Founder and Chancellor of Biblical University, ACHETS Missionary University, and Founder, CEO & Chairman of Association for Christian Higher Education and Theological Schools - ACHETS Incorporated, among others
Ever hear
the old saw that religious people are on the wrong side of history? It
isn't true. Turns out, we're on the right side of the future as well.
A year
ago, National Geographic told readers that "religion is rapidly becoming
less important than it's ever been, even to people who live in
countries where faith has affected everything from rulers to borders to
architecture."
But as Rodney Stark documented in his recent book, The Triumph of Faith,
that statement is wrong. In fact, it's the opposite of the truth.
According to Stark, "The world is not merely as religious as it used to
be. In important ways, it is much more intensely religious than ever
before . . ."
I've been reading the book of Genesis lately and the story of Joseph is a fascinating one. Unjustly
despised by his brothers and secretly sold to a band of merchantmen,
Joseph was taken into Egypt and made a slave. Later he would be wrongly
accused by his master's wife of sexual assault, and, though he was
innocent, imprisoned. Eventually, he was vindicated and released and in
the providence of God raised to the position of vice-regent in Egypt.
When
a famine swept the land, his treacherous brothers were forced to go
into Egypt to buy food and were confronted unawares by Joseph. They had
not seen him for several years and didn't recognize him. Moreover,
Joseph purposely hid his identity from them until he would choose the
right time to reveal himself.
I think it's interesting that the time of Joseph's disclosure to his brothers was a private one.
The
Scriptures say, "Then Joseph could not refrain himself before all them
that stood by him; and he cried, Cause every man to go out from me. And
there stood no man with him, while Joseph made himself known to his
brethren" (Gen. 54:1).
Joseph
then manifested his true identity, reached out in a spirit of
reconciliation, and forgave his brothers their grievous trespasses
against him. As one commentator has described it, Joseph demonstrated a
"love stooping, a love conquering." The Bible says that Joseph kissed
them and they all fell upon his neck and wept in true remorse for what
they had done to Joseph.
Joseph is a type of Christ and the revelation of Christ to the soul is perhaps the most private of experiences.
Christianity
is not simply the truth, an institution, a philosophy, or a code of
ethics; although in one sense, it is all of these things. It is,
however, more importantly, and fundamentally, a Divine, living, and
loving Person.
At the heart of a genuine Christian faith is that
very private moment when we are confronted in our spiritually
treacherous ways by the Savior, Jesus Christ. When Joseph revealed
himself to his brothers, it was very personal and rather than being
reproached by him, they experienced his splendid magnanimity and
consequentially reproached themselves. It is the same when Christ
reveals himself to us. We discover him that is full of grace and mercy.
We see that He loves us. We see that he wants to embrace us. He wants to
forgive us and be reconciled, despite the severity of our sins against
him.
Have you ever experienced such a private moment with God in the person of his Son, Jesus Christ?
Of
course, if you have, then you know that although a personal experience
with the Savior is a private one, our newfound relationship with him can
never be a secret. Joseph saved his brothers when he could have justly
destroyed them. They owed him everything. It is for us to go far and
near with this same message that our Lord is willing to reveal himself
and receive all that come unto him by Christ.
People in India have been converting to
Christianity following what has been described as miraculous healings
done in the name of Jesus, persecution watchdog group Open Doors has
said.
These Christians have remained devoted
to their new faith in Jesus, despite enduring immense pressure from
radicals who beat them for refusing to worship Hindu gods.
Open Doors shared
the stories of several Christians from India on Monday, with one man,
identified as Sohan, describing what happened to him after he and others
in his village decided to follow Christ: "The villagers crowded around
us and started punching and kicking us, all over our bodies. They asked
us to praise Hindu gods and goddesses. We refused. They kicked us
harder."
Sohan was accused by the radicals of converting people to Christianity, which is against the law in five of India's states.
He
said that despite his fear of being arrested, which led to him spending
four days in jail, he prayed to God, and saw those prayers answered.
"I preached the Gospel and prayed for
an inmate who was sick. He was healed and believed in Christ instantly.
