In Election 2012's Aftermath, Biblical Christians Will Become Increasingly Marginalized

By Bill Flax at forbes.com

In the election’s aftermath, the culture war looks like a rout. Few ever relished this fight; most preferred simply to be left alone. We aren’t community organizers. Sadly, neutrality was not realistic. No, being Switzerland was never an option. By not defending America’s heritage of limited government, free markets and biblical morality, we’re being overrun a la Belgium.

Powerful forces array. Christians consider this battle in spiritual terms. Conservatives sense a political donnybrook. Others deplore eroding standards of conduct and lost liberty. The Left vies for our children’s hearts, souls and minds. While no majority, progressives dominate the dissemination of thought. The mainstream media, entertainment industries, education system and much of government skew very far left.

Take same-sex “marriage.” Shifting attitudes reflect in part, an academic establishment inculcating progressive cloud dancing. It’s rotten that Hollywood mocks the “Modern Family” then thrusts “666 Park Ave” in primetime, but TV can be tuned out. Regardless of your opinion on marriage, public schools on taxpayers’ dime have directly assailed what had been deeply held convictions of most parents.

Society is benefited by biblical conceptions of family, morals and yes, government. There clearly remains a necessity, nay urgency, for Christian voices. We shan’t surrender Mars Hill, but Washington could get every economic, social and political policy right without it amounting to a hill of beans. Political successes rest on shifting sands…

God’s Word has not changed. Short of spiritual renewal, as America scurries down its merry leftward path, Biblical Christians will become increasingly marginalized. But rest easy, salvation does not come via government.

Read it all here…

The Bible or the Bayonet

From Eric Rauch at politicaloutcast.com

In a parable about stewardship in Luke 19, Jesus tells His hearers to “occupy until I come.” The New American Standard translates the verse this way: “Do business until I come.” The verse prior to the parable gives the context: “While they were listening to these things, Jesus went on to tell a parable, because He was near Jerusalem, and they [His listeners] supposed that the kingdom of God was going to appear immediately” (Luke 19:11). Since this parable immediately follows the story of Zaccheus’ conversion, we have no reason to assume that Jesus is speaking to a different audience. In this parable, Jesus actually speaks of three groups of people: (1) faithful and productive stewards, (2) unfaithful and unproductive stewards, and (3) His enemies. The rewards doled out to the first group and the punishment given to the third seem to be fair enough to our 21st century sensibilities, but the parable is really directed at the second group—the most populated of the three—the unfaithful and unproductive stewards.

If we were really honest with ourselves, we would be quick to admit that we do in fact belong to the second group. Each of us have been given talents and abilities that are seldom used to their maximum effectiveness. Far too often, we are more than willing to stand in the shadows and allow our gifts to go unnoticed. And when this happens on an individual level with alarming regularity, we should not be too surprised when it begins to happen to the church as a whole. The Church in America has an astounding physical presence—a church can be found on nearly every corner in every town—yet the shadows loom large enough so that even these buildings can remain hidden to the culture. Rather than being the central point of contact in the community, the church has become just another building on the landscape—visible yet invisible.

As the church has become more and more invisible, the federal government has become more and more visible. This shouldn’t come as a revelation to most readers because as Robert Nisbet has pointed out:

Politics and religion are and will always be adversaries; this, be it noted, by virtue of what they have in common as much as by what separates them… Only in the mass followings of the Caesars and Napoleons of history are we able to find phenomena comparable to the mass followings of Jesus and Mohammed. But what makes them analogous also makes them adverse. When religion is powerful, as it was in the Middle Ages, the political tie is weak, raddled, and confused. But when the political tie becomes powerful, as in the modern totalitarian state, the role of religion is diminished—in large measure as the result of calculated political repression but also as the result of the sheer lure of the political-ideological “church.” [1]

Please read the rest here…

God's Law vs. Man's Tyranny

From David Jesse at christianpost.com

Our liberties are being stripped from us daily. From sea to shining sea, ridiculous restrictions are being placed on freedoms, and penalties are being levied against the people. The government is overstepping its bounds, and the American people are sitting back and doing little, if anything, to stop it. But this should come as no surprise.

When the U.S. Constitution was penned in 1789, there were only three Federal crimes: treason, piracy, and counterfeiting. And while the number of Federal laws has necessarily grown over our nation's history, that number has skyrocketed during the last fifty years. Today, there are over 4,500 federal crimes that can result in imprisonment and thousands more which result in fines. This doesn't include the countless additional laws at the state, county, and city level.

Many of these laws are necessary and have been implemented for legitimate reasons. Still, for a nation that prides itself on being "free," it would seem that this freedom is eroding. The City of Los Angeles is seeking to "encourage" its citizens to eat vegetarian on what it is calling "Meatless Mondays." And of course there is New York City's infamous ban preventing restaurants from selling soft drinks larger than 16 ounces. While these are extreme examples and outside the norm for most of the country, they do beg the question: Is this really the type of thing that our government should be concerning itself with?

