Chalcedon Blog

Christianity: Personal But Not Individualistic

2008-07-19T16:51:00.002-04:00

R. J. Rushdoony from his commentary on Galatians:

This letter is addressed by Paul to “the churches of Galatia” (1:2), but it is not concerned with their institutional but rather their personal faith and life. In the modern era and earlier, society has been institutionally oriented, primarily in terms of the state, secondarily in terms of the church. Scripture, however, assigns a secondary place to church and state. It addresses itself throughout to man; it is personal but not individualistic. God’s law-word requires man to live in community, the family being the basic one, and to govern himself, his family, and his vocation in terms of that law. The modern attitude is that the institutions remain but the generations pass, and so men work to build up the state, and some to build up the church, as though this is primary. There is no resurrection for churches and states: there is for men. The world will continue to flounder in its self-created evils as long as men seek to erect their institutional Towers of Babel, their world-centers for the their gospels according to man. Until men cease their institutionalization of faith and life, church and state will both continue to be obstacles to the Kingdom of God, Towers of Babel will be confounded. (RJR, Romans & Galatians, p. 394f)

Bad Advice from Internet Gurus

2008-07-17T20:17:00.002-04:00

I'm a communications guy, so I try to keep my mouse roaming the web for innovative thinkers with important things to say. Guess what? There ain't much. Oh, others believe there's a great deal out there. I just don't believe it, because I haven't seen it.

People make much ado about guys like Seth Godin, but I can't say I care much for what he's written. In all honesty, I can't see what all the fuss is about. A case in point: he recommended a young man's blog that sports some awful advice. In particular, a post he wrote, "How to Retire the Day After Tomorrow," in which he applauds a University of Washington professor for getting out of teaching undergraduates:

Most of us will opt for partial retirement, and that’s because most of us are not working at jobs we completely hate.We just don’t like certain parts of them, and those tasks are what we need to retire from.

One of my professors told me last year that he only teaches one class a year, and never to undergraduates. (The undergraduate classes at the University of Washington are pretty large, with an average of 300 students in each one, while a graduate class has less than 30 students.) He said that he had a disagreement with the student union a few years back and decided to stop teaching.

“You just told them you wouldn’t do it anymore?” I asked him.

“Pretty much,” he said. Apparently there was some negotiation later on, which always takes a while in academia, but he never did teach another undergrad class.

The pay scale for full professors at the top ten public universities in the U.S. brings up an average salary of $108,921 at the University of Washington. How would you like to teach one class a year for $108,921?

This is supposed to helpful advice? Getting out of work? Adding insult to injury, this portion of his post was directly across from a link to another article of his entitled "The Decision to be Remarkable!"

This guy is just another example of the neo-gold rush of the internet age where immediate accessibility to a vast audience provides the alluring freedom of saying anything you want to anybody. And if you play to their greed and gullibility, you can become their guru and then advise them to stop giving an honest day's work for an honest day's pay.

This professor he mentions should be fired on the spot. Teachers teach. That's what they're supposed to do. It matters little the size of the class, or the grade level. If you understand the Biblical concept of calling, you'll act in terms of faithfulness, not look for the least amount of work for the most amount of pay.

A State of Mind

2008-07-15T15:37:00.002-04:00

A great deal is being made of Phil Gramm's recent comments about America being a nation of whiners entrapped in a mental recession. And after spending most of his preliminary campaigning touting his close trust of Gramm as economic adviser, Senator John McCain has been forced to distance himself from Gramm's assessment.

The keyword here is psychology. Gramm believes America is in a mental recession and McCain has often stated that a part of our economic problems are psychological.

Now, I'm not sure if some talking points were recently released by White House advisers, but even the president is now engaging in the same rhetoric. When Bush said that he wouldn't demand the American people conserve--trusting them to make the right choices--he later retorted concerning rising gasoline prices, and the need for more domestic drilling: "I readily concede it won't produce a barrel of oil tomorrow, but it will reverse the psychology."