My other cell mate was a person suffering from intense depression. He
kept saying that he wanted to kill himself. I prayed for him and the
suicidal thoughts left him. He also accepted Christ," Sohan revealed.
He
added: "The third person I met was a young man falsely accused of
raping a woman. He also used to remain very upset and felt hopeless
about his life. I shared the Gospel with him, and he also accepted
Christ inside the prison. This way I saw God's immense power and
deliverance."
Open Doors, which monitors and provides relief to
persecuted Christians around the world, was able, along with its
partners, to bail out Sohan, who has reportedly returned to his village,
which wasn't named, and lives among the people who attacked him and had
him arrested.
"I suffered with many physical ailments and
financial troubles before I became a Christian. Now I have freedom from
all those problems and have a new life. This new life I will live only
for Him, even if it includes persecution," Sohan said of his experience.
"I give thanks to your organization for your help."
Another
Christian, identified as Mohan, said that while he was still a Hindu,
his family prayed to Hindu gods and sacrificed animals in the hopes of
healing his sick father.
One day a Christian villager advised that they start praying to Jesus instead.
"When
we did, my father was healed. There was no more sickness in my family.
Of course, we followed Jesus after that. To be honest, we never
anticipated resistance," Mohan revealed.
His fellow villagers were
angry when they saw that the family was happy and healthy and following
Jesus, and told them to leave their home. Mohan's family refused,
however, and for the past 10 years they've faced constant discrimination
and attacks.
"Fifteen men came to their house, tied his parents'
hands behind their backs, and forced them to stand in a pool of water up
to their shoulders until Mohan's brothers could pay for their release.
The couple were kept like this for 17 hours," Open Doors said.
"When
Mohan got married, local people forced him and his wife to take part in
a Hindu marriage ceremony, and would not allow them to perform a
Christian wedding. When Mohan's father died, their Hindu relatives
wouldn't allow him to be buried in the village; Mohan's family had to
bury him in the jungle."
Open Doors says it has been helping
people like Mohan's family recover and pay for medical expenses, and
asked for Christians to pray and help support efforts reaching out to
persecuted people in India.
There have been several recent reports of Hindu radicals attempting to convert Christians back to Hinduism.
International Christian Concern, another watchdog group, reported back in May that
as many as 15 Christian families were forced to undergo such
reconversion ceremonies in the Junwani village of Chhattisgarh over
Easter.
"They can stop me from going to church but they cannot
take Jesus from my heart. I will find ways and secretly come to church,"
one Christian who was forcefully reconverted told a local pastor at the
time.
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I got this email today. I get this at least once a month, so thought I
would just post it (and note, this is exactly what was written):
"My 11-year old daughter wants a phone and my Ex-wife wants her to get one. Only 26% of kids her age have one and they're mostly all rich kids in Orange County. I wanna find ways to protect her from seeing big c*cks as much as possible. Help me Craig!" (Photo: Facebook/Craig Gross)Pastor Craig Gross of XXXchurch.comHere is my response to this email and so many others.
It's also what I have done with my kids, who are 11 and 14 years old:
1.
First of all, if you are worried about your kids having an emergency
and not having a phone, then head down to Walmart or 7-Eleven and get a
pay as you go flip phone. Those will work great if your kids need to
call you.
You can't use the "My kids needs a smartphone" line because of emergencies.
Not needed.
2.
If you want to get your kids an iPhone or Android, don't ever give it
to your pre-teen or better yet 9-year old out of the box as it comes
from the store.
3. Don't give your kids a device you are unfamiliar with and don't know how to use yourself.
4. Don't allow your kids to play an app, watch a movie or binge on a show on Netflix that you are unfamiliar or unaware of.
5. Parents still must be parents and that is a hard one, I know.
Most
parents are clueless and cave into the pressure from their kids. Then
kids get into trouble on devices because they are acting like kids, but
playing with devices designed for adults.
6. A lot of parents have an old iPhone 4 or 5 sitting in their junk
drawer and when the times comes will give that one to their kid. That is an okay idea, but you need to keep reading.
iPhones and Androids have parental control settings built into the phone.
Use these before you try and buy an app or search for another option. The best options are now built into the phone.
