of the main mast, and the only way they could repair it was by using the screw of the printing press which fit perfectly under the mast replacing the broken piece and enabling the crew to elevate the mast into place.
  • A storm blew the Pilgrims off course; had they landed where they intended, they would have joined another colony in Virginia which had 120 or so people reduced to starvation, eating boiled shoes and belt leather.
  • The Mayflower instead landed in Massachusetts, at just the place where a fierce tribe of Indians had recently been devastated by a plague, nearly wiping them out. Had this group of Natives survived or not been plagued, they would surely have instead killed every one of the Pilgrims.
  • A few months into the New World, the Pilgrims were startled by the visit of an Indian, who walked into the Palisade, and asked in perfect English, “Have you got any beer?.” He had been taken to England a few years earlier, learned English, and some said was converted to Christianity, but then wanted to return, only to find out his tribe had been wiped out by plague. He would be an invaluable aid to the Pilgrim company, teaching them how to live off of the land and when and where to fish, plant etc.

These stories were once well known and cherished in America. Now they are being ignored and forgotten in our politically correct, atheistic, cultural revolution. We should not let this happen.

What is a pilgrim? A pilgrim is a religious traveler who seeks a “better city” and who knows something higher and purer is available (from God) to any who will heed God’s call and follow. The Marxist atheists hate the Pilgrims because they were unashamed Christians. Thus, they denigrate them, misrepresent them, and caricature them on every opportunity.

The lack of commemoration of them, and what they would suffer and die to build, is a shame. Scripture tells us “The memory of the just is blessed: but the name of the wicked shall rot” (Proverbs 10:7).

Those seeking to destroy this country, and who are willing to lie and denigrate the Pilgrims and others in order to do it, could never build a just and free society as the Pilgrims would do. (It takes Christianity, applied, to do so.) They couldn’t hold a candle to these people. It is much easier to destroy than to build in this fallen world.

Every Thanksgiving, I gather my family around and tell them the story of these remarkable saints, as we all thank God for his indescribable blessings. May God help us to keep the feast in faith and love.

(Photo credit: Painting titled “Thanksgiving at Plymouth” by Jennie Brownscombe in 1925; in the public domain – Thanksgiving at Plymouth | Artwork | NMWA.)

 

 

Letter to the Editor: To All Parents of Students Considering Attending Gordon College

PRESIDENT D. MICHAEL LINDSAY

SOCIOLOGY MAJOR

President Lindsay

https://www.gordon.edu/president/bio

CURRICULUM VITAE:

https://gordonedu.sharepoint.com/WebLinks/Shared%20Documents/Forms/AllItems.aspx?id=%2FWebLinks%2FShared%20Documents%2FLindsay%20CV%20September%202020%2Epdf&parent=%2FWebLinks%2FShared%20Documents&p=true&originalPath=aHR0cHM6Ly9nb3Jkb25lZHUuc2hhcmVwb2ludC5jb20vOmI6L2cvV2ViTGlua3MvRWUxY05zTDF4TmxIbUdJNzFiYlloczBCelVnTW4tdFV2M3NFaHpYTEZfeS1TQT9ydGltZT0xWjY3cFVtVjJFZw

Gordon College, 255 Grapevine Road, Wenham, MA 01984
978 927 2300   |   admissions@gordon.edu   |   info@gordon.edu

https://www.gordon.edu/about

Gordon College is a nondenominational Christian liberal arts college in Wenham, Massachusetts.

Unleashing Opportunity: Why Escaping Poverty Requires a Shared Vision of Justice

Michael Gerson, Visiting Fellow at the Center for Public Justice and syndicated columnist with the Washington Post - Gordon College Convocation - Friday November 20, 2015

SEE: https://www.lighthousetrailsresearch.com/newsletters/2020/newsletter20201130.htm;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

LTRP Note: Since the inception of Lighthouse Trails in 2002, we have been researching and warning about what is happening in today’s Christian colleges, seminaries, and universities. The letter below from Manny Silva (co-founder of Concerned Nazarenes) (posted with his permission) illustrates the great dilemma in which many Christian parents find themselves today, and it is utterly heartbreaking. Over the years, so many parents and grandparents have told us how their child’s or grandchild’s faith was turned upside down after attending a Christian college for even just a short time.

We wrote the booklet Epidemic of Apostasy in 2013 (from a report we released in 2011) showing how the Christian schools were incorporating Spiritual Formation (i.e., contemplative spirituality) into their students’ lives. We warned that doing this was going to turn these young people emergent. If anyone reading the following letter thinks for a minute that the huge emphasis on contemplative spirituality in the church these last two decades has not produced “social-justice warriors” in our young people who are joining (or at least sympathizing with) the Marxist, Black Lives Matter, pro-hate, anti-biblical movements currently happening, then he or she has not done due diligence in understanding what we’ve been warning about for nearly 19 years. We have always stated and will continue to warn as the Lord allows that the Spiritual Formation movement (now in the majority of Christian colleges) is a disguised effort by our Adversary to lead followers away from the Cross and into deep deception! Want to have a socialist, anti-moral, angry, and disillusioned child or grandchild? Just send him or her to a school that promotes Spiritual Formation.

And do not think that today’s Christian leaders are not much to blame for what is happening with our young people and the colleges—just read Roger Oakland’s book Faith Undone and Ray Yungen’s A Time of Departing* to understand the roles Christian leaders have played and the links involved in bringing about an emergent “social-justice” Bible-rejecting revolutionary movement within the church.

To All Parents of Students Considering Attending Gordon College by Manny Silva:

Manny Silva

My son is a freshman at Gordon College. We enrolled him because we believed the school is a solid Christian college. But now, we have serious issues with what is going on campus this semester. We and many other parents of Gordon students are extremely concerned with the direction things are going. So if you are considering sending your student to Gordon College next year, please contact me at my e-mail address.

The biggest symptom of what we see is a falling away from the biblical principles that the school stands for, is the division being caused on campus by the Black Lives Matter movement. Student BLM activists have been exhibiting less than Christ-like behavior, such as racially divisive signs on campus. And one of the most serious concerns is that students who oppose BLM, or oppose social justice/Critical Race Theory are being vilified, intimidated, harassed, and even coerced into participating in activities which they do not agree with! These are all symptoms of a bigger problem, in which social-justice ideology is supplanting a biblical worldview on a college campus which we were certain would provide a solid basis for my son’s learning and spiritual growth. That is all in doubt now!

I have attended or listened to chapel messages where Scripture was twisted (by college professors!) into a social-justice theme. My son has not learned much about God’s Word in many of these chapel services. Racial issues seem to be overly-discussed in many classes, and activities and events are almost all themed on racial issues—but again, always slanted towards those who support BLM and social-justice causes. If you disagree, you are disapproved of, or you are forced to stay silent.

This in unacceptable on a Christian campus. Therefore, this is a clear warning to all parents considering Gordon College. We have not given up. We have started a group for concerned parents, and we are working hard to see if we can help rescue Gordon College from going over the precipice, where it will become undiscernible as a Christian school, and it will turn into just another secular, godless school in practice.

If you are a prospective parent, or know if a prospective parent of a student, please let me know, and I will give you further information, including joining the Concerned Gordon Parents group.

Related Material:

Lighthouse Trails List of Christian Colleges Promoting Spiritual Formation

An Epidemic of Apostasy – How Christian Seminaries Must Incorporate “Spiritual Formation” to Become Accredited

Critical Race Theory, Southern Baptist Convention, and a Marxist “Solution” That Will Not Work

Various research articles by Lighthouse Trails on Nazarene schools

Emergent Manifesto of Hope Despair Revisited—How It Has Affected Today’s Church

(photo of college scene from bigstockphoto.com; used with permission)

*If you have never read these books and cannot afford to buy one or both, e-mail us at editors@lighthousetrails.com, and we will send one to you.

____________________________________________________________________

SEE ALSO: JOB POSITION IN SOCIAL JUSTICE, ETC.

https://www.gordon.edu/download/galleries/Intercultural%20Student%20Service%20Coordinator-job%20position.pdf

https://www.gordon.edu/genderstudies

https://www.gordon.edu/socialimpactministries

https://www.gordon.edu/socialwelfare

https://www.gordon.edu/politicalscience

Social Sciences
ECB 101 - Principles of Microeconomics - Credits: 4 
ECB 349 - Leadership in and of Organizations - Credits: 4
HIS 244 - World History: Globalisation and Modernity, 1500-Present - Credits: 4
HIS 344 - Classical Islam and the Middle East - Credits: 4     
POL 104 - American National Politics - Credits: 4 
POL 312 - Justice - Credits: 4 
POL 322 - American Political Thought - Credits: 4 
PSY 180 - Person in Psychological Context - Credits: 4
SOC 101 - Introduction to Sociology - Credits: 4 
SOC 102 - Why We Want: A Sociology of Desire and Consumption - Credits: 4  
SOC 103 - Social Movements - Credits: 4
SWK 201 - Introduction to Social Work and Social Welfare - Credits: 4 

Faith Takes the Forefront as Georgia Senate Runoffs Heat up

SEE: https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/election-2020-georgia-faith-politics/2020/11/29/id/999135/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Bishop Reginald Jackson stepped to the microphone at a drive-in rally outside a church in southwest Atlanta as his voice carried over a loudspeaker and the radio to people gathered in, around and on top of cars that filled the parking lot.

“Let’s keep Georgia blue," Jackson said. “Let’s elect Jon Ossoff, Raphael Warnock to the United States Senate.” The presiding bishop of more than 400 African Methodist Episcopal churches in Georgia added a pastoral flourish as horns honked and supporters cheered: “If I have a witness, somebody say amen!"

As Georgia becomes the nation’s political hotspot this winter before twin runoff elections Jan. 5 that will determine control of the Senate, faith-based organizing is heating up.

Conservative Christians are rallying behind Republican Sens. Kelly Loeffler and David Perdue, while Black churches and liberal-leaning Jewish groups are backing Democratic challengers Rev. Raphael Warnock and Jon Ossoff. The Democrats' fates are seen as intertwined in a state that this year turned blue in the presidential election for the first time since 1992 by a razor-thin margin.

“These runoffs are critically important,” Jackson said. “We want to make sure there is no decrease in turnout.”

Across Georgia, the African Methodist Episcopal Church is implementing a program designed to ensure its members, and Black voters overall, cast ballots in the runoff — focusing on votes by mail and early in-person voting. Pastors at each church remind tens of thousands of congregants every week to apply for an absentee ballot and of early voting dates, Jackson said in an interview. Each local church also follows up with congregants to make sure they have a plan to vote.

The New Georgia Project, a nonpartisan voter mobilization group founded by Democrat Stacey Abrams, who ran for governor in 2018, is also preparing to tap the influence of faith communities in stoking turnout.

Rev. Billy Honor, director of faith organizing at the group, said the conservative Christian Faith & Freedom Coalition — founded by former Georgia GOP chairman Ralph Reed — has long positioned Georgia “as the home of evangelical fundamentalist types when it comes to the political space."

“But the truth is, for a very long time, there has been an active, effective movement of progressive-minded, justice-centered clergy” who have worked in the state on voting rights, health care and other issues, Honor added. He said Warnock was part of that work before his candidacy. Warnock is senior pastor at Atlanta's Ebenezer Baptist Church, the congregation led by the late Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.

Meanwhile, Loeffler and Perdue can expect to benefit from a conservative Christian base that has long boosted the state’s Republicans. Faith & Freedom made Georgia one of its top three spending targets in a $50 million get-out-the-vote program during the general election and plans increased organizing for the runoffs.

The reach of "the evangelical vote in Georgia is very large and very strong,” Timothy Head, the group’s executive director, said in an interview.

Head noted that while President Donald Trump kept a strong hold on white evangelical voters this year, Perdue out-performed Trump in Georgia during the general election. President-elect Joe Biden may have won over some evangelicals by contrasting his character with that of Trump, Head said, but he argued that the same sort of case would be harder for Democrats to make against Loeffler and Perdue.

