Tag: Evangelicals

Pastor of Progressive Church Says the Bible “Can’t Live Up to Impossible, Modern Standards”

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics2 Comments

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For the sorrow that is according to the will of God produces a repentance without regret, leading to salvation, but the sorrow of the world produces death. 2 Corinthians 7:10

ToddStarnes.com recently posted the following article by Caleb Parke

A progressive Nashville church is in hot water for claiming the Bible isn’t “inerrant or infallible” and “can’t live up to impossible, modern standards.”

GracePointe Church, led by Pastor Josh Scott, shared an image on Facebook stating: “The Bible isn’t: the Word of God, self-interpreting, a science book, an answer/rule book, inerrant or infallible,” The Christian Post reports.

The church claimed the Bible is “a product of community, a library of texts, multi-vocal, a human response to God, living and dynamic,” adding, “As Progressive Christians, we’re open to the tensions and inconsistencies in the Bible.”

Nationally syndicated radio host Todd Starnes reacted to the story Friday: “It’s kind of a shocking statement but there does seem to be this wokeness that’s infecting modern-day evangelical churches.”

Christian band Skillet’s frontman John Cooper told the Todd Starnes Show “if the Bible is not the Word of God then we have nothing to stand on, we have nothing that is unshakable in our lives and I think we need the opposite message.”

The “Awake & Alive to Truth” author explained: “I think we need to be promoting the Bible is the unchanging Word of God, that is what you build your life upon and you will be unshakable.”

He added: “We have to fight and we have to stand up for the Word of God because people’s lives are falling apart and … God actually has answers for all of these questions.”

A Christian “Church” who does not believe that the Bible is NOT the Word of God is not a CHRISTIAN Church,

It can call itself a Social Justice Center.

It can call itself a Tabernacle of Wokeness.

However, if you devalue the Bible, the Holy Scriptures which are a “two-edged sword” and the key to learning about the foundation of the Christian Faith, then you are studying modern culture and not the history of the Hebrew people and the House of David, from whose lineage came Jesus Christ, the Prince of Peace.

The rise of “Wokeness” within Christian Churches is something that is literally tearing apart the fabric of our country.

The only conclusion that I, as a Christian American can reach, is the fact that our Sovereign Nation is in the midst of SPIRITUAL WARFARE for its very soul.

Make no mistake about it, boys and girls, EVIL EXISTS.

My friends, I believe that we are fighting a war against “princes and principalities”. Evil is still alive and well and flourishing in a world in which relative morality and situational ethics are increasingly being accepted as normal behavior.

We see it everyday around us.

It inundates the cable news channels, 24 hours a day. Heck, you can even see it on Facebook.

Since Cain slew Able with a rock, mankind, because we are all fallen creatures, has had to deal with the presence of evil in our lives.

From the legendary massacres, perpetrated by Vlad the Impaler, to the horrific scenes of Hitler’s Concentration Camps, to the killing fields of Pol Pot, to the massacre of innocent Middle Eastern Christians by Islamic State, to the murders by Chicago Street Gangs every night, the Forces of Evil continue to flourish across the globe.

Who we as a nation are struggling with are those forces who want to turn our country into not just an immoral society, but, an amoral one, whose concept of right and wrong is “Whatever Gets You Through the Night (It’s Alright. It’s Alright.)”, and whose ultimate authority is not the God of Abraham, but a Godless All-Powerful Central Government, whose credo is

From each according to his abilities, to each according to his needs. (Karl Marx)

Just as Marxism has failed wherever it has been tried before, if the Far Left Democrats have their way, so it would lead to America’s downfall.

The galling thing is the fact that, even though American Christians remain 75% of the population, we are propagandized and suppressed by the Liberals in both the Old and New Media, to make it seem as if WE are the Minority, when, in fact, WE are the overwhelming Majority.

It is this New Generation of Amoral Marxists, who have taken over the Democratic Party, who are in fact, just a tiny, albeit vocal, Minority of America’s population.

So, what can an average Christian American, like you and me, do about this “Tyranny of the Minority”?

Christians have to make a choice in these tough times whether to allow those who are attempting to “radically change” our Sovereign Nation, given to us by God into a Democratic Socialist Paradise or…

As the Apostle Paul tells us in Ephesians, we can STAND.

However, you cannot stand without “the full armor of God”. I have found, as have my family and friends, that the better that you are doing, in terms of your Christian Walk, the harder that you will be attacked.

10Finally, be strong in the Lord and in the strength of His might. 11Put on the full armor of God, so that you will be able to stand firm against the schemes of the devil. 12For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.…- Ephesians 6:10-12

Our Christianity as Americans does not and can not end at Noon on Sunday, as we shake the Preacher’s hand and walk out of the sanctuary (those of us who still get to g and are not “quarantined” at home).

