World News Through the Third Lens: Dare We Speak Against Islam?

Woman in Austria faces prison for speaking against Islamic law (Diana West, Johnson City Press editorial, November 19, 2010). On a recent trip to India (which, by the way, cost our bankrupt nation an outrageous sum) President B. Hussein Obama set us up for the Big Lie when he said, "I think all of us recognize that this great religion [Islam] in the hands of a few extremists has been distorted to justify violence towards innocent people that is never justified." Then why is it that all of the sacred books and schools of Islam say differently? One need not distort the Islamic texts to justify the violence of jihad from Mumbai to Tel Aviv to New York City to Bali to Madrid and beyond.

Just yesterday, the Religious Freedom Coalition reported that in the past week there were 30 Islamic terror attacks in 12 different nations with 83 dead and over 200 wounded. RFC also reported that two weeks earlier and Islamic terror attack on a Syriac Catholic church in Baghdad left 58 dead and 78 wounded. Not a week goes by but what multiple events like this happen, most of them not reported by the media. Asia Bibi, a 45 year old Christian woman in Pakistan (supposedly one of the USA's partners in the war against terror) has been condemned to death for insulting Islam. You can click this link to get a first-hand report on what conditions are like in Afghanistan, a country where our military have been laying it on the line for the past 9 years - for what? http://video.foxnews.com/v/4348748/daanger-of-missionary-work-in-afghanistan

All that is backdrop for the case of Elisabeth Sabaditsch-Wolff, the Viennese mother and housewife who will go to trial on November 23, in which her home country of Austria will attempt to send her to prison for as long as three years for "hate speech" against Islam, very similar to those I've just written. Her statements were not without foundation based on personal experience and intense study. From living as a child of an Austrian diplomat stationed in Iran during the 1979 Islamic Revolution, to working in the Austrian embassy in Kuwait at the time of the Iraqi invasion, to working at the Austrian embassy in Libya on 9/11, she has seen wide-spread fanaticism on display. She has studied the Islamic texts, commentaries, apologetics and critiques at length and eventually decided to exercise her God-given right to free speech and begin educating others.

In seminars promoted by the Association of Vienna Academics and the anti-Islamization Freedom Party, since 2008 she has been educating Austrians about Islam, the Koran and Shariah law. It so happened that one of the seminar attendees was a journalist for the left-wing publication NEWS, who branded the seminar as a "hate school." This caused a huge uproar in the establishment, and one bishop, who never attended a seminar, weighed in with, "One must never speak about any religion the way Ms. Sabaditsch-Wolff did about Islam." Elisabeth's husband, a military surgeon and her father (a career diplomat) know the truth and support her 100 percent.

Through the third lens of Scripture: It appears to me that Elisabeth is about to stand trial because she is a courageous proclaimer of the truth - something which threatens all states of denial. He plight mirrors that of Paul with the Galatians, where he said, "Have I now become your enemy by telling you the truth?" (Galatians 4:16). I know experientially how quickly this can happen within the Body of Christ; therefore it's no surprise how one's own country can turn against some of its best and brightest citizens. I'm not a doomsayer, just an encourager - be prepared all of you Christian patriots.

And when it comes to confronting false religion, Jesus was the Master, and He warned His disciples, "All men will hate you because of me, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved....A student is not above his teacher, nor a servant above his master....If the head of the house has been called Beelzebub, how much more the members of his household!" (Matthew 10:22, 24-25). I don't have time in this article to point out all of the places where Jesus confronted false religion. Here are just a few examples: Matthew 23; Mark 7:6-13; John 7:23.

No confrontation with false religion would be complete without exposing the truth. To begin with, every Muslim who claims to have no affiliation with jihad, terror, or Shariah does not have far to go to remove themselves from Islam. And the "fanatics!" Well, they already have what it takes to become zealous Christians. We must remember that Jesus' sacrifice on the cross was the full and satisfactory payment, not just for our sins, but for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2). And so let us not be afraid of sharing the Gospel (Good News) of Jesus Christ, even with those who would appear to be its greatest enemy. Just reread Acts 7-9 for a refresher.

Caesar is still Caesar

I don't know what election year this particular image is supposed to depict, and I don't know exactly how yesterday's election changed the colors; but one thing I do know is the CAESAR IS STILL CAESAR. There is a lot of celebrating in the US of A today, and rightfully so. Liberty, freedom, the Constitution, free enterprise, government of, by and for the people have all made their voices heard in the polling places around the country. Messages have been sent to the establishment. In some cases, righteousness has actually won the day. I praise God for this, even as I know that CAESAR IS STILL CAESAR.

