Taxation Without Representation

On April 15, citizens around the nation will gather in "Tea Parties" to protest profligate spending of taxpayer money, by the elected "representatives" of the people. I will be among them. Let me first state that I am not against taxes. When they are used to meet the constitutionally-intended purposes for taxation, I am willing to put up my share. I am not willing to pay for unconstitutional activities. Nor am I willing to pay your share.

Many in the "movement" of tax protesters have stated that their complaint is not against taxation without representation as was the first Tea Party in Boston Harbor. That may be the case with those individuals. It is not my situation. I am unrepresented in Congress. Millions of others who wish to protect the Constitution of this country are also feeling disenfranchised.

I am certainly not represented by those who claim to represent me. This is the way of democracy, one might say. But the fact is that the"reps" do what they believe is right (or politically expedient) without regard to the beliefs and desires of those they allegedly represent.

In Congress I have one Representative, a liberal Democrat. I also have two allegedly-Republican Senators. All three voted in favor of the "Stimulus Bill." I sent emails to all three asking that they please vote against this bill. Two responded. Each defended her (yes, all three are female) reasons for voting this monstrosity of a liability onto the backs of my grandchildren. Here is the closing paragraph from the response I got from my friendly Representative.

I am confident that this package is a necessary first step towards jump-starting our struggling economy and putting people back to work in Maine and around the country - in jobs that will rebuild our infrastructure and expand information technology to rural areas, modernize our archaic health care system, strengthen our children's education and move America towards a sustainable energy future that breaks our dependence on foreign oil. I appreciate your thoughts on the recovery package, and I hope that this letter helps explain my decision to support it.

Please note that this is merely a first step. Both legislators and governors around the nation have promised to tax anything and everything. Combine this power of taxation with the general hatred of Christianity evident among the "elite" classes and we can expect churches to be taxed to the limit - and beyond in the near future.

We'll get socialized medicine, soon. I probably won't be able to afford the gas to get to any appointment my government deigns to assign me, though.

In 1776, the year of the birth of this nation, Adam Smith published his great tome, The Wealth of Nations. He had a lot to say about taxes. He listed four basic rules for taxation:

1. "The subject of every State ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities; that is, in proportion to the revenue which they respectively enjoy under the protection of the State." (Perhaps Mr. Timothy Franz Geithner should be reminded of this maxim).

2. "The tax each individual is bound to pay ought to be certain, and not arbitrary. The time of payment, the manner of payment, and the quantity to be paid, ought all to be clear and plain to the contributor, and to ever other person." (How many pages are there in the IRS code?).

3. "Every tax ought to be levied at the time, or in the manner in which it is most likely to be convenient for the contributor to pay it." (Convenient for me? Not likely).

4. "Every tax ought to be so contrived as both to take out and to keep out of the pockets of the people as little as possible, over and above what it brings into the public treasury of the State." (They don't take much out of the pockets of many of our government officials).

I'll be out on April 15. As I stated, I'm not against legitimate taxes. I'm against foolish, wasteful, non-productive, and confiscatory taxation.

Buy some tea today!

Are the American People Powerless?

Speaking of a character in her book, Maisie Dobbs, author Jacqueline Winspear writes the following:

I do believe that people such as Jenkins [the character in the book], Hitler – or any such leader – gain power amid fear and uncertainty. At the heart of every cult is a compelling personality, one who exudes a certain charisma…. The trouble is that such individuals come to power on a tide of support from people desperate for leadership – people who are suffering emotionally, economically – and then such leaders create a mood of fear to maintain control when the people begin to doubt. Thus the people – whether a group or a nation – are powerless. And that fear can be of the leader himself and the consequence of crossing him, or of an external threat to one’s safety.
(A Penguin Reader Guide to Maisie Dobbs, p. 12. Appended to Maisie Dobbs, published by Penguin Books in 2004).

This could have been written yesterday. It could certainly describe our most recent presidential election. The desperation was there. We had looming financial crises, and an ineffective lame duck president (among other things, I don’t think I will ever forget the fact that George Bush did not pardon the border guards who were imprisoned), a continuing war on several fronts, and large problems growing on our southern border.

The charisma factor is certainly there, as well. Remember when women were actually swooning at Obama political rallies?

Are the people beginning to doubt? You betcha. Folks have begun to sprinkle the label "amateur" into their discussions of the administration in Washington. Calls for resignations have begun in the halls of Congress. Has the administration contributed to a mood of fear? Yup. Of course, the sky is always falling with liberals.

