(Photo credit: Wikipedia)

Here’s an article I just published on my Charismatica blog that is right on topic with what we have been discussing here lately:

-The Family, Same-Sex Marriage, and the Future of America

In the last several months there has been a dialogue going on in America concerning our direction and the future of this nation when it comes to the major building block of society- the family.

Sunday we celebrated motherhood but earlier in the week the topic of conversation was same-sex marriage as President Obama came out in support of it and ironically cited the teachings of Jesus and the Golden Rule as having a part in his decision.

In April one of the big topics on the political scene was a comment that was made by a Democratic operative that Ann Romney never worked a day in her life since all she ever did was stay at home and raise 5 boys. In March the big controversy revolved around contraceptives and abortives and whether the government would force insurance companies to pay for them -even self insured religious organizations who were opposed to their use. It really was a matter of freedom of religion but the mainstream media and one political party styled those who opposed that idea as being in a ‘war against women.’

However, the real war in America is against motherhood, parenthood, and God’s design for humanity and Creation itself. My question is this:

Can God continue to bless America the way we are going? I believe that the answer is no and that our very future is hanging in the balance.

<Read the rest of the article>

*Top

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       (Ann Romney -Photo credit: Gage Skidmore)

Do stay at home moms ‘never work a day’ in their lives like Democratic advisor Hilary Rosen recently accused Ann Romney of? Ridiculous, right? Here’s a study that estimates the worth of full time homemakers at $112,962 a year.

The controversy started when Hilary Rosen made the following comment on TV about Ann Romney’s value to Mitt as an advisor:

"His wife has actually never worked a day in her life. She’s never really dealt with the kinds of economic issues that a majority of the women in this country are facing, in terms of how do we feed our kids, how do we send them to school and why do we worry about their future."

Ann Romney who raised 5 kids and has 16 grandchildren responded on Twitter:

"I made a choice to stay home and raise five boys. Believe me, it was hard work."

Response: How valuable are stay at home moms? I really don’t believe that it can be accurately calculated even though Salary.com came up with the figure above. The value of moms raising children whether they ‘work’ (have a job) or not is beyond any financial calculation to families and society.

Rosen’s comment does put the liberal bias against traditional American families on display. Unless a woman has her own ‘career’ she is considered relatively worthless in the progressive hierarchy. Stay at home moms are a devalued life choice among many in America.

However, are latch-key children today really better off than those whose mother is always there when they come home from school? Obviously not. Yet most mothers find it necessary to work at least part time in today’s economy. In the meantime, mothers that do stay at home should not be looked down upon but celebrated for the sacrifices that they have chosen to make for their children and families.            *Top

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For wicked and deceitful mouths are opened against me, speaking against me with lying tongues.  They encircle me with words of hate,and attack me without cause.  In return for my love they accuse me, but I give myself to prayer.   So they reward me evil for good,and hatred for my love.

Appoint a wicked man against him; let an accuser stand at his right hand.  When he is tried, let him come forth guilty; let his prayer be counted as sin!

May his days be few; may another take his office!

May his children be fatherless and his wife a widow!

May his children wander about and beg, seeking food far from the ruins they inhabit!

May the creditor seize all that he has; may strangers plunder the fruits of his toil!

Let there be none to extend kindness to him, nor any to pity his fatherless children!

May his posterity be cut off; may his name be blotted out in the second generation!

May the iniquity of his fathers be remembered before the LORD,and let not the sin of his mother be blotted out! Let them be before the LORD continually,that he may cut off the memory of them from the earth! 

-Psalm 109:1-15 (ESV)

From (RNS):

Is it okay to ask God to do harm to another person? The theology of such “imprecatory prayer” may be a matter of debate, but a Dallas judge has ruled it is legal, at least as long as no one is actually threatened or harmed.

District Court Judge Martin Hoffman on Monday (April 2) dismissed a lawsuit brought by Mikey Weinstein against a former Navy chaplain who he said used “curse” prayers like those in Psalm 109 to incite others to harm the Jewish agnostic and founder of the Military Religious Freedom Foundation and his family.