Read it all here…

A General Nuisance - Consider where a lack of moral standards in government has led …

From the Family Research Council:

Of all the ridiculous opinions I've heard on General David Patreaus's scandal, Doris Kearns-Goodwin's takes the cake. On Sunday's "Meet the Press," the Harvard graduate actually suggested that Americans should excuse the marital betrayal of leaders like General Petreaus because it limits the number of "good people" in public life. "I wish we could go back to the time when private lives of our public figures were relevant only if they directly affected their public responsibilities..." she said. "What would we have done if FDR had not been our leader because he had an affair with Lucy Mercer? Think of the productive years that Clinton could have had if Monica Lewinsky hadn't derailed them. We've got to figure out a way that we give a private sphere for our public leaders. We're not gonna get the best people in public life if we don't do that."

Think about it. The man running our nation's top clandestine organization couldn't keep his own affair secret. And he's one of the best people we have in public service? How can Kearns-Goodwin define our greatest leaders as the ones who violate their most sacred vows or who think the oath of office is more important than the oath of marriage? Or is she suggesting that people whose own family can't trust them should somehow be trusted by their fellow citizens? If General Petraeus will compromise here, what's to say he won't or didn't compromise elsewhere?

This idea that character doesn't matter runs completely counter to God's instructions for choosing leaders. While I Timothy 3 speaks directly to church hierarchy, the principles also apply elsewhere. A leader "is to be above reproach, faithful to his wife, temperate, self-controlled, respectable, hospitable, able to teach, not given to drunkenness, not violent but gentle, not quarrelsome, not a lover of money. He must manage his own family well and see that his children obey him, and he must do so in a manner worthy of full respect."

Apart from what Scripture says, consider where a lack of moral standards in government has led. The breaches of integrity in Europe are almost epidemic--and look where those countries are: in complete economic, political, and spiritual turmoil. That didn't happen because the "best people" were in charge. It happened because the truly good people didn't hold them accountable.

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Read this for more on this subject: The I's Have It: Epidemic of egomania strikes US's civilian & military leadership. Fruit salad rocks!

GOP Needs to Work on Its Social Skills

From frc.org:

If there's one thing Americans can bank on after an election, it's this: social conservatives will get none of the credit when Republicans win and all of the blame if they lose. In the week since last Tuesday, the news has been full of predictable headlines, like "Republicans must adapt to new reality;" "Social issues sink Republican Party;" or "GOP needs to evolve on values issues." Of course, the race to the center is nothing new for the GOP, but after a profound loss like last week's, the drumbeat is even louder. Instead of reevaluating the strategy on family issues, Republicans are reevaluating the need for them.

After Tuesday, the culture also seems to be sticking its collective finger in the winds to see which way country's values are blowing. On MSN.com yesterday, there was actually a poll surveying Americans on whether the Catholic bishops should "stick with the gay marriage, birth control fight." Thirty-three percent said the Bishops "need to adjust to the modern era." It was a surprising confirmation of this new political theme that we can change the truth based on an election outcome. But I've got news for America: if it was wrong before November 6, it's wrong now. The idea that the church should jettison its views based on the opinions du jour shows a real lack of understanding about the basis for religion.

Principles aren't dictated by popularity. They're based on transcendent truth--and elections don't change that. If our guiding principles are up for a vote, then America is in a bigger mess than we knew. Will support for our values wax and wane? Almost certainly. But fortunately for us, morality is not dependent on a majority vote. As Fulton Sheen said, "Wrong is wrong even if everybody is wrong. Right is right, even if nobody is right."

A silver lining for social conservatives > Creating a unified front to face a difficult future

From Mario Diaz at washingtontimes.com

…Social conservatives usually are blamed every time we lose an election, but the fact is that social conservatives did some great work this election, despite the obvious challenges Mr. Romney’s record presented. A national post-election survey commissioned by the Faith and Freedom Coalition found that the evangelical vote increased to a record 27 percent of the electorate, the highest share of the vote in modern political history.

Our work to get out the vote paid off, and this is an area that still presents enormous potential, with only about half of all evangelicals actually voting. There is more reason for encouragement. We have a strong crop of young leaders with amazing potential, including Florida Sen. Marco Rubio, who reminds us of the strong bond we can establish with Hispanics and other minority groups who share our conservative values. Reaching out will require much work, but it is promising work.

By far the most problematic result of the election for social conservatives was two states’ legalization of homosexual “marriage” by popular vote for the first time in our nation’s history. But once again, that is not problematic because of some perceived loss of power or influence with the electorate. The other side’s victories are minute compared to our record on the issue. The problem comes from the pain that inevitably will follow from those states’ decisions.