“Onward, Christian Soldiers, marching as to war.”

Because believe me, Americans…we are in one.

Read your Bible…for it is the Word of God.

Pray for our country.

Pray for our Houses of Worship.

And, ask God for Revival in our Sovereign Nation.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Trump Meets With Evangelical Pastors and Leaders Who Pray for Him…Why We Should, Too

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics1 Comment

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This is a sad day for America. Our politics in this country has hit a new low. Nancy Pelosi and her followers in Congress have weaponized the impeachment process. After two years of the Russia collusion hoax, now they’ve turned to this. In my opinion, asking another country to investigate corruption is a good thing—not a bad thing. This is just another attempt to tarnish and embarrass the President before the next election. We have so many problems in this nation that need to be addressed. Instead the Democrats are fixated on only one thing—removing President Donald J. Trump from office. Pray for President Trump today, for God to give him wisdom, protection, and guide each and every step he takes. I pray that he and Melania will sense the presence of the Lord through this unjust inquisition. – Rev. Franklin Graham, 10/31/2019

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. – Ephesians 6:12

FoxNews.com reported recently that

Evangelical pastors and leaders met and prayed with President Trump amid House Democrats’ drive toward impeachment.

Fox News spoke with Pastor Jack Graham, Ralph Reed and the Rev. Johnnie Moore, three of the 25 leaders in attendance on Tuesday morning for an hour-long, wide-ranging meeting in the Roosevelt Room at the White House. There, Trump was greeted with a standing ovation.

“We discussed our support,” said Graham, the pastor of Prestonwood Baptist Church in Plano, Texas. “We assured him that evangelicals across America support him. …We are unwavering in our support for the president.”

Trump did not appear preoccupied with the impeachment inquiry, the advisers said, adding that the majority of their time was focused on various accomplishments: the nomination of federal judges, criminal justice reform, the defense of religious freedom, abortion reduction, the child tax credit, opportunity zones, the battle against opioid addiction and human trafficking, the Islamic State and the targeted operation leading to the death of ISIS leader Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi.

“We prayed for the president, with thanksgiving, as always, that he would know God’s wisdom and strength as the president of the United States,” Graham said, noting they offer to pray for Trump frequently. It’s a gesture he “always welcomes,” ever “appreciative of the people who pray for him across the country.”

Trump handily won the evangelical vote in 2016, and the leaders believe he has gained more support for reelection.

Reed, the chairman of the Faith and Freedom Coalition, added, “I have never seen a president more focused, more in command than what we saw with President Trump yesterday.”

When it comes to the impeachment push by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, the pastors said Trump is coping well.

“It was abundantly clear, he’s totally unfazed by this,” said Moore, president of the Congress of Christian Leaders. “Everybody felt this way. This isn’t actually about Donald Trump. … It’s about the agenda that he’s put forward, the success he’s had in advancing the agenda.”

“Evangelical leaders see this, not as impeaching Donald Trump, but they’re trying to impeach me and my values,” Moore said, adding, “Donald Trump is pretty good at fighting alone — but he isn’t going to have to on this one.”

“We take it very personally because they’re going after our values,” Graham said, calling the ongoing House impeachment inquiry a “sham of an investigation.”

Reed, who says Christians are called to pray for their leaders regardless of political leanings, said they were there “as representatives of the tens of millions who intercede for this president every single day.”

The leaders described it as a meeting among friends.

“He doesn’t try to be any different than he is,” Moore added. “That’s one of the things we appreciate about him.”

Indeed.

That same quality is one of the things which influenced average Americans living between the coasts to elect him President of the United States of America.

As I was watching the President speak to my fellow Mississippians in Tupelo on Friday evening, I was once again captivated by the fact that he speaks the same way the WE do.

By WE, I mean average Americans who live in America’s Heartland.

Yes, he’s blunt. Yes, he can be rude.

But, watching him speak to a 6-year old girl in the front of the audience in a loving, gentle manner and giving her a wink, a smile, and a thumbs up, once again showed me the heart of Donald J. Trump.

Donald J. Trump leads with his heart.

And, as Dr. James Dobson, after interviewing him before the election said, Trump is a baby Christian. He knows Who God is.

And, that is a very good thing.

Those of us who live in America’s Heartland, between the coasts, continue to support the man whom we elected to the most powerful office in the Free World…because he is not a politician.

And, a lot of average Christian Americans include him in our daily prayers.

