The Great Separation

Quick Link: Jeremiah Wright & conservatives who preach like him.

Click it out. - Here's a link to an opinion piece I just stumbled upon that I think is worth your reading time if you are a Christian in America.

Florida Baptist Witness: "Jeremiah Wright & conservatives who preach like him", by Russell D. Moore.

Here's a snippet:

This is not the Gospel as proclaimed by the prophets and apostles, a Gospel that centers on Jesus Christ and Him alone. The clips of the Wright sermons should outrage us. But we should be outraged first as Christians. The most egregious aspect of his statements is not what he is saying about America, but what he is not saying about the Gospel.

But one does not have to be a political radical to bypass Jesus at church. White, upwardly mobile, pro-America preachers preach liberation theology all the time, with all the fervor of Jeremiah Wright, if not the anger.

Just take a look at the best-selling authors in Christian bookstores. Listen for a minute or two to the parade of preachers on Christian television and radio. What are they promising? Your best life now. What are they preaching about? How to be authentic. How to make good career choices. How Hillary Clinton fits into Bible prophecy.

After reading Moore's article I give it a hearty, Amen!

The Great Separation continues.

Update on Kidnapped Pakistani Christian Girls.

They hate you because of me - Remember the post last week about the two Christian girls kidnapped in Pakistan? As a reminder they were forced into sex-slavery and forced to convert to Islam by their captors who filed in the courts for custody of the girls. And yes, a judge awarded custody under the claim that because the girls converted to Islam that their Christian parents no longer had authority or responsibility for the girls.

Today I ran across an update that gives me some hope that the girls might be returned to their Christian parents.

OneNewsNow reports: Children in conversion dispute sent to Pakistani shelter.

A Pakistani court has taken over supervision of two children in a custody battle that appears to hinge on their disputed conversion from Christianity to Islam.

At a hearing in Multan, 200 miles southwest of Lahore, Judge Saghir Ahmed ordered Aneela and Saba Masih, 10 and 13 respectively, to be temporarily placed in a government-run women’s shelter.

This Judge Ahmed says he doesn't think the girls were free from pressure to convert, which the lawyer for the parent's maintains is not the main point here. These are 10 and 13 year old girls and under law their parents have a right to them regardless of religion.

There is some belief that the judge has been threatened with death by Muslim Clerics if he returns the children to their rightful parents.

Sadly the brain washing of these young girls has already begun. Read the full article. It is heart breaking and from the sound of it, only the true God of Heaven will be able to return these children to their parents.

Pray for a miracle. Pray for their parents. Pray that their captors would come to know Jesus as Lord and Savior.

The Great Separation continues.

For further information on Christian persecution around the globe the Christian Persecution Blog is a good source.

Quick Link: Most of Jazz Musician's Brain Shuts off When...

Toned out. - This is neat oddity that fascinates me.

ScienCentral has a report on a doctor who apparently discovered that when a musician plays improve, ie not using sheet music but going with the flow such as in a jazz session, that a good portion of his brain shuts off.

Here's the report:

Your Brain On Jazz.

Buddhist Mob Attacks Pastor and Destroys Church.

They hate you because of me - In Sri Lanka a rumor was spread that some Christians attacked a local Buddhist temple. A rumor. The reaction to this rumor? A mob of around 500 people descended upon a Christian church and destroyed it.

The Christian Post reports, Buddhist Monks Destroy Church in Sri Lanka, Attack Pastor:

The 100 church members in attendance were told to leave by the pastor and police, who were called in earlier by the pastor when he noticed that the church’s cross was damaged.

"Fearing violence, the pastor and the police sent away the congregation. Soon after the mob – including the monks – entered the church and completely destroyed everything within, leaving only the walls standing,” said the National Christian Evangelical Alliance of Sri Lanka (NCEASL), a partner of Release International.

"The mob then turned on the pastor and five workers, beating them with clubs and rods. A police officer who attempted to shield the pastor also received blows."

Be sure to read the full article. It has more information on the political climate in Sri Lanka and other act of persecution.

The Great Separation continues.

For further information on Christian persecution around the globe the Christian Persecution Blog is a good source.

Ring of Pregnant Prostitutes Busted.

Evidences of a soul-sick nation - I caught the headline for this news item on the Drudge Report, "Pregnant prostitute ring busted in Missouri...".

I must say I did a double take when I scanned over it. I thought it had to be a mistake or in the least a miss-worded headline.

But no, in fact a prostitution ring was busted in which three out of four of the women were pregnant.

MyFox Kansas City reports: Pregnant Prostitutes To Face Charges (link contains arrest photos):

The undercover bust went down at a Lake Ozark area hotel after the sheriff's department received several reports that pregnant women were advertising prostitution on an internet advertising site.

One of the women arrested was eight months pregnant, another six months pregnant, and another was three months pregnant. They ranged in age from 18 to 22 years old.

This is vile to me when I think of moral state of both the women prostituting themselves and the people using them for their own pleasure. Let alone the horrors of the medical risks of disease to which the children in their wombs are being subjected.

Frankly though, I think that it is yet another indicator of the state of soul condition of the United States. As a nation, repentance before the true God of heaven and His Son, Jesus Christ, is necessary if we are to right the course of our nation.

Individually pray that these women will get a wake up call from this arrest and that they will find freedom from the chains of sin that bind them, something that can only be found in Jesus.

The Great Separation continues.

President George W. Bush Meets with Bob Fu of China Aid Association.

They hate you because of me - I just received this eMail press release from China Aid Association, a group that works to help Christians in China and inform people in the world to the Christian Persecution going on there. The president of China Aid met with President Bush today to discuss some of the violations of China.

