I started to begin this article by saying,”I’m shocked at the hatred and intolerance of the liberals”, but then I realized that would be a lie—I’ve known how they feel for a long time.  The motivation for this article comes from some comments regarding hurricane Isaac. Actor, Samuel L. Jackson said, in language that I can’t repeat, that it was unfair that the GOP convention was spared from the hurricane and that he was “not understanding God’s plan”.

Actress Ellen Barkin was even more blunt. She said,in part,”C’mon Isaac! Wash every pro-life—gay-bashing, racist SOB right into the ocean!—the RNC”. Why is it that we Christians get accused of being intolerant when they libs and unbelievers are the most intolerant of all? If anyone has a right to cry “Foul” it’s us. They are wishing for people to be drown.

Their filthy rants and death wishes don’t surprise me. I expect that from the Hollywood crowd and liberal politicians, etc. What amazes me is the attitude of people who support those people—-O wait–that doesn’t amaze me either! They have a long track record of hateful intolerance. They are the ones who made these people popular and put them in office. They’re the tree that produced the fruit–rotten as it is.

So I guess I’m not shocked by anything about this (Maybe just a bit that the hurricane hits the same place on the anniversary of Katrina –but that’s another matter and entirely God’s business). But I am brokenhearted to think that a large portion of our population is in their camp. Our beloved nation is in deep trouble, and if good people sit back and do nothing we are doomed.

The up-coming election is a line drawn in the sand and many have their feet planted firmly on both sides and nothing will move them. Even logic and reason won’t persuade some people. The only people we are able to reach those who are standing aside and looking at the line. There are a large number of nice sweet people who just don’t know what to do or if they should even do anything other than just watch the world go by. If we sound the alarm, engage them in conversation, converse with a sweet spirit and keep at it, we can reach some of them. God forbid that we do anything less! This could possibly be a last chance opportunity to turn the tide. Think about it!

The following article was written by Bro. Fred Scott, a member of Lakeway Baptist Church. What he has to say should be given serious consideration–especially in the light of the upcoming election.

Big & bad?

Sheer speculation of course, but, in certain countries in this hemisphere, election results have been declared null and void because the party in power refused to relinquish the office of president/dictator. On that note;

What if; elections were set aside due to an eminent threat; martial law declared and enforced by an all-volunteer mercenary armed forces. (the definition of “Mercenary” is a paid-for-services soldier) it is unfortunate that the concept of citizen-soldier was abandoned in the later part of the twentieth century after being the manner of staffing our military since 1775. When you go to an army-for-hire, what you may wind up with is an army that is loyal only to the check writer, not the COUNTRY.

I would hate to see a scenario like that appear in this country, but ever since 9-11, our country has been gearing toward looking at civilians as the enemy. (Review the “Homeland Security Act”) it is downright scary to think that such a thing could come about, but with those who seem bent on controlling every aspect of our lives, economy, health-care, etc., it does not seem too far-fetched.

Don’t get me wrong, I am not a “conspiracy theorist” nutcase, but I can see where the grasp of unlimited power can so intoxicate, that whatever the intentions, the primary one could be to hold on to that power at all costs.

I hope all this is totally wrong. I hope that no kind of action would ever be taken against our average citizen for exercising his constitutional rights of freedom of religion, freedom of expression, the right to peaceably assemble, the right to redress for wrongs committed, etc., yet I fear that inroads have already been made toward that end. Notice the furor brought about by MEDIA AND GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS when the founder of Chik-fil-a, a PRIVATE COMPANY, PRIVATELY OWNED, dared to speak up about what his RELIGIOUS BELIEFS are.

A set-up job? YES UNDOUBTEDLY. He didn’t call a press conference to announce he was against gay marriage. He was BAITED into stating what they KNEW his beliefs were, as a professing Christian and Southern Baptist. (You think they expected him to LIE? Just because they would have?) He answered by first stating these were his PERSONAL BELIEFS, and they turned that into a very PUBLIC condemnation, as if he had been out campaigning to cancel all civil rights for gays.

Who says the media doesn’t MAKE (up) the news.

The conclusion is as easy as drawing a line between the dots on a comics page puzzle. YOU WILL BE CONDEMNED FOR WHAT YOU THINK; FOR WHAT YOU BELIEVE; FOR WHAT YOU SAY; NO MATTER WHAT THE CONSTITUTION SAYS, IF YOU FAIL TO ADOPT THE PARTY APPROVED POSITION.

It is indeed a slippery slope that once begun, becomes easier to descend and harder to climb out of.

Can anyone see a parallel to the former Soviet Union under Stalin? To the communists regimes in Red China, Cambodia, North Korea, Myanmar (Burma), Vietnam, and even back as far as the Fascist dictatorships of WWII.

If you value your life, you won’t speak out, because even your children will be coaxed into turning you in.

