We’ve been hearing a lot about religion and it’s role in politics, its place in the political life of the nation.  I think it’s appropriate that this issue be addressed.  I don’t speak as a theologian or schollar, only as one who as lived a little more than his three score and ten, which has been an annoyance to some…

We establish no religion in this country, nor will we ever.  We command no worship.  We mandate no belief.  But we poison our society when we remove its theological underpinnings.  We court corruption when we leave it bereft of belief.  All are free to believe or not believe; all are free to practice a faith or not.  But those who believe must be free to speak of and act on their belief, to apply moral teaching to public questions.

I submit to you that the tolerant society is open to and encouraging of all religions.  And this does not weaken us; it strengthens us…

Without God, there is no virtue, because there’s no prompting of the conscience.  Without God, we’re mired in the material, that flat world that tells us only what the senses perceive.  Without God, there is a coarsening of the society.  And without God, democracy will not and cannot long endure.  If we ever forget that we’re One Nation Under God, then we will be a nation gone under.

After briefly acknowledging the benefits of “turning to our Creator, listening to him” the President blessed the assembled Pastors, Priests, Rabbis and lay leaders with a snippet from his 2012 campaign script:

This is especially important right now, when we’re facing some big challenges as a nation. Our economy is making progress as we recover from the worst crisis in three generations, but far too many families are still struggling to find work or make the mortgage, pay for college, or, in some cases, even buy food…

Those who listen to the Creator do indeed hear that believers who are in a position to help the needy should do so, but at all times, not just when the economy is so weak an incumbent President’s reelection is at risk.  As Jesus said “the poor you will always have with you,” even when GDP is way up and unemployment is way down.

And when I talk about shared responsibility, it’s because I genuinely believe that in a time when many folks are struggling, at a time when we have enormous deficits, it’s hard for me to ask seniors on a fixed income, or young people with student loans, or middle-class families who can barely pay the bills to shoulder the burden alone.  And I think to myself, if I’m willing to give something up as somebody who’s been extraordinarily blessed, and give up some of the tax breaks that I enjoy, I actually think that’s going to make economic sense.  But for me as a Christian, it also coincides with Jesus’ teaching that “for unto whom much is given, much shall be required.”

When Obama speaks of  “tax breaks” in this context he means the current tax rate schedule with it’s 35% top bracket, enacted in 2003, during the hated Bush Administration.  For eight years Democrats have relentlessly demanded a return to the pre-Bush schedule with it’s 39.6% top bracket.  To support his demand for higher taxes Obama cited part of Jesus’ words from Luke 12, verse 48:

“From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.”

But Jesus was not talking about income tax rates.  This sentence is at the end of a lengthy discussion of the responsibilities of the disciples and other believers regarding not their income or wealth, (they had little) but their knowledge of the teachings of Jesus.  More would be required of those who had greater knowledge and understanding.  Indeed, After Jesus ascended into Heaven the disciples faithfully devoted the remainder of their lives to spreading the gospel.  At least four eventually died as martyrs, executed by stoning or crucifiction.

Jesus never once used the term “tax breaks.”  He never called for higher taxes on anyone.  He did not call for government to apply force to collect funds to help the needy.  He did exhort us all as individuals, regardless of income to personally help the poor and needy, voluntarily, with gifts and with our time and effort.

While government operates by segmenting the people into income brackets Christianity treats everyone, from richest to poorest  the same, by asking for a tithe, or 10% of income.   Those who can are encouraged -  not required – to give more and experience more of the joy of giving.

Christianity is a voluntary faith.  Jesus does not want any force or coercion used on his behalf.   In fact government undermines God’s plan for joyous giving and grateful receiving by applying it’s impersonal, administrative formulae to identify some as entitled by law to receive and others as required by law to provide.  The receiver feels no gratitude and the giver is deprived of the joy one should experience from voluntarily helping.

Do prominent politicians tithe?

