Have yourself a Hopey little Changemas

By MARK STEYN

Syndicated columnist

"See the USA in your Chevrolet!" trilled Dinah Shore week after week on TV.

Can you still see the USA in your Chevrolet? Through a windscreen darkly.

General Motors now has a market valuation about a third of Bed, Bath & Beyond, and no one says your Swash 700 Elongated Biscuit Toilet Seat Bidet is too big to fail. GM has a market capitalization of about $2.4 billion. For purposes of comparison, Toyota's market cap is $100 billion and change (the change being bigger than the whole of GM). General Motors, like the other two geezers of the Old Three, is a vast retirement home with a small money-losing auto subsidiary. The UAW is AARP in an Edsel: It has three times as many retirees and widows as "workers" (I use the term loosely). GM has 96,000 employees but provides health benefits to a million people.

How do you make that math add up? Not by selling cars: Honda and Nissan make a pretax operating profit per vehicle of around $1,600; Ford, Chrysler and GM make a loss of $500 to $1,500. That's to say, they lose money on every vehicle they sell. Like Henry Ford said, you can get it in any color as long as it's red.

In the 20th century, most advanced nations made automobiles but only America made them mythic: "Drive the USA in your Chevrolet!" sang Dinah. "America's the greatest land of all!" America had road movies. With car chases. Thelma and Louise drove their vehicle off the cliff and, unlike the Old Three, they didn't demand American taxpayers come along for the ride. But, if you didn't want to hit the open road, you could just hang around, being cool. In Chuck Berry's immortal quatrain:

"Riding along in my automobile

My baby beside me at the wheel

Cruising and playing the radio

With No Particular Place To Go."

Not if you were a European teen. Cruising was an American activity. A Saturday night out for a Brit meant hanging around at a rain-streaked bus shelter hoping the night service would show up. Even if you had a particular place to go, you had no means of getting there.

So many areas of endeavor that once embodied the youth and energy of this great land are now old and sclerotic. I include, naturally, my own industry. I loved the American newsrooms you saw in movies like "The Front Page," full of hard-boiled, hard-livin' newspapermen. By the time I got there myself, there were no hard-boiled newspapermen, just bland, anemic newspaperpersons turning out politically correct snooze sheets of torpid portentousness. The owner of The Los Angeles Times and Chicago Tribune recently filed for bankruptcy protection. The New York Times is mortgaging its office to fund debt repayment. The Detroit Free Press is cutting out home delivery except on Thursdays, Fridays and Sundays, thereby further depressing sales of delivery trucks in the Motor City.

The newspapers blame the Internet, just as Detroit blames Japan. But the Japanese have problems of their own. One day they'll get theirs. That's the beauty of capitalism. Nothing is forever. The big railroad barons smoking cigars and enjoying pheasant under glass in the dining car on the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe thought Henry Ford was a schmuck. Who'd want to ride around in that thing? Next thing you know, everyone's getting their kicks on Route 66:

"You'll see Amarillo

Gallup, New Mexico

Flagstaff, Arizona

Don't forget Winona

Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino."

Ah, California. The Golden State! To a penniless immigrant named Arnold Schwarzenegger, it was a land of plenty. Now Arnold is an immigrant of plenty in a penniless land. What's the motto on the license plates? "Ah'll be back …for more of your money!" In California you don't have to be an orange to have your pips squeezed. The Terminator makes Gray Davis look like Calvin Coolidge. Care to terminate a government program, Governor? Hey, great idea! We'll hire 200 people to do an impact study on terminating the Department of Impact Study Regulation and get back to you in a decade. And when Gov. Girlyman has run out of state taxpayers to fleece for his ever-more-bloated bureaucracy, he'll go to Washington to plead for a federal bailout of Cantaffordya.

California! The state that symbolizes the American Dream! If you can make it there, you'll make it anywhere!

No, wait, that's New York. "This is the worst fiscal downturn since the Great Depression," announced New York Gov. Paterson. So what's he doing? Why, he's bringing in the biggest tax hike in New York history. If you can make it there, you'll be paying state tax on it, sales tax, municipal tax, a doubled beer tax, a tax on clothing, a tax on cab rides, an "iTunes tax" on downloads from the Internet, a tax on haircuts, 137 new tax hikes in all. Call Albany today and order your new package of tax forms, for just $199.99, plus 12 percent tax on tax forms and 4 percent tax-form application fee partially refundable upon payment of the 7.5 percent tax-filing tax. If you can make it there, you'll certainly have no difficulty making it in Tajikistan.

Hey, and who needs to make it therewhen you can just get appointed there? Gov. Paterson is said to be considering appointing Princess Caroline of Kennedy to Hillary Clinton's vacant Senate seat. After two and a third centuries of republican experiment, America has finally worked its way back to the House of Lords.

"Friends Say Kennedy Has Long Wanted Public Role," Anne Kornblut assured readers in an in-depth Washington Post tongue-bath. She hasn't "long wanted" it to the extent of, you know, running for dog catcher in Lackawanna and getting – what's the word? – "elected," but, if you have a spare Senate seat, she's graciously indicated that she'd be prepared to consider accepting it. As lady-in-waiting Anne Kornblut pointed out, Caroline is highly qualified, being "the author of several books." It's true! She's an experienced poetry editor. She edited "The Best-Loved Poems Of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis." Jackie Kennedy wrote poems? Of course! She wrote so many poems that some are better loved than others.