Another faith-focused conservative group, the legislative affiliate of the Family Research Council, is holding trainings and pastor briefings before the runoffs. The anti-abortion group Susan B. Anthony List, whose president advised Trump’s reelection campaign on Catholic outreach, has announced a $4.1 million plan to boost Loeffler and Perdue through a partner political action committee.

Religious issues already have become a campaign flashpoint in the runoff. The GOP has resurfaced excerpts from past Warnock sermons to assail him as insufficiently supportive of the military as well as anti-Israel. The Democrat signed a letter last year comparing Israel's policy toward Palestinians to “previous oppressive regimes" and criticized it in a 2018 sermon, while also calling for a two-state solution in the region.

Warnock pushed back in a recently released television ad, saying the attacks are “trying to scare people by taking things I’ve said out of context from over 25 years of being a pastor.”

One group criticizing Warnock as too left-leaning on Israel, the Republican Jewish Coalition, is also mobilizing on behalf of the GOP incumbents.

Jewish Democrats in Georgia predicted that the GOP attack on Warnock’s Israel record would fall flat, citing his record of friendship with the Jewish community through his pulpit at Ebenezer.

Sherry Frank, president of the Atlanta section of the National Council of Jewish Women, said she sees “no doubt in the Jewish community about (Warnock’s) stance on Israel and anti-Semitism.” Frank's group is conducting nonpartisan voter turnout work for the runoffs.

Georgia’s Jewish Democrats also see, in Ossoff and Warnock, candidates whose joint push for the Senate harkens back to a tradition of Black and Jewish leaders working together during the civil rights movement. Warnock has a bond with a prominent Atlanta rabbi whose predecessor at the synagogue was close with King.

Warnock is viewed “as the inheritor" of King’s legacy, said Michael Rosenzweig, co-chair of the Georgia chapter of the Jewish Democratic Council of America, which has endorsed both Democrats. “And to the extent that Jews were supportive of the civil rights struggle and supportive of (King), I think they look supportively on Rev. Warnock.”

Ossoff, who is Jewish, has defended Warnock against GOP criticism over Israel and fondly recalled his own connection to the late Rep. John Lewis, a Georgia civil rights leader who endorsed Ossoff before his death in July. In October, Ossoff said he and Lewis talked during their first meeting about “the bond between the Black and Jewish communities, marching alongside rabbis and young Jewish activists in the mid 1960s ... and how important it was that these communities be brought together."

 

Thanksgiving: Giving Thanks to God

Thanksgiving: Giving Thanks to God

BY REBECCA TERRELL

SEE: https://thenewamerican.com/thanksgiving-giving-thanks-to-god/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

The holiday we celebrate now has its roots in Massachusetts Governor William Bradford’s proclamation of the first Thanksgiving Day on November 29, 1623. He ordered a public ceremony to “render thanksgiving to ye Almighty God for all His blessings.” However, that was not the first thanksgiving on our nation’s soil. Long before, on September 8, 1565, Spanish explorers celebrated Mass in gratitude for their safe arrival at what is now St. Augustine, Florida. Another Mass of thanksgiving was celebrated by Spanish explorers in present-day Texas on April 30, 1598. The first official Thanksgiving ceremony in the American colonies was December 4, 1619, when English settlers arrived at the Berkeley Hundred settlement in Virginia. So Bradford was only following honorable suit.

The infant nation continued the practice. Thomas Jefferson introduced a resolution in the Virginia Assembly in 1774 calling for a Day of Fasting and Prayer, as did Richard Henry Lee in 1777. The governor of New Hampshire, John Langdon, proclaimed official days of thanksgiving, fasting, and prayer in 1785 and 1786. Massachusetts Governor John Hancock issued A Proclamation for a Day of Thanksgiving on November 8, 1783, to celebrate victory of the colonies in the Revolutionary War because, “the Interposition of Divine Providence in our Favor hath been most abundantly and most graciously manifested, and the Citizens of these United States have every Reason for Praise and Gratitude to the God of their salvation.”

Congress also acted nobly in those days. The Continental Congress issued the First National Proclamation of Thanksgiving to all colonies to thank God for victory at Saratoga during the Revolutionary War. It established Thursday, December 18, 1777 as a day of “solemn thanksgiving and praise,” to show gratitude to Almighty God, reminding Americans that “it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending Providence of Almighty God [and] to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to Him for benefits received.” The proclamation called upon citizens to “consecrate themselves to the service of their Divine Benefactor” and to confess their “manifold sins” and beg God to “mercifully forgive and blot them out of remembrance.” It also asked God’s continued blessings and recommended that everyone abstain from servile labor, as would be “unbecoming … on so solemn an occasion.” Three years later, on October 18, 1780, the Continental Congress issued a similar proclamation after Benedict Arnold’s traitorous plans were exposed.

Congress unanimously approved yet another National Day of Thanksgiving on September 25, 1789, calling for public prayer. President George Washington also signed a “National Thanksgiving Proclamation” on January 1, 1795, pointing to, “Our duty as a people, with devout reverence and affectionate gratitude, to acknowledge our many and great obligations to Almighty God, and implore Him to continue and confirm the blessings we experienced.”

Thanksgiving Day was officially set on the last Thursday of November in 1863 when Congress passed an act signed by President Abraham Lincoln, who said, “[It is] announced in Holy Scripture and proven by all history, that those nations are blessed whose God is the Lord… It has seemed to me fit and proper that God should be solemnly, reverently and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people.”

By 1939, times had changed. Thanksgiving was no longer about giving thanks but about ringing in the Christmas shopping season. Retailers pressured President Franklin Delano Roosevelt to change Thanksgiving from the last Thursday of November (which fell on November 30 that year) to the fourth Thursday so they could have an extra week to peddle their Christmas wares. He did so to the confusion of many, since calendars, and school and vacation schedules, were already set according to tradition. About half of the country celebrated one week before the other half, while Texas and Colorado celebrated both dates. The next year was just as confusing, so Congress stepped in to clear things up. It approved a 1941 joint resolution that Thanksgiving Day would always be observed on the fourth Thursday of November. The resolution became law in 1977 (Public Law 77-379), declaring “the fourth Thursday of every November: A National Day of Thanksgiving.” What a pitiful contrast to the inspiring tributes made by our founders in regard to what should be a God-centered holiday.

The tombstone of Governor William Bradford is inscribed in Latin: “What our fathers with so much difficulty attained do not basely relinquish.” That is sound advice! We should not basely relinquish our Christian heritage to materialism or to the modern idea that a nation belongs to the people who live here now rather than those who helped build her. On this Thanksgiving Day, as we thank God for our great nation, let us beg Him to convert our leaders into models of those godly statesmen of yore.

This New American article was originally published on Nov. 26, 2009. Sources used by the author: Federer, William J., America’s God and Country: Encyclopedia of Quotations, Amerisearch, Inc. 1999; Walls, Lt. Col. Timothy. “Giving Thanks is Tradition that Began with Pioneers,” Hawaii Army Weekly, December 5, 2008.

Related articles:

The Pilgrims Weren’t Socialists

The Pilgrims: Faith in the Face of Skepticism

Five Grains of Pilgrim Corn

Thanksgiving and the Blessings of Liberty

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Thanksgiving shouldn't be a "triggering" event for family members, but in case it is, here are some tips (and links) to keep the focus on what's most important:
It began 400 years ago...
This year is a monumental one -- Almost exactly 400 years ago, on November 11th 1620, the Puritan Christians, known as the Pilgrims, landed on United States soil.

Focus On The Why. After enduring years of persecution, hardship, and a difficult journey across the Atlantic, they praised the Lord for bringing them safely to their destination. To the Pilgrims, thankfulness was more than an attitude.

"Last and not least, they cherished a great hope and inward zeal of laying good foundations, or at least of making some way towards it, for the propagation and advance of the gospel of the kingdom of Christ in the remote parts of the world, even though they should be but stepping stones to others in the performance of so great a work." Of Plymouth Plantation

Let's not allow the media, difficult family members, or a pandemic to rob us of the importance of this holiday. This should not be a triggering event -- instead, like the Israelites' Passover celebration, it should be a time of reminding our children of God's faithfulness in our lives and the shared history of our nation.
From our families to yours, have a wonderfully intentional Thanksgiving Holiday.  May this time of remembrance of God's faithfulness bring us all to a place of bowed heads and worship. 
Exodus 12:25-27 -- It will come to pass when you come to the land which the LORD will give you, just as He promised, that you shall keep this service. And it shall be, when your children say to you, 'What do you mean by this service?' that you shall say, 'It is the Passover sacrifice of the LORD, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt when He struck the Egyptians and delivered our households.' So the people bowed their heads and worshiped.
Our mailing address is:

Delaware Family Policy Council

P.O. Box 925

Seaford, DE 19973

A Time to Give Thanks

What else to do after a year of rage and chaos?

BY BRUCE BAWER

SEE: https://www.frontpagemag.com/fpm/2020/11/time-give-thanks-bruce-bawer/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Dare I suggest that many of us aren’t feeling terribly inclined to be thankful this year? The months of lockdown have sapped our spirits and then some, taking a psychological toll of a kind that has yet to be fully appreciated, let alone properly diagnosed. The utterly insane Antifa and BLM riots – plus the spineless public officials who refused to quell them, and the disgraceful journalists who called them “mostly peaceful” – made many of us ask, in genuine bafflement and alarm: what on Earth has happened to America? And the possibility that rampant electoral fraud will deny the best president of our lifetimes a second term has caused widespread bitterness – not to mention astonishment and disillusion at the thought that so many American election officials could be capable of such Third World-level corruption.

There are other reasons for dismay. During the Trump years, we’ve learned that almost everyone in our national news media is simply not to be trusted. We’ve learned that Barack Obama, in an audacious act of treason that had the support of Biden, Hillary, and others, actively sought to unseat his successor. The idea that these traitors will probably get off not only scot-free but bathed in enduring adulation is grounds for a major funk.

Add to all this the prospect of a Biden-Harris administration, with everything that that signifies – including the re-empowerment of China, the reversal of Trump’s economic triumphs, a return to a Palestinian-centered Middle Eastern policy, an end to responsible border controls, and the acceleration of poisonous left-wing cultural developments at home – and it’s far from a formula for good cheer.

As 2020 approaches its close, in short, there’s plenty of cause for concern about the direction America will take in 2021 and afterwards.

All the more reason, then, to turn away from the news, at least for a day, and embrace Thanksgiving. Bah and humbug to the autocratic governors and mayors who are ordering us not to gather together. The hell with those social-justice warriors for whom Thanksgiving is nothing other than an opportunity to accuse America of racism and genocide.

On Election Day we were reminded that standing in line to vote was our ultimate American ritual. Well, millions of us didn’t stand in line this year, and it looks as if that was a big part of the problem (one that we can hope will be corrected in future). But, yes, Election Day is the occasion on which we carry out our solemn responsibilities as citizens of a democratic republic, just as July 4 is the day on which we celebrate our independence with, as John Adams foresaw, “Pomp and Parade, with Shews, Games, Sports, Guns, Bells, Bonfires and Illuminations.”

Still, other countries have their own Election Days and Bastille Days and Constitution Days and the like. It’s Thanksgiving that is the most distinctively American of holidays. (Yes, I know Canada celebrates it too, in October – a practice begun after the American Revolution by Loyalists who had fled north.) And it isn’t a day of civic commemoration. It’s more like a sacrament – a celebration of family and community, a yearly reminder that the heart of our country is not located in Washington, D.C., but in every hearth and home, and that Americans, who have no masters, bow only in prayer.