At Liberty Works we’re reluctant to report data from the news media.  We try to draw from original sources to ensure accuracy.   We’ve done a good bit of Internet searching and so far have been able to find copies of actual tax returns only for Barack Obama, Joe Biden, Mitt Romney and Newt Gingirch.  Here’s what we found:

• President Obama’s 2010 tax return shows charitable contributions at 6% of his $5.5 million in income.
• Vice President Biden’s 2010 tax return shows income of $337,370 including $28,000 in Social Security benefits.  His charitable contributions were 1.43%, or $3,920 in cash plus donations of “shoes, clothing, furniture and dishes” to Goodwill with a declared value of $900.
• Newt Gingrich’s 2011 tax return shows $3.2 million in income.  He did not collect Social Security even though he’s old enough to be eligible for benefits.  His charitable contributions were $81,233 or 2.57%.  However, Gingrich also has a charitable foundation and part of his book royalties and speaking fees were paid directly to the foundation, without passing through his personal taxes.  So, we can’t tell how much he gave in total.
• Mitt Romney’s return shows donations of $2.9 million or about 13% of his income.

From various media reports we found the following, which we can not confirm:

• In 2005 Vice President Dick Cheney gave 78% of his income to charity
• In 2007 George W. Bush gave 18%.
• In 2007 Bill and Hillary Clinton gave 9.34%
• In 2006 John McCain gave 25%

Luke 1:

26-28 God sent the angel Gabriel to the Galilean village of Nazareth to a virgin engaged to be married to a man descended from David. His name was Joseph, and the virgin’s name, Mary. Upon entering, Gabriel greeted her:

“Good morning!
You’re beautiful with God’s beauty,
Beautiful inside and out!
God be with you.”

^29-33She was thoroughly shaken, wondering what was behind a greeting like that. But the angel assured her, “Mary, you have nothing to fear. God has a surprise for you: You will become pregnant and give birth to a son and call his name Jesus.

He will be great,
be called ‘Son of the Highest.’
The Lord God will give him
the throne of his father David;
He will rule Jacob’s house forever—
no end, ever, to his kingdom.”

³⁴Mary said to the angel, “But how? I’ve never slept with a man.”

³⁵The angel answered,

The Holy Spirit will come upon you,
the power of the Highest hover over you;
Therefore, the child you bring to birth
will be called Holy, Son of God.

Luke 2:

1-5: About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken  throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

6-7: While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

8-12: There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

13-14: At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,

Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

15-18: As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

19-20: Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

Jesus did not accept the cultural norm of the time that women were less than men and treated like the property of men.  It’s fitting then that the good news was first revealed to women.

The Following excerpt is from the Gospel of Matthew.  It’s Friday, the day before the Jewish Sabbath.  Jesus has been hung on the cross to die.

We begin quoting at Chapter 27, verse 45:

At noon, darkness fell across the whole land until three o’clock. ⁴⁶ At about three o’clock, Jesus called out with a loud voice, “Eli, Eli, lema sabachthani?” which means “My God, my God, why have you abandoned me?”

⁴⁷ Some of the bystanders misunderstood and thought he was calling for the prophet Elijah. ⁴⁸ One of them ran and filled a sponge with sour wine, holding it up to him on a reed stick so he could drink. ⁴⁹ But the rest said, “Wait! Let’s see whether Elijah comes to save him.”

⁵⁰ Then Jesus shouted out again, and he released his spirit. ⁵¹ At that moment the curtain in the sanctuary of the Temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, rocks split apart, ⁵² and tombs opened. The bodies of many godly men and women who had died were raised from the dead. ⁵³ They left the cemetery after Jesus’ resurrection, went into the holy city of Jerusalem, and appeared to many people.

⁵⁴ The Roman officer and the other soldiers at the crucifixion were terrified by the earthquake and all that had happened. They said, “This man truly was the Son of God!”

⁵⁵ And many women who had come from Galilee with Jesus to care for him were watching from a distance. ⁵⁶ Among them were Mary Magdalene, Mary (the mother of James and Joseph), and the mother of James and John, the sons of Zebedee.

The Burial of Jesus

⁵⁷ As evening approached, Joseph, a rich man from Arimathea who had become a follower of Jesus, ⁵⁸ went to Pilate and asked for Jesus’ body.  And Pilate issued an order to release it to him. ⁵⁹ Joseph took the body and wrapped it in a long sheet of clean linen cloth. ⁶⁰ He placed it in his own new tomb, which had been carved out of the rock. Then he rolled a great stone across the entrance and left. ⁶¹ Both Mary Magdalene and the other Mary were sitting across from the tomb and watching.