See the USA from your Chevrolet: An hereditary legislature, a media fawning its way into bankruptcy, its iconic coastal states driving out innovators and entrepreneurs, the arrival of the new Messiah heralded only by the leaden dirge of "We Three Kings Of Ol' Detroit Are/Seeking checks we traverse afar," and Route 66 looking ever more like a one-way dead-end street to Bailoutistan. Boy, I sure could use a poem by Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis right now, even one of the lesser-loved ones.

"I feel like I lost my country," the Hudson Institute's Herbert London said the other day, wondering whatever happened to the land of opportunity and dynamism. But I'm more of an optimist. Maybe Princess Caroline will be appointed CEO of GM and all will be well. Or maybe Bed, Bath & Beyond will put wheels on the Swash 700 Elongated Biscuit Toilet Seat Bidet.

And on that cheery note let me wish you a very Hopey Changemas.

Brothers and Sisters in Christ carry no Denomination

God is raising the bar for believers. Unfortunately there is no denominational label that allows who makes it over the bar or not. Sheep and Goats, Light from darkness, Good from evil.

He is separating his people from those who are not his people. I have been writing about this. It's sloppy Christianity couched in terms of unity and ecumenicalism. The only true ecumenicalism is those who are his, who revere his name above the opinions of men, those who will cling to Jesus before the name that is on their church door.

As a fundamental full Bible Believing (Genesis to Maps) pentecostal (I don't know how else to define myself) I find myself in more spiritual unity with Conservative Catholics, Conservative Anglicans, Conservative (not confessional) Lutherans and of course many other very conservative groups in evangelical and pentecostal circles than I do with most so called evangelical and mainline churches. They have drifted somewhere I will not go.

The Conservative Bible Believing Christians from these groups seem to gravitate to the same voices I do. We are hearing God speak thru his servants. To hear a Catholic Priest confirm the word of the Lord from Bob Jones is a wonder to behold. It seems like we are all coming into a convergence that is a miracle. Maybe it is because we are so hated by the world and by compromising evangelicals.

Everyone seems to be a theologian now. Particularly the left. They seem to be ready to "Instruct" the rest of us miscreant Christians who actually READ and BELIEVE the Bible cover to cover. Even if it's amusing, for those of you who want to actually reach your culture, being like them is not the way to do it. Stand for something. Rise up. Wake up.

For evidence of this look at the comments from this post about Rick Warren:

In an interview tonight on Dateline NBC, Ann Curry asks Rick Warren if he is homophobic. He laughs a little obnoxiously in response, which seems to tick Ann off. She then asks him if he would change his position on homosexuality if science were to find it was "natural." He responded with this: "No, and the reason why is because we all have biological predispositions. I’m naturally incline to have sex with every beautiful woman I see. But that doesn’t mean its the right thing to do." As NB notes, check out Ann’s facials in immediate response to this answer.

Of course the "Theological Left" immediately resorts to the three Sunday school classes they ever attended at the insistence of their parents and the 4 posts on religion they ever read on the internet to give these kinds of "Insights" (my responses in RED):

Let he who is without sin cast the first stone. That leaves out Rick Warren. Lust is a sin, so Rick Warren is a sinner.
YEP, so are you buddy. We all are. So, let the stone casting begin, read on.

The problem with this answer is that Warren seems to be confusing the issue of promiscuity, with one’s sexual orientation.

The Bible, of course, prohibits sexual promiscuity–for anybody. The law nowadays does not; whether or not this is a good thing, consenting adults in the United States are generally permitted to do whatever they like in bed. The exceptions to this resolve around things like prostitution and incest; neither of which are controversies at the moment, and neither of which have to do with sexual orientation.

However, Warren nonetheless has an “outlet” for his natural dispositions–while his faith prohibits him from playing the field; he can find a woman, marry her, and have a fulfilling relationship with her, including sexually.

His interpretation of his faith, however, denies that choice to gays and lesbians–for them, it seems, the only two permissible choices are either a) celibacy, or b) a straight marriage, which may well be unfulfilling to the gay person, and manifestly unfair to his/her spouse.

As a “biblical answer”, Ericka, many people will not wish to accept it–starting with those who are not Christians. The Qu’ran prohibits the consumption of pork and alcohol; do I care? No, as I am not a Muslim, I am not bound by its strictures. And I would object to any attempt to legislate sharia into our civil law.

Warren is, of course, entitled to his opinions; and I much prefer him to crass bigots and frauds like Pat Robertson or the late Jerry Falwell; but “the bible says so” is almost never a good argument in the sphere of secular politics.

The Bible says so, IS a good argument. And I imagine you developed an opinion about Falwell from having watched him all those many years....NOT. And, about NATURAL DISPOSITIONS. They do NOT include sodomy. That is imposed or learned. But that's just my opinion,,,,, and the BIBLE. IF you are going to instruct regarding theology, it might be good to read and understand the original document.

he’s entitled to choose to believe what he does. the problem comes in when he attempts to shove his lifestyle choice down everyone elses throats, and seeks to codify his lifestyle choices into law.

OH, I see, like the homosexual lobby doesn't SHOVE THEIR LIFESTYLE down my throat. Schools, cities, laws all falling in FAVOR of homosex. Stove calling kettle black.

“It’s a simple biblical answer that opponents cannot seem to accept.”