As of today, the president has also called on Congress to lift the ban on domestic drilling while admitting that the “psychology” of the oil markets must be considered in carrying out an effective energy policy. It seems Washington believes that a great deal of America's potential for a flat-out recession lies in their psychology.

So, how much does psychology have to do with it? A great deal, I'm afraid. Anyone in communications understands that, and I'm sure economists perceive the same reality. But the issue is really whether or not the psychology of receding ("recession") is based upon fact.

McCain is correct. It is psychological. But in saying so, he's said nothing at all. It's all psychological, Sherlock! Always has been. If people are paying over $4 for a gallon of gas while the weekly grocery bills skyrocket, you can bet your bottom devalued dollar that this will have an adjustment in their thinking. What you're really concerned about, Mr. McCain, is whether or not they blame your ilk.

Recession is unavoidable, in my opinion, and though the pain be difficult, it is a necessary evil if there is to be any semblance of preserving this economy. I'm not convinced Republicans care one iota about the economy, unless it's tied to their maintaining their political seats. You can expect that the Democrats will exploit the issue in order to obtain political seats. Either way, nothing will likely be fixed.

The economic controllers and speculators were reckless with a fiat monetary system already headed towards more inflation. The sub-prime mortgage fiasco was immoral to begin with. The rampant availability of credit was immoral to begin with. In this sense, Americans deserve a dripping spoonful of economic castor oil. If they were Biblically informed, then laws concerning sound money, debt, and slavery would have imposed a moral restraint. Instead, their parallel recklessness empowered and emboldened the organized criminality of Wall Street. I hold myself equally responsible. My hands are certainly not clean in this.

The Federal Reserve will fight to stabilize the American psyche, but it's difficult to tell how long they can maintain the facade. Just take a look at any recent photo of Fed Chairman Ben Bernake. In a few short months, he's almost gone completely gray. Nobody is getting any sleep at America's central bank.

The Price of Gas is NOT Going Up

2008-07-09T17:59:00.000-04:00

The Great Panic of 2008

2008-07-09T17:49:00.000-04:00

New Articles from the Latest Issue of Faith for All of Life

2008-07-07T12:59:00.003-04:00

Entrepreneurial Dominionism
By Christopher J. Ortiz

Wisdom, as I stated in the last issue, is God’s technology.1 It is the hidden glory that permeates creation and is waiting for man to discover. Wisdom was in the “other trees” that Adam and Eve could freely eat (Gen. 2:16), but they chose a forbidden wisdom, which instead of “making them wise” (Gen. 3:6), brought them a frustrating awareness of their nakedness. This sin consciousness moved them away from the center of the garden to hide among the trees—the trees they should have been exploring. Read more...

The World in God's Fist: The Meaning of History
By Martin G. Selbrede

...In the words of Ecclesiastes, history is “the work that God accomplisheth from the beginning to the end.” But the study of history, and more particularly of eternal things, is a source of travail because “man is unable to reach unto the work which God accomplisheth.” We are driven to try to grasp the scope of it, to get our arms around it … but cannot do so. Read more...

The Biblical Philosophy of History and Worldview Evangelism
By Roger Schultz, Ph.D.

Years ago Francis Schaeffer, while teaching at Covenant Theological Seminary, was invited to lecture at Yale University. This was a great opportunity, and Schaeffer asked his colleagues to recommend Biblical topics and lecture ideas. One professor friend quickly urged him to give a gospel message on John 3:16. But Schaeffer decided against it, arguing that his humanistic and post-Christian audience would have an insufficient framework to understand the Christian message. Instead, he thought his message should be on Genesis 1 and should cover God’s sovereignty, the Biblical account of origins, and man’s creation in the image of God. Calling this “worldview evangelism,” Schaeffer insisted that this was the best way of opening contact with an ignorant, disillusioned, and skeptical audience. (Afterwards, Schaeffer added, the InterVarsity students could follow up by evangelizing their interested classmates.) Schaeffer’s choice of text and theme for the Yale lecture is intriguing—and it follows precisely the apologetic approach of the Apostle Paul. Read more...