The Guard at the Tomb

⁶² The next day, on the Sabbath, the leading priests and Pharisees went to see Pilate. ⁶³ They told him, “Sir, we remember what that deceiver once said while he was still alive: ‘After three days I will rise from the dead.’ ⁶⁴ So we request that you seal the tomb until the third day. This will prevent his disciples from coming and stealing his body and then telling everyone he was raised from the dead! If that happens, we’ll be worse off than we were at first.”

⁶⁵ Pilate replied, “Take guards and secure it the best you can.” ⁶⁶ So they sealed the tomb and posted guards to protect it.

Matthew 28

The Resurrection

¹ Early on Sunday morning, as the new day was dawning, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb.

² Suddenly there was a great earthquake! For an angel of the Lord came down from heaven, rolled aside the stone, and sat on it. ³ His face shone like lightning, and his clothing was as white as snow. ⁴ The guards shook with fear when they saw him, and they fell into a dead faint.

⁵ Then the angel spoke to the women. “Don’t be afraid!” he said. “I know you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. ⁶ He isn’t here! He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen. Come, see where his body was lying. ⁷ And now, go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead, and he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you.”

⁸ The women ran quickly from the tomb. They were very frightened but also filled with great joy, and they rushed to give the disciples the angel’s message. ⁹ And as they went, Jesus met them and greeted them. And they ran to him, grasped his feet, and worshiped him. ¹⁰ Then Jesus said to them, “Don’t be afraid! Go tell my brothers to leave for Galilee, and they will see me there.”

Contributed by the captivating Mrs. BoomerJeff

Pastor Terry Jones in Florida has announced his plan to draw international attention by conducting a public Quran burning ceremony on the anniversary of the 9-11 terrorist attacks.  He has been warned by no less than General David Petreaus, US and NATO Commander in Afghanistan that his action would make our troops mission more dangerous and more difficult.  General Petraeus said:

Images of the burning of a Quran would undoubtedly be used by extremists in Afghanistan — and around the world — to inflame public opinion and incite violence.

As a Devoted Christian I feel compelled to Join our General in urging Pastor Jones to cancel his plans.  I’m asking this Pastor to remember his primary mission, called The Great Commission, found in Matthew 18:

And Jesus came and spoke to them, saying, “All authority has been given to Me in heaven and on earth. Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

In Acts 1:8 Jesus told the disciples:

You will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.

It is only through the power of the Holy Spirit that we are able to do the right thing to represent (be witnesses) for Jesus.

When we are able to submit to the HOLY SPIRIT, Christ comes through and attracts people with love, acceptance, and forgiveness.  Only through the Holy Spirit are we able to love our enemies and understand their actions are driven by a lack of Christ in their lives.  If people everywhere were submitted to the Holy Spirit, we would never be in conflict.  But that will not happen until Christ returns to restore our world and reign over evil.  The best thing we can do in the meantime to bring peace is to bring Christ and attract non-believers to His goodness and away from evil.

So while I understand why Pastor Jones might want to burn the Quran, he is not attracting anyone to Christ by his actions.  Pastors, above all, are called to attract souls into the Kingdom of God.  Pastor Jones’ Quran burning will not only reflect poorly on Christ, but will lead his own flock astray.

Jesus spoke clearly to the Pharissees when he said “You brood of vipers.” But he did not burn anything or incite violence. He prayed.

Yes, Jesus did turn over the tables of the money changers, but that was in His Father’s Place of Prayer. This church in Florida is also His Father’s place of prayer. It does not belong to Pastor Jones.  I think Jesus is likely to be upset by a Pastor who has forgotten his core mission and uses God’s church for his own angry outlet.

There is no way to justify the notion that the role of a pastor is to attract media attention by acting like the terrorists act.  Souls that may have been brought to Christ will be pushed away and will be lost!  As one of my Twitter followers put it,”If there was just one Muslim about to become a Christian it might be this Quran burning that stops him or her from converting.  And, what if that lost conversion had been the start of a wave of conversions?”