Thanksgiving summons us to look back not to 1776 or 1789 but more than a century earlier, to the Mayflower settlers – who sailed to the New World of their own accord, who had no government but themselves, and whose descendants peopled a continent, turning it into the breadbasket of the world, the arsenal of democracy, the last, best hope of humanity, and the engine of modernity.

We sometimes take it for granted that the electric light and telephone are American inventions, that Americans gave the world manned flight and put men on the moon, that Americans decoded DNA and led the computer revolution. We’re so used to America being on top that it doesn’t occur to us even to think about it, let alone give thanks for it. When news came the other day that two U.S. firms, Moderna and Pfizer, were on the verge of launching promising new COVID-19 vaccines, how many of us even thought to swell with pride that America had done it again?

The prospect of a vaccine that may enable us all to return to normal after this most abnormal of years should be reason enough to bow our heads in gratitude. But there’s much more for which we should give thanks. During the past year no two of us have lived the same lives. For me, 2019 happened to have been a nightmare, whereas 2020 was happy. I assume that’s true of millions of others.

As for politics, no matter who ends up being inaugurated on January 20, we should be thankful for the four years of Donald Trump that we’ve already had. He was a miracle. The shock is not that he may have lost his bid for re-election but that the American electorate managed to put him in the White House in the first place and keep him there, despite the best efforts of both major party establishments, the Deep State, the news media, the academy, and Silicon Valley. 

There’s more. In the last few days, I’ve felt increasingly grateful for what I can only describe as a newfound clarity. As David Horowitz put it earlier this week, the lesson of the election is that those of us who stand for individual freedom and constitutional values are engaged in a great civil war with totalitarian-minded Democrats who see America as founded on systemic racism and who seek to “abolish liberal value systems and create a status hierarchy” based on identity-group labels.

It’s a sad truth. But better to know that truth than to be ignorant of it. One silver lining is that many rank-and-file Democrats are just beginning to grasp how dramatically their party has transformed in recent decades. If Biden and Harris get in, these people will get it soon enough. Perhaps a baptism by fire of clueless Democrats is what we need if we want to see a lasting American renewal.

So, yes, we have a fight ahead. But we should be thankful to know that the terms are clear, that we’re in the right, and that the views of most of our political opponents – not the relative handful of unshakable ideologues at the top, but the army of low-information voters below – are rooted largely in ignorance, not malice.   

In the meantime, we shouldn’t make the mistake that leftists make of comparing what we have here and now to some unattainable ideal. Our founders didn’t set out to create a utopia. They knew better. They were keenly aware of man’s imperfectability. So it is that being American has never been about seeking perfection. Rather, it’s about being engaged in a constant struggle to keep the train on the track even as fools and knaves try to steer it astray. From the Civil War and Reconstruction to the Great Depression and World War II to Vietnam and Watergate, we’ve encountered daunting challenges and faced intimidating odds. Again and again, we’ve not only survived but thrived. Because there’s something in us, as Americans, that enables us to confront troubles with grit, fortitude, and good humor.

And that, in itself, something to be thankful for: the very fact that we’re Americans. Because being American doesn’t just mean living in freedom and prosperity, but having certain attributes that we share with our antecedents and that brought that freedom and prosperity into being in the first place.

No, we don’t all share the same personality, but, generally speaking, we tend to fit a recognizable type when we go out into the world. Margaret Thatcher once quoted Winston Churchill as saying that “Americans seem to be the only men who can laugh and fight at the same time.” Yes, we laugh easily. We smile at strangers (but keep our powder dry). We’re forward-looking, curious, inventive, independent-minded. We don’t think we’re superior to anyone else (this is, to be sure, an American trait from which our leftist countrymen have succeeded in liberating themselves) but we don’t think we’re inferior, either. While people in other countries resent accomplishment, we respect success earned by hard work. Others muddle through; we pursue happiness and shoot for the stars.

Those of us whose family histories in America go back more than two or three generations may not know the specifics of our settler, pioneer, or immigrant ancestors’ lives. But we know they had it much tougher than we do. We know that we owe our present comfort to their determination to overcome unimaginable adversity; we know that we owe our abundance of leisure time to their hard work; we know that we owe our liberty to their brave decision to pull up stakes and take risks in order to live free in a foreign place.

Knowing that our rugged American forebears were always thankful for the gift of America, can we be any less grateful for it? Knowing, at this beginning of the annual season of hope, that many of our forebears had nothing but hope, dare we entertain the thought that we’re living in a time when all hope has been lost?

No, we’re Americans. When things go sideways, we don’t commit seppuku or drown ourselves in vodka or wave the white flag as the enemy comes marching down the Champs-Élyssées. We fight, we hope, and, yes, we give thanks. So far, the standard bearers of tyranny haven’t been able to take any of that away from us. God willing, they never shall.   

 
 

HBO Documentary Celebrates 4-Year-Old Transgender Boy

DIRECTOR/PRODUCER SHARON LIESE:

DR. DUKE PESTA EXPOSES THE EVIL:

MATTHEW 18:6-"But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea.

BY TYLER O'NEIL

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/culture/tyler-o-neil/2020/11/24/child-abuse-hbo-max-documentary-celebrates-4-year-old-boys-transgender-identity-n1170213;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

This month, HBO Max released the documentary Transhood, a film celebrating transgender identity for children as young as age four. According to director/producer Sharon Liese, the film’s central characters — children ages 4, 7, 12, and 15 — “redefine ‘coming of age.'” Many conservatives rightly condemned the film as “child abuse,” launching a Twitter hashtag “#BoycottHBO.”

While the documentary’s basic premise is disturbing enough, the outrage focused on a clip slightly longer than one minute in which a pro-LGBT church celebrates the “transition” of a 4-year-old boy identified as “Phoenix.”

“Today, we choose to recognize, honor, love, and celebrate anyone here who would claim their identity publicly as lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer or questioning, intersex, pansexual, asexual, or any category that I’ve left out,” a female minister says in the clip.

A mother brings her two children to the altar and introduces her four-year-old boy. “This is Phoenix,” the mother says. A woman hands the boy a microphone to announce his transgender identity as a girl, but Phoenix turns to his mother, saying he is “shy.”

“Do you want to tell everyone if you’re a boy or a girl?” his mother encourages.

“I just want to tell them that I’m a girl,” the boy says to his mother.

“Okay, you can tell them that,” his mother says. The boy turns to the crowd, holds up the microphone, and then reconsiders, saying, “I don’t want to do it.”

“Phoenix would like you to know that she’s a girl and she prefers ‘she’ and ‘her’ pronouns,” the mother says as the embarrassed boy walks off the stage.

The mother brings her son back to the stage as the congregation joins in a disturbing prayer. “May you be well, safe, and whole. We honor you exactly as you are,” the minister says.

Ironically, the minister, the congregation, and even the boy’s mother did not honor him exactly as he is — they honored him according to a profession of transgender identity that he is too young to make. Even if he were old enough to understand the meaning of gender and biological sex, the boy could not change the fact that he is male — that every full cell in his body carries X and Y chromosomes and that from conception, through his time in the womb, and before and after puberty he has developed and will continue to develop as male.

The minister’s Orwellian prayer about accepting the boy “exactly” as he is involves denying the plain biological reality right in front of her. This is bad enough, as it encourages the boy to grow up with a false understanding of biological sex. Yet this ceremony and the attitudes it encourages may also harm the boy physically.

Biden Endorses Transgender Activism for 8-Year-Old Children

Many medical professionals now encourage experimental “treatments” to “confirm” children’s “gender identity.” Major medical associations have embraced transgender ideology, recommending experimental “puberty-blocking” drugs with long-term side-effects for kids and cross-sex hormones for older children and young adults. Endocrinologists have warned that the “treatments” actually cause a disease that will likely stunt these children’s growth and cause long-term harm.

Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling, who has encouraged transgender “treatments” for some who suffer from gender dysphoria, has rightly warned about “a new kind of conversion therapy for young gay people, who are being set on a lifelong path of medicalization that may result in the loss of their fertility and/or full sexual function.” She shared a documentary about the gender clinic in Britain, where whistleblowers have voiced concerns that some parents push transgenderism on children because the parents prefer a “straight” transgender child over a “gay” child.

Men and women who once identified as transgender have grown to reject that identity, lamenting the serious damage they did to their bodies. “I am a real, live 22-year-old woman, with a scarred chest and a broken voice, and five o’clock shadow because I couldn’t face the idea of growing up to be a woman, that’s my reality,” admitted one woman who once identified as a man and took cross-sex hormones. One man described his artificial female anatomy as a “Frankenstein hack job.”

Evidence from the 10 available prospective follow-up studies from childhood to adolescence for gender dysphoric kids (who identify with the gender opposite their biological sex) shows that about 80 percent of those kids lose their gender dysphoria around the time of puberty. For these and other reasons, many pediatricians have condemned the mainstreaming of transgenderism among children as “child abuse.”

Similarly, the Daily Wire’s Matt Walsh condemned the HBO documentary as child abuse, urging an HBO boycott.

“HBO is promoting and normalizing the most horrific forms of child abuse with its ‘Transhood’ documentary. If you have HBO’s streaming service, cancel it. Don’t give your money to this evil,” Walsh tweeted.

“It’s grotesque to tell this tiny boy to be ‘well, safe, & whole’ when probably they’ll chemically castrate him with puberty blockers as part of their destructive trans ideology,” political commentator Liz Wheeler tweeted. “He’s not old enough to walk on stage by himself. He can’t ‘pick’ a gender.”

Transgender activism involves a great many societal changes that will undermine the rights of girls and women to privacy in spaces like bathrooms and changing rooms, as well as their right to fair competition in sports. Yet the disturbing advocacy of transgender identity for young children — likely later to involve experimental treatments that amount to chemical castration — is utterly sickening.

Episodes like this should jolt Americans out of their complacency on this issue, and encourage them to stand up for truth against this nefarious movement.

Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.

J.K. Rowling Raises the Alarm Over an ‘Unregulated Live Experiment on Children’
Transgender Surgery Does Not Improve Mental Health, Academics Belatedly Admit
Medical Journal: CPS Should Take Kids From Parents if They Oppose Transgender ‘Treatment’
HILARIOUS: John Cleese Savages Transgender Orthodoxy in Epic Tweetstorm
VIP: Why I Call J.K. Rowling a Moderate on Transgender Issues

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New Documentary Transhood Shows Mother Declaring Her 4-Year-Old-Son Is a Girl

SEE: https://www.christianheadlines.com/contributors/milton-quintanilla/new-documentary-transhood-shows-mother-declaring-her-4-year-old-son-is-a-girl.html

EXCERPTS:

One tweet featured a picture of Phoenix and his mother reading a book called Jacob’s New Dress; a book Walsh called “LGBT propaganda.”

“You're literally watching her brainwash the child into thinking he's a girl,” Walsh wrote. “It's no mystery how children end up ‘trans.’ This is it. Right here.”

Transhood, which was released on HBO on Nov. 12, follows four transgender children and their families as the children explore their chosen gender identities. The film follows the children between 2014 and 2019.

 

 

Globalist retired general Mattis: Biden Should ‘Eliminate America first’ Policy

"We hope they will quickly revise the national security strategy to eliminate 'America first'"

SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/robert-spencer/2020/11/24/mattis-hopes-biden-wont-put-america-first-n1170533

AND: https://www.jihadwatch.org/2020/11/mattis-says-he-hopes-biden-wont-put-america-first

ANOTHER "DEVOUT" CATHOLIC TEARS INTO TRUMP & HIS PROTECTION OF THE CONSTITUTION

Mattis: Nation must remember ‘core principles we used to know, live by’

ABOVE: Cardinal Timothy Dolan, center, and 2019 Happy Warrior Award Recipient Mary Ann Tighe, right, applaud former U.S. Secretary of Defense Jim Mattis, left, after he delivered the keynote address during the in the 74th Annual Alfred E. Smith Memorial Foundation Dinner, Thursday, Oct. 17, 2019, in New York. (Credit: Mary Altaffer/AP.)