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Capitalization is the Product of Work and Thrift

2008-07-04T04:23:00.000-04:00

By R. J. Rushdoony

Capitalization is the product of work and thrift, the accumulation of wealth and the wise use of accumulated wealth.

This accumulated wealth is invested in effect in progress, because it is made available for the development of natural resources and the marketing of goods and produce.

The thrift which leads to the savings or accumulation of wealth to capitalization is a product of character (Proverbs 6:6-15).

Capitalization is a product in every era of the Puritan disposition, of the willingness to forego present pleasures to accumulate some wealth for future purposes (Proverbs 14:23). Without character, there is no capitalization but rather decapitalization, the steady depletion of wealth.

As a result, capitalism is supremely a product of Christianity, and, in particular, or puritanism which, more than any other faith, has furthered capitalization.

This means that, before decapitalization, either in the form of socialism or inflation can occur, there must be a breakdown of faith and character. Before the United States began its course of socialism and inflation, it had abandoned its historic Christian position. The people had come to see more advantage in wasting capital than in accumulating it, in enjoying superficial pleasures than living in terms of the lasting pleasures of the family, faith, and character.

When socialism and inflation get under way, having begun in the decline of faith and character, they see as their common enemy precisely those people who still have faith and character.

How are we to defend ourselves? And how can we have a return to capitalism? Capitalism can only revive if capitalization revives, and capitalization depends, in its best and clearest form, on that character produced by Biblical Christianity.

This is written by one who believes intensely in orthodox Christianity and in our historic Christian American liberties and heritage. It is my purpose to promote that basic capitalization of society, out of which all else flows, spiritual capital. With the spiritual capital of a God-centered and Biblical faith, we can never become spiritually and materially bankrupt (Proverbs 10:16).

The Hypocritical Logic of Michelle Obama

2008-06-24T20:11:00.003-04:00

From page 3 of her 1985 Bachelor's Thesis at Princeton:

"My experiences at Princeton have made me far more aware of my 'Blackness' than ever before. I have found that at Princeton no matter how liberal and open-minded some of my White professors and classmates try to be toward me, I sometimes feel like a visitor on campus; as if I really don't belong. Regardless of the circumstances underwhich (sic) I interact with Whites at Princeton, it often seems as if, to them, I will always be Black first and student second."

Can you discern her hypocrisy? She claims that she'll always be "Black first and student second," yet she begins by highlighting her "White professors and classmates." So, Michelle, it seems that to you these people will always be "White first and students and classmates second."

American Vision: "Homeschoolers are only good for cleaning toilets"

2008-06-23T16:56:00.003-04:00

Gary DeMar can draw out the most vile god-haters. That's probably because for nearly 30 years he's been pressing a strong, consistent argument for the Christian faith, creationism, Christian history, and Biblical reconstruction. Here's a post in which DeMar shares just a portion from a hateful screed of an atheist who thinks Christian homeschooled children are only good to clean his toilets and mow his lawn. DeMar offers a great suggestion in response that YOU may want to participate in. Read more.

Prophecy, Secret Things, and Obedience

2008-06-21T16:06:00.002-04:00

"Our view of prophecy is too often exotic and lawless. Men want to know about a future which makes itself and is not an outcome of historical forces."[1]

Prophecy is typically seen in these terms, a foresight or prediction of a future event usually disconnected from any present circumstances. Nostradamus is the epitome of such wizardry. It is laughable that people are still curious to see if contemporary events fulfill this false prophet's soothsaying.

Biblical prophecy does not function in that manner. The prophets of the Bible spoke in terms of the covenant, and each prophecy was the historical development of either the obedience or disobedience of the past. This is not an attractive definition in the age of Charismania where charlatans sporting prolific gifts of prophecy make both individual and national predictions as signs of their authority.

Still, these modern prophecies have nothing to do with covenantal obedience or rebellion. They are merely predictions of disconnected events in a future without context. These false prophets sit on top of the church world only because the people themselves are curiously indulgent--they want to know the "secret things."

The secret things belong unto the Lord our God: but those things which are revealed belong unto us and to our children for ever, that we may do all the words of this law. Deut. 29:29

There are "secret things," and there are "revealed" things. What should be of concern to us are obviously the things that are revealed. The reason for this is stated clearly by Moses: "that we may do all the words of this law."