It matters some whether Caesar is colored red or blue, for the heart of the king (Caesar - whether he be self-appointed or democratically elected) is in the hand of God and He turns it whatsoever way He wills, even like the rivers of water. (Proverbs 21:1). A righteous king (or government) brings blessings to the land and its people and they rejoice, but when the wicked rule, the people groan (Proverbs 29:2). Changing a state's color from blue to red doesn't automatically establish righteousness in government. The people have to desire righteousness and pursue it.

CAESAR IS STILL CAESAR and he will make his demands on the people, and the people must give to CAESAR that which is his. Glory and worship are not CAESAR'S no matter how much he may portray himself as a god. As it is written, "Worship the Lord your God and serve Him only." (Matthew 4:10). In worshipping the One True God and serving Him only, one is constantly challenged. Yesterday in Colorado, the home of a number of large, well-known ministries (i.e. Focus on the Family) there was an item on the ballot entitled "Amendment 62." If passed, it would have declared personhood to begin at conception (which is biblically correct and therefore righteous), conferring to babies in the womb all of the rights and privileges granted to any other person under the Colorado Constitution. The measure failed to pass by about 70% to 30%.

So even where the people have spoken (the people in CT for example do not have a right to speak as did the people in Colorado), unrighteousness still prevails. Unfortunately, little babies in the womb are being killed in red states as well as blue states. Every state in the union runs red with the blood of innocent babies. So Christian, you and I have a lot of work to do and it should include the following:

1. PRAY. Paul did not distinguish which kind of king merited our prayers; he just said, "Pray." "I urge you first of all, that requests, prayers, intercession and thanksgiving be made for every-one--for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peaceful and quiet lives in all godliness and holiness." (1 Timothy 2:1-2).

2. Live godly and holy lives, whether we can do that in peace or not, remembering these other words from Paul, "...everyone who wants to live a godly life in Christ Jesus will be persecuted." (2 Timothy 3:12) There will always be those who persecute the godly. It's a terrible thing when its the government that is doing the persecuting.

3. In godliness and holiness we must cry out in behalf of those who have no voice. David was able to cry out to God to save him from bloodthirsty men because he had a voice. He was able to declare, "Evening, morning and noon I cry out in distress, and He hears my voice." (Psalm 55:17) Babies in the womb often have no voice but yours and mine.

4. Jesus has not yet put a halt to the Great Commission (Matthew 28:19-20). Continue to proclaim the Good News with your life and with your words. When they are in harmony, the song is beautiful. When you stand as a witness in front of an abortuary, you are not just proclaiming the sanctity of life, but you are offering hope, love, forgiveness and salvation to troubled Moms and Dads as well. Thousands of salvations have taken place in the vicinity of the killing places as the theology of the church becomes the biography of the streets.

5. Stay involved. Find was to practically apply the words of Jesus when He said, "You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men. You are the light of the world. A city on a hill cannot be hidden. Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl, instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house." (Matthew 5:13-15)

That should keep us busy until the next election.........

Be encouraged - No matter who thinks they are king, Jesus is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

World News Through the Third Lens: The Value of a Life

Today being the ninth anniversary of the 9-11-01 attacks on American soil, there has been much written and said about what happened that day, vis-a-vis the degree to which religious tolerance is part of the bedrock of this nation, the proposed burning of the Koran by a small Florida church and the planned construction of a mega-mosque within two blocks of Ground Zero in Manhattan. I do not think for one second that I can compete with the rhetoric that has been expended on these topics. Yet I am stirred in my heart to write something that might be of value to someone. In my attempt at that, I will be abandoning the normal format of this blog in favor of stringing together some thoughts which in total I pray might glorify God and encourage the soul of a fellow pilgrim.

Ground Zero has taken on an aura of holy ground over the years, probably because of the magnitude of the tragedy that occurred there nine years ago. That's usually the case with us fallen people; we tend to place some unknown value on a human life, and then multiply it by the number of lives lost. Yet this leaves us with just a "bigger" unknown value, but because it is "bigger," more honor should be given. Consequently, when almost 3,000 people died on September 11, 2001; in the following years a complicated formula would be devised to determine the value of each particular life.