U.S. President Donald Trump, left, pauses while speaking as James Mattis, then U.S. Secretary of Defense, listens during a Cabinet meeting at the White House in Washington, D.C., U.S., on June 21, 2018.

Mattis & Military Industrial Complex sends a warning to US President Trump

BY STEVE WATSON

SEE: https://www.infowars.com/posts/globalist-mattis-biden-should-eliminate-america-first-policy/;

republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:

Globalist general James Mattis has called on Joe Biden to ‘eliminate’ the America first policy instituted by President Trump where foreign policy is concerned, claiming that it has ‘damaged’ US national security.

Mattis, who served as Secretary of Defense under Trump from 2017 until last year, is still annoyed that Trump refused to carry on the endless war policy in the middle east, instead ordering troop drawdowns.

In an op-ed published by Foreign Affairs, Mattis writes that “The United States today is undermining the foundations of an international order manifestly advantageous to U.S. interests, reflecting a basic ignorance of the extent to which both robust alliances and international institutions provide vital strategic depth.”

“In practice, “America first” has meant “America alone.” That has damaged the country’s ability to address problems before they reach U.S. territory and has thus compounded the danger emergent threats pose,” Mattis also claims.

The retired four star general then effectively calls on Joe Biden to take America back to the mire it was in after the Bush and Obama administrations.

“In January, when President Joe Biden and his national security team begin to reevaluate U.S. foreign policy, we hope they will quickly revise the national security strategy to eliminate “America first” from its contents, restoring in its place the commitment to cooperative security that has served the United States so well for decades,” Mattis writes.

“The best strategy for ensuring safety and prosperity is to buttress American military strength with enhanced civilian tools and a restored network of solid alliances—both necessary to achieving defense in depth,” he adds, echoing the neo-conservative advocation of interventionism and  ‘peace through strength’ (war) doctrine.

Moments after a report stating more fake news on the illegitimate President-Elect, Joe Biden, President Trump makes a statement about the threats made against Emily Murphy by Democrats.

Mattis also threw in a dig at Trump’s coronavirus response, noting “The pandemic should serve as a reminder of what grief ensues when we wait for problems to come to us.”

Mattis earlier this year compared Trump to a ‘Nazi’, and called the President a threat to the Constitution, yet here he is literally calling for the next President to ‘eliminate’ America first.

It is no surprise that such characters are again circling the halls of power with the prospect of a Joe Biden presidency.

 




	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
Pope Francis Plans to Take Us All Back to Rome in a World Church, But I’m Not Going
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	


SEE: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2020/11/20/pope-francis-plans-to-take-us-all-back-to-rome-in-a-world-church-but-im-not-going/;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



The Roman Catholic Church in recent days has been rocked, shocked, and mocked by the irresponsible comments of Pope Francis. It may be that the impact is as profound as in 1378 when there were two “legitimate” competing popes, one in Rome and one in Avignon, France. Known as the Western Schism, the split lasted from 1378 to 1417 when two men claimed to be the true Pope and in 1410, there were three contenders for the title!


Each of the three Popes excommunicated the others.


The Church managed to survive that fiasco, the Crusades, the Inquisition, and the Reformation, but will it survive the global sex scandal and the machinations of Pope Francis?


In recent days, it was revealed that Francis has been up to some hanky-panky when it was discovered that he “liked” a seminude model’s picture on Instagram. The Vatican announced today that it has launched a probe into the nudie caper.


It seems the Pope keeps stepping in it almost weekly. Maybe he believes any publicity is good publicity.


Many Roman Catholics think Pope Francis is a loose cannon that has broken away from its mounting and constitutes a danger to the whole Church as it shoots in all directions. Headlines in the Daily Mail blared, “Vatican at War!” Even cardinals are running away from his latest folly. His latest shot was an endorsement of civil marriages for the LGBTQ crowd, thinking that such action would help him win a global popularity contest.


And stop the bleeding of money and members or, more crudely, nickels, and noses.


The Pope’s goal is to bring us all together in an attempt to undo the sixteenth-century Reformation and have a world church supporting a world government and world economy.


Was the Reformation a mistake, or was it one of the most significant events in world history?






Most educated people don’t have a firm grasp on the world’s religious, political, economic, and social conditions in the Middle Ages. Nor do they know what has been the dream, some say nightmare, of globalists—a united worldwide church. After all, who will disagree with everyone getting along? Of course, no one will, but there is much difference in getting along with people and uniting with those with whom you have vast differences.






The Roman Catholic Church (RCC) has always considered Protestants as “separated brethren” even though the Roman Church declared for hundreds of years that there was no salvation outside the RCC. They always invite non-Catholics back into the fold with the understanding that the Vatican will still run things, and their peculiar doctrines and practices will prevail. Catholic officials are willing to overlook minor theological disputes and ignore them as a condition of bringing the breakaway denominations “back home.”


As long as they bring their checkbooks and don’t try to run things.


While Rome is willing to concede on minor differences, they will not concede on the veneration of Mary or the mass. During the 18th century in France, ordinary Frenchmen ridiculed the Roman Catholic Church (their national church) for their teaching of turning a piece of bread into God. However, Rome will not concede on the mass.


Get ready, folks, the world church is being formed with headquarters in Rome, but here is one Bible-believer who will never “return to Rome” since my crowd was never in her! Independent churches were publicly baptizing converts in huge tubs throughout Germany, Switzerland, and other European nations long before the Reformation. I will stay independent (as were all original churches) as a hog on ice and free as an eagle until shrimp learn to whistle and pigs learn to fly.


An all-inclusive, world church is not going back to the Bible but back to bondage!


According to LifeSiteNews of August 22, 2019, a multi-faith committee was announced “to implement the ‘Human Fraternity’ document signed by Pope Francis and a Grand Imam in February that stated, among other things, that a ‘pluralism and diversity, of religions, is willed by God.’”


But then, the only way we can know the will of God is what is revealed in His Word. The Bible does not endorse a world church but a definite coming out from among them. Not unity but separation. The Bible never teaches denominationalism or world church, but each local church is to be a group of simple, sincere, and scholarly Christians who meet to sing, pray, and preach without any interference from any government or denominational authority.


The Pope has no more biblical authority than an ordinary pastor or priest in an obscure village.


Francis is aware that his biggest problem in constructing the world church will be Muslims who are accustomed to running everything, including the guillotine. Also, the Jews have been around longer than anyone has, so they will not be quick to respond to this theological courtship or, more correctly, seduction. Some Jews even believe all non-Jews are of a different and inferior species! How will that play in Rome? Or Tehran?


So, headlines yell, “Vatican issues a happy Ramadan to all ‘Muslim brothers and sisters’”; however, traditional Muslims do not consider any non-Muslims as spiritually related. The Koran often identifies all non-Muslims as “polytheists,” “unbelievers,” “infidels,” etc., with which Muslims are not to be friendly. And for sure not to cooperate with them.


The Pope asserted, “We Muslims and Christians are called to open ourselves to others, knowing and recognizing them as brothers and sisters…. this way, we can tear down walls raised out of fear and ignorance and seek together to build bridges of friendship that are fundamental for the good of all humanity.”


When Reformers broke with Rome in the 16th century, they did not do so out of fear or ignorance but because of overwhelming convictions and intelligence. The Bible had been translated and was now available to everyone, and it was obvious that what Catholic leaders were teaching was not found in its pages. The Bible reader had been intimidated and harassed and had his pockets picked for centuries to construct massive cathedrals all over Europe.


With the translated Bible, they discovered that the Bible said nothing about Popes, archbishops, cardinals, holy water, rosary beads, hail Mary, the immaculate conception, lent, the sign of the cross, vestments, relics, statues, purgatory, limbo, penance, confession to a priest, elevation of Mary, indulgences, pilgrimages, etc.


When one gets rid of all that, he almost ends up with an independent Bible or Baptist Church!


The average Christian finally read in the newly translated Bibles that independent churches were to be filled with simple and sincere people, where someone read the Bible, another prayed. Then the preacher (not a priest) delivered a sermon followed by the singing of hymns. No liturgy, no ceremony, no mass, no richly dressed preachers. The Europeans could find very little in the Bible that reflected what they had experienced for a lifetime in their vast cathedrals.


While Pope Francis spoke of “brothers and sisters” and friendship, ordinary Christians were chaffing under sharia in Muslim nations. Many were being persecuted as Francis gushed platitudes to appease and impress Muslim fanatics. He did not demand religious freedom or even tolerance on the part of Muslims in the Middle East nations.


Francis demands that Protestants forget about the doctrines and practices that precipitated the Reformation but does not require or even suggest that Muslim leaders must make major concessions with Koranic commands that deal with hating and killing Jews and Christians or even making friends with them. No demands that female sexual mutilation is barbarity and must be stopped; no demand that honor killings are beastly; no requirements that killing any Muslim if he or she converts to Christ is criminal; and no demand for Islamic nations such as Saudi Arabia to permit Christian churches (not one in the whole nation). It seems Francis is quiet about the absurd and vile teachings of Islam.


But then, Francis is a bridge-builder; however, here is one dude who will never cross that bridge.


Pope Francis is a hypocrite who is more interested in public relations than helping the hurting and Gospel-deprived people under Islamic rule. But how can he give something he probably doesn’t have?


The Pope shamelessly speaks of building bridges rather than a hated wall to keep out unwanted immigrants while he lives behind a massive wall. Did I mention that Francis is a hypocrite?


But the Pope keeps trying. He is the only person in Europe who can give an order and see it carried out by non-thinking zealots. Only the Pope can break the barriers and usher in the World Church.


For sure, I’m not going to be a part of his world church, not even if I am promised the Pope’s tiara, the keys to his Popemobile, and the combination of the Vatican vault.


I had to struggle with the combination to the vault.


______________________________________________________________________




SEE ALSO: https://christiannews.net/2020/11/23/berlin-house-of-one-promotes-ecumenism-between-christians-muslims-and-jews/


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
POLICE STATE N.J. Seeks to Mandate LGBT-approved Books
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	
BY ALEX NEWMAN


SEE: https://thenewamerican.com/n-j-seeks-to-mandate-lgbt-approved-books/;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



Lawmakers in New Jersey are considering legislation that would ban textbooks that are not in a database approved by radical homosexual and transgender activists, sparking alarm about religious liberty and government indoctrination of children.


The proposal, dubbed S1512, would force the state Department of Education to maintain a list of textbook publishers that include “inclusive material” in their products. However, “inclusive material” does not include being inclusive of people of faith who reject LGBT propaganda in the classroom.


Critics blasted the legislation, warning that it threatens religious freedom, strips parental rights, silences First Amendment-protected freedoms, shatters the innocence of children, forces divisive indoctrination into the class, and represents taxation without representation.


Parents and faith leaders are also warning that the legislation would encourage bullying of children who come from Christian, Jewish, and Muslim homes. By teaching that there is something wrong with those who consider homosexuality sinful and believe that there are only two genders, the schools would stigmatize and demonize children from religious homes, critics warned.


Under the bill, local school districts would be stripped of their authority to purchase textbooks that did not include “diversity” in “such areas as gender, … gender identity or expression, and sexual orientation.” In other words, books that do not peddle homosexuality or gender confusion would be banned from school.


“This legislation will force publishing companies and textbook authors to elevate sexual attractions and gender identities in their publications in order to be approved by the state of NJ to sell books to your school district,” explained Director of Advocacy Shawn Hyland with the Family Policy Alliance before urging parents to get involved in the fight.


“Elected school board members, in collaboration with parents serving in curriculum committees, should decide what is best for their community — not the all-encompassing overreach of state government,” Hyland added in an email to activists. “Education is best left to local school boards and parents.”


