Archive for May, 2016

free speech censoredPresident George Washington once said, “If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.” Was this an exaggeration or are religious freedoms, particularly those protected under the First Amendment, that important?

Like many modern day corporations, especially those whose owners are under 35, Facebook has a liberal worldview. So it was not surprising when several former Facebook employees recently admitted its news curators routinely suppressed conservative news on the social media giant’s trending module.

Instead of allowing content many of us want to see, Facebook manipulated its news section to reflect the biases of its young workers, many of whom are hostile toward the Christian worldview. They blatantly abused their authority and power of influence to create or hijack a trending news topic to serve their liberal bias.

Commenting on the Facebook news, Kevin D. Williamson writes:

Where the Left has power, it will use that power to try to crush dissent, debate, and criticism. And it tries to smother conservative discussions entirely. As the Facebook insider tells Nunez, the curators deep-sixed discussions about Rand Paul, CPAC, and Scott Walker. Entertainingly, Facebook attempted to suppress discussion of Lois Lerner, the IRS executive who abused her powers to try to suppress conservative groups in the run-up to the 2012 elections. That’s a nice tag-team: The Obama administration tries to silence conservatives, and Facebook tries to silence conservatives’ complaints about being silenced.

This is not just about social media or even the blatantly biased “mainstream media” and cable news outlets. It is about the Left’s agenda to change culture and reshape morality.

The labels for the Left have become somewhat interchangeable. Why? Liberals, progressives, democratic socialists, and secular liberals all have a few things in common: their worldview is based on atheism, humanism, moral relativism, environmental extremism, and/or government-supported social justice. Truth is whatever they decide it to be and they continually redefine terms and make up new rules of engagement.

In an article, Absolutely No Absolutes in the New America, Tim Wildmon of the American Family Association stated:

These people, led politically by President Barack Obama and his administration, are basically at war with 1) traditional Americans, 2) the Judeo-Christian value system, 3) common sense, and 4) millennia of history.

Most of us know the recent gender and bathroom debate seemingly came out of nowhere and now more people are confused about sex, the basics of biology and science, history, and of course, truth.

But chaos, confusion, and moral relativism only propel godlessness further down the road of destruction. Am I being dramatic?

Canada’s Liberal Party, headed up by new Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, just introduced a brand new bill that would punish anyone who disagrees with gender identity or expression, classifying dissent as “hate speech.” This could land a practicing Christian in jail for two years.

At least we know exactly where he stands.

You may have also heard about New York Times writer, Nicholas Kristof, who recently admitted liberal intolerance is rampant, saying they practically demand people think like them. So much for diversity of thought. He said gatekeepers in academia and the media typically look down on those with different views. According to Kristof:

“We progressives believe in diversity, and we want women, blacks, Latinos, gays and Muslims at the table, so long as they aren’t conservatives.”

The majority of elite media, for example, are liberal with less than 7 percent admitting they are conservative. They have voted for or contributed to Democrat candidates in practically every single election. Kristof cites studies in his article showing an average of 8.5% of humanities professors and less than one in ten social-studies professors are conservative while about 20% identify as Marxists.

Though he believes evangelical Christians and conservatives deserve a fair shake, he is more concerned about the lack of quality in education today.

Add to this the propaganda permeating public schools today, it is easy to understand how Christian morality is squelched while anti-Christian views are promoted throughout society. So, speak up about the new transgender debate and you may be called “transphobic.”

During a time when young children and confused youth are questioning what they hear in culture or see via Hollywood, the truth is being censored. Why? Because the Left doesn’t want to acknowledge there is a God who created them and loves them, but will also judge them one day for their rebellious lives unless they repent of their sins and turn to Him by faith.

Founder of Answers in Genesis, Ken Ham recently stated:

Without the foundation of the absolute authority of God’s Word, America is adrift in a sea of moral relativism where man makes the rules and determines ‘truth.’ What people need is not accommodation of a sinful lifestyle. They need the gospel of Jesus Christ. They need to become a new creation.

The greater issue goes beyond common sense, free speech, and battles over bathrooms and the public square; it involves questions about human life, the existence of God, and eternity as well as the value and purpose of every life.

Most of us are encountering brand new discussions related to sex and gender. Are we ready to have these important conversations, and prepared to respond with biblical, compassionate answers to those who are truly searching? As important as it is to stand up for truth and religious freedom; as important as it is  to ensure the safety of all women and young children regarding public restrooms and locker rooms, we must first seek to meet their more pressing spiritual need.

And while we look for opportunities to share the gospel of Jesus Christ and confront sin, we can expect increasing attempts to keep us quiet – or at least keep us behind church walls.