Much has been said of those who died that day: innocent, hero, unlucky, in the wrong place at the wrong time, selfless. With the exception of the 19 individuals who hijacked the 4 aircraft, everyone else probably was innocent with respect to having done nothing which justified the taking of their lives by another. Bible truth declares however that "There is none righteous, no, not one..." (Psalms 14:1; Romans 3:10); "....for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God..." (Romans 2:23). And then, "For the wages of sin is death...." (Romans 6:23a). So no one who died on that die could claim innocence in the sense that they deserved to avoid death.

So the innocence of those who died should not have been a factor in their worth. It must have been the huge numbers. Because over 300 firefighters died that day, their individual lives must have been worth more than the lives of the three who died a week or so earlier while fighting a fire. (I hope you sensed the sarcasm). The families of the three collected maybe $150,000 - $200,000 total while the value of each one who died on 9-11 was worth well in excess of $1,000,000. This just shows how flawed the human system is. The Bible states clearly that every soul is of equal value to God. It's apparent in perhaps the most well-known passage of Scripture in the New Testament: "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." (John 3:16).

"Whoever" is the word which clearly indicates the value of each and every life. The Bible says that God "...is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance." (2 Peter 3:9). This repentance involves acknowledging our own personal sin and that Jesus is the only one who can save us. "Nor is there salvation in any other name under heaven given among men by which men must be saved." (Acts 4:12). Allah cannot save; Mohamed cannot save; Buddha cannot save; and man surely cannot save himself. If this sounds condemning, please listen to the words of Jesus. "For God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved. He who believes in Him is not condemned; but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:17-18).

Islam is a lie, and none who follow it will be saved from sin and allowed to enjoy eternal life. Buddhism is a lie, and none who follow it will be saved. Secular humanism is a lie, and none who follow it will be saved. I'm not going to make a statement that Christianity is the truth and all who follow it will live because Christianity exists today in many aberrant forms. I will say what Jesus said: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me." (John 14:6). True Christians follow Jesus as both Savior and Lord. When it comes to the lordship of Jesus Christ it is important to remember His words: "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven." (Matthew 7:21).

True repentance involves a yielding of ones ways to the ways of God. It is a false belief within false Christianity that you can profess Jesus as Savior and wilfully say "No!" to Him as Lord. You can be forgiven every sin, big or little, when you come to Him in repentance; but you cannot use a cloak of "Christianity" as a license to do whatever you want. While it is the truth which sets people free, it is complete futility (or worse) to try to stamp out everything that is opposed to the truth. Truth will always stand on its own. So Christians do not fight Islam by burning the Koran (a book of lies) but rather by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with Muslims. Christians do not fight abortion by shooting abortionists, but by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ with them and those who seek their services. Christians do not fight the assault on the sanctity of marriage by degrading gays, but by sharing with them the Good News of Jesus Christ.

What is the value of a life? Every human life is so valuable that, "inasmuch then as the children [you and me] have partaken of flesh and blood, He Himself [Jesus Christ] likewise shared in the same, that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil, and release those who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." (Hebrews 2:14-15). Now Jesus is able to say, "I am He who lives, and was dead, and behold, I am alive forevermore. Amen." (Revelation 1:18). His life and His death and His resurrection alone are able to save. It is this truth which needs to be spoken and lived.

World News Through the Third Lens: America's Problems Are Moral, Not Financial

A posting from the Center for Bio-Ethical Reform (CBR)stated today that America's problems are moral, not financial. They then went on to cite the Tea Party Movement (TPM) as being a reflection of America's discontentment with the the direction this country is going, while stating that the TPM doesn't go far enough. They stated that with few exceptions, the TPM fails to address the greatest human-rights tragedy of our day - the abortion of pre-born children. I agree completely with this statement.

CBR went on to say that this September they are going to be displaying large photos of aborted pre-born babies on truck mounted billboards in key gubernatorial and Senate states, such as Pennsylvania, Illinois, Indiana, Florida, and Ohio. Fr. Frank Pavone, Director of Priests for Life and a CBR board member is wholeheartedly behind this effort. I applaud this effort as well as the efforts of such dedicated organizations as Operation Save America. Please God, may the shedding of innocent blood end in this country, now!

Through the third lens of Scripture: The Bible is so clear and simple on this issue that it sounds almost trite to restate it; yet I declare this to be the absolute truth as revealed by the Holy Word of God - life is sacred from conception until natural death. In fact the idea of death of any sort is so contrary to the will and nature of God that in His great love for the world, He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him would not perish, but have everlasting life.