Part of the mission assigned to our military for years has been “winning the hearts and minds” of Muslims in the Middle East.  Pastor Jones’ stunt will not only undermine that mission but could prevent many Muslims from ultimately becoming followers of Christ.  Many who might have been attracted to Christianity will move away because of this disrespectful show of Pastor Jones’ ego.

Good soldiers, police, and fire fighters will likely have to risk their lives to deal with the results of this Pastor’s self-aggrandizement. While God has led his children to defend and protect themselves from evil doers, He has never urged anyone to incite violence or knowingly bring harm to innocents, just because they were angry. Quite the opposite, the Bible warns of the foolishness of taking action on our anger.

Proverbs 29:8
Mockers stir up a city, but wise men turn away anger.

Ecclesiastes 7:9
Do not be quickly provoked in your spirit, for anger resides in the lap of fools.

James 1:20
for man’s anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires.

I pray that Pastor Jones will impress us all by allowing himself to be humbled by the Word of God and prayerfully give up this plan.  God will receive the Glory and will bless this Pastor for his obedience and faith in the God who makes all things fair…in His time.

Psalm 143:10

Teach me to do your will, for you are my God; may your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”

Research shows the greater our vision, the greater our accomplishments. If we shoot for the stars, we might hit the moon. If we shoot for a twig, we might hit a stump. In short, we rarely become greater than the vision we hold of ourselves.  And amazingly, those around us often rise …or fall…according to the visions they pick up form us too.

What are the visions you hold of yourself, your potential, your goodness, your capabilities?  What are the visions you hold of those around you, your spouse, your children, your parents, your friends. People could probably tell you some of your visions if they followed you around and watched you for a while.

The things you do, your facial expressions, how you give or don’t give of yourself, your tone of voice, your interests, your energy level and many more characteristics are dead giveaways of the visions you hold.

God has been talking to me a lot about this as I get older and think about how my age might or might not change my vision. What he says is that His vision of me is the same yesterday, today and tomorrow. God’s vision for us doesn’t change with the wrinkling of our skin. It may even get larger as we age, because He has invested so much more in us that we need to share in ministry with others. It might even surprise others and invigorate their vision when they see that age and time do not diminish our resolve to do all that God has for us.

Our problem is the prince of this carnal world, who God says, “Prowls around like a lion seeing whom he may devour”.  We have an enemy who does not want God to win our ministry or our souls. This sleazy enemy scrapes away at our souls on a daily basis by trying to erode our vision of our greatness in Christ.  He is in the media, on billboards, in advertisements, on television showing us that the beautiful life of the rich and famous has passed us by.  He loves to bring up old lies that live in the back of our minds about how little, stupid, unlovable, unworthy we are.  If he can keep it up, he might just claim our whole emotional and spiritual life with lies and garbage.

But we have a God who has already destroyed this enemy.  He sealed the deal by dying on the cross, and defeating death with His Resurrection.  As he went to prepare a place for us and be our advocate with the Father, he left with us His Holy Spirit who never leaves us or forsakes us.  Through Him we are given authority to rebuke and expel that enemy from our lives!  We can claim the promises of God and become what He want for us, to take our places as the princes and the princesses of the King of the Universe.

So when we accept Christ, we are new forever!  We have His authority delegated by the Father to his children to be His arms extended to the world.  NO LIMITS as long as we continually submit to His lordship and don’t fall into the trap of worshiping those things, self talk lies, or moldy visions and ideas that will just use us up and throw us away.  Through Christ their power is broken and we are his true Disciples.

Let’s stomp through our thought life with the boots of Jesus, smashing out anything that gets us down…and leave only the loving impressions of His being and the fellowship of His Holy Spirit who expands in us to fill all the space we will make available to Him.

Then we will be known for our BIG VISIONS and our EVEN BIGGER LOVE for all those around us!

That’s what God is talking about to me today.

Mrs. BoomerJeff

For nearly two decades Todd Vaters has been sharing his musical gifts with the world. From the jungles of West Africa to the churches of North America he has led worship as a solo artist and as part of various teams.