Whoever would overthrow the liberty of a nation must begin by subduing the freeness of speech. Benjamin Franklin

geneva bible“Being thus arrived in a good harbor and brought safe to land, they fell upon their knees and blessed the God of heaven, who had brought them over the vast and furious ocean, and delivered them from all the perils and miseries thereof, againe to set their feete on the firme and stable earth … Having undertaken, for the Glory of God and advancement of the Christian Faith and Honor of our King and Country, a Voyage to plant the First Colony.” —William Bradford, Of Plymouth Plantation

In the earliest days in this land, when Christians experienced hard times, their desperation caused them to rely on God. Conversely, when things are going well, we often choose to rely on ourselves. Throughout history, the Lord often allowed persecution in order to turn people back to Him. Men came to these shores hoping to establish a God-fearing settlement that would flourish on faith and freedom.

Devout Christian, Mayflower Pilgrim, and Plymouth Colony Governor of thirty-one years, William Bradford died in 1656. Near the end of his life, an entry in Bradford’s chronicle of the colony reveals evidence of how difficult it can be to avoid subtle moral erosion in a society. He saw similarities in the material success achieved at the Plymouth Plantation and the wealth enjoyed by England, both of which came at the price of spiritual decline.

Historians disagree about the reasons for Bradford’s disdain over prosperity and sin, but here is one of the final entries in his journal lamenting the dispersal of the original church community:

O sacred bond, whilst inviolably preserved! How sweet and precious were the fruits that flowed from the same! But when this fidelity decayed, then their ruin approached. O that these ancient members had not died or been dissipated (if it had been the will of God) or else that this holy care and constant faithfulness had still lived, and remained with those that survived … But (alas) that subtle serpent hath slyly wound himself under fair pretenses of necessity and the like, to untwist these sacred bonds and ties . . . I have been happy, in my first times, to see, and with much comfort to enjoy, the blessed fruits of this sweet communion, but it is now a part of my misery in old age, to find and feel the decay and want thereof (in a great measure) and with grief and sorrow of heart to lament and bewail the same. And for others’ warning and admonition, and my own humiliation, do I here note the same.

Bradford was grieved about their apparent failure to meet or live by the high biblical standards expected of them because in the early days, Christians took their faith seriously and were committed in their pursuit of holiness as individuals and as a community. Do we experience that kind of grief, sorrow, and heartache over our own sins and the spiritual condition of our culture?

On April 8, 1630, nearly ten years after the Pilgrims landed at Plymouth Rock, a fleet of eleven ships left England from the Isle of Wight. Carrying more than 700 Puritans, plus livestock and provisions, they hoped to begin a new colony in Massachusetts Bay, free from religious persecution by the Church of England. Understanding the dangers of such a journey and aware that half of the Pilgrims who settled in Plymouth had died, many Puritan leaders were so concerned England was declining spiritually they believed the chance for religious freedom in the New World outweighed potential hardships, including death!

Sailing west on the ship Arbella, an English Puritan lawyer by the name of John Winthrop was part of the first large wave of immigrants and a leading founder of the Massachusetts Bay Colony, the first major settlement in New England. Winthrop would serve as governor for the first twelve years, settling in the Shawmut Peninsula and founding what is now Boston. An estimated 200 people died from disease and a variety of other causes in the first several months, including Winthrop’s son Henry. Encouraging other colonists to trust in God and work hard, Winthrop is said to have joined workers and servants in manual labor to set an example so that “there was not an idle person to be found in the whole plantation.”

It’s interesting to note years earlier in England, Winthrop was first tutored at home and was regularly exposed to religious discussions between his father and clergymen, resulting in his knowledge of spiritual things at a very young age. This led to his admission to Trinity College when he was just fifteen years old. His strong religious upbringing and education would help set the tone for America for many generations.

You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden; nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house (Matthew 5:14-15).

During the journey to America, Winthrop wrote and delivered a lay sermon to the people based on the above Scriptures. Entitled “A Model of Christian Charity,” he envisioned a unified new colony ordained to build “a City upon a Hill” dedicated to God. This famous work originally inspired the idea of American exceptionalism. With an emphasis on individual responsibility, integrity, and group discipline, his writing described how to keep the colony strong in faith and committed to God in the endeavor of creating a holy community…

Though Winthrop’s godly influence can be seen in the first couple hundred years in America, we now know it is much easier to slide down to the world’s ways than to stay close to God and pursue holiness.

Millions of religious people today have not had in-depth teachings on the Bible and spiritual things. How many can name all Ten Commandments or perhaps books and authors of the Bible? How many can share the whole gospel including the need for redemption through the blood of Christ? What we have is increasing ignorance of the Word of God and American history, as well as a disinterest in Christianity and spiritual things.

For many decades, the truth about our Christian heritage has been downplayed or worse, forgotten. Moreover, how can we avoid repeating the most disappointing parts of our history if cautions from our founders and warnings from Christian leaders are no longer taught and remembered?

Resolution One: I will live for God. Resolution Two: If no one else does, I still will.  Jonathan Edwards

One of America’s greatest theologians was Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), a Congregational preacher and missionary in New England and grandfather of Aaron Burr, the third Vice President of the United States. Edwards was a man of hard preaching with a heart for God’s glory above all things, which is what drove him. This led him to compose a set of resolutions to guide his conduct in all areas, from his battle against sin to the use of his time.