Yes, it is indeed a scary thing. I feel like we all need to pray constantly, because God is our only hope of saving the country that most Americans love, and only a few seem to recognize the danger.

I know, you get tired of hearing negative stuff like this. I understand–I get tired of writing stuff like this. But I suspect our troops get tired of going off to war, but sometimes you just have to do what needs to be done rather than what you enjoy doing. When there’s a job to be done, the question isn’t “Will it be fun and easy?”, but “What do I do?”. Safety demands vigilance, so we must be forever alert and active.

I read a lot of things that bless my heart and some things that break my heart. I just finished reading an article that did the latter–another case of a fallen preacher, the pastor of one of the largest churches in the world, an independent Baptist church. He was dismissed by the church “due to a sin that has caused him to forfeit his right to be—pastor”. We now know what that sin was, but I am not going to mention it or his name. But I do want to say something that might bring some good out of this tragedy.

As I read the sad story, I couldn’t help but think about all the people who have been and will be affected by this man’s sin. Thousands upon thousands have been hurt, a marriage might be destroyed, a church and a college have been crippled because of it, and Christianity as a whole has been given another black-eye. The enemies of Christ are having a field day with it, as you would expect.

Sin would be bad enough if no one but the guilty party was hurt by it, but that’s never the case. When we sin we always hurt others. We grieve God and, in some way hurt others. We need to think about that the next time we’re tempted to yield to some temptation. Here’s something else we ought to remember. In nearly every instance you can see it coming. For example, when the Bible says, “Pride goeth before destruction, and a haughty spirit before a fall”(Proverbs 16:18) and you observe pride in a person, you can predict what lies ahead. You might not know what the nature of the sin will be, but it’s just a matter of time until his pride takes him into sin, sin that brings about a fall and destruction.

Not only is that true in regards to others, it is true of us as well. It is for that reason that we should be constantly examining ourselves, ever looking for the tale-tell signs of sin. And since pride is in some way associated with every sin, we should be especially on guard against it. By the way–one of the first signs of pride is the attitude that says, “I would never do that!”. Those who think like that are in grave danger (1 Cor. 10:12). Assuming you are better, smarter, or stronger than others is a fool’s game, an indicator that you are on dangerous ground. What happened to others could happen to you, or me.

Having been in that church and familiar with it for over 40 years, and familiar with the man involved, I knew in my heart that things would not end well. I could see it coming and it did— now if I can only be as careful in examining myself, and guarding my own heart, by the grace of God I can avoid the failure in my life. It is to that end that I pray. Think about it!

As we face the challenges of living in a corrupt and confused world many folks are scrambling to find answers, advice, guidance, and encouragement. They read everything they can find related to the things that interest or trouble them. However, a great many people are uninformed or misinformed. Some even thing they have it all figured out, even though they are ignorant of the truth and usually very intolerant of those who disagree.

Chances are, if you’re reading this, you are a well-informed Christian. You love God and country and are a Bible- believer. If that’s the case, God wants to use you. God has given you a voice and we all have a circle of influence– family and friends, people we come into contact with on a regular basis. God wants you to reach them and teach them–not always an easy job. Yet it is of great importance.

Many issues are far too important for us to just sit back in silence and let nature take its course. We are to be salt and light to the world around us. We must speak out! Considering the condition of our country and the position of those without Christ why wouldn’t we? How could we not speak out? Why would we remain silent? You’ve heard it said,”Silence is golden”, yes, but sometimes it is cowardly! Worse than that, silence in a time of crisis is sinful.

The Bible tells us that we “should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints”(Jude 3). We have a Divine mandate to make our voices heard. I’m not talking about ranting and raving, arguing rudely, often without any facts, to win people over to our preferences. I’m talking about “speaking the truth in love”(Eph. 4:15) from a kind heart of genuine concern for others, and using the Bible as the basis for our counsel.

We won’t win everyone over to the side of truth, but we will reach some. Even if our efforts seem to fail, God will bless them in some way. Speaking out is the right thing to do and God always blesses faithfulness. It might be in ways we cannot see, but make no mistake about it, your effort will be rewarded—God has promised.

Don’t expect things to change for the better unless you are willing to make your voice heard. You can bet the other side isn’t going to remain silent, neither should we. Christian values are being attacked on every side and we shouldn’t just sit back and take it, appearing to have no answers for their foolish arguments. I was greatly encouraged to see the response to “Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day”. Thank God for those who said “We’re not going to take it anymore. We’re going to stand on the side of truth and against those things that are wrong”. Now let’s keep up the good work of speaking out. We have what could be the most important election in our history as a nation coming up and there’s a lot that needs to be said. You can make a difference, one person at a time, but you must speak out. I believe you will. It won’t always be easy and it will never be popular, but it is our duty to make the truth known. May God help us to not fail!