What God reveals is so that we may more fully obey His law-word. In other words, true prophecy reveals a future curse upon person and property--or a future blessing--in order to better secure our obedience in the present. If we are seeking "revelation," let it be something that inspires you to greater faithfulness. As Rushdoony says, "The purpose of the revealed things is to command our obedience."[2] This is what Rushdoony refers to as a legitimate future:

As against curiosity and a probing about "secret things," we are plainly commanded to obey God's law and to recognize that the law gives us a knowledge of the future which is legitimate...The unfolded or revealed things are with us for all time, to the end that we may obey all the orders of the law.[3]

What is revealed, Rushdoony writes, "means 'the unfolded issues of the day' in terms of the law-word of God."[4] If I have anything "prophetic" to say to you, it's only to better secure your obedience in the present. A desire for the secret things means, like Israel in the wilderness, that we despise God's manna, i.e., "every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God."

Man will not consider God's law-word for his future. He will rather spend billions of dollars to search for ice on Mars before he'll consider the patience and comfort of the Scriptures. He'll search the depths of the oceans before he'll plunge the deep things of God.

For this commandment which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, neither is it far off. It is not in heaven, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go up for us to heaven, and bring it to us, that we may hear it, and do it? Neither is it beyond the sea, that thou shouldest say, Who shall go over the sea for us, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it? But the word is very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in thy heart, thou mayest do it. Deut. 30:11-14

This makes life simple, but man avoids the simplicity of Biblical living because his heart is evil. He is perpetually tormented by the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He is tormented for having his eyes opened and being made like a god. Now, his drive to "know" exhausts and haunts him. He cannot rest until he has examined every molecule in the universe in the name of achieving his godhood--omniscience. He cannot predestine and control unless he knows all things. But his answer lies in salvation and in the law-word which is near him, in his mouth, and in his heart.

The secret things belong to God, but man lusts to possess them. The things revealed belong to us and our children, but instead we turn away from His revealed Word and raise our children to be equally curious for what God has hidden from us. The Word is near us, in our mouth, and in our heart. We do not need to search high and low for God's will. It's lying at your door. I can say to every Christian that their future is bright, if they are faithful to the law-word of God.

1. R.J. Rushdoony, Systematic Theology in Two Volumes (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 1994), 1073.
2. R.J. Rushdoony, Salvation and Godly Rule (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 1983), 389.
3. Ibid., 388.
4. Ibid., 391.

Is War Biblical?

2008-06-19T13:19:00.005-04:00

Tune in at 3:00pm today (EST) to "I Object: Justice Examined" (Right Talk Radio) to hear Chalcedon Vice-President, Martin G. Selbrede, discuss preemptive war and the Biblical idea of just war. This is must-hear, and you can listen online.

THERE IS NO CONSPIRACY BY BIG OIL!

2008-06-19T11:22:00.002-04:00

Deals With Iraq Are Set to Bring Oil Giants Back

By ANDREW E. KRAMER
New York Times
Published: June 19, 2008

BAGHDAD — Four Western oil companies are in the final stages of negotiations this month on contracts that will return them to Iraq, 36 years after losing their oil concession to nationalization as Saddam Hussein rose to power.

Exxon Mobil, Shell, Total and BP — the original partners in the Iraq Petroleum Company — along with Chevron and a number of smaller oil companies, are in talks with Iraq’s Oil Ministry for no-bid contracts to service Iraq’s largest fields, according to ministry officials, oil company officials and an American diplomat.

The deals, expected to be announced on June 30, will lay the foundation for the first commercial work for the major companies in Iraq since the American invasion, and open a new and potentially lucrative country for their operations.

The no-bid contracts are unusual for the industry, and the offers prevailed over others by more than 40 companies, including companies in Russia, China and India. The contracts, which would run for one to two years and are relatively small by industry standards, would nonetheless give the companies an advantage in bidding on future contracts in a country that many experts consider to be the best hope for a large-scale increase in oil production.