Are the people powerless? Increasingly so. Despite massive campaigns to stop them, only the most heinous of individuals is being appointed to high office. It seems that very few of the appointees to high office pay their taxes. You know what would happen to you or to me if we didn’t pay. The #2 man in the justice department is a porn lawyer who wants to take away parental rights. The Secretary of Education wants to take away our guns – and will be in a position to further indoctrinate our children. The Secretary of State... Well, you know.

Abortion is legal, homosexuality is normalized, and children (and maybe animals) may soon have the right to sue anybody. Ammunition is hard to find. And federal troops were sent to a small town in Alabama!!!! Read the story here. After reading that story, do you not wonder if this was a dry run for martial law?

Discuss among yourselves.

I know that we have the leadership we deserve. Read Romans 13:1 if you doubt that. But that does not mean we lay down and accept the dismantling of the constitution of the land in which we live. In fact, we are told in Jeremiah 29:7 to “seek the peace and prosperity of the city to which I have carried you into exile. Pray to the Lord for it, because if it prospers, you too will prosper.” This means, friends, that we are to work to make this country the best it can be in a fallen world. Destroying the constitution upon which it was built is not in the best interest of our country, its citizens, or the international community.

Work, in whatever manner you are able, to secure the rights of the people. Pray for the nation, for its leaders and especially for Barack Obama. Prepare for hard times, especially if you are a Christian who believes in family values and the sanctity of human life.

What think you, citizens?

The End of the Evangelical Church?

This is a topic I have thought about for some time. Yesterday, I read a commentary titled “The Coming Evangelical Collapse.” While I don’t necessarily agree with everything in the article, there is a lot to chew on. The author points out several factors that will lead to the demise of a number of different types of congregations and denominations. I hope you’ll take just a few minutes to read and reflect upon what he has written.

It’s a good time, perhaps, to think about what Jesus, Himself, has to say on the matter. In John 12:32, the Lord is quoted as saying, “But I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."

I’m not one to put a lot of stock in arguments from silence. In this case, however, it is instructive to note that Jesus did not say men would be drawn to him by church programs; by slick preaching; by wonderful outreach literature; by funky music; by “facilitators” in sharp Hawaiian shirts (or shark-skin suits); by technology; by good (fair trade) coffee in the church cafe; or by any other man-made device. Jesus said that He would draw men to Himself.

What churches will survive, albeit through much struggle? Those that preach the Gospel and attempt to live as instructed in God’s Word. It’s that simple.

I know that people are resistant and they want the glitz and glamor and the music. Maybe we have reached the time in American history when they’ll start listening again.

Self-Interest i$ Good for the Nation

Much can be learned by reading history. This appears to be something that is totally lacking among the “elite” ruling class of the nation. Instead they seem to all have read law, which they proceed to ignore and or manipulate for their own greedy purposes. Below, just a few quotes pertinent to our current problems in this nation.

Most of these quotes are from Adam Smith, who published his magnum opus, Wealth of Nations, in the very important year of 1776.

It is the highest impertinence and presumption, therefore, in kings and ministers, to pretend to watch over the economy of private people, and to restrain their expense... They are themselves always, and without any exception, the greatest spendthrifts in the society. Let them look well after their own expense, and they may safely trust private people with theirs. If their own extravagance does not ruin the state, that of their subjects never will. -The Wealth of Nations, Book II, Chapter III

Great nations are never impoverished by private, though they sometimes are by public prodigality and misconduct. The whole, or almost the whole public revenue, is in most countries employed in maintaining unproductive hands... Such people, as they them-selves produce nothing, are all maintained by the produce of other men's labour... Those unproductive hands, who should be maintained by a part only of the spare revenue of the people, may consume so great a share of their whole revenue, and thereby oblige so great a number to encroach upon their capitals, upon the funds destined for the maintenance of productive labour, that all the frugality and good conduct of individuals may not be able to compensate the waste and degradation of produce occasioned by this violent and forced encroachment.
-The Wealth of Nations, Book II, Chapter III

The natural effort of every individual to better his own condition ... is so powerful, that it is alone, and without any assistance, not only capable of carrying on the society to wealth and prosperity, but of surmounting a hundred impertinent obstructions with which the folly of human laws too often encumbers its operations.
-The Wealth of Nations Book IV Chapter V Section IV