No, it’s not a simple Biblical answer. Picking out isolated verses about “sodomy” - what’s the Hebrew word for ’sodomy’? Greek? How were those words understood in millenia past? - is not a “simple answer.” If a couple odd lines from Leviticus and Paul are a simple answer, then I’m going to have to start keeping my wife and daughter in a tent in the backyard for a few days every month. Because that’s what the Bible says I have to do.

OK, Bibleboy. Why don't you actually study the word. There are a couple dozen strong and clear oppositions to the homosexual lifestyle. But that doesn't matter to you. You have no idea what you are talking about in your reference to the tent.

Rick Warren just does not get it. He is ignorant. A person who is born with an homosexual sexual orientation has just as much a right to marry their same sex partner as heterosexuals have the right to marry.

Sorry, getting IT is asking me to embrace, accept, celebrate and applaud your rebellious open SIN. Not going there and neither should Rick Warren. There is so much wrong with your premise I'll just leave it there.

Why is someone so ignorant re: sexual orientation going to be playing such a high profile role at the inauguration of the President that I fought so had to get elected?

I respect and honor President Elect Obama even more....

Oh, and one other thing, Am I supposed to agree with your assessment of his being ignorant? Nope didn't think so.

I’m not sure why Christians allow themselves to get tangled up in this stuff. We are simply never going to convince the non-believers of the world that restraint has it’s own virtue.

They see restraint only in pragmatic terms, how can there be a meaningful meeting of the minds on this?

This is most likely written by some inclusionist new evangelical that thinks to reach the world we have to be just like them. WOW. That's what this post is all about.

Warren suggests that gay people must “restrain themselves” far above and beyond what straight people must do. If he were denouncing bathhouse culture, I’d have little objection to what he has to say; there are valid reasons to dislike widespread promiscuity.

But he seems to think that the sexual choices available to gays, should be the same as the choices available to straights: Celibacy, or heterosexual marriage. The former is a big sacrifice for anyone to make–outside the priesthood, I don’t know of any adults who are celibate by choice (I know so-called “asexuals” exist; I’ve just never met one). The latter is not acceptable either–anymoreso than you would accept the suggestion that you should have a same-sex relationship. (I’m assuming, of course, that you are straight and have no desires for such).

If the objection is to sexual promiscuity, then gay marriage is an excellent antidote.

But with Warren, and others, the objection is to homosexuality itself.

YES! Sin is Sin, even if you codify it thru marriage. If you want to live in sin, open rebellion, in my face sin, and you want to take it to court to get a civil contract, that's what laws are for. If not, don't try to make what you do seem good or nice. It's not.

But what is sex for?

Pleasure?

Or only for reproduction?

The dystopian sociatey portrayed George Orwell’s 1984 took the latter position, despite having no use for any sort of religion apart from worship of the State itself. The act of lovemaking was feuphemistically called “doing one’s duty to the State”, if my recollection is correct. Much of Catholic theology seems to have reached a similar conclusion–that sex is an innately evil act that is sometimes mitigated by the need of mankind to reproduce.

Other orthodox religious traditions, including other Abrahamic religions, take a different view; holding essentially that married couples can do whatever they want to in bed, for whatever reason they like. Both Hinduism and Islam, which often demand more from their adherents in the name of propriety than does Christianity, make no attempt to restrict the bedroom of the married couple. And even among Christians, as you note, the notion that sex is only for copulation is widely disputed.

In a framework where sex is only intended for copulation, then lots of things, including homosexual sex, can be denounced as evil. But outside that framework–the case becomes far weaker.

At any rate, it is one thing to preach, to advise, to encourage the faithful. It is another to make commands of others, especially when those others may not share the same moral code as you to begin with.

I agree that you do NOT share the same moral code. I won't preach to you. But, the writers and comments on this blog have preached to the believers in the church and sadly some of them have now bought the lie. They are called New Evangelicals. Exposure is needed. I'm doing my part.

Close but no actual cigar

I got this via email yesterday. It's close in it's analysis but not exactly right on. It's true in that we need to as the Church of Jesus meet people's needs temporally with financial management classes. The problem is they can get that kind of counsel anywhere. It isn't the unique factor that will keep them coming back. The unique factor for those who are not aware of the concept is the idea that if you are gonna get it you gotta get it here. Ken Vance. If we get it right we will encourage people to have hope and faith in the GOD who is there in a time where the question is God where are you in my pain.

So, while this is encouraging, and I respect A R Bernard, concentration on worldly answers isn't the unique factor. Jesus is. Anyway, I'm happy that Churches are reaching out to meet needs. Just make sure it's real needs.

Economic Downturn Boosts Church Growth

A study of past recession cycles found that the growth rate among evangelical churches dramatically increased while mainline Protestant churches declined.

[12.17.08] A study last year by economics professor David Beckworth showed that during each recession cycle between 1968 and 2004, the rate of growth among evangelical churches grew by 50 percent, while mainline Protestant churches continued their steady decline. With the economy sinking, more churches are now verifying this trend and seeing remarkable growth The New York Times.

"It's a wonderful time, a great evangelistic opportunity for us," said A.R. Bernard, founder and senior pastor of the Christian Cultural Center in Brooklyn, New York to the Times. "When people are shaken to the core, it can open doors."