Growing up in Newfoundland, Canada, Todd’s love for music and commitment to Christ were evident at an early age. During his teens he began singing harmony with his two sisters in their small town church. He hasn’t stopped ministering in song since. In addition to ministry abroad he has served the local church as a staff Worship Pastor and an itinerant Worship Leader. As a songwriter Todd articulates a passion for God’s glory in a simple, yet powerful blend of contemporary music and fresh lyrics.

Todd is also a gifted visual artist using his artwork to communicate the timeless truth of the Gospel. When combined with his anointed music, the result is a compelling blend of creativity that has touched thousands around the world.

Todd lives in the Nashville, TN area with his wife Kelly and their three children. He leads worship at Cornerstone Church in Spring Hill, TN.

While I’m a committed Christian and active member of an Evangelical Mega-Church, Liberty Works is not intended to be a religious web site.  However, when matters of faith or religious doctrine intersect the issues of the day we won’t follow the media herd and either ignore or blindly deny Christian influence.

Americans who do not attend a Christian Church are largely unaware of what is being done for the needy, lost peoples of the African Continent.  We who do attend  are blessed by stunning, awe-inspiring presentations by missionaries who visit our churches while on furloughs at home.  We know what the media never report: The Church is inspiring and enabling a quiet, grass-roots revolution in Africa, delivering a continent from the death grip of tyranny, violence, AIDs, ignorance and despair,  one person and one family at a time.

A week ago Matthew Paris of the London Times wrote an astonishing column about the work of the church in Africa titled  “As an atheist, I truly believe Africa needs God.” The American media ignored  this extraordinary tribute to The Church, even though most of the missionaries who serve God in Africa are Americans.

Following are some excerpts:

Missionaries, not aid money, are the solution to Africa’s biggest problem – the crushing passivity of the people’s mindset.

Traveling in [Africa] refreshed [a] belief…: one I’ve been trying to banish all my life, but an observation I’ve been unable to avoid since my African childhood. It confounds my ideological beliefs, stubbornly refuses to fit my world view, and has embarrassed my growing belief that there is no God.

Now a confirmed atheist, I’ve become convinced of the enormous contribution that Christian evangelism makes in Africa: sharply distinct from the work of secular NGOs, government projects and international aid efforts. These alone will not do. Education and training alone will not do. In Africa Christianity changes people’s hearts. It brings a spiritual transformation. The rebirth is real. The change is good.

I used to avoid this truth by applauding – as you can – the practical work of mission churches in Africa. It’s a pity, I would say, that salvation is part of the package, but Christians black and white, working in Africa, do heal the sick, do teach people to read and write; and only the severest kind of secularist could see a mission hospital or school and say the world would be better without it. I would allow that if faith was needed to motivate missionaries to help, then, fine: but what counted was the help, not the faith.

But this doesn’t fit the facts. Faith does more than support the missionary; it is also transferred to his flock. This is the effect that matters so immensely, and which I cannot help observing.

First, then, the observation. We had friends who were missionaries, and as a child I stayed often with them; I also stayed, alone with my little brother, in a traditional rural African village. In the city we had working for us Africans who had converted and were strong believers. The Christians were always different. Far from having cowed or confined its converts, their faith appeared to have liberated and relaxed them. There was a liveliness, a curiosity, an engagement with the world – a directness in their dealings with others – that seemed to be missing in traditional African life. They stood tall…

There’s long been a fashion among Western academic sociologists for placing tribal value systems within a ring fence, beyond critiques founded in our own culture: “theirs” and therefore best for “them”; authentic and of intrinsically equal worth to ours.

I don’t follow this. I observe that tribal belief is no more peaceable than ours; and that it suppresses individuality.  People think collectively; first in terms of the community, extended family and tribe. This rural-traditional mindset feeds into the “big man” and gangster politics of the African city: the exaggerated respect for a swaggering leader, and the (literal) inability to understand the whole idea of loyal opposition.

Anxiety – fear of evil spirits, of ancestors, of nature and the wild, of a tribal hierarchy, of quite everyday things – strikes deep into the whole structure of rural African thought. Every man has his place and, call it fear or respect, a great weight grinds down the individual spirit, stunting curiosity. People won’t take the initiative, won’t take things into their own hands or on their own shoulders.