Regarding life in the womb, God has this to say: Speaking to Jeremiah as He called him to be a prophet of Israel, "Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born I set you apart; I appointed you as a prophet to the nations." (Jeremiah 1:5) King David was given this divine insight which he penned as follows: "For you [God] created my inmost being; you knot me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well....your eyes saw my unformed body..." (Psalm 139:13-14,16)

God, the author and creator of all life has made it clear; it's not a lump of tissue; it's not a problem; it's not a woman's right to privacy' it's not a reproductive health care issue; IT'S A BABY! And this is a very important issue. God states clearly that He detests those who shed innocent blood (Proverbs 6:16-17) and He will exact vengeance because of the shedding of innocent blood (Jeremiah 22:17-19). While abortion may top the list of egregious national sins, it is still a symptom of the wholesale abandonment of righteousness that has occurred in the USA in the past 50+ years. "Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people." (Proverbs 14:34). God bless the people who don't shy away from controversial issues but who seek to promote righteousness on a community and even national level. It has become a huge task and is much more than one issue. Consequently (and this is not a criticism of them), but CBR hasn't gone far enough. The church, the body of Christ, hasn't gone far enough. The standard of truth, which is Jesus Christ and His Gospel has been entrusted to the church but what have we done with it? The answer to that is, "Apparently, not enough!" and is a subject for another day.

In closing, I can only encourage those who claim to be followers of Christ to take up your cross daily, and in denying yourself, make a difference in your world. Bring the truth of the Gospel to bear on an issue that burns in your breast. Our country's problems are many, and like Israel in Jeremiah's day - we may have crossed the line and can only expect judgment. That's not my call - my call is to speak and live the truth as well as I can, by the grace of God....and so is yours.

World News Through the Third Lens: The Love of Money

Trustee: Man owes trust funds $2.2 million read the banner over a one column story on the front page of today's local paper. This blog is not being written to exploit or defame anyone. Decades ago my mother taught me, when looking at someone elses plight, rather than be judgmental, say, "There but for the grace of God go I." I will try to write in that spirit without watering down the truth. I will say that this incident strikes closer to home than most things I read from various news sources because I know many of the parties involved. Needless to say, the whole thing came as a shock.

There is no need to reiterate the number of transgressions that were reported in the article, nor to speculate beyond that which was reported. Rather I would like to use this as a launching pad into a brief look at God's Word. Some people have gone through the Gospels and have concluded that Jesus spoke more about money than He did about any other subject. I can't prove or disprove that, but I can assure you that God does have a lot to say about money.

Through the third lens of Scripture: The very first money Scripture that comes to mind is one that is often misquoted. "For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil..." (1 Timothy 6:10a). Often times the word "love" is left out, incorrectly stating that money itself is a root of all kinds of evil. Money is neutral - it's man's affection for it that leads either to good or evil. The verse goes on to say: "Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs." (1 Timothy 6:10b). So a poor man can be eager for money and live to rue the day he departed from ethics, morals, or even common sense in an attempt to get it. A rich man may succumb to a pattern described by the richest man ever, King Solomon, in these words: "Whoever loves money never has money enough; whoever loves wealth is never satisfied with his income. This too is meaningless." (Ecclesiastes 5:10).

I live in the southeastern part of Connecticut, where in the last 15 years, two of the largest casinos in the world have arisen out of the ashes of an industrial-military economy now only a shadow of its former self. During this period of time there have been many accounts of fiduciary accounts in the hands of lawyers and accountants being mishandled; trustees of the public treasuries caught embezzling funds, and non-profits being ripped off by their treasurers - often to feed or cover up a heavy involvement in gambling. I don't know whether today's reported incident has a gambling connection or not, but some of the money being held in trust for certain beneficiaries was loaned (without collateral) to a former chairman of the tribe which owns one of the afore mentioned casinos. Here's just one of many biblical warnings to those who seek to get rich quick (the desire which fuels the gambling industry): "A faithful man will be richly blessed, but one eager to get rich will not go unpunished." (Proverbs 28:20).

To bring this little blog to a conclusion, a trust account was created because one man worked hard and shrewdly, yet he went the way of all flesh and left his wealth to another. "For all can see that wise men die; the foolish and the senseless alike perish and leave their wealth to others." (Psalm 49:10). A successful accountant was charged with managing the trust for the benefit of its beneficiaries. It appears that, although he was successful and wealthy in his own right, that the desire for more clouded his judgment and his ethics were tossed to the wind. "People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction." (1 Timothy 6:9).