Liberals who seem to spend their entire day on Social Media posting fake news stories, pulling “facts” out of their hindquarters, and posting anything and everything that they can, in order to attempt to remove President Trump from office, are probably in diabetic shock from consuming too many Cheetos and donuts in their Mom’s basement, as they attempt to comprehend what I am writing.

Here’s the deal, Snowflakes…

None of Representative Adam Schiff’s Soviet-style secret meetings, none of the fake news stories, Democrat-heavy polls, photoshopped pictures, and stupid Occupy Democrat Memes on Facebook are making any difference to average Americans.

The Democrats and their Propaganda Arm, the Main Stream Media, as a result of their own regional bias toward the major metropolitan areas on the East and Left Coasts, which has been obvious to average Americans for the last several decades, continue through their sheer arrogance and hatred for the traditional American Way of Life, to distance themselves from the people whom they continue to claim that they “love”…Average Working Class Americans.

Yet, still they expect us to believe the Fake News which they are desperately trying to distribute in a vain attempt get Trump out of office and their unconstitutional “Impeachment Inquiry” which Liberal Trolls are posting about on Social Media ad nauseam, so that they and the rest of the “useful idiots”, in their shared madness, can get a do-over and Hillary Clinton will somehow miraculously become the President.

Average Americans do not care what Main Stream Media “journalists” and their masters in the Far Left Democratic Party think.

To put it mildly and in Marital Terms, which even the Liberal Trolls who inhabit President Trump’s Twitter Account can understand, Average Working Class Americans and the Democratic Party are no longer “evenly yoked”.

The Democrats became the party of the “Upper Crust” and Special Interest Group who continue to look down their noses at Americans who live here in “Flyover Country”.

The Democrats assumed, after reading their own press clippings, that all Americans wanted in 2016 and somehow, still want, the Progressive/Marxist Political Ideology and style of governance which Barack Hussein Obama practiced during his time as President.

That is why they are trying to re-do the Mueller Investigation and the outcome of the 2016 Presidential Election.

The American People overthrew the “Tyranny of the Minority”, which we had suffered under for 8 interminable years on November 8th, 2016.

If the Democrats on Capitol Hill believe that average Americans between the coasts will support the Impeachment of a President who has brought jobs and a booming economy back to America, they are sadly mistaken.

During my 60 years on God’s green Earth, I have never, EVER seen a President of the United States so relentlessly assaulted on a daily basis like Donald J. Trump has been.

And yet, he has flourished and fulfilled many of his Campaign Promises.

To some who will read this post, Trump’s success will remain inexplicable.

To those of us who share the Faith of Our Fathers, no explanation is necessary.

That is why I join a multitude of my fellow Americans in praying daily for President Donald J. Trump.

For

“We are never defeated unless we give up on God” – Ronald Reagan

And

“…With God all things are possible” – Matthew 19:26

God Bless America.

Until He Comes,

KJ

New Book Reveals Trump has Watched Christian Television and Evangelical Preachers Since the 1980s

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics1 Comment

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May our Nation and our people never forget the love, grace, and goodness of our Maker, and may our praise and gratitude never cease. – President Donald J. Trump, National Day of Prayer Proclamation, May 3, 2018

CNSNews.com reports that

In best selling author Doug Wead’s forthcoming book, Inside Trump’s White House: The Real Story of His Presidency, it is revealed that President Donald Trump has been a devoted viewer of Christian television, and evangelical preachers, since the 1980s.

President Trump’s good friend Paula White told Wead, “He had watched hours of Christian television [since the 1980s]. And not just watched it, but really listened to the messages. He had retained what he had heard. He could bring it back and repeat it to me. He would say what it meant to him.”

“Trump had watched the Billy Graham telecasts as a boy and had later watched Jimmy Swaggart in the 1980’s,” states Wead in the book. “But he especially loved the positive preacher, Norman Vincent Peale. Trump found televangelist Paula White while channel surfing on a Sunday morning in Trump Tower.”

“Political writers were always puzzled by his connection to evangelical supporters but it had actually begun early,” said Wead.

Donald Trump reportedly was puzzled by some of the evangelical preachers who would cry on television.

“Trump couldn’t understand why evangelical Christians cried so much,” said Wead. “’What’s that all about?’ he asked his friend, Pastor Paula White. He was puzzled by Jimmy Swaggart’s weepy, public, confession back in the 1980’s.”

Inside Trump’s White House: The Real Story of His Presidency will be released on Nov. 26, 2019. It is available for pre-order on Amazon.com.

According to the page on Amazon.com, Inside Trump’s White House offers a sweeping, eloquent history of President Donald J. Trump’s first years in office, covering everything from election night to the news of today. The book will include never-before-reported stories and scoops, including how President Trump turned around the American economy, how he ‘never complains and never explains,’ and how his actions sometimes lead to misunderstandings with the media and the public.