Here's the release:

Today just before noon, Bob Fu, President of China Aid Association, met with President Bush along with 4 other leaders advocating for human rights and religious freedom in China. This historic meeting sends a strong statement to the Chinese government officials of the President’s priorities in his visit to the opening Beijing 2008 Olympic Games next week. President Bush explained his desire to talk to the Chinese officials about human rights violations, and also speak with the Chinese people about the importance of religious freedom. The President promised to discuss with President Hu Jintao that the Christians in his country are peace-loving and caring people, and that he should not be afraid of them. Bob Fu delivered “Prayer for China” wrist bands to the President and encouraged him to wear them as a symbol of solidarity with the Chinese people. In addition to explaining the deteriorating situation for religious freedom in China as the Olympics approach, Bob Fu also raised the case of house church leader Zhang Rongliang, who is serving his 7 ½ year prison sentence and Bob asked President Bush to intercede in his behalf.

President Bush’s willingness to meet with Bob Fu and other activists despite the sensitivity and complexity of Sino-American relations is a clear showing of his commitment for basic human rights within China. China Aid Association is deeply thankful to President Bush for his courageous stand in the advancement of Religious freedom in China and around the world.

Let's continue to keep in prayer our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ.

Pray too that those who persecute them would come to know freedom from sin and death in Christ Jesus.

The Great Separation continues.

For further information on Christian persecution around the globe the Christian Persecution Blog is a good source.

Picture Perfect Friday: Don't get the 'Coot'ies Alligator.

Snap! - I laughed when I saw this mother coot nesting with her eggs right next to this sign. I took it one Sunday while I was with some friends disc golfing after church. I haven't been able to play myself because of an injury so I've been taking along my camera and sometimes my video camera.

Click pic to enlarge.

Almost 500,000 Olympic Prayer Bands Ordered.

Get yours - Here's some great news from Voice of the Martyrs that I just got in an eMail.

Praise the Lord!

Nearly 500,000 Olympic Prayer Bands have been requested to date. The Voice of the Martyrs is processing the orders as fast as possible. We are so thankful for the tremendous support from Christians in the USA who are willing to pray for their persecuted brothers and sisters in China during the Olympics. If you have already requested prayer bands, please be assured VOM will get them to you as fast as possible. If you would like to place an order, or order more to get more people involved, simply follow the link below. Prayer bands can be purchased for as low as $0.50 each. Distribution of the prayer bands is also underway in China to house church Christians who will be praying for you!

If you've not gotten your free band yet, you can get it here.

The Great Separation continues.

News Links of Note.

Click. Wow. Click. Uh. Click. Groan. - The last couple of days have presented me with a number of news items that I've found interesting and worth passing along to you my readers. These all touch on subjects that I have posted upon in the past.

The first is in relation to bees. Here's the link: UM’s “Bee Whisperer” Tells of Honeybees’ Military Potential.

I found it because I continue to monitor the Colony Collapse Disorder (a subject that is addressed in the article) that many bee keepers are faced with in the world today. It's a news item that has a, "Wow", factor. You see, a man has found a way to train bees to find land mines!

This next item is related to my post yesterday, "I am Bone Weary of America's Licentiousness.

A study has shown that more of the tweens group are engaging in sexual behavior. Here's the link: Younger adolescents involved in sexual activity.

Here's a news item that was encouraging to me: Planned Parenthood fails to open doors. Here's a snippet:

A state law that requires abortionists to inform women – before an abortion – that the procedure "will terminate the life of a whole, separate, unique, living human being" apparently has done what no other pro-life protest has been able to accomplish – the closure of Planned Parenthood's abortion facility.

Here is yet another example of the fallout from the Court in California making same-sex marriage legal. Christian therapist under fire for email response.

This therapist is under fire because she voiced her Christian beliefs to fellow therapists. I applaud her for not hiding her faith.

Here's another item out of California. Academia to high schools: No God allowed.

Arguments were heard today in a federal district court case to determine whether a state university system can dictate that private Christian schools in the state teach their college prep courses from exclusively secular, Bible- and God-free textbooks.

Here's the final item in my list today. PBS documentary denies inerrancy of scripture. There's apparently a forth coming Nova program that argues things such as the story of Abraham being fictious.

Seeing some of the news items sure does make it hard to understand how some people continue to operate under the false belief that Christianity isn't under attack in America today.

The Great Separation continues.

I am Bone Weary of America's Licentiousness.

Embracing Evil - Licentious:

1. Lacking moral discipline or ignoring legal restraint, especially in sexual conduct.
2. Having no regard for accepted rules or standards.

I am beginning to wonder whether America is full of liars or full of people with multiple personalities.

Maybe both.

One thing that I am certain of is that the spirit within me aches with the knowledge and the realization of what it means for the future of the nation.

This is what I'm asking myself: If the polls are to be believed than a majority of American's consider themselves "Christian." But if that is the case, why does the American public continue to eat out of the gutter of unrighteousness and sin by engaging in licentious behaviors?

What started this rumination today? The fact that I can't seem to escape the sexual images and sounds that this culture seems bent to inflict upon everyone. Whether it's in our television programming, the commercials that say you're not happy unless you've got our product that will make others want to have sex with you, or the pervasive adds on the internet touting the same.

This morning I got on FaceBook and jumped over to a popular application that a friend invited me to try out called, "Owned!" In this online game you get "x" amount of money and can bid on the photos of your friends and other people playing the game. As you get into bidding wars the "value" of the person's photo increases and thus the overall value of the person increase. I know, it's absurd. But I found it fun bidding on the photos of friends and seeing some of the creative stuff people put up for bid.

However, today the charm is gone and I am trying to decide if I should figure out how I can get all my photos and stuff out of the game.

Why?