Hoffman said there was no evidence that the prayers by Gordon Klingenschmitt, who had been endorsed for the Navy chaplaincy by the Dallas-based Chaplaincy of Full Gospel Churches, were connected to threats made against Weinstein and his family or damage done to his property.

<Read the whole RNS article>

Response: This case brings mixed emotions for me.

First of all. I believe the judge’s ruling is correct in this case. The chaplain was not calling for others to attack Weinstein and undoubtedly would not support those who did threaten his family. Also, Weinstein is entirely wrong in saying that imprecatory prayers, based upon Psalm 109, are the same thing as a Muslim Fatwa. The prayer is calling for God to do something not calling on fellow believers to harm Weinstein or his family.

Secondly. The content of prayers should be Constitutionally protected. Weinstein says that he will appeal the decision. Since any ruling against imprecatory prayers would put our religious freedoms in jeopardy we will be watching for any further developments in this case..

Thirdly. From a Christian theological perspective I do not like imprecatory prayers. Based upon the teaching of Jesus, I believe that Christians should try to love their enemies and do good to them. That would include praying for them and not against. I do believe it is acceptable to pray against the causes of our enemies but that is entirely different.

Finally. The folks who threatened Weinstein and his family and damaged their property are not following the teachings of Jesus and should be condemned by all Christian leaders.           *Top

Related Posts?:

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                                      (Photo credit: 401K)

In America we use to tax things in our culture that we wanted to discourage. Taxes on alcohol and tobacco use to be called ‘sin taxes.’ Now some places are taxing sugary drinks and fast food.

In the last generation or so our culture has also turned its back on the Biblical definitions of ‘sin’ and dressed it all up in positive ways referring to deviant behaviors that were once discouraged as ‘freedom’ and progressive rights. Now we have gotten to the point where we are actually rewarding behaviors that we once called sin and considered detrimental to our society? That does seem to be the case when it comes to providing free contraceptives to students.

Here’s an article by Chuck Colson that explores that issue: “Sin Taxes vs. Sin Subsidies: Redefining Bad Behavior”

Colson makes  the following observation in the article:

It’s odd, though, that despite this feeding frenzy, nobody is proposing to tax an activity that nearly every previous generation saw as truly sinful and harmful to society: sexual promiscuity.

In fact, the word "promiscuity" is no longer uttered after the word "sexual" in polite company, although the word "freedom" certainly is. And we actually celebrate sexual promiscuity.

Take just the recent example: Georgetown Law student and "reproductive rights" activist Sandra Fluke became a hero to many by demanding that Georgetown University violate its religious convictions and pay for her birth control.

So, now the Sexual Left not only excuses sin, they want us to actually subsidize it.

Response: Is sex really free? I guess not since someone has to pay for the contraceptives.

Also, is society really better off now that promiscuity is the rule and ‘shacking up’ is no longer frowned upon? Is it better for society to be raising a whole generation of children in unstable homes with so many one parent families?

One thing for sure, the Christian values that use to be the norm in our culture provided a stability in the family that is sorely lacking in this generation.  Maybe the Creator knew best after all?              *Top

Related Posts?:

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     ( Getty Images via @daylife)

Texas Gov. Rick Perry took time out from his busy presidential campaign in South Carolina to attend a prayer event. While there, without any fanfare or introduction he took the stage at the large prayer gathering called "The Response" in Greenville, S.C. and prayed for President Obama and his family:

“Perry led a prayer in which he asked God to grant safety to "our president" and his family. He also said that "we pray that you light his way" in dealing with national issues.”

Response: We all should be praying for our President and his family regardless of what we think about his policies and politics. It would be good if he did receive some ‘light’ from above on how to deal with the problems facing our nation right now and for the whole year of 2012 while he is President.            *Top

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                                         (Image via Wikipedia)

Today (Tuesday 1/17) the US Supreme Court declined to hear a case coming from the 4th Circuit Court of Appeals.

The Appeals Court had ruled in a 2-1 panel decision last October in Joyner v. Forsyth County (North Carolina) that public legislative meetings could not begin with prayers in the “name of Jesus.” Therefore, the ruling stands within the jurisdiction of the 4th circuit.