“It also includes exclusive interviews with the Trump family about the Mueller report, and narrates their reactions when the report was finally released.”

The book also “contains interviews with the president in the Oval Office, chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, Jared and Ivanka Kushner, Donald Trump, Jr., Eric and Lara Trump, and White House insiders,” states the webpage.

Doug Wead is a New York Times best selling author who has written more than 30 books, including Reagan in Pursuit of the Presidency, All the Presidents’ Children: Triumph and Tragedy in the Lives of the First Families, and Game of Thorns: The Inside Story of Hillary Clinton’s Failed Campaign and Donald Trump’s Winning Strategy.

Another story found at The Christian Post in 2018 shows that President Trump understands more about the God of Abraham that Liberals want to believe that he does.s.

In an interview with CBN News shortly after Trump held a celebration for the National Day of Prayer in the Rose Garden, Pence said the president has encouraged praying in the White House by personally promoting the practice himself.

“There’s prayer going on on a regular basis in this White House. And it’s one of the most meaningful things to me, whether it’s public meetings or not, I’ve lost count of the number of times that the president has nudged me, or nudged another member of the Cabinet and said, ‘Let’s start this meeting with prayer,'” Pence said.

That loud thunderclap that you just heard was the sound of Internet Trolls’ and NeverTrumpers’ sphincters all slamming shut in unison across the country over this post.

With the House Dems Impeachment Probe becoming more and more ineffective and downright annoying with each passing day and possible indictments for members of the Obama Administration on the horizon, Liberals’ continue to wonder why the President’s Job Approval Polls are not dropping and why Americans are not buying what the Democratic Party and their Vanguard, the Main Stream Media, are so desperately attempting to sell.

Perhaps it has to do with what Dr. James Dobson, the Christian Leader who founded “Focus on the Family” said before the 2016 Presidential Election about Trump’s faith.

Only the Lord knows the condition of a person’s heart. I can only tell you what I’ve heard. First, Trump appears to be tender to things of the Spirit. I also hear that Paula White has known Trump for years and that she personally led him to Christ. Do I know that for sure? No. Do I know the details of that alleged conversion? I can’t say that I do. But there are many Christian leaders who are serving on a faith advisory committee for Trump in the future. I am among them. There are about 25 of us that include Jerry Falwell, Jr., Robert Jeffress, Jack Graham, Ben Carson, James Robison, Michele Bachmann, and many others whom you would probably know. We’ve all agreed to serve. How will that play out if Trump becomes president? I don’t know. It is a good start, I would think.

If anything, this man is a baby Christian who doesn’t have a clue about how believers think, talk and act. All I can tell you is that we have only two choices, Hillary or Donald. Hillary scares me to death. And, if Christians stay home because he isn’t a better candidate, Hillary will run the world for perhaps eight years. The very thought of that haunts my nights and days. One thing is sure: we need to be in prayer for our nation at this time of crisis.

Dr. Dobson was not alone.

The thought of Hillary becoming President of the United States of America scared a lot of Americans…and still does.

But, I digress…

So, why are Christian Americans still supporting President Trump?

Our Salvation is not determined by the support of our American President…but, by God’s Grace.

As Christians we are instructed to individually listen to that “Still Small Voice” inside us.

While Christians, in church and outside of it, represent the corporate Body of Christ, according to scripture, we each possess the Spiritual Gifts of Free Will and Discernment.

These gifts are used by each of us on a daily basis, including aiding in our decision to continue to support President Trump.

Unlike Liberals and Marxists (but, I may be repeating myself), we do not make our political decisions or vote as a collective, nor should we.

There were no Saints who ran in 2016 for the President of the United States of America, on either side.

And, there are certainly no Saints vying to be the Democratic Party Candidate for President in 2020.

Our choice in 2016 was between a flawed man, as we all are, and a woman…a very mean and evil woman.

When President Trump, like the rest of Christian Americans, attends a Church Service, he is not sitting in a Shrine for Saints. He is sitting in a Hospital for Sinners.

The Modern American Liberals of the Democratic Party continue to act as if they are holier-than-thou, while believing in relative morality and situational ethics.

They still have not figured it out.

no weapon that is fashioned against you shall succeed, and you shall refute every tongue that rises against you in judgment. This is the heritage of the servants of the LORD and their vindication from me, declares the LORD.” – Isaiah 54:17 (ESV)

Like the rest of us Christians, President Trump does not have to be perfect…just FORGIVEN.

I’m just sayin’.