Conservative grassroots groups across the state are gearing up to fight the bill, too. The Morris Patriots of Northern New Jersey, for instance, sent out an e-mail alert over the weekend including Family Policy Alliance’s warning and urging activists to reach out to legislators to stop the bill before it comes up on November 16 at noon.


“There is no longer religious freedom in NJ when school boards will be mandated to purchase and students will be mandated to read textbooks that normalize LGBTQ behavior,” the Morris Patriots organization said in its mass email encouraging N.J. activists to get involved.


Another group fighting back is Team PYC – Protect Your Children, which has been organizing people of faith all across the state to stand up for religious liberty and against anti-Christian indoctrination in public schools.


In an email about the legislation, Team PYC urged those who value parental rights to prevent the far-left from transforming the state with radical LGBT legislation and tax-funded propaganda targeting children.


The group also warned about another piece of legislation in New Jersey, S2781, set to be considered next month. It would order school districts to “provide instruction” on “diversity” in sexual orientation and gender identity as part of the New Jersey Student Learning Standards in Comprehensive Health and Physical Education.


Among other concerns, Team PYC, which is active across the state, blasted the idea of teaching a 10-year-old child that children should get a sex-change or that it is normal to have “fluid ever-changing sexuality or identity.” And yet that is coming, with these bills paving the way.


“The Inclusion Bill (if passed into law) will mandate changing terms and definitions and that is 100% going against the HOLY WORD of GOD how God has made man and woman, not a combination of the two,” explained Victoria Jakelsky, state director for Team PYC.


The extremism that has engulfed New Jersey schools and lawmakers in recent years is getting worse. And it is hardly limited to New Jersey. The consequences will be devastating. Americans across the nation must take action, or it will be all downhill from here.


This article originally appeared at FreedomProject Media and is reprinted here with permission.


__________________________________________________________________________


SEE TEXT OF BILL: https://www.njleg.state.nj.us/2020/Bills/S2000/1512_I1.HTM


 


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
ALISA CHILDERS INTERVIEWS ALLIE BETH STUCKEY: How to Escape the Cult of Self-Affirmation
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	


In this podcast, Allie Beth Stuckey joins us to analyze the popular ideas promoted by self-help gurus like Jen Hatmaker, Glennon Doyle, Rachel Hollis, and Brene Brown. We discuss questions like, am I enough? Do I have to love myself before I can love others? What is the cult of self-affirmation? What is "meology," and why is it such a popular way to interpret the Bible? Allie also tells us about her new book, You're Not Enough and That's Okay, and its message that runs contrary to some of these other popular teachers. To order Alisa’s book, “Another Gospel”: https://www.alisachilders.com/another... This video is not sponsored. Product links are affiliate links which means if you buy something we'll receive a small commission. To order Allie Beth's book, "You Are Not Enough, and that's OK": https://amzn.to/35r8ucq For all links to Alisa’s recommended reading, podcast studio gear and other items, visit the Alisa Childers Amazon Store at https://www.amazon.com/shop/alisachil...


_______________________________________________________________________


SEE ALSO:


Brené Brown and the Lie of the Divine Self


https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/reviews/braving-the-wilderness/



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	
		
	
		
	

		
		
SUPREME COURT JUSTICE Alito: ‘You Can’t Say That Marriage Is a Union Between One Man and One Woman’ in America Today
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	


Justice Alito Discusses: Abortion, Speech, Assembly, Religion, Guns, Supreme Court


Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito made compelling remarks on variety of important topics, including recent threats against the Supreme Court by politicians. This video condenses the content, but the full speech can be viewed here: https://youtu.be/tYLZL4GZVbA?t=940




BY TYLER O'NEIL


SEE: https://pjmedia.com/news-and-politics/tyler-o-neil/2020/11/13/religious-freedom-free-speech-are-under-assault-in-the-covid-constitutional-stress-test-alito-warns-n1142962;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



In a Federalist Society speech on Thursday, Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito raised the alarm about threats to religious freedom, free speech, and the rule of law — threats exacerbated in the “constitutional stress-test” of the Wuhan coronavirus pandemic. These threats are by no means limited to lockdown restrictions and COVID-19 issues, but the virus has highlighted them.


“The pandemic has resulted in previously unimaginable restrictions on individual liberty,” Alito said. “I am not diminishing the severity of the virus’s threat to public health, and putting aside what I will say shortly about a few Supreme Court cases, I’m not saying anything about the legality of COVID restrictions. All that I’m saying is this… we have never before seen restrictions as severe, extensive, and prolonged as those experienced for most of 2020.”


Alito mentioned many “live events that would otherwise be protected by the right to freedom of speech” that state and local governments have prohibited, including the fact that churches were closed on Easter Sunday by government fiat.


“The COVID crisis has served as a sort of constitutional stress-test. And in doing so it has highlighted disturbing trends that were already present before the virus struck,” the justice argued.


Alito first highlighted “the dominance of lawmaking by executive fiat rather than legislation.” He rightly traced this idea back to “the vision of early twentieth-century progressives and the New Dealers of the 1930s … that policy-making would shift from narrow-minded elected legislators to an elite group of elected experts, in a word, that policymaking would become more scientific.”


For instance, a Nevada law gives the state’s governor extraordinary powers. If the governor finds that there is “a natural, technological, or manmade emergency or disaster of major proportions, the governor can perform and exercise such functions, powers, and duties as are necessary to promote and secure the safety and protection of the civilian population.”


Yet the Supreme Court has a duty to step in “whenever fundamental rights are restricted.”


Along those lines, Alito warned that religious freedom has grown increasingly out of favor.


Barr: COVID Lockdowns Are ‘Greatest Intrusion on Civil Liberties in American History’ Besides Slavery


“It pains me to say this but in certain quarters, religious liberty is fast becoming a disfavored right,” he lamented. He briefly mentioned the Supreme Court case Employment Division v. Smith and Congress’s passage of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act of 1993. The House of Representatives unanimously passed the bill, while the Senate passed it, 97-3. President Bill Clinton signed it into law.


“Today, that widespread support has vanished. When states have considered or gone ahead and adopted their own versions of RFRA, they have been threatened with punishing economic boycotts,” Alito said.


He also briefly covered recent Supreme Court cases illustrating the threat to religious freedom.


Alito mentioned the Little Sisters of the Poor, “women who have dedicated their lives to caring for the elderly poor, regardless of religion.” Some of their beneficiaries have testified that the Little Sisters “will keep you alive for ten years longer.”


“Despite this inspiring work, the Little Sisters have been under unrelenting attack for the better part of a decade. Why? Because they refuse to allow their health insurance plan to provide contraceptives to their employees. For that, they were targeted by the prior administration,” the justice noted.


The Obama administration threatened the Little Sisters with hefty fines “if they did not knuckle under and violate a tenet of their faith.” While the group of nuns won a Supreme Court case last spring, the case went back to the Court of Appeals. President Donald Trump created a religious freedom exemption in the contraception mandate, but Joe Biden has pledged to drop that exemption.


In another case, the State of Washington required pharmacies to carry all contraceptives, including the morning-after pill. The Christian pharmacy Ralph’s refused to carry that abortifacient pill, but it gladly referred women to nearby pharmacies that did carry it. The state decided that this work-around was not enough.


Alito also mentioned Jack Phillips, the owner of Masterpiece Cakeshop who notoriously refused to bake a cake celebrating a same-sex wedding. He cited a member of the Colorado Civil Rights Commission who said that freedom of religion had been used “to justify all kinds of discrimination throughout history, whether it be slavery, whether it be the Holocaust, we can list hundreds of situations where freedom of religion has been used to justify discrimination.”


“For many today, religious liberty is not a cherished freedom. It’s often just an excuse for bigotry, and it cannot be tolerated,” Alito warned.


He mentioned that not a single employee of the Little Sisters has asked for contraception, no woman lacks contraception because of Ralph’s, and no same-sex couple has failed to get a cake because of Jack Phillips.


“A great many Americans disagree, sometimes quite strongly, with the religious beliefs of the Little Sisters, the owners of Ralph’s, and Jack Phillips. They have a perfect right to do so. That is not the question. The question we face is whether our society will be inclusive enough to tolerate people with unpopular religious beliefs,” the justice noted.


Alito cited Harvard Law professor Mark Tushnet, who notoriously wrote, “The culture wars are over. They lost, we won.” Terrifyingly, the professor compared social conservatives to the defeated Axis powers in World War II.


“My own judgment is that taking a hard line (‘You lost, live with it’) is better than trying to accommodate the losers, who – remember – defended, and are defending, positions that liberals regard as having no normative pull at all,” he argued. “Trying to be nice to the losers didn’t work well after the Civil War, nor after Brown. (And taking a hard line seemed to work reasonably well in Germany and Japan after 1945.)”


This hostility to traditional religion has bled into COVID-19 restrictions.


Alito referenced a Supreme Court decision on Nevada’s restrictions upholding the state’s double standard on casinos and houses of worship. The governor opened casinos — some of which are truly humongous — at 50 percent capacity while restricting religious services to 50 people or fewer. “If you want to worship and you’re the 51st person in line, sorry, you are out of luck. The size of the building doesn’t matter, nor does it matter if you wear a mask or stay 6 feet apart.”


“The state’s message is this: forget about worship and head for the slot machines or maybe a Cirque du Soleil show,” Alito said.


“Take a quick look at the Constitution. You will see the Free Exercise Clause of the First Amendment which protects religious liberty. You will not find a craps clause, or a blackjack clause, or a slot machine clause,” the justice quipped. “Nevada was unable to provide any plausible justification for treating casinos more favorably than houses of worship, but the Court nevertheless deferred to the governor’s judgment, which just so happened to favor the state’s biggest industry and the many voters it employs.”


Biden Staffer: Traditional Religious Beliefs Should Be ‘Taboo’ and ‘Disqualifiers’ for Public Office


The justice contrasted this “blatant discrimination” against religious freedom with a Maryland district judge’s decision to strike down an FDA rule providing that women who want medication abortions must go to a clinic in person to access them. The judge struck down this rule in the name of protecting women from COVID-19, even though Gov. Larry Hogan (R-Md.) had allowed people to go to gyms, casinos, and hair and nail salons in a limited reopening at the time.


Alito also warned that “support for freedom of speech is also in danger and COVID rules have restricted speech in unprecedented ways.”


While coronavirus lockdowns have shut down attendance at speeches, conferences, lectures, rallies, and more, “even before the pandemic, there was growing hostility to the expression of unfavorable views.”


Alito quipped that there are “seventy times seven” things that Americans cannot say if they are students or professors at a college or university, or employees speaking for a corporation.


“You can’t say that marriage is a union between one man and one woman. Until very recently, that’s what the vast majority of Americans thought. Now, it’s considered bigotry,” he warned.


“That this would happen after our decision in Obergefell [the 2015 case striking down state laws on marriage] should not have come as a surprise. Yes, the opinion of the Court included words meant to calm the fears of those who cling to traditional views on marriage. But I could see, and so did the other justices in dissent, where the decision would lead,” Alito warned.


He quoted his own dissent in the case, “I assume that those who cling to old beliefs will be able to whisper their thoughts in the recesses of their homes. But if they repeat those views in public, they will risk being labeled as bigots and being treated as such by governments, employers, and schools.”


“That is just what is coming to pass,” the justice lamented. Indeed, in one recent case, the Kroger Company fired two women in Little Rock, Ark., who refused to wear a rainbow-colored heart emblem on an apron because they did not want to endorse LGBT activism.


Religious freedom and free speech are indeed under assault in America today, and even if the coronavirus pandemic fades away tomorrow, these threats to fundamental rights will persist.




Editor’s Note: Want to support PJ Media so we can continue telling the truth about the 2020 election? Join PJ Media VIP TODAY and use the promo code LAWANDORDER to get 25% off your VIP membership. 


Tyler O’Neil is the author of Making Hate Pay: The Corruption of the Southern Poverty Law Center. Follow him on Twitter at @Tyler2ONeil.