I. The subjects of every state ought to contribute towards the support of the government, as nearly as possible, in proportion to their respective abilities...
II. The tax which each individual is bound to pay ought to be certain, and not arbitrary. The time of payment, the manner of payment, the quantity to be paid, ought all to be clear and plain to the contributor, and to every other person...
III. Every tax ought to be levied at the time, or in the manner, in which it is most likely to be convenient for the contributor to pay...
IV. Every tax ought to be so contrived as both to take out and to keep out of the pockets of the people as little as possible, over and above what it brings into the treasury of the state.
First, the levying of it may require a great number of officers... Secondly, it may obstruct the industry of the people, and discourage them from...business... Thirdly, by the forfeitures and other penalties which those unfortunate individuals incur who attempt unsuccessfully to evade the tax, it may frequently ruin them, and thereby put an end to the benefit which the community might have received from the employment of their capitals... Fourthly, by subjecting the people to the frequent visits and the odious examination of the tax-gatherers, it may expose them to much unnecessary trouble...
-The Wealth of Nations, Book V Chapter II Pt II

In every great monarchy of Europe the sale of the crown lands would produce a very large sum of money, which, if applied to the payment of the public debts, would deliver from mortgage a much greater revenue than any which those lands have ever afforded to the crown...When the crown lands had become private property, they would, in the course of a few years, become well-improved and well-cultivated...the revenue which the crown derives from the duties of customs and excise, would necessarily increase with the revenue and consumption of the people.
-The Wealth of Nations, I Book V Chapter II Part II

The proprietor of stock is necessarily a citizen of the world, and is not necessarily attached to any particular country. He would be apt to abandon the country in which he was exposed to a vexatious inquisition, in order to be assessed to a burdensome tax, and would remove his stock to some other country where he could either carry on his business, or enjoy his fortune more at his ease. By removing his stock he would put an end to all the industry which it had maintained in the country which he left. Stock cultivates land; stock employs labour. A tax which tended to drive away stock from any particular country, would so far tend to dry up every source of revenue, both to the sovereign and to the society. Not only the profits of stock, but the rent of land and the wages of labour, would necessarily be more or less diminished by its removal.
-The Wealth of Nations, Book V, Chapter II

And from Thomas Jefferson, these gems:

I think all the world would gain by setting commerce at perfect liberty.

-Thomas Jefferson, letter to John Adams, 7 July 1785

Never spend your money before you have earned it.

-Thomas Jefferson

Just a couple more:

The first panacea for a mismanaged nation is inflation of the currency; the second is war. Both bring a temporary prosperity; both bring a permanent ruin. But both are the refuge of political and economic opportunists.
-Ernest Hemingway

The government s view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.

- Ronald Reagan

__________

Bottom line: Capitalists create wealth, generally out of self-interest. It is in the interest of the people that they be unfettered by regulation, taxation, and general meddling. Dumping unbacked currency onto a problem has done nothing to help the government education systems or any other industry with no incentive to be frugal and efficient.

Pray for the Government

“I urge, then, first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for everyone-- for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to a knowledge of the truth.”

-1 Timothy 2:1-4 (NIV)

For some folks this is a difficult passage right now. They don't like the philosophical basis behind the current administration. They don't like the direction the country seems to be going (it's not just "leaning" anymore). They realize history has shown us that government intervention in commerce and a managed economy are doomed to failure.

A good friend of mine (you know who you are!), is really working hard at it because he is so set against everything he sees our government doing and believing. He is working at it, though (aren't you?).

A couple of weeks ago, at a Bible study, the following prayer was brought to our attention. It was written by the second most well-known author in history, "Author Unknown." I pass it along for your perusal, comments, maybe for your adoption.

Beloved Father, we pray that our elected officials would recognize their personal sinfulness and need for the cleansing power of Jesus Christ.

• Help them to understand their inadequacy for the task before them and their need to pray to You for wisdom, knowledge, and courage.
• Move them to reject all counsel that violates the spiritual principles of Your Word and be willing to trust You to lead them in the right direction.
• Guide them and give them insight to resist the pressures of those who would lead them astray or tempt them to disobey You and Your will for their lives.
• Help them also to work to reverse the trend toward ungodliness in our land and to restore America’s Christ-centered values.
• Prepare them to make godly choices in the best interest of America regardless of the cost.
• Help them to maintain dignity, honor, trustworthiness, and righteousness in office.
• Convict them to be a godly example to the men, women, and children of this land.
• And, Dear God, constantly remind them that while in office they are accountable to You for their attitudes, actions, and motives. Amen

Just a Few Random Thoughts

Yes, It has been a while since I posted. It has been busy - and I have been flabbergasted by much of what's going on in my country. here are just a few random, but in some instances connected, thoughts:

• On January 20 we entered the post-America world.
• It's even less safe to be an unborn child today.
  