Until He Comes,

KJ

Dems Hire Far Left Anti-Trump Pastor as Religious Outreach Director in Attempt to Gain Christians’ Votes in 2020 Election

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment

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While the nation was focused on the first two Democratic Debates, FoxNews.com reported that

In 2012, the last election Democrats won, a headline from their convention read: “Democrats boo God.” In 2016, they heckled a preacher during the opening prayer.

It’s a perception they’ve been trying to change since, especially on the 2020 campaign trail.

Political pundits said Democrats have a God problem and their latest move shows they are taking steps to solve it.

President Trump solidified the evangelical vote in 2016 but Democrats hope to make up for the sins of Hillary Clinton’s campaign, which was criticized for its lack of outreach to faith groups in the last election. The Democratic National Committee recruited a far-left religious outreach director and is launching a round of listening sessions with faith leaders leading up to the 2020 election.

The DNC hired former Washington, D.C. anti-Trump pastor, Rev. Derrick Harkins, who held a similar position in 2012 and has been the senior vice president of Union Theological Seminary in New York City, which recently celebrated “rejoicing in the queerness of God.”

“We take seriously the relationships that we have with faith communities around this country,” Harkins told Religion News Service, adding that faith “will be a priority going into 2020, but even more importantly, beyond 2020.”

Over the past few elections, Democrats have alienated themselves further from religious voters, partly in due to stances it takes on social issues like abortion and gay marriage, not to mention its focus on urban communities that tend to have lower church attendance than their rural counterparts. While Trump took 80 percent of the white evangelical vote, Democratic presidential hopefuls are gearing up for more faith outreach, especially in historically black churches and within minority communities.

But with 25 candidates running, the field offers a wide-range of faith perspectives. But the eventual nominee will be the one to shape where the party truly heads.

Recently Democratic presidential candidate Kristin Gillibrand said she doesn’t believe the GOP is a “faith-driven party” because their policies go against her idea of what Christianity is all about, and South Bend, Ind. Mayor Pete Buttigieg questioned Trump’s faith and called him out for hypocrisy.

“Within the Democratic Party there is a huge spectrum of deeply faithful people,” Serene Jones, president of Union Theological Seminary, told Fox News Religion Correspondent Lauren Green. “For too long, when we look at religion in America, we have associated with just politics and the religious communities that have been associated with the Republican Party and conservative politics…and there is a strong progressive Christian voice that is being spoken and lifted up and demanding to be heard.”

Jones added progressives are “very open about the kind of Christianity they profess.”

“Most of the progressive Christians are also deeply involved in interfaith conversations. They understand and know a lot about Islam, about Judaism,” Jones said. “They’re constantly connecting their own faith claims as Christians to a critique of anti-Semitism and Islamophobia.”

Alex McFarland, founder of Truth For a New Generation, told Green he believes the Democrats are a godless party with no objective morality.

“I think many are saying ‘Uh, oh, oops, we’ve alienated and just written off the majority of our voters over the life of this party, so they’re having to try and invoke God because their platform has eliminated God. It’s certainly not the god of the founders or the god of the Bible. It’s a god of the 21st century, pluralistic, relativistic of our own making,” Alex McFarland, founder of Truth For a New Generation said. “The Democratic Party is going to have to rediscover some moral convictions…”

Try actually reading the Bible, for starters.

Evidently, the Democrats’ seething hatred for our 45th President blinded them to the fact that the overwhelming majority of America’s population are indeed Christians who place the Almighty above ALL, including the Democrats’ philosophy of “Social Justice” through “Democratic Socialism”.

For what now seems like an eternity, those on the Left side (along with some of those who claim to be on the Right Side) of the Political Aisle, led by Former President Barack Hussein Obama,  have focused their attention on “radically changing” America.

They soon realized that they simply could not do it through popular culture and educational indoctrination, inundating America’s children with both overt and subliminal imaging designed to countermand the Traditional American Values that they were being raised with, in normal American Households, out here in “Flyover Country”, otherwise known as America’s Heartland…or “the Red States”.

Modern Liberals soon figured out that the way to program Americans into believing that “all paths lead to God” and that cradle-to-grave Nanny-State Government were the new American Standards for living our daily lives, was to turn Christian American Houses of Worship away from being instructors of the Word of God and a sanctuary in which to worship Our Creator, to, instead, being purveyors of the joys of Popular Culture. Wednesday Night Bible Studies were soon replaced by Yoga Classes and Encounter Groups. Religious Leaders were soon quoting philosophy, instead of the Bible in their Sunday Morning Sermons.