For
iPhones head to Settings -> General -> Restrictions and then
enable restrictions with a four digit passcode that you don't give to
your kid. This puts you in charge.
Both my kids have phones and have these restrictions:
– I have turned Safari OFF –
I don't need or want them searching the web or wasting time online with
their phone. They can use the computer at home to do that.
– Installing Apps turned OFF –
I don't allow them access to the iTunes store to purchase or get free
waste-of-time apps. If they want something, I look at it and if I allow,
I will enter the passcode and download.
My rule is they can have productive apps but only 3 games on
their phones. I am not going to have my kids playing games on a phone
all day. I can't stand grown men and women playing candy crush or words
with friends on their devices all day long. WASTE OF TIME!
Whenever
I board a plane with my kids, I have them look at the first class
section and ask them to find a person in the first class that is on
their phone playing games. Never. Successful people today don't waste
time playing these games.
Go to the middle seat in the back of the
plane and see that dude who is 35 playing some Game of War game. I
don't want my kids to be that guy/girl. It's not about the money you
make, but the time you waste with your life. Worse than that, people on
their phones all day long can't talk to people in person.
I don't need my kids growing up with their heads in a screen and not experiencing the life and people in front of them.
I wrote some more reasons why I don't let my kids play on their phones when their friends are over here. You can read that HERE.
– Deleting Apps turned OFF –
I don't let my kids delete things on their phones. This applies to text
messages, emails, and apps. This is more of a life lesson for kids
online.
Snapchat and Instagram stories tell you things delete in
24 hours, but ask Draymond Green if you can still see his penis online?
The internet keeps a history, and so does your Ex-boyfriend or future
employers. Everything you do online doesn't disappear. Even Hillary
Clinton couldn't delete her emails forever yet kids are growing up
thinking things they do will just disappear or be deleted. That kind of thinking is the furthermost thing from the truth.
If
my kids send a text message or email to a friend, my kids know that
they better be okay with the whole school seeing it because nothing is
private.
– No Social Media apps on their phones – This
could be old school. That's okay. I don't need my kids on Snapchat,
Instagram, Twitter, Facebook or anything else right now on their phones.
Over time I will loosen up there, but how many stories do I hear every
day of kids and adults making stupid decisions on social and wasting a
ton of time?
If my kids want to get on social, they do it on my
phone. I also am aware of who they follow and activities on their
accounts. When we are on a trip, I will allow my 14-year old to download
and post updates and I have started to allow more access to Instagram
with him at the house.
As far as your home goes. There is one
device I recommend to anyone with kids still at home. It is called
CIRCLE. You can read all about it HERE. It will cost you a one-time fee of $99 and it is amazing!
Last thing, Check out www.xxxchurch.com/parents. You can get a free book I wrote called Touchy Subjects and
read more about things you might not know anything about. If you are a
pastor and want to host a parents night at your church, we have a free
video available for download HERE.
That's all I've got!
Why was the Golden Era of Hollywood (as seen in the quality of
movies) way back in the 1930s and 40s? It was because of the salt from
the Church, both Catholic and Protestant, influencing the outcome of the
content. So the writers had to be clever. The actors couldn't swear,
yet they could act out their frustrations in such ways that the idea of
swearing was conveyed.
Dr. Jerry Newcombe is a key archivist of the D. James Kennedy Legacy Library, a spokesman and cohost of Kennedy Classics.From
the 1930s until the 1960s, the Motion Picture Production Code, through
influence of Catholic and Protestant leaders and offices they had in
Hollywood, provided a type of salt — keeping the movies from going too
far. Dr. Ted Baehr, the go-to guy when it comes to movies from a
biblical perspective, says they "worked behind the scenes to make sure
that the movie industry represented the concerns of the vast majority of
the public."
Two movies with Christian themes or sub-themes were
the Movies-of-the-Year, respectively in 1965 and 1966, "The Sound of
Music" and "A Man for All Seasons." Both were rated G. But then the
church pulled out its influence in Hollywood; and by 1969, the first
X-rated movie won the Oscar for best picture, "Midnight Cowboy."