How can I, as someone with a foot in both camps, explain? When the philosophical tourist moves from one world view to another he finds – at the very moment of passing into the new – that he loses the language to describe the landscape to the old. But let me try an example: the answer given by Sir Edmund Hillary to the question: Why climb the mountain? “Because it’s there,” he said.

To the rural African mind, this is an explanation of why one would not climb the mountain. It’s… well, there. Just there. Why interfere? Nothing to be done about it, or with it. Hillary’s further explanation – that nobody else had climbed it – would stand as a second reason for passivity.

Christianity, post-Reformation and post-Luther, with its teaching of a direct, personal, two-way link between the individual and God, unmediated by the collective, and unsubordinate to any other human being, smashes straight through the philosphical/spiritual framework I’ve just described. It offers something to hold on to to those anxious to cast off a crushing tribal groupthink. That is why and how it liberates.

1-5: About that time Caesar Augustus ordered a census to be taken  throughout the Empire. This was the first census when Quirinius was governor of Syria. Everyone had to travel to his own ancestral hometown to be accounted for. So Joseph went from the Galilean town of Nazareth up to Bethlehem in Judah, David’s town, for the census. As a descendant of David, he had to go there. He went with Mary, his fiancée, who was pregnant.

6-7: While they were there, the time came for her to give birth. She gave birth to a son, her firstborn. She wrapped him in a blanket and laid him in a manger, because there was no room in the hostel.

8-12: There were sheepherders camping in the neighborhood. They had set night watches over their sheep. Suddenly, God’s angel stood among them and God’s glory blazed around them. They were terrified. The angel said, “Don’t be afraid. I’m here to announce a great and joyful event that is meant for everybody, worldwide: A Savior has just been born in David’s town, a Savior who is Messiah and Master. This is what you’re to look for: a baby wrapped in a blanket and lying in a manger.”

13-14: At once the angel was joined by a huge angelic choir singing God’s praises:

Glory to God in the heavenly heights,

Peace to all men and women on earth who please him.

15-18: As the angel choir withdrew into heaven, the sheepherders talked it over. “Let’s get over to Bethlehem as fast as we can and see for ourselves what God has revealed to us.” They left, running, and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby lying in the manger. Seeing was believing. They told everyone they met what the angels had said about this child. All who heard the sheepherders were impressed.

19-20: Mary kept all these things to herself, holding them dear, deep within herself. The sheepherders returned and let loose, glorifying and praising God for everything they had heard and seen. It turned out exactly the way they’d been told!

Before I continue, full disclosure:  I’m an Evangelical Christian.  I’ve read several of Pastor Warren’s books, including “The Purpose Driven Church,” and “The Purpose Driven Life.” I attended a four-day church leaders’ conference he put on at Saddleback Church, where I met and chatted with him.  I admire and respect him.

Some Evangelicals worry that this could signal some change in Pastor Warren’s theological principles.  But the most outrage comes from the so-called “gay community,” politicians, activist groups, bloggers and media writers.  Phil Bronstein of the San Francisco Chronicle was typical:

Just when you thought maybe the molten lava of the Proposition 8 protest backwash had cooled  to street steam and legal challenges, BOOM! Barack Obama, of all people, rolls a great big grenade under the door of the gay community.

California Ballot Proposition 8 was a proposed State Constitutional Amendment, put on the ballot to nullify a bizarre State Supreme Court ruling earlier this year.  The court found that the authors of the State Constitution, in 1849, somehow intended to confer a right of same sex marriage, without mentioning it, even though there had been no such marriages in California’s  history.  John McCain won only 37% in California, while Prop 8 passed with 52%.  Since election day there have been scores of demonstrations against Prop 8, all over the state.

Joe Solmonese, president of the Human Rights Campaign, a gay-bisexual-transgendered activist group published a letter he sent to Obama, protesting the selection of Pastor Warren.  An excerpt:

By inviting Rick Warren to your inauguration, you have tarnished the view that gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Americans have a place at your table.  In this case, we feel a deep level of disrespect when one of architects and promoters of an anti-gay agenda is given the prominence and the pulpit of your historic nomination.