There was suspicion among many in the Arab world and among parts of the American public that the United States had gone to war in Iraq precisely to secure the oil wealth these contracts seek to extract. The Bush administration has said that the war was necessary to combat terrorism. It is not clear what role the United States played in awarding the contracts; there are still American advisers to Iraq’s Oil Ministry.

Sensitive to the appearance that they were profiting from the war and already under pressure because of record high oil prices, senior officials of two of the companies, speaking only on the condition that they not be identified, said they were helping Iraq rebuild its decrepit oil industry.

Read more...

(or just go back to sleep. The oil companies innocently profited from the "War on Terrorism." Everything is okay.)

THERE IS NO CONSPIRACY BY BANKERS!

2008-06-19T09:47:00.003-04:00

Paulson To Urge New Fed Powers
Bank Would Help Police Wall Street

By Neil Irwin
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, June 19, 2008

Treasury Secretary Henry M. Paulson Jr. plans to call today for the Federal Reserve to be given new, explicit powers to intervene in the workings of Wall Street firms to protect the financial system, adapting his vision of how the financial world should be regulated to reflect the lessons of the collapse of Bear Stearns.

"Our nation has come to expect the Federal Reserve to step in to avert events that pose unacceptable systemic risk," Paulson plans to say in a speech today, according to prepared remarks obtained by The Washington Post. But the central bank "has neither the clear statutory authority nor the mandate to anticipate and deal with risks across our entire financial system."

"We should quickly consider how to appropriately give the Fed the authority to access necessary information from highly complex financial institutions and the responsibility to intervene in order to protect the system," Paulson plans to say, "so they can carry out the role our nation has come to expect."

Read more....

(or go back to sleep. Everything is okay. Bankers are misunderstood. There is no conspiracy.)

Now You Know Why Your Gas Is So Expensive

2008-06-18T20:15:00.003-04:00

As I suggested back in November of 2007, the likely motive behind the rising oil prices was to convince the majority of Americans and their lawmakers to allow domestic drilling. This should have been a simple prediction for anyone. Crises of this magnitude don't just happen overnight. One day you're paying $1.50 per gallon, and two years later you're over $4.00 per gallon. C'mon folks, smarten up! The game is rigged.

The push is on. Out of nowhere President Bush is calling on Congress to lift the ban on off-shore drilling; John McCain wants 45 new nuclear reactors; and now Newt Gingrich is compounding Bush's demand--although with a twist. He's placing the blame on Congress, not oil companies, or the Saudis:

"The problem is not the big oil companies, the problem is not the foreigners, the problem is not begging the Saudis," said Gingrich. "The problem is getting Congress to do its job."

That's right, folks. The problem is Congress. Well, not really. The problem, if Newt was honest, is the public opinion that affects congressional action. I can guarantee that after a couple years now of high gas prices congressional leaders are getting an earful from their constituencies. The Democrat resistance doesn't stand a chance. Even soccer moms are ready for cheaper gas.

Here's what I wrote in November of 2007:

So, why the price hikes at the pump? Well, my third-grade explanation was always that rising fuel prices would frustrate the American population to pressure Congress to expand U.S. drilling in the Western Hemisphere, i.e., more drilling in the Gulf, Alaska, and domestic regions. I believed that because I recall that being a primary debate before 2001. Granted, oil companies are raking in huge profits from the rising price of oil, but again, their motives--in my opinion--could not be isolated to short-term thinking. I think they still long for the days of "J.R. Ewing" extracting millions of barrels out of his own backyard. They must want more than record quarterly profits in the short term. There must be a more extensive agenda that reaps billions without inspiring anger in the American people. By that I mean the anger of Joe Citizen at the pump. I doubt the U.S. oil cartels care a rip about Greenpeace. They want the legislation changed, and the Green Movement can whine as much as they want. The majority of Americans will welcome homeland drilling for reduced pump prices.

Crisis-Reaction-Solution: it works every time.