As the films got progressively dirtier, tens of millions of Americans left the theaters in droves.
Today,
Sony is trying to offer consumers toned-down versions of movies that
contain raunchy moments so that they will be more acceptable as family
entertainment. And some in Hollywood are screaming bloody murder.
Hollywoodreporter.com (6/13/17)
noted, "Sony's sanitized initiative faces growing opposition." For
instance, they quoted film maker Judd Apatow, who said, "Shove the clean
versions up your [expletive]!"
Obviously, I don't agree with Apatow. What a great idea. This could win back many potential viewers.
I asked Ted Baehr, who is the publisher of Movieguide, about this. He
told me, "I can't recommend all of these movies, even if edited, due to
dangerous or anti-Christian messages inherent in the story, so please
still read the reviews. That said, Movieguide commends Sony for taking
the step in the right direction of providing families with safe
entertainment."
Indeed, some movies would need more than a few
edits to make them acceptable to a family audience. They could not be
redeemed for a redeemed audience by just a few edits. The television
versions of certain films, which is essentially what Sony is offering,
are still quite objectionable.
However, how many times have you
seen a movie and realized you liked it, but you think, "Why did they
have to have all that swearing in it?" Those who make such films seem to
have no idea how offensive it is to millions of people to hear God's
name used in vain, repeatedly no less. God Almighty has said He will not
hold him guiltless who takes His name in vain. Jesus pointed out that
out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks.
I remember
when I saw and enjoyed the Coen Brothers' wacky film (but I repeat
myself), "O, Brother, Where Art Thou?," which includes a lot of classic
Southern Gospel music. I saw it on an airplane and enjoyed it immensely.
Then I dragged my parents and wife to attend the film in a movie theater, and I was shocked. Where did all that needless swearing
come from? The holy name of Jesus was misused, as if it means nothing —
although the truth is, every beat of every one's heart is by the grace
of Jesus.
Ted Baehr said on my radio show
recently: "We look at all the [swearing], the violence, the sex; and we
say [to film executives], 'This is how much it costs you in the box
office. For instance, there are no R-rated films in the top ten films
last year. There are no films with the F-word. It just doesn't happen.
And in the top 25 films, there are no films having [gratuitous] sex or
violence."
Baehr adds, "We've got people that are voting at the
box office for the good, the true, and the beautiful .... The studios
know it, and they like to make more money. But when you suggest taking
out one F-word, because sometimes these movies have only one F-word or
one bad scene, and they go bonkers .... And this is incredible to
me...that people confuse their artistic ability with the libertine
license to poke their fingers into people's eyes."
I welcome what
Sony is attempting to do, and I would hope producers would see the
light. If nothing else, they could see greater financial profits and
wider markets for their films.
Hey, Hollywood, stop ignoring the
desires of "flyover country." You could have a lot more customers that
way — plus you could help minimize the moral pollution that plagues our
world.
Jerry
Newcombe, D.Min., is an on-air host/senior producer for D. James
Kennedy Ministries. He has written/co-written 26 books, including The Book That Made America, Doubting Thomas (w/ Mark Beliles, on Jefferson), What If Jesus Had Never Been Born? (w/ D. James Kennedy) & George Washington's Sacred Fire (w/ Peter Lillback). djameskennedy.org@newcombejerry
George H. W. Bush recently celebrated his 93rd birthday. In
four and half months, he is on course to surpass Ronald Reagan and
Gerald Ford as the former president who lived the longest. His son
George W. is much better known for his religious convictions, but the
senior Bush has a very strong faith as well, which significantly shaped
his character and policies as president.
Bush was raised by devout Episcopalian parents and remained affiliated
with this denomination almost his entire life. His father Prescott, a
Republican senator from Connecticut, and his mother Dorothy led family
worship every morning, using readings from the Episcopal Book of Common
Prayer and A Diary of Private Prayer by Scottish Presbyterian
theologian John Baillie. They strove to teach their children how the
Bible applied to daily life. While worshipping for many years at
Episcopal churches in Houston, Washington, and Kennebunkport, Maine,
Bush's theology and social policies have more in common with
evangelicals than with many fellow Episcopalians.