Don’t Want to Wear an LGBT Pride Emblem? You’re Fired.


Why Biden Is a Threat to Traditional Christians and Religious Freedom


Democrats Give Away the Game: They Want the Supreme Court to Unilaterally Amend the Constitution


Biden Pledges to Gut Religious Freedom Protections, Saying They Give ‘Hate’ a ‘Safe Harbor’


Justice Alito’s Ominous Warning About Democrats Threatening to ‘Restructure’ the Supreme Court


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
BOB JONES UNIVERSITY then and now…Christian Learning Center, an apostate, ecumenical partner
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	
BJU'S PRESIDENT STEVE PETTIT & HIS GROWING APOSTASY




BY MACHEN.WHITE


SEE: https://bjugrad2004.blogspot.com/2020/11/bju-then-and-nowchristian-learning.html;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:









     Christian Learning Centers of Greenville County (CLC) is a self proclaimed gospel ministry ministering to public school students through the Released Time program in Greenville SC area public schools. The CLC mission statement reads, "[CLC] exists...to encourage [children] to embrace the gospel of Jesus Christ". CLC's ministry verse, John 4:34, carries with it a clear missions meaning. The CLC calls us to "worship with us" on its fundraising page.













Janice Butler Founder and CEO of CLC










    CLC, however, is not what it seems. The CLC leadership and sponsoring churches are made up of everything from conservative evangelicals, to left leaning charismatics, to rank theological liberals. The Chairman of CLC board, Kevin Brady, attends Advent United Methodist Church. Board member, Richard Furman, attends First Presbyterian Church of Greenville. Board member, Gabe Vicks, attends Word of Life. Board member, Todd Hyneman, attends Holland Park Church of Christ. Among sponsoring churches, three United Methodist churches, a liberal Presbyterian church, several charismatic churches, and a half dozen SBC churches are listed on the CLC website. Social justice is often promoted on CLC podcasts. In the CLC doctrinal statement, the gospel is at best supplemented and at worst replaced with social justice. Three podcasts produced by the CLC present a wildly liberal view of race relations and a posting of this extremely worldly music video promoting social justice/social gospel can be found on CLC's official Facebook page. For the 2019 event, far left actor Kevin Sorbo was the keynote speaker.


 











Kevin Brady






   On Tuesday, May 12, 2020 CLC had as their special guests for its fundraising event North Greenville University (NGU) president Gene Fant and Dr. Steve Pettit president of Bob Jones University (BJU). From a video recorded on BJU campus, Pettit gave lavish praise and full endorsement of the CLC. "We are fully engaged in helping the [CLC]...Dr. Bobby Wood one of our vice presidents is now a new member of the [CLC] board and we are so glad he is there...as a university we are FULLY SUPPORTIVE of the CLC...I'd like to to highly encourage you to consider a financial gift to the CLC because they are a FRONT LINE MINISTRY GETTING THE GOSPEL OUT to those who live in darkness".













Pettit 








    On Thursday, October 22, 2020 the CLC again had as their special guests for its fundraising event  NGU president Gene Fant and Dr. Steve Pettit. Pettit once again paid lavish praise to CLC. "I'm joining you for a few moments this evening to ENDORSE the work of [CLC] and to encourage you to SUPPORT their ministry...[BJU] has the privilege of PARTNERING with [CLC] in providing the gospel and biblical training to public high school students...we SHARE a common mission...we share the gospel...We feel privileged to sew into the spiritual harvest WITH [CLC]...we are thankful for the opportunity to FULLY ENGAGE with the center...this is the kind of PARTNERSHIP we so value...let me challenge you to determine how you could PARTNER with the Christian Learning Center to promote the gospel...so I encourage you to make a gift to this ministry. They are worthy of our support. This is an organization that is on the front lines of ministry...and it is a ministry that we can get behind".




    The CLC is NOT front line gospel ministry. At the helm of this organization are those who attend churches that deny gospel. They go into schools to teach what their own denominations teach - a false gospel. Pettit is not only solidifying his position of fellowship with highly compromised SBC Gene Fant, he also, along with Dr. Bobby Wood, finds himself shoulder-to-shoulder in MINISTRY COOPERATION with new evangelicals and apostates. Dr. Pettit has fully engaged himself in a classic ecumenical relationship; a relationship which is strictly forbidden in Scripture. Of the likes of CLC, the Scriptures are clear..."do not receive him into your house nor greet him, for he who greets him shares in his evil deeds (2 John 1:10) "...[anyone] who preach[es] another gospel to you than what we have preached to you, LET HIM BE ACCURSED (Gal 1:8). 




  Dr. Pettit says endorse, support, partner, share, fully engage with an apostate. The scriptures say let them be accursed, do not receive him or greet him, have no fellowship. This partnership is not just an issue of secondary separation, it is that of primary separation. Dr. Pettit is not continuing in the footsteps of the biblically separated leadership of the past, he is following in the footsteps of the late Dr. Billy Graham. Graham contaminated the gospel for untold generations and led God's people into sin by welcoming apostates and gospel deniers into ministry cooperation with him. Dr. Pettit's compromise and disobedience, I believe, will snuff out the Greenville gospel light and remove the Bible from the "buckle of the Bible belt." 






WARNING: Please understand the BJU of today is nothing like the BJU of yesterday. Pettit continues to insist that BJU remains a biblically separated fundamentalist institution of yesterday.






NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH






Machen White


Ephesians 5:11


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SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT PETTIT: 

















 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
Oregon becomes first state to decriminalize hard drugs like heroin and cocaine~Grants COVID Relief Funds to Strippers, Lap Dancers, Hookers
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	
SEE: https://www.foxnews.com/us/oregon-first-state-decriminalize-hard-drugs-heroin-cocaine;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



Oregon became the first state to decriminalize hard drugs like heroin, cocaine and meth in a 59-41% vote as of early Wednesday morning, according to the Associated Press. 


The "Drug Addiction Treatment and Recovery Act" will transition Oregon's drug policy from a punitive, criminal approach to "a humane, cost-effective, health approach."


"People suffering from addiction are more effectively treated with health care services than with criminal punishments," the bill reads. "A health care approach includes a health assessment to figure out the needs of people who are suffering from addiction, and it includes connecting them to the services they need."


MARIJUANA LEGALIZATION SUPPORTERS TOUT ECONOMIC BENEFITS IN NEW VOTER PITCH


Instead of treating drug users as criminals, Oregon will now offer them addiction services funded by marijuana tax revenue, which is more than $100 million a year in the state. 


Only small amounts of drugs are decriminalized, such as less than 1 gram of heroin or MDMA; 2 grams of cocaine or methamphetamine; 12 grams of psilocybin mushrooms; and 40 doses of LSD, oxycodone or methadone.


Criminal penalties for possession of these amounts are replaced with a fine of up to $100, which can be waived if the user is evaluated at Addiction Recovery Centers. 


Crimes that are associated with drug use, such as manufacturing drugs, selling drugs and driving under the influence, are still criminal offenses. 


More than 100 organizations endorsed the measure, including the Oregon Chapter of the American College of Physicians, Oregon Nurses Association, Oregon School Psychologists' Association, Oregon Academy of Family Physicians, the ACLU and others. 


There was also a fair amount of opposition to the measure, with two dozen district attorneys in the state saying the measure “recklessly decriminalizes possession of the most dangerous types of drugs (and) will lead to an increase in acceptability of dangerous drugs.”


Multiple countries in Europe, including Portugal, the Netherlands, and Switzerland, have decriminalized hard drugs without rampant negative effects. 




















Portugal decriminalized all drugs in 2001, which did not lead to an increase in drug use, but did result in a dramatic reduction of pathologies associated with drug use, such as sexually transmitted diseases and overdose deaths, according to a 2009 Cato Institue study. 


A 2015 European Drug Report also found that Portugal's drug overdose death rate is five times lower than the European Union average. 


The Associated Press contributed to this report.






















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Oregon Grants COVID Relief Funds to Strippers, Lap Dancers, 
Hookers 'Who Are Falling Through the Cracks'
BY VICTORIA TAFT
SEE: https://pjmedia.com/culture/victoria-taft/2020/11/11/oregon-grants-covid-relief-funds-
to-strippers-lap-dancers-hookers-who-are-falling-through-the-cracks-n1139079;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



The COVID “CARES Act” bailout money is being doled out to Oregon strippers, hookers, and lap dancers. And you thought there might be waste, fraud, and abuse in the system.


Oregon, which may have the nation’s most elastic free speech code, announced that strippers and other “sex workers” are eligible for COVID relief funds because they have nowhere else to turn and are falling through the cracks in the pandemic.


The PDX Stripper Strike, a chapter of the Portland-based Haymarket [Stripper] Pole Collective has been granted $600,000.00 in taxpayer money to give out to black, indigenous, and transgender “sex workers.”



George Soros’s Open Society Foundation, which, besides agitating for legalizing all drugs in Oregon, wants to legalize all sex work. It defines “sex workers” as:


[A]dults who receive money or goods in exchange for consensual sexual services or erotic performances, either regularly or occasionally.


The term “sex worker” recognizes that sex work is work. Prostitution, on the other hand, has connotations of criminality and immorality. Many people who sell sexual services prefer the term “sex worker” and find “prostitute” demeaning and stigmatizing, which contributes to their exclusion from health, legal, and social services.


Please note where your tax dollars will go in Oregon. In addition to helping to pay rent and food bills, the Oregon Health Authority also wants you to know that tax dollars will go toward several important priorities, among them, “professional development” for hookers and strippers.


    

  • Professional development
    • 

  • Education grants
    • 

  • Internet service
    • 

  • Personal hygiene items
    • 

  • A COVID test lap dancers, strippers and hookers can mail in
    • 



We have no idea what “professional development” is either.


The PDX Stripper Strike founder, Cat Hollis, told KOIN 6 News that the need is great.


[Sex workers] are suffering right now, and they don’t have anywhere to turn. We’re providing educational grants, professional development grants, and direct aid—rent support, food, and hygiene supplies—to sex workers most impacted by prejudice and COVID. Organizations like ours are the only things keeping sex workers from falling through the cracks.


Donations for the Oregon sex worker relief are also being taken under the auspices of the Young Woman’s Christian Association, also known as the YWCA.


Victoria Taft is the host of “The Adult in the Room Podcast With Victoria Taft” where you can hear her series on “Antifa Versus Mike Strickland.” Find it at your favorite podcast outlets. Follow her on Facebook,  Twitter and Parler @VictoriaTaft 


With Stupefying Cluelessness, Media Criticize Conservative Tech Refugees for Fleeing Censorship


10 Reasons Pennsylvania’s Election Results May Be ‘Irredeemably Compromised’


Media Portray Trump as ‘President Bystander’ – Hilariously Claim He Had Little to Do With New COVID Vaccine






 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
David French Joins Southern Baptist Leaders in Praising Joe Biden for “Character”
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	
David French


SEE: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2020/11/09/david-french-joins-southern-baptist-leaders-in-praising-joe-biden-for-character/;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



David French, a political commentator at the National Review — who also happens to be in bed with the leftist wing of Evangelicalism — has joined hands with progressive Southern Baptists such as Russell Moore of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) and president of the denomination, J.D. Greear to congratulate and extend a warm welcome to Joe Biden as their future pastor-in-chief. After years of relentless attacks on the current president Donald Trump over his “character flaws,” these men now praise Joe Biden for carrying the moral high ground despite the fact Biden opposes God from every conceivable angle.


In a recent piece at his personal blog titled May God Bless President Biden, David French asks, though he may disagree with Biden on policy issues, “since when do we require perfection or agreement to appreciate a good moment in a man’s life, especially when he has endured such terrible grief, including the recent death of his beloved son?”