And, instead of taking a stand against those things of the world which were directly opposed to what is found in God’s Word, these “new, enlightened” churches started standing up for the “right” of a woman to have her baby prematurely yanked out of her womb with a set of tongs, standing up for the right of Adam to “marry” Steve, when the Bible states that marriage is between a man and a woman, and standing up for the equality of all faiths, when the Son of God firmly states, in John 14:6, that

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So, when is all this Christianity in America going to “fade away” as has constantly predicted in the past  by “the Smartest People in the Room”?

As polls have shown…not any time soon.

America remains a nation whose population consists of 70-75%, who proclaim Jesus Christ as their Personal Savior and 92%, who believe in God.

However, if you read some of the comments posted on Conservative Websites and Facebook Political Pages, by self-appointed “pundits”, you would think that Christian Americans are the minority in this nation.

I can testify from personal experience, having caught flack for sticking to my Christian American Conservative Principles, since beginning my daily posts on my own blog in April of 2010.

My posts, concerning American Christianity, seem to “touch a nerve” in both Liberals and Atheists, alike. (But, in at least some cases, I repeat myself.)

Their reaction has hardly been unexpected.

Of course, one of the Hot Button Issues, which those Liberals and Atheists who responded, over the years, immediately denied, was that our Founding Fathers were Christians and that our country was founded on a Judeo-Christian Belief System.

Evidently, they had never read anything, except what their like-minded, non-believing soothsayers, allowed them to.  Or else, they would have read historical documents like President George Washington’s Thanksgiving Day Proclamation, written on November 1, 1777, and found at wallbuilders.com:

The committee appointed to prepare a recommendation to the several states, to set apart a day of public thanksgiving, brought in a report; which was taken into consideration, and agreed to as follows:

Forasmuch as it is the indispensable duty of all men to adore the superintending providence of Almighty God; to acknowledge with gratitude their obligation to him for benefits received, and to implore such farther blessings as they stand in need of; and it having pleased him in his abundant mercy not only to continue to us the innumerable bounties of his common providence, but also smile upon us in the prosecution of a just and necessary war, for the defense and establishment of our unalienable rights and liberties; particularly in that he hath been pleased in so great a measure to prosper the means used for the support of our troops and to crown our arms with most signal success:

It is therefore recommended to the legislative or executive powers of these United States, to set apart Thursday, the 18th day of December next, for solemn thanksgiving and praise; that with one heart and one voice the good people may express the grateful feelings of their hearts, and consecrate themselves to the service of their divine benefactor; and that together with their sincere acknowledgments and offerings, they may join the penitent confession of their manifold sins, whereby they had forfeited every favor, and their humble and earnest supplication that it may please God, through the merits of Jesus Christ, mercifully to forgive and blot them out of remembrance; that it may please him graciously to afford his blessings on the governments of these states respectively, and prosper the public council of the whole; to inspire our commanders both by land and sea, and all under them, with that wisdom and fortitude which may render them fit instruments, under the providence of Almighty God, to secure for these United States the greatest of all blessings, independence and peace; that it may please him to prosper the trade and manufactures of the people and the labor of the husbandman, that our land may yield its increase; to take schools and seminaries of education, so necessary for cultivating the principles of true liberty, virtue and piety, under his nurturing hand, and to prosper the means of religion for the promotion and enlargement of that kingdom which consisteth in righteousness, peace and joy in the Holy Ghost.

And it is further recommended, that servile labor, and such recreation as, though at other times innocent, may be unbecoming the purpose of this appointment, be omitted on so solemn an occasion.

Of course, the Poster Boy for the claim by Liberal/Atheist responders, concerning the Founders’ lack of  Christianity, is Thomas Jefferson.

Atheists like to bring up the fact that he wrote a version of the Bible which left out Christ’s miracles.  What they are reluctant to do, though, is explain why he wrote his book that way.  David Barton explains on wallbuilders.com:

The reader [of a newspaper article which Barton is replying to], as do many others, claimed that Jefferson omitted all miraculous events of Jesus from his “Bible.” Rarely do those who make this claim let Jefferson speak for himself. Jefferson’s own words explain that his intent for that book was not for it to be a “Bible,” but rather for it to be a primer for the Indians on the teachings of Christ (which is why Jefferson titled that work, “The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth”). What Jefferson did was to take the “red letter” portions of the New Testament and publish these teachings in order to introduce the Indians to Christian morality. And as President of the United States, Jefferson signed a treaty with the Kaskaskia tribe wherein he provided—at the government’s expense—Christian missionaries to the Indians. In fact, Jefferson himself declared, “I am a real Christian, that is to say, a disciple of the doctrines of Jesus.” While many might question this claim, the fact remains that Jefferson called himself a Christian, not a deist.

