Culture Rot

But then I wouldn't be able to talk to you guys.

The mayor of Houston, Texas is a lesbian. She and her city council passed an LGBT anti-discrimination ordinance. A follow-on petition to put it up for the voters to decide got three times the number of required signatures. The city council threw out the petition. The mayor then issued a subpoena to five pastors to turn over any sermons and e-mails that commented on the ordinance or the mayor herself.

Puts a twist on the definition of a bully pulpit, doesn't it? I suppose the mayor's intention is to file criminal charges against the pastors, or at the very least, to silence all the rest. Over 400 churches banded together to fight the ordinance. I wonder if more will now join in.

Thats the job of the IRS not a city mayor. You can't make laws violate religion or free speech.

So far this month: organs are being harvested from aborted babies, and placed into rats to grow until they're ready for transplanting...3 guys got married to each other...ABC's Family Channel is airing an episode showing two 13-year old boys kissing each other.

Two weeks until my freshman think tank starts. They're raring to go. Amazing how much these kids have matured since I had them as 7th graders. Massive potential in this bunch.

The think tank sent a lot of material to the foundation to review. Hopefully, they see some value in there to use.

Meanwhile, Planned Abortion has been caught selling fetal organs, the BSA is allowing homosexual scoutmasters, and the Supreme Court has redefined marriage. To my church's leadership team, I sent information on the potential/likely consequences of the latter, and protective advice from our denomination's "national" lawyer. No sense of urgency, though. At the latest meeting, leadership spent all of 30 seconds on it, with no follow-up planned. If it doesn't end up on next month's agenda, I'm going to kick down some deacons' doors. The summer snooze is no excuse.

After the Supreme Court's ruling on marriage, my wife (church secretary) complained that the Government will take away the tax-exempt status of any church that expresses disagreement with that decision.

I told her that, if it did, that would be the greatest mistake that the Left-Wing could possibly commit.

If the churches didn't have to lick the boots of the Government, then pastors could say ANYTHING that they wanted from the pulpit, including how named politicians are acting in an overtly sinful and anti-Christian manner, and that the pastors could even TELL members of the Congregation how he believes they should vote.  The Government wouldn't have the anvil of the IRS to enforce Censorship.

Churches could even take collections for political campaigns that they believe to be in-line with Christian values.

The Government could no longer force you to keep your Religion behind the doors of the Churches in order to keep your Tax Exempt Status.

I wish we'd take the hard road and shove tax exemption.

......and, get this:

Pastors (or even Denominational Directors) could go on Radio or TV and endorse the political candidate of his choice, or condemn a politician whom he believes to be acting contrary to Biblical Values., and the Government could do nothing to stop them.

(No, they wouldn't dare take away the carrot of Tax Exempt Status.)

Claymore wrote: The Government could no longer force you to keep your Religion behind the doors of the Churches in order to keep your Tax Exempt Status.

A fascinating take on the subject. Hmmm. Tax exempt status keeps those "clinging to their God" in line and muzzled. Of course, the IRS never goes after those churches whose congregations vote Democrat. If Democrat politicians and judges moved towards cutting the tax exemption off, would those same churches rise up and keep the Democrats in line? Just as a side note, black churches tend to be socially conservative. In view of today's culture disintegration, will they become this generation's "Reagan Democrats"?

Regarding the released undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood's senior medical director discussing how abortion procedures are altered to allow for harvesting of baby organs for profit....have they no heart? Or is their heart just a mass of non-viable tissue?

Their consciences have been seared, as with a hot iron.

The Texas Supreme Court ruled that the city of Houston has until Aug 24 to repeal their homosexual rights ordinance or put it to a vote of the citizens. You might recall that the lesbian mayor was demanding to get copies of preached sermons to see who was spouting hateful speech.

Every once in awhile, a glimmer of hope that we might be able to stop the relentless advance of the Godless progressive movement.

joecool wrote:Regarding the released undercover videos showing Planned Parenthood's senior medical director discussing how abortion procedures are altered to allow for harvesting of baby organs for profit....have they no heart? Or is their heart just a mass of non-viable tissue?

Speaker of the House John Boehner isn't a fan of defunding Planned Parenthood. Why? Could it have anything to do with the fact that his personal health policy advisor is a sister to the CEO/founder of Stem Express, which is at the center of this reprehensible scandal? Wash, DC was originally a swamp. It still is.

In other news (the newest distraction) Cecil the lion has been shot!!!!! Outrage Cecil is dead but its ok we act like Nazis and conduct human experiments on aborted babies. Hitler be proud.