Now, let that sink in for a moment. French, who claims to be a Christian and runs in circles with Southern Baptist elitists, demands we set aside our policy differences with Joe Biden because he has endured “terrible grief” in his life. Nevermind that Joe Biden wants to kill babies, force the LGBTQ agenda down your children’s throats in public schools, steal from hard workers to give to sluggards, destabilize the nation through open-borders policies and defunding law enforcement, and silencing the gospel by flushing religious freedom down the proverbial toilet. David French wants Christians to embrace him — all while he wanted Christians to reject Donald Trump.


FACT: Donald Trump is not a Christian. He may profess Christianity, but he does present the fruits of a born-again believer.


FACT: Donald Trump has done more for the unborn over the last four years than the vast majority of the professing Church, especially David French and his ilk.


FACT: Joe Biden is not a Christian. He is a Roman Catholic, but he is certainly no Christian. In fact, he does not even believe and follow what the Roman Catholic Church teaches on morality, let alone follow the Scriptures and believe in Christ.


FACT: Joe Biden has done nothing in 47 years to advance the cause of the Church, promote righteousness in our nation, defend the freedoms of Christians, or to give a voice to conservatives. In fact, he has fought for the exact opposite.


Joe Biden does not hold the moral high ground between him and Donald Trump. Hell, he wants to kill babies and force you to pay for it against your conscience. That alone should be enough to set any Christian against him. But his list of moral failures far exceeds anything Donald Trump could muster up. It’s just that these progressive leftists don’t see an anti-Christian agenda as immorality — and that’s what’s wrong with the Church.


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
Record Number of Sodomites Ran in 2020 U.S. Elections, Pastors Cheer
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	
SEE: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2020/11/09/record-number-of-sodomites-ran-in-2020-u-s-elections-pastors-cheer/;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



Sodomites from around the country are celebrating as a record number of homosexuals and sexually aberrant candidates ran for office in this year’s elections. According to Crooks and Liars (that’s the actual name of this blog…fitting), “more LGBTQ candidates ran for office in the United States in 2020 than ever before – at least 1,006,” Timothy Bussey wrote. “That’s a 41% increase over the 2018 midterms, according to the LGBTQ Victory Fund.”


The Scriptures speak of homosexual celebrity as judgment against a nation. When a nation turns its back on God, according to Romans 1, God gives that nation over to sexual immorality. There can be no question that God has given America over to the lusts of their hearts. A nation filled with evil people — even those who claim to be conservatives — celebrate homosexuality and abortion at record rates.


Bussey argues that “better representation” in the political arena could “help LGBTQ Americans maintain some of their hard-won rights, which have come under attack over the past four years.”


These “rights,” however, are nothing more than wrath and judgment being poured out. These “rights” are signs that a nation does not worship the one true God, but has, instead, refused to acknowledge him (Romans 1:28). Even the Church has joined with Sodom to celebrate this immense perversity.











The Church deserves every bit of persecution she will see come her way in the next decade. Even if God decides to extend mercy, the Church, in her weakness and refusal to boldly proclaim the one true living God and the gospel of Jesus Christ, will face an increasingly difficult and perilous time. God will not allow other gods before Him. If you think it’s bad now, just wait.


 


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
Pastor Carl Lentz’ Five-Month Sexual Affair With Muslim Woman Began at His Anniversary
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	
PROFESSING "CHRISTIAN" HAS AN ANTINOMIAN AFFAIR WITH A MUSLIM HARLOT; SHOWS NO REPENTANCE




The 34-year-old said that they had much more than a 'fling'


SEE: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2020/11/09/carl-lentz-five-month-sexual-affair-with-muslim-woman-began-at-his-anniversary/;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



A Muslim woman who claims to have had a five-month affair with befallen celebrity Hillsong NYC pastor, Carl Lentz, says that their relationship was much more than just a fling. According to Ranin (pictured above), a 34-year-old designer who spoke with The Sun, they had an emotional break-up after they were busted by Lentz’ wife who found sexting messages and “naughty photos” on his church office computer.


Lentz, who was fired last week amid “moral failures” — which were not mentioned in a letter sent by Brian Houston, Hillsong’s founder and CEO — admitted to being unfaithful in his marriage, but did not go into detail. According to Ranin, after she found out that they had been exposed, Lentz came over to “say goodbye in person” where they were intimate, once again.


Interestingly, according to when this affair began in May according to Ranin, Carl Lentz has had a pinned post on his Twitter account celebrating his marriage and anniversary.




17 years of marriage, today! I remember being told “the only competition you should have in your marriage, is who can serve each other better.” When our marriage is strong, that theme is protected and valued.  When…




“17 years of marriage, today! I remember being told the only competition you should have in your marriage, is who can serve each other better,” Lentz hypocritically wrote on Instagram as he was sleeping with another woman, “When our marriage is strong, that theme is protected and valued. When our marriage has struggled, that theme has been distant… and thats because ‘Serving’ is not a word that we instantly gravitate towards because it involves putting yourself, your needs, your opinions second.”




Lest one be fooled into believing that Lentz is truly repentant and sorry for this, don’t be fooled. He did not stop because he felt remorse or shame and wanted to repent. He stopped because he got caught. All these years of leading a church, who can actually be surprised that sexual immorality would be so pervasive in a church so worldly with such a false gospel?


______________________________________________________________________


Ranin said she 'broke things off so many times' but Carl 'always pursued her'


ABOVE: Ranin said she 'broke things off so many times' but Carl 'always pursued her'


Ranin said that she 'loved Carl and he loved her back'


ABOVE: Ranin said that she 'loved Carl and he loved her back'


Justin Bieber's pastor Carl Lentz lied to NYC beauty during affair and said he was an unmarried sports agent


SEE: https://www.thesun.co.uk/tvandshowbiz/13137365/justin-bieber-pastor-carl-lentz-affair-lied-sports-agent/


EXCERPTS:


Ranin, whom wishes to keep her last name private, revealed to The Sun she wanted to tell her story so Carl’s followers know “there was another person on the other side of his statement that got hurt.”


She said his Instagram post about his firing was “offensive,” and made it seem like they “just had a fling."


The stunning brunette said: “I wasn’t there for just sex, we both found comfort and a deep, special connection with each other. I am very hurt because we both feel the same way about each other. 


“He loves me and I love him. It was a love relationship that wasn’t planned. It wasn’t just a fling or just a sexual relationship."


She explained that the pair met in May at Domino Park in Brooklyn, New York, when he approached her to flirt and make small talk. 


“I have no knowledge of the Christian world, I’m Muslim,” she said, insisting she initially had no idea that Carl was a famous celebrity pastor.


“He told me the most beautiful women come from the Middle East and we kept talking from there. We walked and talked more for a little bit and exchanged numbers. 


“He told me his name was Carl but that’s it, he wouldn’t tell me his last name. And he told me that his job was as a sports agent,” Ranin claimed of his alleged secrecy regarding his occupation.


She claimed Carl, 42, refused to give his last name because he did not want to be “Googled” so she can “get to know him in person.”


_______________________________________________________________________


DOMINO PARK, BROOKLYN, NY: https://www.google.com/maps/@40.7138494,-73.9676011,18z


NEAR THE WILLIAMSBURG BRIDGE TO MANHATTAN; THE EAST RIVER:




 












 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
Celeb pastor Carl Lentz, ousted from Hillsong NYC, confesses he was ‘unfaithful’ to his wife
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	



FROM: https://religionnews.com/2020/11/04/carl-lentz-pastor-of-hillsong-east-coast-and-
justin-bieber-terminated-for-moral-failure/
republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:


An email sent to church members on Nov. 4 cited the reason for Lentz’s termination as ‘leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.’






In this Oct. 23, 2017, photo, Carl Lentz, a pastor who ministers to thousands at his Hillsong Church in New York, appears during an interview, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)






November 4, 2020


By 














NEW YORK (RNS) — In an Instagram post on Thursday (Nov. 5), Carl Lentz, the lead pastor of Hillsong NYC, admitted to an extramarital affair, ending a day of speculation as to why he had been fired.


On Wednesday, Hillsong founding pastor Brian Houston notified staff and members of Hillsong East Coast by email of Lentz’s termination. The email, which was obtained by Religion News Service, cited “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures” as the reason for the firing but did not reveal more details, saying to do so “would not be appropriate.”


“I know this will come as a shock to you, but please know that this action was not taken lightly and was done in the best interests of everyone, including Pastor Carl,” Houston wrote.


In his Instagram post, Lentz admitted to being “unfaithful in my marriage, the most important relationship in my life.”


“This failure is on me, and me alone and I take full responsibility for my actions,” according to the post.


“When you accept the calling of being a pastor, you must live in such a way that it honors the mandate. That it honors the church, and that it honors God. When that does not happen, a change needs to be made and has been made in this case to ensure that standard is upheld,” Lentz said in the post.


He expressed gratitude for his time at the church and said leading Hillsong NYC “has been an honor in every sense of the word.”


“This is a hard ending to what has been the most amazing, impacting and special chapter of our lives.”


In a statement Houston posted on the church site later in the evening on Wednesday, he repeated much of his initial email but added praise for Lentz’s work at Hillsong and said he was grateful for the years of service Lentz and his wife gave to Hillsong NYC.


“They have a heart for people and we are confident that after a time of rest and restoration, God will use Carl in another way outside of Hillsong church. In terminating his tenure, we in no way want to diminish the good work he did here,” the statement said.


Lentz, in his post, also acknowledged a need for rest, for rebuilding trust with his wife and children and “taking real time to work on and heal my own life and seek out the help that I need.”


In his statement, Houston assured readers ministry would “proceed as usual,” and the leadership team was “praying that God would bring about an exciting new season for our church and this region.”


Lentz, 41, was one of a number of pastors GQ Magazine has described as “hypepriests” who lead churches frequented by celebrities. Friends and congregants include Justin Bieber and his wife, Hailey Baldwin Bieber, as well as the Jenner sisters.




RELATED: Hillsong Church says new Atlanta location will be led by its first African American pastor




Lentz, along with Houston’s son Joel, began Hillsong NYC, the first Hillsong East Coast church, in 2010. The church, part of the global network of Hillsong churches, quickly drew attention for the long lines waiting to be “let in” on Sunday mornings — and for the demographic waiting in those lines. The worshippers who flocked there were — like their lead pastor — young, hip and dressed looking more like they were headed to a rock concert than to Sunday morning church. Indeed, their venue, Irving Plaza in the Gramercy neighborhood of Manhattan, was a church by day and concert hall by night.


Lentz, relatively unknown before taking the helm of Hillsong NYC, became a darling of major media outlets for his hipster dress, his tattoo-covered arms and his celebrity congregants, including Justin Bieber, who according to GQ was baptized by the pastor in the bathtub of Tyson Chandler, a New York Knicks player at the time.




RELATED: How a Sean Feucht worship service convinced me I am no longer an evangelical




Lentz was raised in Virginia and played basketball at North Carolina State, where he told the New York Post he was “doing my own thing, being my own god.” He moved to Los Angeles to attend King’s College and Seminary, then headed to Australia to join Hillsong’s training program, Hillsong College, where he met his wife, Laura. He worked in youth ministry in Virginia Beach before moving to Brooklyn’s trendy Williamsburg neighborhood to launch Hillsong’s first U.S. location, according to media reports.


“While I have no doubt in my heart that this is the right course of action, I must mention Bobbie’s and my personal sadness, as we have known Laura her entire life and Carl for well over 20 years,” Houston wrote in his letter.


Lentz, in his post, apologized to his congregants and expressed a wish to tell them in person “because you are all owed that.” But he acknowledged that he could not. 


“I am deeply sorry for breaking the trust of many people who we have loved serving and understand that this news can be very hard and confusing,” said the post. “To our pastors Brian and Bobbie, thank you for allowing us to lead, allowing us to thrive and giving us room to have a voice that you have never stifled or tried to silence.”