Atheist Activists and young and/or misinformed Liberals and self-proclaimed “Libertarians” (but, in a lot of cases, I repeat myself), who reply to my posts, insist that Crosses and other Christian symbols have no place in the Public Square.

Relying on Far Left Ideologues or their own opinion as their “highest authority”, they continue their push to eliminate the practice of American Christianity and the Traditional American Morality and Ethics which go with it from Everyday American Life, attempting to regulate Christians’ role in American Society as remaining unseen and unheard from, worshiping in private, on Sunday mornings, only.

Or, as Actor and Professional Wrestler Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson would say, Obama and his minions want American Christians to

Sit down, shut up, and know your role!

Unfortunately for them, our Current President Donald J. Trump reinforced our rights as American s to our  Faith with an Executive Order early in his Presidency.

The First Amendment to the Constitution still holds.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Being filled with human beings, America’s churches have made a lot of mistakes, However, they have also done a lot of good in the Name of the Lord.

For example, the church I attend, continues to support a Food Pantry, operated in co-operation with other churches in our area, which feeds 2,000 people per month, counseling them, and getting them the assistance that they need.

Churches today have to walk a fine line.

The spiritual battle raging between the influence of American Popular Culture and those seeking the Will of God in their lives, takes all the strength…and prayer, that Christians can muster.

Modern Liberals seem to have great difficulty comprehending the role which Our Creator, the God of Abraham, played and plays in this Grand Experiment, known as the United States of America.

Why have Liberals ratcheted up their anti-Christian Vitriol and Negativity since January 21, 2009?

Why are they so focused on removing America’s Christian Heritage and/or “radically changing” it to the worship of Popular Culture?

Well, as is usually my wont, I have been doing some “reckoning” about this.

It seems to this ol’ Southern Boy, living here in the Heartland, that America’s Christian Heritage and the very real fact of His influence in building and shaping America’s growth into the greatest country on the face of God’s Green Earth, not only stifles and interferes with Modern Liberals’ “anything goes”, “share the wealth”, “hive-mind”, “man is his own god” Political Ideology, but the reality of God’s very existence, somewhere deep in their miserable, bitter psyches, scares the mess out of them.

Why else would they be trying so hard to fight against the influence of Someone Whom they really don’t believe in?

And, a second and final thought occurred to me while watching the Far Left Democrats refuse to acknowledge God back in 2012 and now attempt to “mold God into THEIR image in order to win the 2020 Presidential Election…

The Far Left Democratic Party’s mantra of relative morality and situational ethics, approved by a secular “god” which they have created, is why the Democrats lost on November 8, 2016 and while they will continue to lose in the future.

For…

The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.” They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is none who does good. – Psalms 14:1

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

Progressive “Christians” Hold “Revival” in Lynchburg, Call Out Jerry Falwell, Jr and Pro-Trump Christians

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics1 Comment

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You do well to wish to learn our arts and ways of life, and above all, the religion of Jesus Christ. These will make you a greater and happier people than you are. – President George Washington

The Christian Post reports that

Shane Claiborne and a cadre of progressive Christians are spearheading a “revival” this weekend at an event to draw a contrast to the “America First” Christianity they say Liberty University President Jerry Falwell Jr. and pro-Trump Christians promote.

What is being called “Red Letter Revival: A Revival of Jesus & Justice” is being held at the EC Glass Civic Auditorium in Lynchburg, Virginia, and features speakers and musicians that include well-known progressive faith leaders like the Rev. William J. Barber, Tony Campolo, and Lisa Sharon Harper, among several others.

The Red-Letter Revival in Lynchburg has been months in the making and was planned in part to be a witness against what they see as the corruption of Christian faith by conservative evangelical Christians, particularly their willingness to embrace President Donald Trump and his policies.

“We are not coming to condemn Falwell Jr., but to counter the doctrine of ‘America First,’ with the Christian message — that we cannot put allegiance to a nation-state ahead of our allegiance to the Kingdom of God as taught by Christ, in which the last are first,” wrote Jonathan Martin, one of the organizers, in a Feb. 21 editorial.

“We are not looking to demonize anyone, but rather to proclaim the One at whose name demons tremble. We are believing God for the Lynchburg Revival to be a powerful counter-witness to white Christian nationalism — marked by fasting, repentance, prayer, preaching, worship, and foot-washing.”

He went on to explain that Lynchburg has “symbolic power,” given that it’s the city from which Falwell Jr., has promoted “President Trump’s brand of Christian nationalism,” yet “we believe it can be known as ground zero for a mighty move of God.”

“How does Claiborne expect Falwell to respond in light of some of Claiborne’s recent tweets?” Fea asked, citing a Wednesday Twitter post from Claiborne that included an April 3 Associated Press news story headline that read “Virginia Revival to Protest ‘Toxic’ Christianity.”

