Rick Warren on Larry King

 

NOTE: Read this article from the Baptist Banner which fills in gaps in the King interview

 

I know this has made the rounds. For those who stand for traditional marriage, this is an important segment to watch. This man is a pastor and marriage is “not even his agenda?” He even calls himself an evangelical? The Bible tells us that we will give an accounting of all our idle words. These words are not merely foolish things we’ve said, but also things that we shouldn’t have said that is contrary to the Word of God. Rick Warren, as will Charlie Fugate and everyone else for that matter, will give an accounting for his stance.

What is not mentioned here is that Warren did indeed meet with his congregation and express support for Prop 8. Which is it Pastor Warren? Yes or no. Do you support gay marriage or traditional marriage.

 

 

If you notice the crawler at the bottom, people come out for and against Mr. Warren’s stance. It’s a mixed bag.

Disrespect for authority

I believe that when authority is corrupt, there is no authority. However, this young man blatantly breached his “contract” with his school and I have no sympathy for him at all. He’s cashing in on a decision to break the rules. He knew going in that this was part of the school’s position. His parents could have disagreed and went elsewhere.

During an interview with Harry Smith, Frost explained that his private Christian school does have a contract stipulating "no dancing." However, he didn't believe it should include dancing outside of school. So, despite a stiff warning from his principal, he went to his girlfriend's prom at another school. He has since been suspended and won't be allowed to take his final exams on time or graduate with the rest of his class.

It’s not been so long ago that we had a president who did away with inaugural balls because his conscience forbade him to dance. I’m not saying dancing is bad, but when your school sets policy guidelines and then you intentionally break those guidelines, you get what you deserve(please note the bold sentence above.) This young Mr. Frost is paying the price for breaking the rules. Isn’t that what our society is predicated on? The rule of law? Sure, this isn’t public law. However, for this school, this rule was law.

Abingdon National Day of Prayer Ceremony

I’ve just returned from the National Day of Prayer ceremony in downtown Abingdon. The attendance was about average for an event at midday during the week. That said, here are a few observations:

 

1.) President Obama and the Congress were tops on the prayer lists of almost everyone there. Sure, there were those who asked for policies to be reversed but the prayers reflected a genuine concern for our nation

 

2.) Each prayer began with a request that the individual(giving the prayer) be revived and rejuvenated to participate in the public life of our nation. There are matters where compromise is amenable, but on matters relating to core beliefs, there can be no room for compromise. (emphasis mine, not the event)

3.) There was ONLY ONE elected official who accepted the invitation to be a part of the event. Delegate Joe P. Johnson of the 4th HOD district. Boucher? Nope. None of the county BOS bothered to show up. I respect Delegate Johnson and appreciate his attendance.

4.) There were no partisan comments directed at a particular party. This event was organized, presented and attended by concerned Christians in our community and county.

5.) A genuine attitude of fellowship and friendship exists in the religious life of Washington County.

If you had a chance to attend an event near you, I trust that your experience was as humbling and moving as mine was.

The Erwins – Come Join the Family

NOTE: Yes, Brother Dennis is playing a right-handed guitar, left handed. How he does it, I’ll never know.

 

This family is currently holding revival services at Rosedale Baptist Church, my home church. I’ve known the Erwins for almost ten years. There’s nothing like that good old family harmony.

Barna: Libs vs. Cons in matters of Faith

This will come as little surprise to anyone, but a recent survey showed a significant difference in practice and concept in matters of faith between liberals and conservatives.  I’ll highlight a few important points.

 

Based upon an evaluation of more than a dozen religious beliefs of liberals and conservatives, consistent and significant differences are evident. Liberals are less than half as likely as conservatives to firmly believe that the Bible is totally accurate in all of the principles it teaches (27% versus 63%, respectively); to strongly believe that Satan is real (17% versus 36%); and to firmly contend that they have a personal responsibility to share their religious beliefs with others (23% versus 48%).

The saying goes, there are lies, damned lies and statistics. However, this general conclusion seems to be fairly accurate as we see social values that used to be put into practice on a daily basis by Christians are being overwhelmed by the liberal mindset.

 

The Religious Practices of Liberals and Conservatives

The Barna study examined five specific religious practices and found that conservatives were more likely than liberals to engage in all five. In a typical week, the survey showed that conservatives were more likely than liberals to:

• read the Bible, other than at church events, during the past week (57% vs. 33%, respectively)
• attend a religious service during the past week (62% vs. 35%)
• pray to God, other than at a religious service, during the past week (91% vs. 76%)
• share their religious beliefs with others, during the past year (56% vs. 39%, among the born again Christians interviewed from each segment)
• have ever participated in a short-term missions trip, either within the U.S. or in another country (12% vs. 6%)

The research also revealed that liberals are twice as likely as conservatives to be categorized as “unchurched” (40% vs. 19%, respectively), while conservatives were twice as likely as liberals to be categorized as having an “active faith” (45% vs. 21%, respectively, defined as having read the Bible, attended a religious service and prayed to God during the past week).

I believe that when the rubber meets the road and its time to put up or shut up, liberals are just not as religiously inclined as conservatives are. This includes personal beliefs and in the practice of said religion. According to the survey something extraordinary occurs.

 

“Liberals appear to place a greater emphasis upon self-reliance and what they personally accomplish than upon faith alone or intense participation in a community of faith,” Barna explained. “They also seem less inclined to trust the Bible as a moral authority or source of truth, and have less involvement in some type of personal relationship with their god.”

When listening to the typical liberal rhetoric, they claim it is all about community when in fact, they appear to be the most selfish among us. A Biblically based and practiced Christianity is THE prime of example of community in our nation. My personal experience has been that when liberals talk about community, they are more inclined to talk about labor unions, left collectivism and so-called community co-ops.  My suggestion? Come to church on Sunday morning and see real community in action.