The key, many pastors say, is staying relevant with the average churchgoer's biggest concern today-which means offering more insight, guidance and hands-on assistance on money matters. To that extent, churches nationwide have begun financial management classes and opened food pantries, while pastors are delivering more sermons on what the economic downturn means.

"We need to leverage this moment, because every Christian revival in this country's history has come off a period of rampant greed and fear," said Seventh Day Adventist televangelist Don MacKintosh according to the The New York Times. "That's what we're in today-the time of fear and greed." -- http://ministrytodaymag.com

I want to be the new Senator from New York, Or Illinois.....

The crackpot idea that Caroline Kennedy should be appointed by Governor David Patterson to be the next Senator in New York State to replace Hillary Clinton is beyond my comprehension.

Because her name is Kennedy. Face it. That's her total qualifications. Oh and that she is liberal.

The election of Barack Obama proves that qualifications are not a prerequisite for elective or appointed office.

This story questioning Caroline Kennedy's appointment misses the real point they gloss over.

The first question most people ask about Caroline Kennedy's pursuit of Hillary Rodham Clinton's Senate seat is: "Why should she get it just because of her name?"

That's the only time the REAL question is asked in the whole story. The rest is just fluff.

I wonder if there are any genuine journalists left in America??

None that I can see.

So, if we are appointing inexperienced people, I qualify. I've never held elective office. I have VOTED. Something Mrs. Kennedy Schlossberg hasn't done apparently.

Is there no shame?

Liberals and Homosexuals "mourn" the passing of Paul Weyrich

Paul Weyrich was a conservative leader for the last several decades. He was part of the moral majority. He told the truth. Now he's gone. The movement among liberals and inclusionists of the quasi Christians in the USA are now ready to fill this vacuum.

What makes this most interesting is the idea that these people so offended by the existence of Mr Weyrich. Read this article commenting on his passing, but more important read the comments.

It is an illusion to think those hardened hearts will ever allow the Gospel to come in. Only by seeing something truly amazing supernatural will break their hard hearts. Or a supernatural visitation by the Holy Spirit of God. Otherwise our make nice efforts fall on deaf ears.

Yet, that is what liberal evangelicals want to do. Water down the gospel to appeal to this crowd. They have even written a letter to the NEA to fill Richard Cizik's seat with someone with equally liberal views.

Look at the letter 5 dozen "leaders" have written. This idea that by playing NICE we will reach people that are offended by the selection of Rick Warren to Pray for Obama at Inauguration is just blindness.

I don't know what has come over people. I really shake my head in total disbelief.

Saying Goodbye to Susie

We were just with friends as they said goodbye to their dog Susie. Susie was 15 years old. Liver failure it appears.

So we met them at the vet clinic.

They said goodbye, we prayed, we touched. She touched us. It was hard. Painful. Saying Goodbye, even to a dog is painful. I'm not big on Anthropromorphism. It can be taken too far.

I wasn't asked the question except in my heart. When she breathed her last, where did she go?

Heaven. Hell. Purgatory of dogs?

Then I had a sense that she has returned to one who gave her life, the one who spoke her into existence. Is that a place or a being? She doesn't have eternal life or a soul as we do. She is a life none the less and when it ends somehow that constitutes a retrieval of the gift given all of us for a time on this earth. Dogs, Cats and Horses. And ants. I am not quite Albert Schweitzer in not killing insects. But I don't kill even spiders if I don't have to. Life. Precious. A Gift.

She was 105 in people years. Pretty old for dog or person.

Still painful, lots of tears. Lots of goodbye. She was a good dog, liked to come visit me and sit by my chair. I will miss her. But the pain of Goodbye won't allow me to have one again as a pet.

Susie, you were a good dog.

"They don't Love Jesus"

From the Anchoress:

The child you are looking at is Namrata Nayak. Her face was disfigured when when Hindu extremists bombed her home last August, looking to kill Christians.

I am struck by her power and beauty, which is transmitted through her eyes. One does not see the scars for the steadiness and fullness of Namrata Nayak’s eyes.

Her eyes are fearless. She is unintimidated. She looks directly at you, with a collectedness and assurance that only comes from deep interior knowledge. Namrata Nayak knows who she is. At 10 years of age, she understands the world in ways many of us never will, no matter how long we tread the stony paths.

I look at her picture and I see the same transcendent beauty, the same instruction, the same heaven-directed messages that I glean from the written Icons of orthodoxy.

But I will let her speak for herself, because Namrata Nayak does not need anyone to speak for her. Observe her astonishing and heroic witness.

“The world has seen my face destroyed by the fire, now it must come to know my smile full of love and peace…I want to dedicate my life to spreading the Gospel.”

“[W]e forgive the Hindu radicals who attacked us, who burned our homes…They were out of their minds, they do not know the love of Jesus. For this reason, I now want to study so that when I am older I can tell everyone how much Jesus loves us. This is my future.”

And here:
“Christmas is a time to thank the baby Jesus who saved me from the fire and saved my face which was disfigured and wounded…There is so much pain and suffering, and I don’t know how long the special forces will protect us,” she told Asia News. “But Christmas is a time of gratitude. I am afraid that my people will still be attacked, but this is our life. If God has saved me, he can save other Christians too.”

And here:
Namrata…told UCA News she wants to become a missioner to preach Jesus to her enemies, not just her friends. “It was our enemies who made me courageous and committed.”
[...]
Asked if she is afraid of being a Christian, the girl said she not only will remain a Christian but also wants to become a pracharak (preacher). “I want to sing and dance during Christmas, distribute cakes and sweets to everyone, and wish happy birthday to my Jesus.”