Here’s a link to our post on the original case: -U.S. Circuit Court: Prayers ‘In Jesus Name’ are Unconstitutional

Response: It is a real disappointment that SCOTUS did not pick up this case and make a definitive ruling. This leaves the country legally divided over this prayer issue.

Meanwhile, Christian prayers are now limited in public forums within the jurisdiction of the 4th circuit which includes the states of Maryland, West Virginia, Virginia, North Carolina, and South Carolina. The rest of the country should not be affected by this unfortunate ruling.

Congress is Constitutionally forbidden from making laws concerning religion but the 4th Circuit has in effect made a new law by putting the government in charge of deciding what prayers are acceptable and which ones aren’t –what is ‘sectarian’ and therefore offensive and what is not.

If a Muslim Imam was invited to say a prayer before a public legislative meeting in the 4th Circuit area would he be free to address his prayers to ‘Allah’ rather than God? The keepers of ‘political correctness’ would probably rule in the affirmative since ‘Allah’ is merely the Arabic form of God. Yet such a prayer would be just as sectarian as Christian prayers in Jesus name and offensive to many more for sure.

What government agency will now be in charge of determining what names for God are acceptable and which ones aren’t? So far only Christian prayers in ‘Jesus name’ have specifically been referenced in the ruling for censorship.                *Top

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(Ron Luce-Teen Mania)

A few years ago the expression -’Friends With Benefits’ became popular among 20 to 30 year old singles and beyond. A term which is supposed to represent casual sex among friends without any strings attached.

The popular culture latched upon this term and it reflects a new norm among career oriented young adults in America who are too busy for serious relationships or for marriage and families.

Dozens of movies have reflected that trend in the last 5 years or so. My real concern is not how it is being played out among adults but how it is now reaching down into the teenage culture and affecting our children as young as 12 years old.

Ron Luce, president of Teen Mania Ministries, is trying to minister to teens in the midst of this cultural trend that he refers to as an epidemic. Until I read an article about his ministry dealing with this issue I was quite unaware of how this was being played out among teens in America even among those going to Christian churches and attending youth groups.

Ron Luce says the following in this article about what he has observed among teens:

“At first it was just 20-somethings to 30-somethings, but now we have kids in junior high and high school participating. We have stories about kids as young as 12 years old,” Luce said.

"This has been a rage for the last two or three years”

Luce has observed that a growing number of kids in school now believe it is a taboo to have a boyfriend or girlfriend. The norm seems to be that “you just have lots of friends and have lots of sex with them,” he said.

Teens use names like “cuddle buddies” and “booty call” to classify friends willing to have casual sex. “It’s not uncommon that even if you do have a boyfriend or girlfriend you have five or six friends that you have sex with and if they don’t know about each other then it’s okay.”

“It seems like it’s everywhere. It’s happening in church and in youth groups,” he said. A common excuse used in order to have someone agree to sex is to say that they are “friends and they have needs.”

“It’s hard to find somebody that’s not doing ‘friends with benefits’ and if a student stands up against this in school they are mocked and ridiculed.”

“It’s not, oh, the kids are having sex because we know kids have been having sex for a long time. It’s so much more common now and the culture seems to own our kids more than Christ does.”

Luce suggests that parents need to be more involved with their kids to combat this cultural epidemic:

“Parents, need to decide that they are going to be a relationship-centric family rather than a media-centric family so that kids care about their relationships with their parents. What they are closest to relationally is going to influence them the most.

“In the middle of this cultural sewage, parents have to be very intent and proactive about parenting so they can help them see through the stories, the ‘friends with benefits’ lie and to make a pledge for purity until the day they are married. It’s not impossible. It just takes a massive amount of effort.”

Response: Wow, I had no idea this was going on. Everyone regardless of religion, worldview, or moral stance should be concerned about this trend among teens since some of the ‘benefits’ include teenage pregnancies, abortions, and STDs.

Since I have 2 grandchildren in that age group and with another soon to be, I now have a particular stake in this issue. The fact that Christian teens also seem to be affected by this practice is disturbing. One wonders about the future of the church when the culture dominates our youth in such a way.            *Top

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