Calling Pastor Warren “an architect and promoter of an anti-gay agenda” is a bit over the top.  Warren leads no “anti-gay” movement or activities.  He  did support Proposition 8, but then, so did a majority of voters here in in hyper-liberal California.  Does that mean we have several million “architects of an anti-gay agenda?”

In just 24 hours Cable TV has managed to present a dozen or more vitriolic spokespersons from “the gay community” who have condemned Pastor Warren for “using religion to divide people,” and expressed disgust with Obama for daring to defy the leaders of this vocal constituency, who are now beginning to claim they were bamboozled into supporting him, even though he never endorsed their top issue, gay marriage.

For an insight into why Pastor Warren would want to participate in the inauguration, even though he openly disagrees with Obama on abortion, gay marriage and other issues I offer the two scriptures Warren adopted as the fundamental, guiding principles of his ministry.

The first is called The The Great Commandment; Mark 12: 28 – 31:

One of the teachers of religious law was standing there listening to the debate. He realized that Jesus had answered well, so he asked, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”

Jesus replied, “The most important commandment is this: ‘Listen, O Israel! The Lord our God is the one and only Lord.  And you must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second is equally important: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.”

The Second is called The Great Commission; Matthew 28: 18-20:

Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

Pastor Warren’s mission transcends political and moral disagreements.  His decision to accept this invitiation would have been guided by these two scriptures.  He believes that his appearance to give the invocation will be a demonstration of Christ’s love for all, and will further the goal of The Great Commission, spreading the Gospel to all nations.

In our previous post we discussed The Left’s irrational fear of religious expression, and Charles Gibson’s outrageous attempts to deceive ABC’s TV audience by misquoting remarks made by Sarah Palin to a gathering at her church.

Someone should remind The Left of their roots.

On the evening of June 6, 1944, as American troops began the D-Day landing on the coast of France, The Left’s most revered President, Franklin D. Roosevelt, led America in prayer over nation- wide radio  Here are some excerpts:

My Fellow Americans:

…in this poignant hour, I ask you to join with me in prayer:

Almighty God: Our sons, pride of our nation, this day have set upon a mighty endeavor, a struggle to preserve our Republic, our religion, and our civilization, and to set free a suffering humanity.  Lead them straight and true; give strength to their arms, stoutness to their hearts, steadfastness in their faith.

They will need Thy blessings. Their road will be long and hard. For the enemy is strong. He may hurl back our forces. Success may not come with rushing speed, but we shall return again and again; and we know that by Thy grace, and by the righteousness of our cause, our sons will triumph.

And for us at home — fathers, mothers, children, wives, sisters, and brothers of brave men overseas, whose thoughts and prayers are ever with them — help us, Almighty God, to rededicate ourselves in renewed faith in Thee in this hour of great sacrifice…As we rise to each new day, and again when each day is spent, let words of prayer be on our lips, invoking Thy help to our efforts.

With Thy blessing, we shall prevail over the unholy forces of our enemy. Help us to conquer the apostles of greed and racial arrogances. Lead us to the saving of our country, and with our sister nations into a world unity that will spell a sure peace — a peace invulnerable to the schemings of unworthy men. And a peace that will let all of men live in freedom, reaping the just rewards of their honest toil.

Thy will be done, Almighty God.

Amen

This Presidential prayer was considered entirely appropriate by almost every American, including the Democrats in Congress!

How far we have come since then.  Imagine the outrage from The Left if, on the eve of the military operation against Al Qaeda in Afghanistan, President Bush had appeared on TV to lead the nation in the same prayer, and hoped to do God’s will!

One wonders what FDR would say to those who now lead the movement he started, and who are so hysterically intolerant of any expression of this nation’s Judeo-Christian foundation and traditions.

Does evil exist? And if it does, do we ignore it? Do we negotiate with it? Do we contain it? Do we defeat it?

Pastor Warren’s multiple choice question came with with four answer choices:

1. Ignore evil;
2. Negotiate with evil;
3. Contain evil;
4. Defeat evil.

Without hesitation, John McCain chose, “Defeat it.” He continued with rambling thoughts that look somewhat less coherent in print than on live TV. But there is no ambiguity, no doubt about where he stands. Evil exists, radical Islamic extremism is evil, and it must be defeated.

Barack Obama chose none of the above. His answer was to “confront” evil. In this context, what did Obama mean? “Confront” is an incomplete answer. “Confront” would be a prelude to negotiate, or contain or defeat, but “confront” doesn’t stand on its own. Yet that was Obama’s response, an ambiguous, uncertain, non-committal response.

Astoundingly, Obama’s examples of evil didn’t include the Islamic terrorists who killed thousands of Americans on 9-11 and are responsible for barbaric campaigns of death and destruction all over the world.

Obama went on to caution that America must be “humble” in its efforts to “confront” evil. Obama has spent his life steeped in the Leftist, Academic culture that sees American strength as the source of trouble in the world, and largely excuses what most of us would call evil.  Indeed, the post-modern academic culture isn’t even sure that evil exists at all.  “It’s all relative” is one of their favorite bromides.

Does Barack Obama believe evils like Islamic Terror and the recent Russian invasion of Georgia result from America not being soft and humble enough enough in “confronting” such evil?

To the academics and war protesters who share Obama’s world view this answer makes sense.

To Americans who are distressed by the spread of anti-American evil in the world and want a leader who will defeat as much of it as possible, Obama’s response was disquieting – maybe even alarming.

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Each Sunday 126 million Americans leave their homes to attend a church. To put that number in perspective, note that in July 138 million Americans were employed, 28 million leave their homes to see a movie each week, and 97.5 million watched the Super Bowl on TV last February. Fifty-six percent of Americans tell pollsters their faith is “very important.”

Yet, there is rarely any news about faith or church life in the national media, except the occasional scandals about delinquent clergy or creepy cults. Active, committed Christians and observant Jews are a huge sub-culture that’s virtually invisible to the media except during election campaigns when uninformed talking heads presume to know them (us, actually) as simpletons, whose votes are determined by irrelevant “social” issues.

But Today, history will be made as both candidates will appear at the same church on the same day and submit to questioning by an Evangelical Pastor.

Pastor Rick Warren of Saddleback Church, in the Los Angeles suburb of Lake Forest is a giant in the Evangelical Christian world. To tens of millions of Christians, the name Rick Warren is as familiar as the name of the President. He started his church in an apartment 25 years ago with his wife and three other people. Today, 22,000 people attend every Sunday.

In 1995 he wrote “The Purpose Driven Church,” a book for church leaders on how to start and/or grow a Christ-centered, Bible believing church in contemporary America. In 2002 he published another book, “The Purpose Driven Life,” which to date has sold over 30 million copies. Pastor Warren has produced workbooks, videos, and lesson plans to help churches around the world attract and teach new Christians.

Pastor Warren is in the vanguard of a recent trend in evangelical churches to deemphasize controversial social and political issues such as abortion or homosexuality in the hope of attracting more people and thus saving more souls. The theory, which makes sense, is that when a person’s dominant cultural influences, over a lifetime, have been from Hollywood, public education, academia and the media he or she is unlikely to respond positively to a church outreach that begins with preaching against abortion or gay marriage or unmarried couples living together and having children.

The theory is theologically sound as well. Jesus taught that we are all sinners. He sought out and actively mingled with people who were shunned for their sins by religious leaders of the time, and did not classify some categories of sinner as less worthy of forgiveness and salvation than others.

Pastor Warren has seemingly performed a miracle in persuading both candidates to appear at his church on the same evening. Senator Obama will appear first and answer a series of questions. Senator McCain will join him on stage for a brief handshake, and then Obama will leave and McCain will respond to the same series of questions.

Today, Pastor Warren said many people are put off by debates between left and right and that his goal is to find common ground. If he succeeds, he will have performed another miracle. In recent decades, “common ground” has most often been code for more government control, less individual liberty, and more resources devoted to leftist causes.

Warren will probably give each man an opportunity to describe his faith in his own words, and he’ll probably deemphasize the hot buttons the media associate with Christian believers. He’ll also avoid cleverly worded “gotcha” questions designed to trap the candidates.

Pastor Warren’s approach may shame the news celebrities who are slated conduct three Presidential debates in October into asking more relevant questions.

We’ll have commentary here at Liberty Works right after the event.