The Meaning of Life

2008-06-18T08:34:00.003-04:00

The meaning of most things elude us. We do not understand the meaning of mosquitos, for example, or the hairs that fall from our head, nor of the often unhappy events in our lives, because we tend to look for their meaning in terms of ourselves. The meaning of all things is theocentric -- God-centered, not man-centered -- which means that of necessity things are meaningless if we try to read them in terms of man, in terms of ourselves.[1]

What is the meaning of life? We only ask this question, as Rushdoony suggests, because life is filled with millions of supposedly meaningless events. The sheer diversity of creaturely existence is enough to rattle the assurance of anyone. Why need we the cockroach? What of microscopic organisms, strange fish in the deepest portions of the sea, or the insane life cycle of the Penguin? What do they have to do with my choice of a career, spouse, or political party?

For ease of thought, we ignore these diverse realities; keeping things simple for the sake of getting through life. But the Bible highlights these random, obscure realities as revealing of the omniscience of God Almighty and His benevolence toward man:

Are not two sparrows sold for a copper coin? And not one of them falls to the ground apart from your Father's will. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Do not fear therefore; you are of more value than many sparrows. Mt. 10:29-31

The many sparrows and strands of hair are meant to reveal God's detailed control and concern for all things in the universe; nothing being more important than the dominion man He placed to rule over it. This is the message to us about creation's mysterious diversity. However, our tendency is to see events in terms of ourselves. We wonder if we did something to cause the death of the sparrow or the strand of hair to fall from our head.

Life's meaning is not found in us but in God's eternal decree. This was the message of the Book of Job--at least the message masterfully interpreted for us in Rushdoony's insightful, yet brief, commentary on Job's plight:

God's creative purpose transcends the life of Job and the purposes of Job, that Job cannot expect that God's providence move in terms of himself when not only the creation but the Creator has priority over Job.[2]

Both Job and his three friends were seeking to interpret his personal tribulation in terms of himself. His friends declared that God never condemned a righteous man, and Job persistently claimed that he had been righteous throughout his life. Why was God harming Job, if Job was righteous? The answer came down to an understanding of sovereignty:

Thus what God required of Job was that he recognize His sovereignty in every respect, recognize that the only standard for judging his own personal life and his own problems was not in terms of himself but in terms of the sovereignty of God, in terms of the Triune God in Himself. Job could not declare of any event in the course of his life that this thing was wrong because it impressed and affected him adversely, since all events in the life of Job could only be judged in terms of one standard, the purpose of the sovereign God. When Job acknowledged these things to be true, the Lord blessed the latter end of Job more than the former.[3]

The apparent meaninglessness to our diverse universe of strange creatures and inexplicable events is a convenient confirmation to man's theory of an evolutionary, impersonal, universe of process. For those who are less existential, they see things developing in relation to their own lives. Both would be incorrect. In the ultimate sense, all things move in terms of God's eternal decree. He has good reason for cockroaches, falling hair, underwater earthquakes, volcanic eruptions, etc. He may never share that meaning with us, but the intent is to humble us. For all Job's righteousness and love of God, there was still a measure of pride because he saw his plight as God's reaction to himself. Adding even more insult, the Book of Job begins by showing Job's plight originating over a wager between God and the devil. In other words, if God wants to wage a bet with the devil over our lives, who are we to stop it? The will of God be done.

Does that mean we should expect an equal experience? The Book of Job is hyperbolic, so I would anticipate better treatment in a general sense. The point should be obvious: life's meaning is found in God's sovereignty, and that thought is intended to comfort us. We should also embrace the lesson that blessing follows our living in this theological awareness.

1. R. J. Rushdoony, Systematic Theology in Two Volumes (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 1994), 19.
2. R. J. Rushdoony, By What Standard? (Vallecito, CA: Ross House Books, 1995 reprint), 196.
3. Ibid., 198.

Death Cult

2008-06-17T10:46:00.002-04:00

A large percentage of Michael Reagan's audience is conservative Christian, but I don't hear a peep of protest against this type of bloodthirst. No Christian should ever use or endorse such rhetoric. This is why the rest of world thinks conservative Christians are the new Brown Shirts of Americo-Fascism. Do pastors actually pray this way? Do they say, "Oh God, please shove grenades up the backside of Palestinian babies and blow them away. And, Lord, while you're at it, please kill the mothers as well?"