Pastors Brian and Bobbie Houston founded the original Hillsong Church in 1983 in the suburbs of Sydney, Australia. It now has locations in 28 countries around the world and, pre-pandemic, saw an average 150,000 attenders each week, according to its website.


Hillsong is also known for its popular worship music and conferences.


Neither Hillsong nor Carl Lentz immediately responded to requests for comment.


Emily McFarlan Miller contributed to this report.


_____________________________________________________________________




Speaking out: Hillsong founder Brian Houston shared the news with church members in a letter sent on Wednesday (pictured). A similar statement was issued publicly later that day





	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
Bible Belt States of Ga., Tenn. Elect Their First Homosexuals, Including Lesbian Priest, to State Legislatures~DELAWARE ELECTS GAY “DRAG QUEEN”
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	


BY HEATHER CLARK


SEE: https://christiannews.net/2020/11/04/bible-belt-states-of-ga-tenn-elect-their-first-homosexuals-including-lesbian-priest-to-state-legislatures/;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



Voters in the Bible Belt states of Georgia and Tennessee elected the first openly homosexual members to their state legislatures on Tuesday, including a lesbian Episcopal priest.


Georgia state Senate candidate Kim Jackson won the heavily Democratic District 41 by a landslide, defeating Republican challenger William Park Freeman 74.9% to 25%.


According to reports, Jackson is an ordained Episcopal priest, is the interim vicar at the Church of the Common Ground in Atlanta, and a graduate of Candler School of Theology.


“Jackson, the first black LGBTQ+ person ordained as a priest in the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta, previously served as chaplain at the Absalom Jones Center for Racial Healing and the Atlanta University Center, and as associate rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church,” the website for the Episcopal Diocese of Atlanta states.


In Tennessee, two openly homosexual candidates were chosen by voters to serve in the state House of Representatives: Democrat Torrey Harris and Republican Eddie Mannis.


“I believe women and their doctors are in the best position to make informed decisions about what is best for them, no one else,” Harris said in a campaign video posted online.


He unseated longtime incumbent John DeBerry, a pro-life Democrat who supports biblical marriage and was forced to run as an Independent after the Democratic Party removed him from the ballot. DeBerry has preached at Coleman Ave. Church of Christ for the past 20 years and has been elected to the state legislature 13 times.


“My work in Nashville as a legislator is nothing more than an extension of my work as a child of God, as a Christian,” DeBerry explained to the Catholic News Agency in September. “And I take to heart Ephesians chapter 6, ‘We wrestle not against flesh and blood.’ People are not the enemy,“ but “there are those who make laws that are blasphemous of God’s law.”


Harris won District 90 with 77% of the vote, Local Memphis reports.


“Both Torrey and Eddie sent a clear message that LGBTQ candidates can win in a deep red state while being their authentic selves,” remarked former Houston, Texas Mayor Annise Parker, who now leads the LGBTQ Victory Fund. “Their presence in the state legislature can dilute the most toxic anti-LGBTQ voices and lead to more inclusive legislation.”


As previously reported, all three “LGBT” candidates in Delaware won their races on Tuesday, including a man who identifies as a woman and a homosexual who moonlights as a drag queen.


Proverbs 29:2 says, “When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when the wicked beareth rule, the people mourn.”


President George Washington also warned in his first inaugural address, “[T]he propitious smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a nation that disregards the eternal rules of order and right, which Heaven itself has ordained.”


________________________________________________________________________




DELAWARE: Voters Choose Homosexual Who Moonlights as 'Drag Queen' for House Over Republican Challenger


BY HEATHER CLARK


SEE: https://christiannews.net/2020/11/04/voters-choose-homosexual-who-moonlights-as-drag-queen-for-del-house-over-republican-challenger/;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:


GLASGOW, Del. — Voters in Delaware’s 27th District have chosen to elect an openly homosexual man who moonlights as a drag queen to represent them in the state House of Representatives over his Republican challenger, who lost by a significant margin.


According to reports, Eric Morrison won 61.4% of the vote (7,844), compared to the 36.8% (4,699 votes) garnered by Donald “Tripp” Keister III. Only 1.8%, or 225 residents, selected Libertarian candidate William Hinds.


Keister is the manager of the Fredericksburg Nationals minor league baseball team and was said to have done little campaigning for the job. However, in speaking with the Newark Post, he contrasted his positions with those of Morrison.


“My opponent has been very vocal about what he wants to do: He wants to defund the police, have community policing and have Delaware become a sanctuary state,” he said. “I really want to make sure that our communities are safe, our schools are safe, and that we’re easing the burden on our families.”


The Philadelphia Gay News reported in January that, along with “with LGBTQ rights and women’s reproductive rights [a.k.a. abortion], Morrison plans to support criminal justice reform, marijuana legalization, the expungement of records, campaign finance, elections and environmental protections.”


On Oct. 20, Morrison tweeted a graphic that read, “I’m a better Christian than any Trump supporter, and I’m an atheist.”


As previously reported, in September, he likewise was preferred in the primaries over current Rep. Earl Jaques, Jr., a “moderate” Democratic lawmaker who voted against same-sex “marriage” in 2013, as well as a 2017 bill to “modernize” the state’s laws to align with Roe v. Wade.


Morrison, who has been performing in drag for over 20 years and goes by the name “Anita Mann,” held a “Dude Looks Like a Lady” drag show as a fundraiser for his campaign. Jaques told reporters that he thought Morrison was “far off base” for the district — remarks that he later apologized for.


“You can have fundraisers; I don’t care about that. But dressing in drag? Really?” he said. ““I’m not sure he represents the people who attend those places of religion. If he’s actually having a fundraiser in drag, I don’t think those churches would endorse that. … I’m just saying it’s a little different, that’s for sure.”


In addition to Morrison, Human Rights Campaign’s Timothy “Sarah” McBride also won a seat in the state Senate, becoming the first “transgender” to do in American history. Lesbian social worker Marie Pinkney likewise was elected to the Delaware Senate by a significant margin of 76% to 24%.


In 1 Samuel 8, the Bible speaks of the nation of Israel’s desire to have a king, a human leader to guide the people, as in other nations.


God then spoke to the prophet Samuel, saying, “Hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee, for they have not rejected thee, but they have rejected Me, that I should not reign over them. According to all the works which they have done since the day that I brought them up out of Egypt even unto this day, wherewith they have forsaken Me and served other gods, so do they also unto thee.”


__________________________________________________________________________


SEE OUR PREVIOUS POST:


https://ratherexposethem.org/2020/09/21/glasgow-delaware-drag-queen-wins-democrat-primary-against-incumbent-who-voted-against-gay-marriage/


 


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
Hillsong Pastor, Carl “I May Be Open to Affirming Gays” Lentz, Fired for “Moral Failures”~APOSTATE SBC PASTOR MARK DEVER IS A REGISTERED DEMOCRAT
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	


video


SEE: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2020/11/04/hillsong-pastor-carl-i-may-be-open-to-affirming-gays-lentz-fired-for-moral-failures/;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:


Popular NYC Hillsong pastor, Carl Lentz, has reportedly been terminated from his position as lead pastor for “moral failures.” In a letter sent to the staff of Hillsong NYC and obtained by Religion News Service, Hillsong founder and CEO, Brian Houston expressed regret in his decision to let Lentz go.


The letter did not go into detail, according to RNS, in exactly what these “moral failures” were, however, Houston explained that his actions were not in light of “leadership issues and breaches of trust, plus a recent revelation of moral failures.”


“I know this will come as a shock to you, but please know that this action was not taken lightly and was done in the best interests of everyone, including Pastor Carl,” Houston wrote.


“Please understand that it would not be appropriate for us to go into detail about the events that led to this decision. However you can be assured that this decision was made in order to honor God and pastorally care for you, our East Coast family, Pastor Carl and his family,” Houston continued.


Lentz was recently under fire by Christians after he announced to a CNN host that he may be open to affirming homosexuality at some point.


During an interview with CNN, Lentz was asked if he could see his church changing views in the future since there are so many people who are “turned off” from church because of conservative politics.


“Anything’s possible,” Lentz said, after saying he refuses to endorse political candidates.


While we don’t know the exact reason for Lentz’ termination, we can rest assured that it will come out at some point. Often, when a church leader or pastor is terminated citing “moral failures,” it often involves some sort of sexual immorality.


Lentz, a good friend of Justin Bieber, is well-known for his affinity for worldly things. He wears highly expensive clothing and lives a luxurious lifestyle. In 2017, Lentz and Justin Bieber were caught together in a bar in New Zealand removing their clothing and acting promiscuously while taking liquor shots.






This story is developing.


____________________________________________________________________________


MISSIONARY SPENCER SMITH COVERS THE STORY: 




___________________________________________________________________________


ALSO:


9Marks Leader, Mark Dever, is a Registered Democrat?





EXCERPT: 


Image may contain: text that says 'Registration Status Registered Voter Voter ID Number Date Registered YES 00MV82594 09/29/1 994 Personal Information Full Name Party Affiliation MARK DEVER DEMOCRATIC Address Information Street Number, Street Name, Quadrant City, State, Zip 508 AST CAPITOL NE Ballot Information WASHINGTON, DC 20003 Ward Number Precinct Number School District 89 ANC/SMD 6 6C01'







	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
Roger Stone Speaks~Election Day is TODAY! Vote for FREEDOM!
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	


On this Election Day, Roger Stone speaks about the importance of this election and how we are literally voting for freedom or tyranny. We agree. Roger also shares his testimony and the truth that has been heavily censored. He is rooted in Christ and shares the truth behind politics. It's not about the Right vs Left, it's about Freedom Vs Tyranny. This is one speech you don't want to miss. Be sure to listen, share, and cast your vote today for FREEDOM! Learn more about United Medical Freedom Super PAC by visiting: https://bit.ly/umfsp-yt-ttav.



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	

		
	

		
		
Donald Trump’s Lawyer Rebukes Southeastern Seminary Professor For Being a Liberal
		
		
 

	
		
		
					

			
		

						

	

						

		


			

	

	

		

	




SEE: https://reformationcharlotte.org/2020/11/02/donald-trumps-lawyer-rebukes-southeastern-seminary-professor-for-being-a-liberal/;


republished below in full unedited for informational, educational & research purposes:



Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary (SEBTS), increasingly one of the most liberal seminaries in the Evangelical Church, recently hired a liberal English professor — who supports ministries that promote woman-to-woman and man-to-man intimate relationships — from Liberty University. Karen Swallow Prior, who served many years on the Southern Baptist Convention’s Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC) as a research fellow, has been outspoken in her support of “gay Christianity” over the years.


Prior makes no qualms about her unbiblical positions as many have been warning about her for years. It wasn’t until recently, however, that Swallow Prior has completely unveiled herself as a totally “woke” leftist without a conservative bone in her body and people are finally starting to notice.


Recently, Donald Trump’s lawyer, who also represented John MacArthur’s church in a battle against Los Angeles over religious freedom, called out Swallow Prior for defending far-left radical Vice-Presidential candidate, Kamala Harris. While conservative Malachi O’Brien tweeted favorably that Kamala Harris had been “canceled” because of a lack of support in Texas, Swallow Prior jumped in to defend Harris.








Swallow Prior’s defense when Trump’s and MacArthur’s attorney, Jenna Ellis jumped in:








Here is where Ellis’ response was gold.








Karen Swallow Prior is a liberal activist and sadly, she represents a large majority of the Southern Baptist Convention and the Evangelical Church. Increasingly, the divide between the liberals and the conservatives is growing, and thankfully so. Christians cannot in any way support the Democrat party — to do so is to support the things that God hates.


_______________________________________________________________________


SEE OUR PREVIOUS POSTS ABOUT MS. PRIOR:


https://ratherexposethem.org/?s=KAREN+SWALLOW+PRIOR


 



	







	

		

	




			

		

		
		

			
							

		


	


			  

					
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31
32
33
34
…
39