Namrata comes by her faith honestly. Here is her mother, Sudhamani: If we leave, we will be wanderers. Christmas brings hope, hope is our only treasure now: we were poor, and now even the little we had has been destroyed. But Christmas means that Christ is born, and every birth means a new life. Jesus came down from heaven to save us from this misery, from the pain, from abandonment, from our homelessness. His power fills us with hope, love, and forgiveness.”

How striking are those words? How fully do they convey the difference between the Culture of Life that resides in the hearts of those who love, whether they are people of faith, or - like Nat Hentoff, for instance - committed secularists who understand that life is not an abstract of relativism, and the Culture of Death, which -sadly - also resides both outside of and within some so-called “faiths.”

And think of Namrata’s words, too: “It was our enemies who made me courageous and committed.” How clearly do they illustrate the paradox for the Christian, that “when I am weak, then I am strong…” and the other mystery, contained in Jesus’ admonishment to “do good to those who hate you…”

Namrata Nayak understands that the gift and strength of her faith was only enhanced by the actions of those who hate her, and that is the mysterious theme we have touched on all throughout Advent: that sometimes things happen that we do not want, and cannot understand, yet those hard realities end up being vehicles of power, strength and knowledge, all used to speed the glory of God - which is the ultimate reality.

Talk about, giving thanks in all circumstances!

What a lot of things Namrata Nayak is going to teach us, and much of it she will do through the silent testimony of her unblinking, far-seeing eyes. She has already started.

She reminds me a little of this Muslim Iraqi woman, who asked for Baptism after watching American troops serve her people. Faced with ostracism or worse, her priest asked her if she was sure she wanted to risk all of that - to which she replied, “Do you give up so easily on Jesus?”

You don't have to belong to this Church, but if you do and if you are submitted, there is a protocol

This story made DRUDGE this morning. Reading it I was struck with the comments made by some. Ignorance.

A woman belongs to a church. Decides to move in with her Boyfriend. Pastor goes to her and says, bad idea, cut it out. Nothing. A few elders go to her. Ditto.

Then they decide to take it to the whole congregation.

She makes news of it all. Drudge picks it up.

Like this is out of the ordinary. A comment was made on another blog that the church while hard on Homosexual activity was soft on Fornication. Well not this one.

The pastor did right.

And, she has resigned from the church. Living in sin is more important to her. I get that. Love is a many splendorous thing, even when it's sin.

So she is no longer accountable to that Church. Now it's time for the world to do it's work. Paul gave the Corinthians clear instruction on how to deal with such a thing. Put him out and let the world work him over.

Apparently it worked according to scripture.

Of course, there will be some liberal pastor of the first church of the itching ears to take her in and lie to her. That is out of line.

We have lost our way as the Body of Christ.

Can 'The Very Elect' Be Deceived?

Every human on the face of the earth is subject to being deceived! Satan has deceived the WHOLE world as shown in Rev. 12:9.

Also in Rev. 2:20, "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou (the church) sufferest (allow) that woman Jezebel, WHICH CALLETH HERSELF A PROPHETESS (a preacher or minister), to teach and to seduce (same Greek word as 'deceive') my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols (spiritual food that preaches another Jesus).

It is even possible that a person can deceive himself!!

I Cor. 3:
18 ¶ Let no man deceive himself. If any man among you seemeth to be wise in this world, let him become a fool (let him reject worldly wisdom and accept Godly wisdom), that he may be wise.
19 For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.
20 And again, The Lord knoweth the thoughts of the wise, that they are vain.
21 ¶ Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;

The way of God is foolishness to the people of this society, and God says the ways of this society are foolishness to Him.

When we "glory in men", we begin to deceive ourselves. When we place our total trust in men whether they seem to be preachers of righteousness or not, we are deceiving ourselves.

The word 'deceive' in the above scriptures is from the Greek word that means "to deceive." It is not the same word that is translated 'deceive' in other scriptures that caution us about someone who is trying to deceive or seduce us to believe what they want us to believe. That word means deluding or seducing to draw us away from the path of God.

Now let's get to the scripture you asked about.

Matthew 24:24, "For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect."

When we take the context of the chapter, we can see that Jesus is warning everyone to be on guard and not be deceived by those who "come in His Name (christians), saying He is Christ (teaching that Jesus is Christ) and deceiving many.

He then gives quite a number of ways for us to NOT be deceived.

Matthew 24:
3 And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world (age)?
4 ¶ And Jesus answered and said unto them, Take heed that no man deceive you(or spirit being for that matter).
5 For many shall come in my name, saying, I am Christ; and shall deceive many. (Many will preach that Jesus is the Christ.)
6 And ye shall hear of wars and rumours of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.
7 For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places.
8 All these are the beginning of sorrows. (The beginning of the Great Tribulation).
9 Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name’s sake.
10 And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another.
11 And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many.
12 And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold.
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved."

Jesus then mentions a number of things that must come to pass before the end of the age such as wars and rumors of wars, famine and pestilence, brother (physical and spiritual) turning against brother because they have been deceived into believing in a false Christ!

Mat. 24:
12 And because iniquity (lawlessness) shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold (including those in God's church as well as other churches).
13 But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

There, above, He mentions one of the major keys to understanding when the great tribulation will start.