Reagan justifies his violent speech by claiming the children are being raised to kill Americans. I'm pretty sure we're safe from the ghetto-ized suicide bombers in the Gaza Strip, so I'm not sure what he's referring to historically. The simple answer is that Palestinians as a whole are evil and Michael Reagan will sleep like a baby if they were all wiped out. He even claims the only way peace will come in the Middle East is if everyone is dead. He's a genocidal maniac. I cannot call such a man a follower of Christ.

Lee Duigon on the SBC's Failure to Stand for God's Children

2008-06-16T15:37:00.001-04:00

Once again, the Southern Baptist Convention has failed to stand up for Christian children.

Once again, the nation’s largest Protestant denomination has agreed to leave Christian children in anti-Christian schools.

At the SBC’s annual meeting last week, the church’s Resolutions Committee stifled a resolution calling on the SBC to urge the removal of Christian children from California public schools. The resolution was not allowed out of committee for a vote on the convention floor.

The SBC has rejected similar resolutions at recent annual meetings. But this time the resolution addressed specific circumstances in a specific state.

Under a new state law, SB 777, California public schools are now required to teach the moral equivalency of all forms of sexual behavior, including homosexuality, transgenderism, etc. (for details, see “Now It’s the Law! California Schools Must Push Homosexuality). Schools are not given any options. They are forbidden to say or do anything that might imply that one sexual “lifestyle choice” is morally preferable to another. Read More.

The Cost of Illegal Immigrant Health Care

2008-06-15T17:28:00.001-04:00

The "Civil Rights" Extortion Racket

2008-06-15T16:56:00.001-04:00

NEW YORK, New York — Anheuser-Busch gave him six figures, Colgate-Palmolive shelled out $50,000 and Macy's and Pfizer have contributed thousands to the Rev. Al Sharpton's charity.

Almost 50 companies - including PepsiCo, General Motors, Wal-Mart, FedEx, Continental Airlines, Johnson & Johnson and Chase - and some labor unions sponsored Sharpton's National Action Network annual conference in April.

Terrified of negative publicity, fearful of a consumer boycott or eager to make nice with the civil-rights activist, CEOs write checks, critics say, to NAN and Sharpton - who brandishes the buying power of African-American consumers. In some cases, they hire him as a consultant.

The cash flows even as the US Attorney's Office in Brooklyn has been conducting a grand-jury investigation of NAN's finances.

A General Motors spokesman told The Post that NAN had repeatedly - and unsuccessfully - asked for contributions for six years, beginning in August 2000.

What, Senator, Has Barak Obama Accomplished?

2008-06-12T22:17:00.001-04:00

The Most Idiotic Woman Alive

2008-06-12T17:23:00.002-04:00

Believe you me, I could say a WHOLE lot about this daughter of darkness.

Where Do These Pastors Go After This?

2008-06-12T17:11:00.000-04:00

Don't Talk to the Police

2008-06-11T16:15:00.001-04:00

A law professor and police investigator explain why you should always take the 5th!

Bigotry Against the South

2008-06-10T13:39:00.007-04:00

The standard prejudice of many elites in media and politics against Southern Americans should come as no surprise. It certainly doesn't to those who live in the South. It is routine that a "redneck" will be discussed and portrayed in the most bigoted terms without any fear of consequence. Yet, if a Southern man or woman refers in a derogatory manner to any other group, they are denounced as bigots and slandered.

The Jewish Anti-Defamation League (ADL), an organization committed "to secure justice and fair treatment for ALL," will probably not utter a word over the recent bigoted statements by the Jewish media pundit, Andrea Mitchell, who referred to Bristol, Virginia as "redneck, sort of bordering-on-Appalachia country."

Mitchell quickly apologized for her idiotic bigotry stating:

"I owe an apology to the good people of Bristol, Virginia, for something stupid that I said last week. I was trying to explain based on reporting from Democratic strategists why Barack Obama was campaigning in southwest Virginia. But without attribution or explanation, I used a term strategists often use to demean an entire community."

