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Cultural Commentary for May 6, 2012
The other day, our President declared that the war on terror was a done deal.. that it was over. I don’t just disagree, I vehemently disagree. AND, I disagree for not only military reasons, but for the ones which count most… Biblical reasons.
One of today’s headlines reads… “Blasts shatter Kabul, 3 hours after Obama’s Departure”. Doesn’t sound like terror is over… or the other stories about people arrested in the US who were planning to destroy a bridge, or the five arrested in the UK for suspected plots of terrorism. Heck, the President dare not announce scheduled trips and visits, for fear that terrorists will know and plan attacks. “It ain’t over ‘til it’s over!”
Terrorism is not just a military problem, it’s a spiritual problem. Many commentators in the Christian media, as well as pastors and professors, have said this. No one wants to take it seriously, because that would mean they should respond appropriately. No one likes warfare, yet Christians have been engaged in “spiritual warfare” since forever, and the “enemy” has not changed. He is not Episcopalian, a follower of Buddha, or a Moslem. He is Satan, Lucifer, the devil… and he is seriously after you and your family.
Jesus said, “the day is coming when those who would kill you will believe they are doing God a service.” Today is that day, and has been that day for centuries. However, today is more overt. Moslems read the Koran and believe just that. In reading, they understand they do not have to treat an “unbeliever”, the same as they would another member of the “faithful”. Satan is behind it all; he is a counterfeiter, a liar, a deceiver, and our worst enemy.
Jim Denison, and others, have stated that “more Moslems have been saved in the last 15 years than in the last fifteen centuries”. Most commentators have noted that these people are “seeing visions and dreaming dreams”, which lead them to question their faith and find faith in Christ.
Perhaps it is time for many to “put on the whole armor of God”, and engage in this spiritual war we keep talking about and fighting. Not just with Arabic peoples and Moslems, but getting to the source of the problem. BIBLE QUESTION: If the church can lead people to Christ in unprecedented numbers, and our society changes, and our culture changes… will the war on terror end then, or will it only end when we kill terror’s leadership and all of its adherents? Whaddayathink?
What Do I Get For My Tax Dollars?
Cultural Commentary For May 13, 2012
I read a funny statistic the other day, and one I had trouble with. It said Americans, in general, pay more in federal, state, and local taxes every year than they spend on food and clothing. I found this difficult to believe. Then I looked at my taxes for 2011, factored in what taxes I pay on gas, prepared foods, property taxes, school taxes, etc, and started worrying about whether I was keeping my budget straight. There are several ways we are taxed that we don’t even think about, and I won’t go into all of them here.. They are readily available at several sites on the net. Suffice it to say that the consensus is that the average American pays out over 50% of his or her income in taxes. (54.4% in 2005, 57.9% in 2009) My pointed question is this: “What do the persons who pay taxes receive for their money?” There are other questions, but I really would like to know how my life is better by shelling out this whopping amount.
The controversial vote in N.C. is in… the one on the Constitutional Amendment to allow “gay marriage” or to prohibit it by amending the state Constitution. There was already a statute there, prohibiting “gay marriage”, but now over 61% of the people in N.C. have voted NO to “gay marriage”, and YES to a Constitutional Amendment, which defines marriage between a man and a woman, as “the only legally recognized domestic union in the state.” Billy Graham supported the amendment, while Bill Clinton urged voters to allow “gay marriage”, and the ability to promote adoption of children by such couples. I’m certain this will be challenged in court.
Our nation is in perilous shape.. like a sinking ship, or a battered fortress, with gaping holes in the battlements. We are being encouraged to adopt the “European Model” of laws and liberalistic thought, along with “tolerant” (read.. mine is as good as yours, only it’s really better.) attitudes towards religion, ethics, sexual mores, and governmental excess. We shouldn’t!!
Our nation needs to return to that “government of the people, by the people and for the people”, envisioned and made reality by Adams, Paine, Jefferson, Franklin, Madison, and others. Our nation needs to return to prayer, as in the days of the Great Revivals, in which 1 million people received Christ as their Savior and made Him Lord of their lives. Perhaps we need to take a lesson from the Israelites and work with one hand on the wall, and the other on our weaponry. (See Ephesians 6.) Good soldiers keep their armor, weapons, and equipment well cared for. Have we… will we…should we… do we? Whaddayathink?
Bro. Bill
Tags: no taxation without representation, stewardship