16 Then let them which be in Judaea (notice- those in Judaea, not the rest of the world) flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

Now, who are the elect? Part of that answer is shown in Isaiah.

Isa 45:4 "For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.

Isa 65:9 "And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob, and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

Isa 65:22 "They shall not build, and another inhabit; they shall not plant, and another eat: for as the days of a tree are the days of my people, and mine elect shall long enjoy the work of their hands.

This shows that all the children of Israel (Jacob) were chosen by God as His Elect. They were chosen to be an example to the rest of the world as to how God's Blessing caused a nation to prosper and grow. They weren't chosen because they were the smartest, most handsome, or greatest. They were chosen because they were the least of all the nations (I Cor. 1:26-30). God intended to show His greatness by blessing the nation of Israel to cause the rest of the world to desire those blessings and turn to God.

As has been said, there is a duality in the Scriptures pertaining to many things. Duality is also shown in the scriptures about Israel. There is a physical Israel (all twelve tribes), and there is a spiritual Israel composed of Spirit Begotten people who believe God and Jesus and accept Jesus as their savior.

Those are mentioned in Matthew 24:22:

"And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.

These are spiritual Israel as shown in the following verse.

31 And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.

There will, of course, be those of the tribes of Israel that have not made a commitment to follow Christ. These will NOT be in that gathering of the FirstFruits. Only those who are truly Christian will be in that resurrection. Everyone else will either be dead, captive, or live on over into the Millennium.

Now, what about this group called "the very elect?"

The word elect is 'eklektos' meaning chosen by God to obtain salvation thru Christ. That word means the best of its kind or class, excellence, preeminence: applied to certain individual Christians.

There you have the definition of the physical elect, and the spiritual elect.

The elect were chosen by God to obtain salvation through Jesus Christ whenever they would repent and turn to Him as their savior. Those who repented and turned to Him are described as the best of its kind or class, excellence, preeminence. It is also applied to certain individual Christians.

There is the distinct possibility that within the elect is a group of certain individual Christians that are referred to as the very elect. That is also implied in I Cor. 11:

19 For there must be also heresies (sects "margin") among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest (shown openly) among you.

I don't know if there is a "very elect". It seems to be implied in several places, but I can't stand up and definitely say "yes, there is a very elect."

If this verse is referring to a "very elect" it is also saying that they can't be deceived about FALSE CHRISTS AND FALSE PROPHETS. It DOES NOT SAY they can't be deceived about other things, since we have referred to those scriptures that show the whole world has been deceived and that the church has been subject to deception.

What everyone should do is KEEP THEIR NOSE IN GOD'S WORD and believe the Gospel!!!

When we know the scriptures, and understand them through the power of God's Holy Spirit, we won't be deceived about the salvational points of His Word.

If there is such a group we need to strive to be in it! It should cause one to stop and think, asking themselves "Am I really grounded in the Word of God? Could Satan take away my crown?"

It is possible, you know. The scriptures in Revelation 2 and 3 show there are people who are "holding on to what they have." There are also others who are doing the commission Christ gave us to do and producing fruit from our labors. This, of course, implies that there are others who are being deceived and could lose their crown (position in God's Family).

Let's pray we are a part of the "very elect" (if that group exists). Let's hold on to what we have and go forward preaching and teaching the True Gospel to this world!

From this teaching.

Gene in the Grinder

I get taken to task for a lot of things. My views. My spiritual convictions. My politics.

Those kinds of things are fair game. As they should be.

Where I draw the line is making fun of my grammatical usage. My choice of conjugation to demonstrate a point. My use of incomplete sentences for emphasis.

It seems as if I was the topic of a chat board. People with too much time on their hands. I won't link to it.

I know I'm sometimes controversial. When we all get together to pick on Gene, I remember that game. The grinder. I remember it from Grade School. Those who decide to have a pick on Gene fest are just like the people years ago with runny noses and dirty faces who enjoyed the same game then.

Some things never change. I won't change just to avoid criticism.

Any fool can criticize condemn and complain, and most fools do. Ben Franklin

Why Christmas IS-----

Throughout eternity Lucifer has been Heaven s favored Prince. Gifted, Ardent. Devoted.

Until the fateful moment when he is informed about Yehovah s new innovation. The creation of a new race that is not angelic in nature.

A race created of a three-hundred-billion-base DNA sequence that will constitute the human genome code. The Race of Men. Lucifer s horror intensifies with the appalling discovery that Yehovah is duplicating His own gene in matter. In the new race. Lucifer s envy of the Race of Men becomes obsessive.

He engages in swift and unrelenting decline and subsequent rebellion. He is banished from the First Heaven with a third of his renegade angelic host. Incensed and determined to wreak revenge against the Race of Men, he meticulously strategises their demise.

He secures Eve s allegiance by deceit. The Race of Men are eternally bound to the consequences of Eve s defection. She has switched masters and now the Title Deeds to the earth and the solar systems once bequeathed to the Race of Men by Yehovah, now legally pass over to Lucifer s jurisdiction.

He launches a second invidious scheme to mutate the DNA of the Race of Men by his fallen host co-habiting with the daughters of men. The Nephilim. He is successful but unknown to him, one bloodline of the Race of Men remains untainted. He has failed.

The Fallen who did his bidding are banished to Tartarus, the molten core. The Lineage of the Race of Men is saved. Enraged, Lucifer as King of Perdition, lodges a claim against the Race of Men in the Courts of Heaven. And demands judgement. His goal - to annihilate the entire Race in the Lake of Fire.

Judgement is passed on the Race of Men by Yehovah. Lucifer cannot be judged to damnation for his rebellion and the Race of Men go free. Eternal Law demands they suffer the same fate. According to Eternal Law, one born of the Race of Men with undefiled blood free from the inherent mutation of the fall of man, is legally entitled to exchange his soul for the souls of the Race of Men. Lucifer gloats. Triumphant in the knowledge that each and every man s DNA is mutated by the fall of man.

There is only one can stop Lucifers malevolent plans.

One that will be born from the First Heaven.

That will take on the form of one of the Race of Men -

Lucifers Arch Adversary -

The Nazarene.

from Wendy Alec Brother Chronicles

“In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act.” ~ George Orwell

We live in such a time.

All Dressed Up

Pastor Barry Kolb lives and serves in Texarkana Arkansas. This is an actual cut from the local paper about the new Dollar Store in town.






I gotta get all dressed and head on over to Wal Mart.

1968 = 2008??

Dennis Peacock has an interesting observation for those of us who lived thru those times:

2008: The Year of Destiny

As 2008 comes to an end, the significance of its relationship to the number forty (40) continues to fascinate me. Forty years ago it was 1968, arguably one of the most significant years of the twentieth century. In 1968 President Johnson shocked us all by declining to run again for President; the Tet Offensive shattered the nation’s confidence in terms of winning the war in Vietnam; Martin Luther King was assassinated; Robert Kennedy was assassinated; and Richard Nixon became president amidst the most diverse and culture-changing year in memory.

The counter culture was in full swing all over the western world, and the intelligence community here in the U.S. (I was later told) was actually considering the possibility of domestic revolutionary activity. Beyond all that, in 1968 I came back to Christ, married Jan, started a business, and fully dropped out of identifying with the “crazies.”

1968 saw the entrenchment of the drug culture in many of the world’s conservative universities and witnessed student revolts in multiple nations. No-fault divorce began its course across the nation, and Eastern religion swept into the West at unprecedented levels following its clear endorsement by the Beatles and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Yoga.

Forty is a very, very significant biblical number. The flood was created in forty days and nights of rain; Israel was forty years in the wilderness following Moses’ forty years in exile. David ruled Israel forty years as did numbers of prophets who served the Lord forty years. Jesus spent forty days fasting in the wilderness. I could go on… So is there a forty year cycle regarding 1928, 1968, and 2008, for example? I can see one.

2008, a year several of the nation’s most reliable prophets described as a “year of opportunity” or “a year of bridging to the future,” has been a most significant year both socially and personally. It was dominated socially by the presidential elections here in the U.S. They were unique in many ways as they bridged the 1960’s Vietnam generation and the following generation of those now in their forties, like Barack Obama. Who could miss John McCain, a Vietnam icon, running against a black man whose self-confessed greatest regret was that he wasn’t old enough in the 1960’s to have served the cause of the civil rights movement? This truly was the first “bridge election” since the 1960’s. That an African American won brings a measure of closure to the battle many of us fought for in the 1960’s.

To add to the drama, the current financial crisis is unique in global economic history. As one trained in economics, I can confidently state that it is a bridge to a new set of realities which will change all of our lives. So what happened to you this year? What opportunities and “bridges” have become evident? How is your future possibly altered by the events of 2008 and where is God in all of that? Please think about it. The future belongs to those who prepare for it.

A Tale Of Two Churches

By Doug Patton
December 16, 2008

This is a tale of two American churches. One is in a major city. The other is in a small town. One preaches hatred of America and its institutions. The other preaches love and patriotism. One is infected with a toxic dogma known as Black Liberation Theology. The other espouses the Gospel of Jesus Christ. One was just firebombed. Guess which one.

Barack Obama spent twenty years sitting in the pews of the Trinity United Church of Christ in Chicago, listening to some of the foulest teaching ever to come from the mouth of a “preacher.” That preacher was a poison-tongued demagogue named Jeremiah Wright, who has spewed racist lies and hateful conspiracies from his pulpit during his entire career.

Meanwhile, in Wasilla, Alaska, an evangelical church, attended by Gov. Sarah Palin and her family, teaches the true meaning of Christ’s message to His church and to a fallen world.

On Friday, Dec. 12, the Wasilla Bible Church was firebombed. Authorities said the fire started at the main entrance of the church and that they are investigating the blaze as arson. They estimated the damage at $1 million. No one was injured, although a small group, which included children, was inside at the time.

The Wasilla congregation gathered for their services at a local middle school the Sunday following the fire. The statements of the members and their pastors, as reported by the Associated Press, are telling:

Patsy Inks said the news initially shocked and frustrated her. But by Sunday, she was feeling blessed, she said at the school, where worshippers lingered over a potluck dinner for a church family leaving Alaska. “This tragedy has brought us all together,” Inks said, her eyes tearing up.

The congregation realizes the church is more than the building, said John Doak, associate pastor at Wasilla Bible Church. “The definition of the church is the body of Christ, made up of God’s people,” Doak said. “The church is still there. We are the church.”

Gov. Palin, who was not at the church at the time of the fire, stopped by Saturday. She reportedly told an assistant pastor she was sorry if the fire was connected to the “undeserved negative attention” the church has received since she became the vice presidential candidate on Aug. 29.

According to AP, worshippers acknowledged the possible Palin connection with the fire, but more in a “gee, maybe” sort of way, said Rob Tracy, a member of the church. But people are speculating about other motives.

“It’s just as likely to be some troubled person who has a beef with God,” Tracy said.

“Or some local punks,” Doak said.

The AP seemed to offer a different motive for the attack:

“After Palin was named John McCain’s running mate, the evangelical church was the subject of intense scrutiny. Early in her campaign, Palin’s church was criticized for promoting in a Sunday bulletin a Focus on the Family ‘Love Won Out’ conference in Anchorage. The conference promised to ‘help men and women dissatisfied with living homosexually understand that same-sex attractions can be overcome.’”

So let me see if I have this straight. The media fell all over itself during the Obama campaign avoiding an in-depth look at the vitriol flowing like a river of vomit out of Wright’s Chicago church. Yet, when Sarah Palin was named as John McCain’s choice for vice president, every major news outlet in the country put reporters on planes to Alaska to “investigate” this woman’s strange church. And now that this same church has been burned—an act that would surely be hailed as a “hate crime” had it happened at Obama’s church—we are told that a ministry to help homosexuals who want to leave their deviant lifestyle may be the reason for the attack.

Meanwhile, the loving, forgiving members of the Wasilla Bible Church are turning the other cheek after their church has just been burned to the ground. Can you imagine Jeremiah Wright and his ilk having such a reaction had it been the Trinity United Church of Christ that was attacked?

A Christmas Carol from the Religion of Global Warming

Breaking up isn't so hard to do

It's about time.

Colin Powell, John McCain (who's only sane action in the last election was selecting Sarah Palin) have anointed themselves savior and healer of all things republican.

Now we are at the great divide. According the them, if we don't change as a party we will drift off into total obscurity. And, what makes it more interesting is, DEMOCRATS with crocodile tears in their eyes are solemnly advising republicans on how to be more like them.

Well, I'm from Illinois. You may have heard of it. A state owned and operated by something called the Combine. That's a collection of mostly Democrats like our Governor and his mob related associates and some liberal Republicans who vote like and look like democrats but wear the Republican label.

We have darn few real conservatives. A few. Good men and women.

It's that party, that group who wants the Republican party in the USA to look just like them. Including corrupt.

So we have become a two headed monster. The republicans. One is this head of Powell and McCain who are just like democrats except for the label. The other is made up of those who are led by the voices of talk radio, the words of Internet gurus.

So we have become Rush Limbaugh Conservatives versus John McCain republicans.

Not a pretty choice. I have no problem rejecting the John McCain Colin Powell branch of the republican party. I want to embrace the voice of Conservatism as pronounced by Rush Limbaugh. My problem is I still remember the dismembering of the conservative movement during the primary let by talk radio stars. We as conservatives couldn't find common ground. We couldn't get behind a conservative candidate all at one time.

I don't know what the future holds. Perhaps we will drift into oblivion. We will end up with a defacto one party system with some sniping from a vocal but impotent principled minority.

I won't join the rush to mediocrity led by the Powell McCain combine. I've seen where that takes you in Illinois. Let's not take the nation into Illinois Politics. It doesn't work.

I just don't see any alternative, YET.

Perfect evidence that the war is over and the surge worked in Iraq

George W Bush goes to Iraq.

During a press conference shoes are thrown at him. He laughs it off.

Now, what if that had been Saddam Hussein who was the target of the shoe.

Would you be seeing this kind of foolishness from the left? I don't ever read nor consider the dopes at Daily Kos or the Hubris of Huffpo, but a few of the comments from them are worth considering when you wonder who REALLY was hit in the head with that shoe?

Is the Iraqi reporter eligible for a Pulitzer?

What will happen to this reporter? Do we need to send money for his representation in court or is he dead already? My concern is for this guy. I understand that Dana Perino got a black eye from a microfone in the melee. I'm sorry but retribution is sweet! If we could help this shoeless person I would.

We can throw 9000+ combat boots at him as he waddles to Marine 1 for the last time.

All I can hope for is that bubble boy takes a real good look at what he has wrought. He should rot.

Find out who it was the guy deserves a medal of honor.

you go iraqi guy! wooohooo! we should all be chuckin our shoes at him! lmao!!!! the shoebomber! lmao!!!

I would love to throw something at Bush.. not a shoe though.. maybe a brick.. or cinder block.

Give that man who threw his shoes at the shrub an award...or better yet a statue built in his own likeness.

Shall we say thank you Al-Jazeera?

The next time you see Bush's motorcade rush by, don't let anyone keep you from giving him your shoe, too...

does anybody know the name and address of the man who threw the shoe? I'd like to buy him a new pair and throwing lessons.

So, we have the left. Disloyal to the end. Bush Derangement Syndrome is incurable I guess. OH WELL. Now we'll have all things cured. The ONE has arrived.

Good luck with that lefty dummies.

In Public School He's Still be a Sophmore, instead he just graduated college

I know this young man who just got his master's degree is unusual. He's very smart.

He also was able to do what he did by being Home Schooled.

I see the wasted minds in Public Education and I hang my head. WHEN WILL WE STOP THE FOOLISHNESS?