That's fine and dandy, but we cannot allow this to go without the standard punishment--something like a good ol' fashioned Don Imus excommunication! Or, how about some Mel Gibson-like groveling? She claims she "made a mistake," but that is an inaccurate portrayal of her sin. Spilling milk is a mistake. Calling a group of people rednecks of Appalachian stock is an intentional statement of bigotry. If Imus goes, then so does she. This double-standard among Jewish elites is pathetic. From one side of their mouth they position themselves as the great champions against prejudice, while out of the other side of their mouths they spew disdain for the southern Christian backbone of what's left of the West.

Bristol, Virginia--and the whole Tri-Cities area--remains as one of the more Reformed sectors of the United States. In fact, the best of America is out there. They're not an MTV, Eastern Establishment, gay marriage, war mongering community. They're Christian.

As of the 2000 census, Bristol was 92.54% White. That may have to do with the disparaging of the community by the Northeastern know-it-alls. A high concentration of anglo-americans must be full of ignoramuses, and since they have no national voice, this delightful territory cannot adequately defend itself from the stereotyping of elites like Mitchell.

One might ask, "Chris, why are you highlighting the fact that she's Jewish? Why not simply say that she's a secular media personality?" That wasn't the charge brought against Don Imus when he referred to a Black woman's basketball teams as "nappy-headed ho's":

Imus, like Mitchell, quickly apologized for his comments:

But Imus' apology was insufficient. The rage came from all quarters. The usual soapboxing of Al Sharpton was expected, but the ADL jumped in stating the Imus' firing was "a long time in coming":

"It is about time that Imus has finally been called to account for engaging in racism and intolerance on his program," said Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director. "He's gotten away with insensitive and stereotypical remarks about Blacks, Jews, women, homosexuals and others far too often. His suspension by CBS Radio and MSNBC was a long time in coming. Mr. Imus has to be held accountable, and must continue to be held accountable for his use of the public airwaves to promote racism and anti-Semitism."

I don't believe we'll hear from Mr. Foxman regarding the bigotry of Andrea Mitchell. After all, she was ambiguous in only disparaging a "region" instead of a people group. But, that would be a gross misstatement. Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee--and the Tri-Cities region--is a nearly all-White community and Mitchell understands this to be the case. When say "Appalachian," you're not referring to Asians, Latinos, or Blacks. You're referring to longstanding Southern Whites.

Mitchell also contrasted Southwestern Virginia with Northern Virginia by saying "This is not the Northern Virginia, you know, the sort of high-tech corridor." Mitchell is not aware that "Bristol, Virginia boasts one of the most advanced broadband networks in the country" (See Bristol Virginia Utilities). Bristol is also considered to be the birthplace of country music, and named one of the Best 100 Communities for Music Education. It's hardly a city of ignorant peoples.

Redneckophobia is the problem here: an unnatural fear of White Southern people and culture. Hollywood and media have routinely ridiculed, mocked, and slandered the South for decades, and Mitchell's commentary goes unnoticed by a society brainwashed to believe such things. That's why nothing will likely happen to Mitchell. Just like nothing happens to Howard Stern, Jerry Springer, or Maury Povich, though all three peddle some of the most despicable media content in the history of American communications. There is a clear double standard, but if anyone--like myself--says such things, we are easily defeated by labeling us as anti-semitic, racist, or "redneck."

Dabney on the Requirement of Christian Ministry

2008-06-07T07:22:00.000-04:00

[T]he first great requisite for the Christian minister is fervent piety; and that to cultivate this should be the chief aim of his training; that there is no royal road to mental improvement, but the faculties are only improved by honest and diligent labor; that the doctrines, government and mode of worship of the Presbyterian Church in the United States compose the wisest and most scriptural set of religious institutions known to us; that the sacred Scriptures, interpreted according to the fair and customary sense of human language, all philosophy, all speculations, and all inferences must implicitly bend; and that the Holy Spirit, to be obtained by constant prayer and holy living, is the only sufficient interpreter of God's word.