• There are none so blind as those who will not see.
• No good deed goes unpunished. (In this life. God has other ideas about eternity)
• There are different rules (especially regarding taxes) for me and for government officials.
• I got hammered on my taxes last year, but I paid them.
• China and Europe are eschewing socialism for capitalism. The US, which defeated worldwide socialism, is now embracing it.
• America’s enemies are more important to our new administration than American citizens.
• We’ve been told that the $$ for the stimulus package will be paid back. How will that work, exactly? What's my share of $900B?

Your random thoughts and responses to mine are more than welcome. Can you make sense of America?

Thank God I’m A Country Boy

(With Apologies to the late John Denver)

Only in the country! We had our Christmas Eve service a day early due to weather expectations. It was a wonderful service and we headed out afterward to get gas in my Jeep. Unfortunately, we hit an ice patch and ended up in the woods off the road. Nobody was hurt, and the car didn’t seem damaged, but we couldn’t get it out. So when a friend who had been at the service came by she stopped and called her husband.

These people are farmers. Dwayne came out on his tractor and pulled us out. It’s good to live in the country! And to have friends.

The next morning I discovered a red puddle under the Jeep – transmission fluid. When I told one of the guys in the church, he said, “don’t get anything done yet and don’t try to drive it. I’ll come over and have a look. Maybe it’s something I can fix.” He knows what he’s doing. He’s a mechanic. It’s good to have friends.

When I went to visit my neighbors this morning to exchange some small gifts, I told them the story and that we might not be able to go see the kids and grandkids until the Jeep's fixed. They said, “You can’t miss a trip to see the grandkids. Take Gene’s truck.” It’s good to live in the country. And to have friends.

We know that God kept us safe. We thank Him also for putting us in this place and giving us friends.

Thank God I’m a country boy.

Thought For The Day

A Pastoral Letter to Fathers of Young Children

My dear brothers,

Greetings in the Name of Jesus Christ, who is God over all the universe. I write this letter as a warning. Please read it as such.

It is my expectation that hard times are coming for Christians in these United States. There is already discrimination against us, of course. There are places we can’t preach and can’t pray. Symbols of our faith are banned from the workplace and the schoolroom. Faith in Christ is regularly ridiculed. Imagine, if you can, a Muslim’s faith being mocked as was Sarah Palin’s Christianity in recent weeks. I suspect it will get much worse in the socialist state which is about to be created here.

What do we do? Just a few quick thoughts.

First, we remember that God is sovereign. It is He who allowed – who gave permission, if you will – for the current climate. It is He who will rescue His people. Way back in Genesis 17, He promised that He would be our God for all the generations to come.

Secondly, we need to remember that nations rise and fall. We should not be shocked to think that the United States may be past its prime. Rome was once great, but it fell under the weight of its own excesses. We may be in the same process. Be ready for hard times. We are no longer a super-power. There are wolves at the door.

Finally, we must stand firm. This is where we come in. This is the level at which fathers must prepare their children. About a dozen times in the New Testament, we are told to “stand firm.” In 1 Corinthians 16:13, it is put this way: “Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be men of courage; be strong.” Notice that standing firm does not imply standing on your “rights,” or protecting capitalism, democracy, or even conservative social and political thinking, It says “stand firm in the faith.”

What faith? In the third verse of the letter of Jude it’s explained this way. “Dear friends, although I was very eager to write to you about the salvation we share, I felt I had to write and urge you to contend for the faith that was once for all entrusted to the saints.” This faith entrusted to the saints is not just an amorphous faith in whatever I find to be trustworthy. It is a rock-solid faith in Jesus Christ as the One redeemer of His people. It’s a faith in the God who created the universe and sustains it still. It’s a faith in the Holy Spirit of God who illuminates God’s Holy Word and who calls us to this precious faith. It is upon that which we are to stand firm.

Are your children prepared to do that? Do they have a faith upon which to stand? Are you, Christian father, preparing them to stand? In Deuteronomy 6, we are given this admonition:

Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength. These commandments that I give you today are to be upon your hearts. Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. (vv.4-7).

The task of the Christian father is to pass on the great truths of the faith which have been entrusted to all the saints. At home, on the road, in the car, at all times and in every place it is our role to be instructing them about God and His goodness. Our children need to know about the provision of the Lord. They need to understand about Israel and the first Passover, and the Exodus. They need to appreciate that their salvation can come from none other than God Almighty. The need a faith upon which to stand. Are you preparing them?

Brothers, we know that faith is a gift of God. Yet, God teaches us that it is our job to pass that faith to the next generation. This is the only way we can help them be prepared for the hard times which may be coming. Are your precious little ones prepared to stand Firm? Are you?

It's Over

With a sigh of relief, I thank God that's over. It seems as though that election cycle lasted for several years. I'm not pleased with the results. Frankly, I believe that the President-Elect was elected for one reason only - race. I still believe he is shallow, too liberal for this - or any - nation, and too inexperienced for the task he is undertaking. I also know that there was fraud in the election process.

But, that having been said, or written, in January he will be the elected leader of our nation (and the free world) and I will extend to him the respect that office deserves. 1 Peter 2:13,14 exhorts us to:

Submit yourselves for the Lord's sake to every authority instituted among men: whether to the king, as the supreme authority, or to governors, who are sent by him to punish those who do wrong and to commend those who do right.

The President-Elect represents many positions which are unBiblical. If they are imposed upon the populace as mandates, I will resist. Otherwise I will continue to try to be a good citizen and encourage others to do likewise. I will continue to pray for our leaders as we are commanded to do in God's Word ( 1Timothy 2:1-3).

God is sovereign. The outcome of this election was no accident. Trust God, pray for your leaders, work for the good of the Kingdom of God, and seek the peace and prosperity of the nation to which God has sent you (Jeremiah 29:7).

Here's Your Sign

OK, friends, something new here. I seldom pass on email "fowards." I've never passed on a video. Until today, that is. Someone sent me a YouTube video. I watched it and I passed it on to a lot of folks on my various email lists. It's called "Cardboard Testimonies" and it is worth the time to watch it.
Please let me know what you think.

Christians in Community

At our church, we’ve been looking at the concept of Christian community. I’ve been preaching a brief series on the “one anothers.” You know,

• Serve one another
• Bear with one another
• Accept one another
• Admonish one another
• Be devoted to one another
• Be members of one another.

As family, the Christian community will have disagreements and squabbles. We are to overcome these, however, and accord one another love and honor. Here’s how the Apostle Paul writes it in Romans 12:10, “Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves.”

Devotion, according to Paul is something that we owe one another. Devotion is made up, at least, of brotherly love and honor.

Brotherly love is protective and forgiving. It’s recognizing one another’s faults and accepting them. It’s being able to forgive and receive forgiveness.

Honor is a word often used in Scripture to refer to our attitude toward God. Here is one example: "Now to the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only God, be honor and glory forever and ever. Amen." (1 Timothy 1:17). That is the same honor that Paul is telling us to extend to one another. We are to honor our brothers and sisters above ourselves.

Now I know that some of us make it hard to honor us. We’re ornery, stubborn, arrogant, inconsiderate – and several other categories of hard-to-put-up-with stuff. That’s why we have the second item on the list above: bear with one another. We need to put up with one another. Jesus once asked the question, "O unbelieving and perverse generation…how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you?” (Matthew 17:17). He does put up with those of us who are His. And we should do the same.

Honor, respect, love, friendship. Those are the gifts we have for one another.
Let’s lavish one another with them.

The Good News Is...

They may be trying to kill me. I’m not paranoid. But sometimes they are out to get you.

Last Friday, my wife and I were out in my car and a strange noise started in one of the wheels. I stopped and took a quick look but saw nothing obvious. I got back in and headed for the garage, which was not too far away. I didn’t get there – at least not driving.

The right front tire just came off as I was driving! It took about a hundred yards to stop the vehicle. We came close to being stopped by a telephone pole. We tore a nice furrow in the soft part of the road and the front fender was destroyed. I had to go back quite a distance to find the tire. Neither of us was injured, however.

Sometime later the tow truck from the auto club came and took the car to the shop (the same one to which we were headed). When the Service Manager looked at the situation, he immediately said that it was strange. It’s not that wheels don’t come off on occasion, even though (thankfully) it’s rare. But, something just wasn’t right.
On Tuesday, the Service Manager called me with the (large) estimate for repairs. First, however, he asked me if the car was left outside at all. I told him that I park it in my driveway. He said, “There’s almost no way that this could have happened, except by vandalism.”

Remember, I’m not paranoid. I didn’t come up with this thought. The Service Manager did. And it wasn’t “kids.” You know how hard it is to loosen lug nuts. He said that these were taken off; they didn’t fall off during the incident. Nobody has taken that tire off lately and put it back without tightening the nuts, either. We had just returned from a very long road trip with no problems. So, it wasn’t negligence on the part of some mechanic.

The last time something like this happened it was a firebombing of the church I pastored. The police caught the individual and he admitted his crime, saying, “Lucifer told me to do it. He doesn’t like what’s preached in there.

So what’s going on? I’ll leave that to your imagination. I do know that this was no accident and that my wife and could easily have been killed.

Praise the LORD!

So many topics...

My lack of blogging of late has had numerous causes. One of them, however, is NOT a lack of interesting topics. There are simply so many that I’m befuddled by where to start. So let’s try this. I’ll name some of the topics. You fill in your own content. Here’s a starter list.

1. The Olympics. Didn’t watch a minute.
2. The Democrat Convention. Ditto.
3. Foliage. Already beginning to watch that. It seems early.
4. The Red Sox. Watch them repeat. I am a citizen of Red Sox nation.
5. The Old Farmer’s Almanac.Watch for colder than average temps, with more snowfall than normal (but, not like last year).
6. Superpowers. Watch the number shrink to zero. You can’t be one if you don’t have the gumption to use it for good. I expect that vacuum to fill rapidly, however.
7. Gustav. Watch George Bush get the blame.
8. McDonald’s. Watch their stock plummet if Pro-family diners boycott.
9. Microsoft. Watch them release their browser with protection for porn surfers.
10. Hummingbirds. I’m watching them out my window right now.

Stand Firm; Resist
and That Other Really Hard Stuff

In the July issue of TABLETALK* there is a “pastor’s Perspective” column titled, “Standing Firm.” In the first paragraph the author quotes the great reformer Martin Luther, thusly, “An upright shepherd and minister must improve his flock by edification, and also resist and defend it; otherwise, if resisting be absent, the wolf devours the sheep.” The author of the piece, Bill Haynes, then comments that “Resisting and defending require that the pastor-shepherd stand firm on the truth of the Gospel and lead his congregation to do the same.



Haynes, who happens to be a Baptist pastor in Kentucky, further elucidates the problem this way:

For the past year I have been preaching through the book of Acts, and I have noticed a recurring situation. One evening I told my congregation that one thing was a constant in Acts, especially in the life and ministry of Paul: When the truth of the Gospel is faithfully proclaimed, somebody is going to get beaten up or thrown in prison. It is amazing to me that in the twenty-first century we have developed a mentality that if we are proclaiming the truth, then everybody ought to like us.

Jesus taught that His people should love the truth. He also taught that His people should give to the needy, avoid divorce, pray for one another, and not be judgmental (among other things). He also taught that a tree is known by its fruit. This is really a hard teaching. We’re supposed to look and act like what we claim to be.

People, in general, don’t want to hear the truth today. We have arrived (I don’t know how long ago) at the time that the Apostle Paul predicted when he wrote to His protégé Timothy,

Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction.
For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.
They will turn their ears away from the truth and turn aside to myth.
(2 Timothy 4:2-4).

This stuff can be discouraging for the pastor. You work at preaching Biblical sermons preaching God’s truth. Then you try to help people as they (along with you) struggle to live a Christian life in a hostile world. No matter how you approach people when you want to talk about "issues," you become the bad guy – and they shoot the messenger. It hurts a lot. You get so that you don’t trust anyone; don’t want to entrust anyone with your thoughts. Who knows, they may be the next one to turn on you. Then, how will they use the information you’ve shared with them?



Does this sound pessimistic? It really isn’t. It’s realistic. It’s what Paul was teaching about. It’s what seminary students talk about and what pastors discuss when they get together. I’ve heard it from dozens of pastors – and ex-pastors.

So, what does Paul have to say about this? Well, after he gave Timothy the instruction that he would often be preaching what people did not want to hear, and might even get hostile about, he instructed the young shepherd, “But you, keep your head in all situations, endure hardship, do the work of an evangelist, discharge all the duties of your ministry.” (Verse 5).

Do your job, Paul says, enduring the pain and suffering; keep on preaching, teaching, leading, correcting, rebuking and encouraging (I invite the reader to return to the words of verse 2 above).


Why do I write this little essay? Well, it’s timely, having been brought to the attention of all who read TABLETALK just last month. Also, I’d like to encourage all of my readers to be aware of what your pastor’s job entails. There are times when the most dedicated of saints is not going to like what the pastor says. Instead of taking the worldly route of walking out in a huff and talking to everybody else about how mean he is, why not try the Biblical route? Talk to him. Explain your dilemma. It’s possible you are right. It’s also possible that he is. Either way, that talk is mandated by God.


Much has been written about commitment-phobia in recent decades. Jesus, however, said it best, as recorded in Matthew 5:37, “Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.”

Brothers and sisters, take this as encouragement.

We all get caught up in things that sort of carry us along – and before we know it we are in a place we don’t want to be. Then pride kicks in and we find it difficult to get things right. Resist. As Bill Haynes wrote, reflecting the teaching of God’s Word: “stand firm,” on the foundation of God’s Word and nothing else.

What do you think?


*TABLETALK is a monthly devotional magazine published by Ligonier Ministries.

Massachusetts Leads the Way
- the Wrong Way

According to a story in OneNewsNow, "Massachusetts legislators are considering a change to state law that would allow homosexuals who are not residents of the commonwealth to come there to 'marry.' The potential consequences of the proposal could be chaotic, says one family advocate."

This is nothing new. Massachusetts has been trying to lead the way in liberal, anti-family legislation for years. Even the (very, very few) Republican legislators have tended to go along with this trend. After all, they wouldn't want to bruise anybody's ego, or infringe upon anybody's "rights," - unless those anybodies happen to be Christians.

When I covered news at the State House in Boston I recall several occasions when the Massachusetts legislators worked hard to pass liberal legislation before any other state could. It's a matter of pride. I covered the story when the Supreme Judicial Court of the Commonwealth made homosexual marriage legal. They were first, of course.

One of the stories I wrote at that time was titled, "A Nation Divided: How the Church Got Homosexual Marriage Legalized." In part, I wrote,

We can blame the craven and vote-mongering politicians. We can hold accountable the pro-homosexual activists. Certainly both groups deserve some of the blame for the decision of the Supreme Judicial Court in Massachusetts. The bulk of the responsibility for the cultural setting that led to such a decision, however, rests squarely upon the church.

The church is supposed to provide a moral compass for the society. Yet, the church's position of moral leadership has been compromised by liberalism, Biblical illiteracy, scandal after scandal, and timidity (read that "fear"). Many churches today have no moral compass themselves. They cannot cry out against the excesses and immorality of a generation when they have no basis upon which to base their complaint.

Until and unless Christians get their act together the losses will continue.
Return to your first love, church, then act upon what you know is right. Micah 6:8 says, "He has showed you, O man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly and to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God."

Through it all, God is Sovereign - and He's an on-time God.

The Race Card

I heard it yet again this morning from a Barack Obama supporter. He said (on the radio), “I am suspicious of anyone who won’t vote for Barack Obama. He is at best a racist and at worst a Nazi.” So there you have it. I’m a racist (or Nazi). I guess there is no consideration given for viewing candidates on their records and beliefs. Barack Obama is a left-wing liberal. I’m a conservative – too conservative for the Republican Party. I wouldn’t vote for Barack Obama if he was green, white, yellow or a combination thereof. To call me a racist is pretty stupid. Give me a break – I grew up in South Providence!

But then, I’ve been a racist for a long time, according to those who can only see color. In the 1970s, while I was a school teacher, I was against mandated integration of schools via school busing of children out of their own neighborhoods clear across the town or city. I was called a racist. There was no consideration of the fact that I was against busing because I believed in neighborhood schools. No children of any color should get up in the middle of the night so that they can ride a bus to a school in somebody else’s neighborhood.

BTW, I’m still in favor of neighborhood schools, if we have to have schools at all. Mega-schools at least contribute to the Columbine-style shootings. Also, let it be known that I am aware that many people opposed busing because of race. That does not warrant an automatic designation of “racist” to all who disagree with a flawed public policy decision.

Then, of course, I was also a racist when I thought OJ did it. Opinion on that one did seem to come down strictly according to race. I guess I could claim that I had the misfortune of having been born Western European-American Caucasian. I’m a victim. I could also claim that it sure seemed at the time – and seems more abundantly clear as time goes on – that OJ was guilty of murder. Another clarification is in order, though. I did not follow the trial religiously, as much of America seems to have done. I was not a witness to the crime. I don’t have all the facts. I could be wrong about OJ.

In for a penny, in for a pound. I might as well state that there seem to be quite a few pastors who find it considerably more important to be black than to be Christian. They have thrown in with Barack and are happy to distort God’s Word in whatever manner necessary to get their man elected. Being black, or white, or brown, or yellow will not get us into heaven. Even if Barack Obama wins two terms, his time will pass. Eternity will not. Another clarifying statement: I know that some white people also distort God’s Word to suit their own purpose. It won’t get them into heaven either. Be careful, folks.

"All Roads Lead to Heaven,"
According to "People of Faith'


In a disturbing, but not totally shocking, report out this week, it has been revealed that most people who claim to be "people of faith," believe that there are many possible paths to heaven.
Let me be quick to insert John 14:6 here.
Jesus said, "I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me."

That's an absolute statement. There is no other way to heaven but by Jesus. Period. Full stop. Game over.

Here is a quote from the news coverage about that report:

America remains a nation of believers, but a new survey finds most Americans don't feel their religion is the only way to eternal life — even if their faith tradition teaches otherwise.

The findings, revealed Monday in a survey of 35,000 adults, can either be taken as a positive sign of growing religious tolerance, or disturbing evidence that Americans dismiss or don't know fundamental teachings of their own faiths.

Among the more startling numbers in the survey, conducted last year by the Pew Forum on Religion and Public Life: 57 percent of evangelical church attenders said they believe many religions can lead to eternal life, in conflict with traditional evangelical teaching.

In all, 70 percent of Americans with a religious affiliation shared that view, and 68 percent said there is more than one true way to interpret the teachings of their own religion.

You can read the entire story here.

The numbers are startling. The causes are obvious. First is Bible illiteracy. The people simply don't know what the Bible says. The second reason is more offensive, however. The major fault is behind the pulpit (or on the stage or dais, or wherever people allegedly preach these days). The preachers are so enamored with programs and feeling good, and involved in major decisions such as which coffee to serve at the church cafe and the auditions for the band, that they simply have neither the time nor the inclination to search the Scriptures and preach God's Word.

I had a personal brush with this last week. My wife and I were away and looking for a church for Sunday morning. We chose what we thought would be a conservative congregation with a conservative worship style (this conservative worship style, BTW, is not a Biblical requirement, but a personal one). There was 50 minutes of non-worshiping, non-theological music, then a "preacher." It was not the Pastor. This man never opened his Bible, though he had it in his hand. He made a few references to references, even getting one of them wrong. The Pastor could not correct him, though, because he didn't even have a Bible.

So we went looking for a church that might have an evening service. We never found one, although there are many churches in that area. It was sad.

Brothers and sisters our nation needs strong, informed Christians now more than at any other time in its history. Weak-kneed, pusillanimous, people-pleasing, ear-tickling, preaching will not strengthen us nor encourage us.

Men of God stand up. Preach God's Word. It's hard at times. If it's too hard, you're not called. Get out of the way.

People of God stand up. Call for your preachers to preach the whole counsel of God. If they won't, then leave! Find someone who will. They are out there, and they are risking their lives preaching what God wants preached. Stand with them.

Let's turn this nation around. Let's get it facing heavenward - through Jesus, the only way to eternal life.

A Couple of Political Notes

Imagine my chagrin when I went to vote yesterday and found myself registered as a Republican. I am not a Republican. I am supposed to be registered as "Unenrolled." The Town Clerk told me that I enrolled as a Republican and went to the file cabinet to find the voter registration card which would prove her right. Surprise. It said "Unenrolled." Clerical error. No wonder I've been getting so much mail from the Rs. We changed it back on the spot.

There is a reason I cannot be enrolled as a Republican - I'm a conservative. The party left me i the dust when it lurched leftward. One need look no further that the two Republican senators from my state of Maine. Neither resembles a conservative. Enough said about that topic.

Next is the topic of change. Every political challenger for just about every office in the land is running on a promise of change. They are all going to go to Washington (or Augusta, or "fill-in-the-blank") and change things. Now I agree that the changes are necessary. Why, though, after they get elected, do things never change? Then, when they run as incumbents, the "change" mantra is long gone.

Just wondering.

Dopes in the Pulpit

Instances of preachers gone mad have abounded in recent months. Dr. Jeremiah Wright certainly needs no introduction at this point. The Catholic priest who made a fool of himself, his church, and the Gospel has gained a good bit of coverage as well. In case you are among the few who haven't seen or heard these rants, the video is here.

Now a Bishop in the Church of England has decided that anyone who doesn't agree with Pope AlGore and his leading scientists like Michael Moore are at least as evil as the Austrian animal who kept his daughter locked up for decades, raping her and fathering numerous children with her. We are, he claims, robbing our children's future, and that makes us no better than Josef Fritzl. Can we talk?

Now preachers being involved in the political process are no new thing. In the history of the US, until Senator Lyndon B. Johnson put a stop to it, there were regular political sermons - even "Election Day Sermons." Not all were were off the ranting and raving variety that we are accustomed to seeing at YouTube recently, but not all have been sane, civil, and Biblically-based, either.

Let me make an appeal to preachers - and those who listen to them and may have some influence over them: Preach the Gospel. Yes, there are many moral issues that are intertwined with politics and we must address those. We should not be afraid of the IRS when we feel we must address social needs. But, we should never be hucksters for a particular candidate or party. Our preaching must be from God's Word, not our own agenda.

NOTE: If you are in the area around southern Maine on Sunday evenings in July (13,20,27), stop by to join in the discussion we will be having on "Church and State: Politics and the Pulpit in American Society." All are welcome. For info contact me directly.