While flying a combat mission for the Navy in September 1944, Bush's
plane was severely damaged on a bombing mission, forcing him to
parachute into the Pacific Ocean south of Japan. The Japanese hunted
him, but a U.S. submarine picked him up. Bush thanked God for saving his
life and asked, "Why had I been spared and what did God have for me?"
Their
three-year-old daughter Robin's battle with and eventual death from
leukemia in the early 1950s both tested and deepened Bush's faith. He
declared that "prayer had always been part" of his and his wife
Barbara's lives, but it became more fervent during this ordeal. "Our
faith," Bush testified, "truly sustained us."
Bush saw God as
active and all-powerful and the Bible as divinely inspired and
authoritative. "One cannot be America's President," the Republican
frequently asserted, without "the strength that your faith gives to
you." The Bible, which had helped shape America's values and
institutions, Bush attested, "has always been a great source of comfort
to me." He affirmed that Jesus was God's divine Son and frequently
referred to Christ as "our Savior." Moreover, Bush peppered his speeches
with biblical quotations, precepts, and stories to underscore his
positions.
Bush began his 1989 inaugural address by praying,
"Heavenly Father, we ... thank You for Your love." Strengthen us "to do
Your work." Make us "willing to heed and hear Your will, and write on
our hearts these words: 'Use power to help people.'" Bush's cabinet
meetings always began with prayer. The Bushes prayed together every
night before going to sleep. "My husband," Barbara declared, "prays and
believes enormously." During his presidency, Bush referred to prayer in
220 different speeches, proclamations, and remarks. In hundreds of
letters Bush thanked citizens for praying for him and testified that he
drew "great strength" from their prayers.
Bush continually
exhorted Americans to seek God's aid in dealing with the nation's
problems. No other chief executive asserted as often as he did that the
United States was "one nation under God" and accountable to Him. God,
the Texan averred, placed Americans on Earth "to do His work." "Without
God's help," he declared, "we can do nothing," but "with it, we can do
great things." As president, he wrote dozens of letters assuring
Americans that God would help them cope with the challenges of life.
Bush
repeatedly insisted that both individuals and nations should adhere to
transcendent moral norms and that America was founded upon
Judeo-Christian principles. Government, he argued, had a limited, but
important, role to play in promoting the common good and remedying
social ills. "It is very important," Bush declared, "to follow the
teachings of our Heavenly Father in carrying out the responsibilities of
government." The federal government, he insisted, could not remedy
America's many social ills by itself. Alleviating them also required the
active efforts of local governments, parents, teachers, businesses, and
churches.
While Bush's faith helped shape many of his policies,
it was perhaps most evident in his Thousand Points of Light Initiative.
In more than 500 speeches and public statements, Bush urged Americans to
increase their personal efforts and financial contributions to aid the
less fortunate. Service to others, Bush asserted, advanced Christ's
mission. He beseeched Americans to emulate "the selfless spirit of
giving that Jesus embodied." Bush strove to create a society where
serving others became "part of everyone's everyday thinking." His Points
of Light initiative did help significantly boost volunteerism.
Individuals logged millions of hours helping needy individuals during
Bush's four years in office, and almost 25 years after Bush left office,
Points of Light "is the world's largest organization dedicated to
volunteer service."
Many have testified to Bush's staunch
Christian commitment. Thomas Bagley, the rector of St. Martin's
Episcopal Church in Houston to which Bush long belonged, declared that
he "would not ever do anything he thought to be contrary to our Lord and
Master." In 1989, four Methodist bishops applauded the Republican's
"strong Christian faith" and "devotion to the church." In naming Bush
and his wife Barbara "Episcopalians of the Year" in 1991, The Anglican Digest praised
the president's "strong spiritual leadership" and "commitment to Christ
and His Church." The head of the Fellowship of Christian Athletes wrote
Bush in 1991: "your faithfulness as a prayer warrior became so evident
during Desert Storm as you led our nation to trust in God.
Motivated
by his faith, Bush has been an exemplary Point of Light who
energetically and effectively served God and millions around the world
through his presidency and other political roles for five decades.