Then again, sometimes pain is the only thing that compels us to seek a cure for what ails us. Social conservatives stand ready.

Read more here…

The Blue Jay & the Hawk! Never, never, never, never.. give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense..

From Rev. Mark H. Creech at christianpost.com

…Sometimes God's people find themselves in the grip of negative forces far superior to themselves. All hope may seemingly be lost – the end probable – no likely way to recover. It could be a health issue, financial problems, a failing marriage, a troubled or rebellious child, the demise of a dream, and the list goes on. It may be as it is for many conservative evangelicals, some Catholics, and many political activists who hoped to see a different result in this year's election, but now fear a righteous cause has irreparably failed.

Whatever the situation, take a lesson from a Blue Jay in the talons of a Hawk. Fight, fight, fight, fight, fight - fight no matter how great your foe - fight no matter how hopeless the circumstances seem – fight with every spiritual weapon at your disposal and never give up. For you never know whether or when or how God plans to intercede to supply the blessing, the deliverance, or the victory you seek. One thing is for certain, if you surrender you will be the enemy's lunch.

There are unquestionably dozens of similar examples of this principle in Scripture. [Joseph, Moses, the Disciples]

Winston Churchill ..: "You cannot tell from appearances how things will go. Sometimes imagination makes things out far worse than they are…But for everyone…surely…this is the lesson: Never give in. Never give in. Never, never, never, never – in nothing great or small, large or petty – never give in, except to convictions of honor and good sense…Never yield to the apparently overwhelming might of the enemy."

Read it all here…

Politics Is Not a Cure - But it is to important be interested and involved as a citizen of this country

From Tullian Tchividjian at christianpost.com

When it comes to engaging and influencing culture too many Christians think too highly of political activism. As Vern Poythress has pointed out, the political arena is not the most strategic arena for cultural influence:

Bible-believing Christians have not achieved much in politics because they have not devoted themselves to the larger arena of cultural conflict. Politics mostly follows culture rather than leading it. A temporary victory in the voting booth does not reverse a downward moral trend driven by cultural gatekeepers in news media, entertainment, art, and education. Politics is not a cure-all.

After decades of political activism on the part of Evangelical Christians (so much so that the average person in our country now thinks Evangelicalism is primarily a social and moral movement with no connection to the Evangel–good news) we're beginning to understand that the dynamics and complexities of cultural change differ radically from political mobilization. Even political insiders recognize that years of political effort on behalf of Evangelical Christians have generated little cultural gain. In an article entitled "Religious Right, R.I.P.," columnist Cal Thomas, himself an Evangelical Christian, wrote, "Thirty years of trying to use government to stop abortion, preserve opposite-sex marriage, improve television and movie content and transform culture into the conservative Evangelical image has failed." American culture continues its steep moral and cultural decline into hedonism and materialism. Why? As Richard John Neuhaus once observed, "Christianity in America is not challenging the 'habits of the heart' and 'habits of the mind' that dominate American culture."

Read it all here…

Our Freedom Has Been Washed in Blood! Your Future Rests On The Right Choices…

By Lane Palmer at ChristianPost.com in “You Have My Vote!”

…there is reason to celebrate the fact that we live in a country whose form of government is rooted in democracy. The freedom to voice our opinions and vote in our election process was paid for with the blood of our Continental soldiers over 200 years ago [and 1,346,000+ US men and women warriors].

But even more importantly, this is a good season to be reminded that your freedom to choose Christ was also purchased with blood. The blood of Jesus shed on the cross for you 2000 years ago. Scripture says it this way:

God made him who had no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God (2 Corinthians 5:21).

Read all of this important message here …

So What’s The Bible Tell Us About Our Deficit?

By John Sykes

Over 1/6th of the Bible deals with economics. For this post I simply want to look at what He tells us about our deficit and how it’s financed.

Deuteronomy 15:6 (NIV): For the Lord your God will bless you as he has promised, and you will lend to many nations but will borrow from none. You will rule over many nations but none will rule over you.

This seems pretty clear. We are blessed with all the Lord has given us. Lend to but don’t borrow from other nations. The “You will lend to many nations…” scripture actually is repeated word for word in Deu 28:12!

If we do borrow, we will lose control of our economy and thereby our futures. We will be the tail, not the head.

Deuteronomy 28:43-44 (NIV): The foreigners who reside among you will rise above you higher and higher, but you will sink lower and lower. [44] They will lend to you, but you will not lend to them. They will be the head, but you will be the tail.

(This instruction is borrowed from and far more on the economy is brilliantly offered by Dr. Larry Thompson in his sermon Jesus For President – Economy at 25:00.)