Edward’s famous sermon, “Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God,” is credited for starting the First Great Awakening in America. He wrote about the previous decade, saying it represented a far more “degenerate time” than ever before. Preaching in Northampton, Massachusetts, and Enfield, Connecticut, in 1741, Edwards delivered strong words to the Puritans at that time by saying:

Yea, God is a great deal more angry with great numbers that are now on earth: yea, doubtless, with many that are now in this congregation, who it may be are at ease, than he is with many of those who are now in the flames of hell … The wrath of God burns against them, their damnation does not slumber; the pit is prepared, the fire is made ready, the furnace is now hot, ready to receive them; the flames do now rage and glow … and the pit hath opened its mouth under them.

…It is indisputable men of God established this nation on biblical truth as they pursued freedom from religious persecution and “the advancement of the Christian Faith,” as William Bradford stated. But since our foundations are eroding, perhaps persecution is exactly what needs to happen in order to shake us up and bring us back to God.

Click here to read full chapter.

 

(This is a portion of chapter 1 from the book, The Cost of Our Silence.)

rainbow WHFrom a rainbow-colored White House to corporations proudly promoting political correctness, it is difficult to deny the spiritual and moral decline in our country. Knowing these events do not happen by chance, what are the causes of cultural decomposition and what can be done to save this nation?

Start by saving the people from eternal destruction. To do this, truth must be told. It is nearly impossible to correct America’s direction and slow the decline if enough people are not convinced that we are way off course to begin with or if we are unwilling to learn from history.

Those who understand we are in the last days know there are two major causes to the negative effects we are seeing in America today: the success of secular agendas to blot out God and eradicate Christian morality, and the complacency of we the people.

There have always been enemies of Jesus Christ in every society working to kill, steal, and destroy lives and nations; we can deny this fact or face it. We are in a war, and the most concerning thing to me is apathy among the people of God.

How many Christians do you think really want to stand and fight, in part by openly living their biblical values knowing we have all but surrendered the public square? Now that Christians are blatantly and purposefully criticized, mocked, and ridiculed, why should we resist the onslaught of evil?

Many believers would much rather live comfortably and avoid the earthly hassles knowing we’re living in the end times and when Christ returns, we’re out of here. But is this what we’re living for – to have smooth, stress-free, comfortable lives or should we be about the Lord’s business of saving souls and fighting the good fight of faith?

While more of us remain on the sidelines, “good” is not winning and the culture is rapidly caving in to liberals and the LGBT agenda. Author Peter Heck stated:

They know the success of their cause depends upon the total abolishing of the Judeo-Christian ethic and the Moral Authority it teaches. That is why any belief that the homosexual lobby is merely a passive group of individuals wanting to peacefully coexist with others who have different beliefs and values is naively absurd.

Perhaps you need to rethink that “coexist” bumper sticker on your car.

(…continued)

A pivotal difference between Christians and the opposition is those on the Left understand one major key many of us have lost sight of long ago: influence is everything.

In case you missed this last week, House Minority Leader and proud liberal Democrat, Nancy Pelosi came right out and admitted what many of us already knew: they had an agenda to transform America for godlessness. In a press conference, she suggested that same-sex marriage isn’t nearly as popular as people insist it is. Huh?!

Pelosi admitted that when Barack Obama became president and the Democrats came into the majority, their goal was to make homosexual marriage the law of the land. With thirty states having protections on God-ordained, natural marriage through the votes of millions of people per state, the Democrats could not accomplish this goal “legislatively” so they worked to achieve it through “the courts.”

Referring to the Supreme Court decision last June that said state bans on same-sex marriage were unconstitutional, Pelosi boasted:

“We had four points – it was a four-legged stool of what we wanted to accomplish – to pass a fully inclusive hate crimes legislation… Another piece of our agenda was to promote marriage equality in our country. Legislatively, we couldn’t really succeed, but from the courts and the rest, and public opinion, of course, in the actual court and in the court of public opinion, that victory has been won.”

(continued…) I am not a conspiracy theorist, but what if this LGBT movement is part of a much larger agenda?

Back in 1963, the United States House of Representatives went on record and listed 45 Communist Goals that were being enacted across America. I first heard of these in a book, The Naked Communist, by Cleon Skousen. To some, this is old news but others may find some of these Communist goals extremely interesting:

11. Promote the U.N. as the only hope for mankind.

15. Capture one or both of the political parties in the United States.

17. Get control of the schools. Use them as transmission belts for socialism and current Communist propaganda. Soften the curriculum. Get control of teachers’ associations.

21. Gain control of key positions in radio, TV, and motion pictures.

25. Break down cultural standards of morality by promoting pornography and obscenity in books, magazines, motion pictures, radio, and TV.

26. Present homosexuality, degeneracy and promiscuity as “normal, natural, healthy.”

Read the entire post at DavidFiorazo.com: