Presidential Candidates, Humbleness, And The Bible

In a recent podcast, Kamala Harris made an interesting statement.  She said she did not aspire to be humble.  The opposite of humbleness is pride and self exaltation.  Of course Donald Trump is not exactly humble, he constantly exalts himself.  So apparently we will have someone in the White House in 2025 who is not humble.  

Ironically both of these candidates claim to be Christians.  So let us see what the Word of God says about being humble.  

(Matthew 23:12)"Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted."  

(Psalm 147:6)"The LORD lifts up the humble; he casts the wicked to the ground."  

(Proverbs 11:2)"When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with the humble is wisdom."  

(James 4:6)"But he gives more grace.  Therefore it says, God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble."  

(James 4:10)"Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will exalt you." 

(All Scripture quotations from the ESV)  

Thoughts On Kavanaugh, Accusations, And Democrats

The confirmation process and Senate hearings for Judge Brett Kavanaugh to be approved to the U.S. Supreme Court have been a political circus and a disgrace.  Christine Ford alleged that Kavanaugh had sexually assaulted her 36 years ago.  Judge Kavanaugh emphatically denied these allegations.  Claims of sexual assault should be taken seriously and women should never be mistreated or abused.  At the same time a man should not be destroyed by mere allegations made against him.  Even after an FBI investigation no corroborating evidence was found.  So you had only the accusation made by Ford.  

How then do we decide the right course of action?  Should it be determined by our emotions, our human reason, or our political agenda?  If we want truth and reality we should turn to the ultimate authority, God and his Word.   

(Deuteronomy 19:15) "A single witness shall not suffice against a person for any crime or for any wrong in connection with any offense that he has committed.  Only on the evidence of two witnesses or of three witnesses shall a charge be established." (ESV) 

Lest anyone think that this is just something from the Old Testament that does not apply to us today, Jesus himself reaffirmed this principle in the New Testament when speaking about church discipline (yes there is such a thing as church discipline).  

(Matthew 18:16) "But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with you, that every charge may be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses." (ESV) 

A person must not be convicted or disqualified by a mere allegation.  It should only be established by the evidence of two or three witnesses.  If people are to be convicted or disqualified by an allegation then no one will be able to survive this standard (not even Democrat Senators).  Going by a standard like this is absurd and foolish.  The innocent must be protected, a person is innocent until proven guilty.  

Even if in some cases a guilty person goes free it is not the end of the matter.  Everyone will eventually face the judgement of God.  When it is all said and done there will be true justice, no one ultimately gets away with anything.  

Of course the real reason the Democrats opposed Judge Kavanaugh was because of their political agenda.  They opposed Kavanaugh because he was presumed to be conservative.  Liberals are horrified at the thought of abortion being made illegal.  Roe VS Wade should be overturned but it is very unlikely that it will be.  Much of what the Democrat Party promotes is a disgrace.  It is simply the party of secularism and socialism.  Democrats (and Republicans) need to repent of their sins and trust in Christ alone for salvation.  

Bernie Sanders Attacks Christians

Bernie Sanders is a U.S. Senator from Vermont and of course was a Democrat presidential candidate.  The intolerance of this tolerant man was astounding.  

The incident occurred recently in a hearing for Russell Vought, who was nominated for Deputy Director of the Office of Management and Budget.  Bernie Sanders called Vought  Islamophobic and hateful for comments he had previously made.   Vought had pointed out that Muslims do not know the true God and stand condemned because they reject Jesus who is the Son of God.  Sanders then asked Vought if he thought his statement was Islamophobic and if he believed Muslims would be condemned.  Sanders also asked him if he thought Jews would be condemned.  Russell Vought tried to explain to Sanders that these were simply Christian beliefs, the teaching of the Bible.  But Bernie Sanders would never allow him to finish his explanation, continually cutting him off.  

Sanders concluded that Vought was unfit for public office and that there was no place for these beliefs  in the public square.  Bernie Sanders apparently believes that no Bible believing Christian should be allowed in the public arena.  

Sanders is of course a socialist and a secularist.   If you do not tow the secular line you will be silenced.  All religions are not the same and they do not worship the same God.  Jesus is either God or he is not God.  It has to be one or the other.  Of course Sanders does not care about the Bible or the U.S. Constitution for that matter, he rejects both of them.  He imposes a religious test for government officials and is more than willing to stifle religious liberty.  Bernie Sanders is actually practicing Christophobia.  

Sanders colleague Senator Christoper Van Hollen, a Democrat from Maryland also chimed in on the matter.  Van Hollen said he was a Christian and that he thought part of being a Christian was recognizing that there were many paths to God.  Van Hollen also concluded that Vought was unfit for public office.  Of course Van Hollen holds to theological liberalism.  

Theological liberals embrace secularism while trying to retain the Christian label.  As J. Gresham Machen said, liberalism is not Christianity at all.  If there were many paths to God, Christianity would make no sense.  If there are many ways to heaven then Christ died on the cross for no purpose.  

This is the view of two prominent Democrat leaders.  Technically Sanders is an Independent but for all practical purposes he is a Democrat.  The Left is only tolerant of those with whom it agrees.  Sanders actually had significant support during his presidential campaign especially among millennials. This is very frightening.  Why would any Christian support the Democrat Party?  

(John 14:6) "Jesus said to him, I am the way, and the truth, and the life.  No one comes to the Father except through me."  (ESV) 

(Acts 4:12) "And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."  (ESV)

Should The Bible Be Taught In Public Schools?

The typical evangelical says without hesitation that yes indeed the Bible should be taught in public schools.  But have we really thought this through?  Do we really want unbelievers teaching the Bible?  If the Bible is taught in public schools will they even get it right?  Have we ever considered that a major problem might be government schools in the first place?  

If the Bible was taught in public schools they would not get it right.  They would not teach it as true, the literal Word of God.  They would teach it as mere literature and of course not true.  The Bible is literature but it is far more than that.  It is the very Word of God: authoritative, inerrant, infallible, and sufficient.  

Why do we think government schools are a good idea in the first place?  The government should have no control over what children are taught.  Do we really want government run Bible teaching?  Better solutions would be private schools and home schools.  

The government has no business being involved in education at all.  In private schools and home schools individuals and not the government would be in control of what is taught.   There the Bible could be taught as truth, the Word of God.  The entire school curriculum could be taught from a Christian worldview.  This would be a much better alternative than the current mess we have with the public schools.  

But is this even financially possible?  If Christians used their money more wisely it might be.  It might require us to stop living the life of luxury and actually make sacrifices.  

We must also point out that instead of looking to the public schools, parents and churches should do a much better job of teaching the Bible to children.   After all we are not exactly overrun with Bible scholars. 

 

A Libertarian Argument Against Same Sex Marriage

Most libertarians are in favor of same sex marriage.  But are they really holding to a libertarian position?  If the heart of libertarianism is limited government then I propose that they are not.   

Any true libertarian supports a small government that stays within its bounds.  In the case of same sex marriage this has not happened.  The federal government has redefined marriage when it has no authority to do so.  Marriage and its very definition exist outside of the sphere of the government.  

Marriage is defined by our Creator and when the government redefines marriage it is trying to usurp the authority of God.  After stepping outside of its legitimate roll, the government then forces all individuals to accept same sex marriage.  This violates our individual rights, freedom of conscience, and religious liberty.  

No libertarian should support the government claiming authority for itself that it does not have and forcing its will on people, thereby violating our personal freedom.  Some libertarians do support the government not being involved in marriage at all.  This is a true libertarian position but it is unlikely to happen though.  

I support the basic libertarian political philosophy of small government, personal freedom, and individual responsibility.  Unfortunately an element of libertarianism devolves into libertinism supporting immoral and absurd things like same sex marriage.  Libertarianism needs a Christian worldview as its foundation.  Only the Christian worldview provides a basis for reason and ultimate knowledge.  With a Christian worldview small government and liberty could become a reality.  

Trump VS Clinton

The two major parties have given us Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.  In other words pick your poison.  This is indeed an historic election, that is an historically bad election.  This may be the worst choice in American history.  

Apologists for Trump and Clinton have twisted themselves into pretzels trying to defend these two.  We must concede that it is very difficult to defend the indefensible.  Those defending Trump and Clinton have greatly damaged their credibility.  

Republicans once decried the immorality of Bill Clinton.  Now they embrace a man with the same morals as Bill Clinton.  This is total hypocrisy.  Not to be outdone the Democrats have employed the same total hypocrisy in reverse.  

Trump has no real political philosophy.  On the issues he has been all over the place, basically making it up as he has gone along. Trump is not a conservative, even supporters like Rush Limbaugh admit this.  Trump is basically a populist telling people what they want to hear.  On the other hand Hillary Clinton is a liberal or progressive who is wrong on almost every issue.  Her policy positions are indeed frightening.   Trump's association with Breitbart and the Alt Right is troubling.  Hillary's association with the Left and all it's various groups is also very troubling.  

Donald Trump is an arrogant egomaniac who is unqualified to be president.  Hillary Clinton is untrustworthy, corrupt, and involved in scandal after scandal.  She too is unfit to be president.   In normal, sane times both of these candidates would be disqualified from consideration as president.  But we do not live in normal, sane times.  

In the media FOX News promotes Donald Trump. In fact Sean Hannity and Lou Dobbs have been part of the Trump campaign since the primaries.  The mainstream media supports Hillary Clinton and has an extreme bias against Donald Trump.  Many of them have been part of the Clinton campaign all along.  The media has been shameful during this presidential campaign.  

I cannot in good conscience vote for either one of these candidates.  Many make the lesser of two evils argument.  But if you vote for the lesser of two evils you are still voting for evil.  It is said that a vote for a third party or independent is a wasted vote.  In reality those voting for unworthy candidates like Clinton and Trump are wasting their vote.  

Finally those expecting to be saved by a politician are going to be disappointed.  No politician can save you and placing your hope in a man (or woman) is foolish.  America's problems go much deeper than the political level.   

Donald Trump And Russell Moore

Recently Donald Trump and Russell Moore have had an interesting exchange.  Of course Donald Trump is a real estate mogul, celebrity, and presumptive Republican presidential nominee.  Russell Moore is with the Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.  Moore has been a public opponent of Trump even contributing to the National Review issue "Against Trump".  

Donald Trump responded to Russell Moore with his usually tact and class saying Moore was "a nasty guy with no heart."  Most interesting was Moore's response to Trump because he agreed with him saying, "I am a nasty guy with no heart, which is why I need forgiveness of sins and redemption through the gospel of Jesus Christ."  

Russell Moore was right on target with his response.  In reality Russell Moore, Donald Trump, and the rest of us are nasty guys with no heart.  This is what theologians call total depravity.  We are all utterly sinful and unrighteous.  We are born sinners and are not the good people we think we are (See Genesis 3, Psalm 51:5, Ecclesiastes 7:20, Jeremiah 17:9, Romans 3:10, Romans 3:23). 

Because of our sin we face the wrath of God and deserve to go to hell.  We can only find forgiveness through Christ and his work on the cross.  No one deserves to go to heaven. Salvation is by God's grace alone, through faith alone, in Christ alone.  

(Romans 7:24-25a) "Wretched man that I am!  Who will deliver me from this body of death? Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!"  (ESV)   

I'm A Fusionist

So, what in the world is a fusionist?  Fusionism is a political philosophy that combines traditionalism and libertarianism.  The architect of fusionism was Frank Meyer (1909-1972).  Meyer was a former communist who became a conservative and was one of the original editors of National Review.  He believed that traditionalists should be libertarians and libertarians should be traditionalists.  Meyer believed the two groups had a common enemy (liberalism/socialism) and also a common heritage.  The name "fusionism" was actually coined by Brent Bozell Jr. who was a traditionalist opponent of the political philosophy of Frank Meyer.  

In 1955 William F. Buckley brought together traditionalists, libertarians, and anticommunists at his new magazine National Review.  Buckley credited Frank Meyer for doing the best job of bringing these groups together with his fusionism.  Fusionism was embraced by Buckley as well as Barry Goldwater and Ronald Reagan.  Fusionism became known simply as conservatism.  

Frank Meyer saw the basic functions of government as national defense, maintaining order, and promoting justice.  He believed the national government should be limited, states rights should be recognized, and in decentralized power.  Of course freedom is of the utmost importance but we must have an ordered liberty.  Meyer pointed out that freedom needs virtue and virtue needs freedom.  Freedom by itself leads to anarchy and then tyranny will eventually arise.  Of course virtue that is coerced is not really virtue at all.  Fusionism places great value on freedom while still maintaining respect for religion and tradition.  Fusionism combines cultural conservatism with political and economic libertarianism.  

The government must be limited because those in government are affected by original sin just like those whom they must govern.  Government must be able to restrain evil but at the same time it must be restrained itself.  Too much power in the hands of sinful men is horrifying.  We must also distinguish between an authoritarian government and the authority of God.  The authority of government must be strongly limited but the authority of God should be fully embraced.  We must recognize the absolute authority of God.   Those who reject the authority of God end up losing truth, virtue, and even freedom.  

A fusionist is simply a constitutionalist.  The U.S. Constitution was a brilliant political document with its limits on government, containing a system of checks and balances and the separation of powers.  America needs to embrace the political philosophy known as fusionism.  

Trump, Obama, And The Political Problem

So what is the real problem in American politics?  Some believe the government is not doing enough, there is just too much gridlock.  Some believe the government is just being run by the wrong people.  Still others think the wrong political ideology is prevailing.  

Many Republicans think the problem with Barack Obama is that he lacks experience and simply does not know what he is doing.  But this is not the case, President Obama knows exactly what he is doing.  He is transforming America along his Leftist/Marxist worldview. The problem with Obama is not that he is incompetent but that he is implementing the wrong political ideology.  

Meanwhile many supporters of Donald Trump think that we just have the wrong people running the government.  The people in charge are just a bunch of losers, instead we need a winner like "The Donald".  We just need Trump to manage the bureaucracy.  The Trump followers want him to use the levers of government to get what they want.  Supporters of Trump are not ideological conservatives.  No committed ideological conservative would support Trump.  Of course Donald Trump is not conservative, he seems to have no solid political principles.  Though he is generally secular and progressive or statist in his political views.  

The real problem we face in the political realm is the socialist/progressive agenda that has dominated our political sphere over the last century.  From Franklin Roosevelt's "New Deal" to Lyndon Johnson's "Great Society" to "Obamacare", the march toward socialism has continued.  Government has continued to get bigger, gaining more power and becoming more intrusive.  From retirement to healthcare to welfare to education to the economy, government has gotten involved in all kinds of things it should not be involved in.  We have adopted the government as god philosophy. 

The solution to our political problem is a radical reversal in our guiding political ideology.  We need to adopt a constitutional conservative political philosophy.  We need a return to small, limited government.  We must stop looking to the government to solve all of our problems.  We must stop worshiping the government because it is not God.  

Unfortunately most people do not really think about things they just feel and adopt what sounds good.  Their decisions are based purely on emotion.  Obama was not our savior and Trump will not be our savior.  Those looking for a savior need to look beyond the political realm to Jesus Christ, the only savior.  





 

Donald Trump And Conservatives

Businessman and reality show star, Donald Trump is leading in most polls in the Republican primary and he gets endless media coverage.  Many conservatives including the Tea Party and evangelicals are supporting him.  After all Trump will take care of America's enemies, fix the economy, stop illegal immigration, and make America great again.  Some people have even compared Donald Trump to Ronald Reagan.  

In reality Donald Trump is no conservative.  He is actually a populist and a statist.   Even many prominent conservatives have come out against Trump.  He supports government run health care, opposes entitlement reform, and will increase taxes and regulations.  Trump has even donated money to people like Hillary Clinton, Harry Reid, and Nancy Pelosi.  Trump says he was just playing the political game.   It sounds like Trump was buying favoritism for himself.  It seems Trump is actually part of the broken political system he rails against.  Trump is the problem, not the solution.  

Donald Trump seems to have little regard for the Constitution (Does this remind you of anyone else?).  He promises to do all kinds of things regardless of whether they are constitutional or not.  Conservatives have been outraged over Barack Obama bypassing Congress with executive orders.  Yet they embrace Trump when he promises to do the same sort of thing.  No constitutional, conservative can support Donald Trump.  

The comparison of Donald Trump to Ronald Reagan is absurd.  Look at Reagan in the 1960's and 1970's and then look at Trump over the last couple of decades.  Reagan was conservative and Trump is liberal.  The comparison of Trump to Reagan shows great disrespect to the legacy of Ronald Reagan.  Donald Trump you are no Ronald Reagan!  

Many in the Tea Party are supporting Donald Trump.  Tea Party favorite, Sarah Palin has endorsed Trump.  You have one celebrity endorsing another celebrity.  Palin saw an opportunity and hopped aboard the Trump train.  The Tea Party has opposed political authoritarianism yet many of it's members have embraced the authoritarian, Donald Trump.  They vehemently opposed Obamacare, yet they support Trump who favors a single payer healthcare system.   The Tea Party talks of it's love for the liberty and limited government promoted by the Founding Fathers.  Yet it seems ready to bring in the reign of King Donald.  Trump is not a conservative and is definitely not a libertarian.  Much of the Tea Party has sold out.  

Donald Trump also has support from many evangelicals.  Recently at Liberty University, Trump read from Two Corinthians. "The Donald" continues to demonstrate his ignorance of all things Biblical.  Previously Trump has admitted that he has never asked for forgiveness, could not name a favorite Bible verse, and expressed his great admiration for Norman Vincent Peale (a liberal clergyman).  Never mind his support of abortion (including partial birth abortion) and homosexuality.  Never mind that he operates casinos.  Never mind that he is arrogant, self centered, and profane.  Evangelicals supporting Trump are simply divorced from reality.  

Donald Trump also has no foreign policy experience.  He has little knowledge in this area and has said that he gets his information from Sunday talk shows.  Does anybody think that operating casinos qualifies one to be Commander-In-Chief?  

Trump is full of empty promises.  Does anyone really think that he will build a wall on the Mexican border and have the Mexicans pay for it?  Donald Trump is nothing more than a populist, demagogue who stirs up trouble and tells people what they want to hear.  

Conservatives supporting Donald Trump have abandoned their principles.  One wonders if these people ever held to a conservative political philosophy to begin with.  How could they support a liberal, populist, statist?  Support for Trump is based on emotion and not on reason.  Trump recently remarked that he could shoot someone and would not lose a vote.  The scary thing is that this statement may actually be true.  No constitutional, conservative can support Donald Trump.  Conservatives, wake up!  

Democrats And Socialists

What is the difference between a Democrat and a Socialist?  Presidential candidate, Hillary Clinton and DNC Chairperson, Debbie Wasserman Schultz both struggled to answer the question.  The reason neither could come up with an answer is that there is no difference between a Democrat and a Socialist.  Hillary Clinton characterized herself as a progressive.  What is a progressive? A progressive is a socialist.  

The modern Democrat Party has become purely socialistic.  It has really been on that track for the past century.  Prominent Democrat leaders who led the way to socialism include Woodrow Wilson, Franklin Roosevelt, Lyndon Johnson, and Barack Obama.  Democrats have constantly increased the size of government.  It has become more and more involved in every area of life.  Modern liberalism follows the teachings of Karl Marx.  

The Democrats push higher taxes, more government spending, and more regulation.  They seem to want government in control of every area of life.  They think government elites can micromanage all things because they are superior and know more than the rest of us.  Democrats believe that all money belongs to the government, not to the people who earn it.  It is there for the government to redistribute as it sees fit.  

Socialism has never worked and never will.  Government cannot do all things, in fact it has no business being involved in most of the things it does.  The government should defend the country, protect citizens, maintain order, promote justice, and restrain evil.  Government should do the things it is meant to do and then leave us alone.  

Republican Presidential Candidate Rankings

MARS HILL EXAMINER
Candidate Rankings

1. Ted Cruz
2. Marco Rubio
3. Ben Carson
4. Rand Paul
5. Carly Fiorina
6. Bobby Jindal
7. Rick Santorum
8. Mike Huckabee
9. Jeb Bush
10. Chris Christie
11. John Kasich
12. Lindsey Graham 
13. George Pataki
14. Donald Trump

The Religion Of Donald Trump

Donald Trump professes to be a Christian in the Presbyterian denomination.  He says his favorite book is the Bible and he loves the church.   In an interview Trump was asked if he had ever asked God for forgiveness.  After trying to avoid the question he finally said I don't guess I ever have, I just try to do better.  Trump was also asked about his favorite verse in the Bible.  He could not come up with any verse.  He was also asked if he preferred the Old or New Testament.  Trump could not give an answer and finally said it was a private matter.  Donald Trump also said he went to church regularly, you know every Easter and Christmas, and then added he went on the Sundays whenever he could.  Trump finally added that Norman Vincent Peale was his pastor and expressed great love and admiration for him.  

So, who was Norman Vincent Peale?  Peale lived from (1898-1993), he was a liberal pastor who became famous for his book "The Power Of Positive Thinking" published in 1952.  The focus of Peale's message was self help and self love.  You could use positive thinking to achieve whatever you desired or to make yourself successful.  The focus was the self instead of God.  

Norman Vincent Peale preached a false gospel devoid of Biblical content.  Conservative theologian, Donald Grey Barnhouse once said Paul is appealing, Peale is appalling.  Those who have followed in the line of Peale include Robert Schuller and Joel Osteen.  Robert Schuller focused on self esteem and once said who wants to talk about sin.   Joel Osteen has combined positive thinking with the prosperity gospel.  All three of these men teach what Michael Horton has called "Christless Christianity."  It is what Martin Luther referred to as "the theology of glory" instead of "the theology of the cross."  It is probably accurate to call Norman Vincent Peale the Joel Osteen of his day.  

Donald Trump seems to have been influenced by the teaching of Peale.  Trump seems to be a very arrogant and self centered man, the very opposite of Jesus and his teaching.  It seems that Donald Trump does not know much about his favorite book.   Considering his own words I cannot consider Trump a true Christian.  He has never asked for forgiveness, this is a very basic thing.  A person must face the reality of his sin, repent, and seek forgiveness which is found in Christ alone.   Also I would suggest Matthew 23:12 as a favorite verse for Donald Trump.  

(Matthew 23:12) "Whoever exalts himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be exalted." (ESV) 

The World's Smallest Political Quiz

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Does Poverty Cause Terrorism?

President Obama seems to think that poverty is a cause of terrorism.  It certainly would not be caused by a wonderful, peaceful religion.  If the guys in ISIS and other terrorist groups just had job opportunities they would probably give up terrorism.  If anyone knows how to create jobs it is President Obama.  

President Obama seems to think that the grievances of the terrorists need to be addressed.  We see his Marxist worldview shining through once again.  After all the terrorists have been oppressed by America and the West.  The wealth of the United States and the West needs to be redistributed to them.  

President Obama and other secular liberals do not see Islamic terrorism as the serious threat that it is.  They cannot even identify it as Islamic.  They think the real threat of our time is global warming.  

But Islamists are just plain evil and must be dealt with.  The Islamists ideology comes directly from the Koran.  This is not politically correct to say but it is true.  If you look into the Koran it is not hard to see why they kill Christians and Jews and anyone else they disagree with.  The Islamists seek to impose sharia law on everyone.  

The real problem behind terrorism is not poverty.  The real problem is Koranic Islam with it's teachings.  They need to embrace the truth of the Bible and be set free from their false religion.   

Obama, Islam, And Christianity

At the recent National Prayer Breakfast President Obama warned Christians not to get on their high horse and criticize Islam.  Obama brought up the Crusades and slavery as atrocities done in the name of Christ.  President Obama refuses to link terrorism with Islam.  He believes that Islam is a wonderful, peaceful religion.  Some even think that Obama is a Muslim.  While I do not think he is a Muslim, he is sympathetic to Islam.  

Obama actually professes to be a Christian.  He seems to hold to Liberation theology which is nothing more than Marxism with Christian language.  In fact Liberation theology is not Christianity at all.  It was taught by Barack Obama's former pastor Jeremiah Wright.  Liberation theology is all about the oppressed and the oppressors.  Of course Obama sees Islam as the oppressed and historic Christianity as the oppressor. 

On the issue of slavery there were some people who tried to justify it in the name of Christianity unfortunately.  But Obama fails to point out that the abolitionists were Christians.  It must also be pointed out that slavery did not begin with the Christian West but abolition did.  

So what about the Crusades?  They were started in 1095 by the Roman Catholic Church. The Crusades actually started as a defense against Muslims.  Islam had conquered the Middle East centuries before.  The region had been a Christian center.  But the Christians were driven out, enslaved, or killed by the Muslims.  Muslims later moved northward toward Europe to take over Christian lands. So to a certain extent the Crusades can be justified as a defensive act.  But there were also atrocities committed by the Crusaders.  In actuality the Crusaders forsook the teachings of Christ and adopted Islamic theology.    

Islam originally spread by the sword starting with Muhammad.  Others were conquered in order to have them submit to Islam.  You had to convert to Islam or be enslaved or killed. The Muslim claim on the land of the Middle East is obviously bogus.  They took it by force from others.  It appears that Islam owes an apology to Christians and the West. 

Some think that all religions are the same but they are not.  Islamic terrorists are simply following the teachings of Muhammad and the Koran.  While the atrocities of the Crusaders were not the teachings of Christ or the Bible.  While we must point out that not all Muslims are terrorists, Islam is not a wonderful, peaceful religion.  Islam is a false religion that leads many people astray. Truth and reality are found in Christianity. Those who want peace must look to Jesus who is the Prince of Peace.       

Republicans To The Rescue?

With the November 4th election Republicans have gained control of the U.S. Senate and increased their numbers in the U.S. House.  Will they be able to bring about great change and stop the agenda of President Obama?  Do not count on major change but maybe the Obama agenda can be curtailed somewhat.  It will be nice not to have Harry Reid as the Senate Majority Leader.  But there is also a good chance that the Democrats will regain the Senate in 2016.  And the road to a presidential election victory will be very tough for the Republicans in 2016. 

We must also be realistic about the situation in our country.  It is hard to govern in a conservative way with a liberal culture.  Our modern American culture has a secular liberal worldview.  The tide of secularism and liberalism keeps rolling along.  And the overall direction of our country will continue on this path even with the election of Republicans.  

We must realize that our problems go much deeper than the political level.  Our real problems are spiritual and not political.  America is a nation in rebellion against God and is shaking its fists in his face.  We actually deserve his judgment.  Our country needs to turn from its secular worldview and embrace the Biblical worldview.  We must recognize God as the ultimate authority.  We must also recognize the Bible, his Word as authoritative.  All people need to repent of their sins and trust in Christ alone for salvation.  

ISIS, Islam, And The West

The terrorist group known as ISIS has been in the news a lot lately, especially after they beheaded journalist James Foley.  The group is active in Syria and Iraq.  They have actually existed since 2010 even though they have just recently caught the attention of the Western world.  Al Quaeda has distanced themselves from ISIS because they are too extreme even for them.  They persecute and murder Christians and others if they will not convert.  The group seeks to establish a caliphate (Islamic state).  They are seen as a real threat to the United States and the West.  

But isn't Islam a wonderful, peaceful religion?  Aren't ISIS and other terrorist groups just extremists who are hijacking Islam?  In reality these groups may be holding to the actual teaching of the Koran, though we must point out that not all Muslims are terrorists.  In fact the history of Islam is one of conquest.  In the Koran there is no separation of religion and government.  Unfortunately the true nature of Islam is not peaceful.  We must realize that not all religions are the same.  

America and the West are weak when they need to be strong.  They have rejected their Christian roots and have embraced secularism and paganism.  The West now lacks a moral foundation to stand on.  With the loss of a Biblical worldview we are no longer able to take a strong stand against evil.  The West has embraced moral relativism and can no longer stand for truth.  

Unfortunately American leadership is weak. President Obama is not a strong leader.  He seems to see everything through his Marxist worldview.  It is always about the oppressed and the oppressors.  Of course Islam has been the oppressed.  We have had bad policy in the U.S. and not just from Leftist like Obama.  Former President George W. Bush and the neoconservatives have also had bad policy.  Going in to Iraq seems to have been a mistake.  It created instability and paved the way for ISIS.  

The idea of nation building and inserting democracies throughout the middle east was foolish.  It simply does not work on an Islamic foundation.  Our leaders fail to understand Islam.  It is not a wonderful, peaceful religion.    

Should The Republican Party Abandon The Social Issues?

Everyone from moderates to Libertarians seem to think that Republicans should abandon the social issues and just focus on economic matters.  A conservative view on the social issues tends to be controversial and unpopular in our current culture.  Many among the Republican establishment would like to see social conservatives leave the party.  In recent decades the Republican Party has been somewhat open to a Christian worldview.  On the other hand the Democrat Party seems to be hopeless with it's decidedly anti Christian worldview.  The Republican Party seems to be the best way to go for those who hold a Biblical worldview. 

Abortion is certainly a hot button issue.  Those opposed to it are accused of being against women and even waging a war on women.  In reality those who favor abortion are waging a war on unborn babies.  We often hear the phrase "abortion rights", but murder is no one's right.  A society with legalized abortion is not a strong society, it is one that cheapens the value of life.  

Another controversial social issue is that of same sex marriage.  It is definitely not popular to oppose homosexual marriage in our current political climate.  Those opposing it are going against the cultural tide.  Marriage is defined by God as one man and one woman, and we cannot change that definition.  When we try to redefine it we end up destroying the family. When you destroy the family you destroy society, and when you destroy society you destroy the country.  

So what should be the approach of the Republican party on the social issues?  If it seeks the betterment of society then it should take a strong stand on the social issues.  If it just desires the approval of the politically correct crowd then it should forget the social issues.  If a certain popularity is achieved, but the culture ends up destroyed what victory has been accomplished?   

The Socialists At Work

The socialistic program known as Obamacare has been rolled out.  The roll out has been a disaster.  The Obama administration has had three years to get ready for it and they still could not get the website ready. 

If the government cannot even get the website ready, how are they going to run the health care system?  This shows the ineptitude of government trying to do things it has no business doing.  The future of health care looks very frightening. 

Also a funny thing happened on the way to implementation.  It seems many people may not be able to keep their current health care plan.  This after they were promised by President Obama that they could keep their plan if they wanted to.  It also seems that Obamacare may discourage marriage because in some cases it is more affordable for people who are not married.  If you destroy marriage, you destroy the family, and if you destroy the family you destroy society. 

Socialism does not work and it never will.  It does not help the poor as it pretends to, but enriches those who are in power.  As U2 singer Bono has said capitalism has lifted more people out of poverty than any government aid ever will.  It has been said that capitalism is the unequal distribution of wealth and socialism is the equal distribution of poverty.  The government should defend the country, maintain order in society, promote justice, and then leave us alone.