I've learned some of my lessons the hard way, and I've learned some of them by sticking to God's Word. I've come to prefer the latter; so I pass this on to you, the reader, with hope that by following the Lord's instructions, you will be blessed. "Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment. Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds and to be generous and willing to share. In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life." (1 Timothy 6:17-19). And to those who have blown it, there is a word of encouragement: "If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness." (1 John 1:9).

World News Through the Third Lens: A Calculated Deception

"President's Rhetoric = Calculated Deception" reads the headline of an article written by former White House policy advisor, Peter Ferrara, as posted on www.onenewsnow.com website. Ferrara accuses the president of "playing" the American public, and to prove his point he cites remarks made at a stump speech in Nevada recently. He quotes Obama as saying: "You know, when we were trying to pass the healthcare reform bill, everybody talked about all these scary results that were going to come out of the health bill. And now look; we passed it three, four months ago, and where are all these scary results they were talking about?"

Ferrara is quick to point out that the provisions of the healthcare reform bill don't kick in until 2014, meaning that the effects of those changes won't be recognized for several years; which causes him to ponder out loud: "Just how stupid does he (Obama) think we are?" He further adds that manipulation is a problematic leadership tool that Obama uses to get his way. Ferrara concludes that once again the American public has been shamefully manipulated by "calculated deception" because Obama thinks we're too stupid to pay attention.

Through the Third Lens of Scripture: There's a whole sermon's worth of Scriptures I could use through which we can view the above news item; but I'll refer to only a few. First, I would like to remind President Obama and all of his cronies that the Scriptures are filled with warnings against such brazen audacity. "There are six things the Lord hates, seven that are detestable to Him: haughty eyes, a lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood [such as via the abortion provisions that are still in the healthcare reform, despite executive orders], a heart that devises wicked schemes....." (Proverbs 6:16 - 18) How about this one? "Pride goes before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall." (Proverbs 16:18) And one more from the New Testament, after Paul has reminded Christ followers of what happened to disobedient Israel: "So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall." (1 Corinthians 10:12)

I hope you realize that these admonitions from Scripture (hence from God Almighty) are not just for President Obama, but for all of us. However, there is a scriptural principle that is applicable here: "Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful." (1 Corinthians 4:2) Now, as concerning deceitful or manipulative speech, here is one warning out of many: "These are the things you are to do: speak the truth to each other and render true and sound judgment in your courts." (Zechariah 8:16) Faithfully adhering to such high standards is impossible without help from God, whether you're the President or Joe the plumber. Perhaps that will help guide your prayers.

World News Through the Third Lens: Why Read the Bill

Congressman John Conyers: "Why read the bill?

I know this is old news, but it is as relevant as today's headlines, and the Word of God is timeless. Jesus said, "Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away." (Mark 13:31) In the spirit of this blog, I will keep it brief and simple, trusting that you, the reader will be able to grasp the principle and then apply it.

In May, 2009, Representative John Conyers (D-MI), chairman of the House Judiciary Committee addressed the National Press Club concerning the then, proposed Healthcare Reform Bill. When questioned about reading the bill, he remarked, "What good is reading the bill if its a thousand pages and you don't have two days and two lawyers to find out what it means after you read the bill?"

Yesterday, July 15, 2009 the Dodd-Frank Financial Reform Bill passed the senate and is awaiting the president's sure signature. This bill is reported to be over 2,000 pages long, doing precious little to correct atrocities at Freddie Mac and Fannie Mae, while imposing several restrictions on your local/community bank which had precious little to do with the financial meltdown. I suppose that would take 4 days to read and 4 lawyers to tell you what it meant.

Through the Third Lens of Scripture: Jesus said, referring to the then Jewish custom of swearing by things thought to possess various degrees of holiness, and the thus complicated system of swearing oaths which would then carry all sorts of loop holes and escape hatches if only ordinary language was used. While Jesus was not condemning the need to sometimes explain or equivocate, He did leave us with a good principle which should be applied to the making of laws. "But let your 'Yes' be 'Yes' and your 'No.' 'No.' For whatever is more than these is from the evil one." (Matthew 5:37)

14th Century English logician, theologian and Franciscan friar, William of Occam, developed a principle that came to be known as Occam's Razor. In essence it said that "entities must not be multiplied beyond necessity." The popular interpretation of that came to be, over the years, that the simplest explanation is usually the correct one. While there may be exceptions to that principle, I will leave you to ponder how Jesus' statement and Occam's razor might apply to our political system, and perhaps even to your relational life. God bless!