Enough to make you sick! God please have mercy on us and pour out Your Spirit on us again so we come back to You... We need a revival in our land!

Amen, Philip!

Here's something to chew over.

Many denominations have moved ever closer to the dark side of our culture, embracing and celebrating that which they used to preach against. Media, education, government, psychiatric, legal, etc. are all on the liberal progressive side. Almost everything is allowed, and it's only a matter of time before the holdout behaviors are decriminalized (think pedophilia).

In other words, sin has been dumbed down to the point where few even see themselves as sinning anymore. People who engage in destructive behavior are now celebrated, given ESPN courage awards, and given gov't grants. They honestly don't see themselves as having anything to be saved from. It seems that seeking salvation is a much harder place to get someone to than it used to be.

I hear what you're saying, but none of us can ever come to the knowledge of sin without the Holy Spirit convicting us. It's the same now as always. Mayne it's a wake up call for believers to be in prayer even more than we've been in recent history. Maybe because our culture WAS such that sin was more apparent in the past shrank our dependency on Holy Spirit.

The early church KNEW that what they were preaching was totally against st the grain of the culture, both in regards to Mosaic law, Roman culture, Corinthian culture, etc. That only had Holy Spirit intervention. There were no civil laws supporting "Christian" values.

I've been feeling a major draw to allow the fire of the Holy Spirit. I think that fire has been viewed by many churches as a turn off to would be converts, but it's fire that burns out the dross. My brother heard recently that the lack of fire in the redwood forests is actually having a negative effect on new growth. Apparently the seeds need sporadic fires to get them to a place to grow. The church is in the same spot. We need to embrace Holy Spirit fire instead of trying to be "seeker sensitive"! Makes me sick!!!

joecool wrote:Here's something to chew over.

Many denominations have moved ever closer to the dark side of our culture, embracing and celebrating that which they used to preach against. Media, education, government, psychiatric, legal, etc. are all on the liberal progressive side. Almost everything is allowed, and it's only a matter of time before the holdout behaviors are decriminalized (think pedophilia).

In other words, sin has been dumbed down to the point where few even see themselves as sinning anymore. People who engage in destructive behavior are now celebrated, given ESPN courage awards, and given gov't grants. They honestly don't see themselves as having anything to be saved from. It seems that seeking salvation is a much harder place to get someone to than it used to be.

Can you give more details on the 5 broad categories you mentioned that were taught against?

RRCmdrBennett wrote:

joecool wrote:Here's something to chew over. Many denominations have moved ever closer to the dark side of our culture, embracing and celebrating that which they used to preach against. Media, education, government, psychiatric, legal, etc. are all on the liberal progressive side. Almost everything is allowed, and it's only a matter of time before the holdout behaviors are decriminalized (think pedophilia).

In other words, sin has been dumbed down to the point where few even see themselves as sinning anymore. People who engage in destructive behavior are now celebrated, given ESPN courage awards, and given gov't grants. They honestly don't see themselves as having anything to be saved from. It seems that seeking salvation is a much harder place to get someone to than it used to be.

Can you give more details on the 5 broad categories you mentioned that were taught against?

The 5 categories are (largely) liberal institutions that some denominations have allied with (or caved in to).

Phillip Gross wrote: The early church KNEW that what they were preaching was totally against st the grain of the culture, both in regards to Mosaic law, Roman culture, Corinthian culture, etc. That only had Holy Spirit intervention. There were no civil laws supporting "Christian" values.

I agree with you 100% and have been looking at the early church for a week or so. Wondering, "If we more closely modeled them, could we (actually the Holy Spirit) replicate the results?" Yeah, fire is critical.

The issue today with modern church is we attempt to change the civil government to fit us but early church had no hope of doing that. They were concerned more with just spreading the gospel.

You know.... it's kind of like a spanking. You hated it as a kid, and you hate the "life spankings" as an adult, but you know that in the end it brings correction. So,... as much as it stinks to be going through this in our country, if in the end it brings people closer to God in the church to become more effective in the great commission, then from an eternal perspective is it that bad?

I don't suppose that God is going to open up the clouds and show Obama the symbol of Jesus, and tell him to "go forth in this sign" like he did to Emperor Constantine during the Last Great Degenerate World Empire?

Ahem. If you'll recall, Obama's appearance at his first Democratic party convention was Zeus-like, what with all the Greek columns surrounding him.

And that reminds me of something else. The early Greeks never tested any of their ideas to see if they were correct or not. They felt that because the ideas came out of their minds, they had to be correct. Period. End of discussion. Much like today's liberal politicians.