“I have strongly criticized Falwell’s comments about Trump,” Fea reiterated, adding, “but if Falwell Jr. prays with Claiborne, it looks like he (Falwell) is admitting that he is wrong about Trump and that the Christianity he promotes at Liberty is indeed ‘toxic.’ If Falwell Jr. doesn’t pray with Claiborne, he looks like a jerk.”

“The fact that Claiborne shared these letters via Twitter makes it look like there is more going on here than just a request for prayer. Did Claiborne really believe Falwell Jr. would take him up on this offer?”

I did a little research and found out that

Shane Claiborne is a Red Letter Christian and a founding partner of The Simple Way community, a radical faith community that lives among and serves the homeless in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia. He is the co-author, with Chris Haw, of “Jesus for President”. His newest book is “Executing Grace: Why It is Time to Put the Death Penalty to Death”.

He is a Social Justice Warrior and a featured writer on sojo.net, the official website of the Sojourners.

And, who are “The Sojourners”? I’m glad you asked.

Per discoverthenetworks.org,

Founded by Jim Wallis, Sojourners is a Washington, DC-based Christian evangelical ministry professing a devotion to the pursuit of “social justice.” Believing that capitalism serves to “normalize poverty and segregate the world by class,” this organization views “gospel faith” as something that “transforms our economics … and provides a vision for social revolution.” According to Wallis, the world’s chief capitalist giant — America — is “the great power, the great seducer, the great captor and destroyer of human life, the great master of humanity and history in its totalitarian claims and designs.”

In the 1980s the Sojourners community actively embraced liberation theology, which teaches that the New Testament gospels can be properly understood only as calls for social activism, class struggle, and revolution aimed at overturning the existing capitalist order and installing, in its stead, a socialist utopia where today’s poor will unseat their “oppressors” and become liberated from their material (and, consequently, their spiritual) deprivations. Animated by this perspective, Sojourners rallied to the cause of communist regimes that had seized power, especially in Latin America, with the promise of bringing about the revolutionary restructuring of society. Particularly attractive for the ministry’s religious activists was the communist Sandinista regime that took control of Nicaragua in 1979.

I do not believe that Jesus would be a part of the Social Justice Movement, advocated by the Modern American Liberals of the Democratic Party. His was and is a soul-saving movement. One that still brings hundreds of thousand of people to individual salvation on this terrestrial ball every day. A movement that, in fact, was embraced by the founders of this cherished land.

The Social Justice Movement is an offshoot of Marxist Theory, named for the radical who conceived it, Karl Marx. It’s basic tenet states,

From each according to his ability to each according to his need.

The modern translation, provided for us by Former President Barack Hussein Obama, during his 2008 Presidential Campaign, is that working Americans need to “share the wealth”.

That, boys and girls, is “Socialism” and, in Marxist Theory, Socialism is the step before Communism.

A simple definition of Socialism describes it as

a political and economic theory of social organization that advocates that the means of production, distribution, and exchange should be owned or regulated by the community as a whole.

After President Barack Hussein Obama took office, he made a point of stating several times that America was not just a Christian nation anymore.

And, while that remains true to a certain extent, it is also true that the overwhelming majority, 75% of Americans, still proclaim themselves to be followers of Jesus Christ. And even beyond that, 92% of Americans still believe in God.

What is amazing to me, though, is how,  American Christianity is still being constantly attacked on all fronts:  militarily, culturally, and even within organized religion, itself, as demonstrated by Shane Claiborne and the rest of the Progressive “Christians” at the Lynchburg Revival.

From illegal immigration to abortion to homosexual “rights”, Americans who follow the teachings of Jesus Christ on these issues have been under fire by Progressive “Christians like Shane Claibornes, who insist that they know more about what is in the Bible and what Christ says, or would say, about these topics, then those of us who actually read God’s Word.

Claiming to be wise, they became fools. – Romans 1:22

When you enter into a Facebook “discussion” with these “new Pharisees”, and you counter their arguments on these topics with Scripture, Liberals are initially slow to respond.

All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, – 2 Timothy 3:16 ESV 

Most Liberals will start “Googling” these topics, looking for any Scriptures that will substantiate their position.

There’s been many a time they have come back at me with Old Testament Scripture. It is then that I explain to them about the sacrifice that Christ made for us sinners, freeing Christians from Jewish Law and taking the punishment for our sins , creating a New Covenant by covering Christians through the shedding of His blood.

At that point in the “discussion”, there is a long pause, as they are trying to figure out a comeback.

The natural person does not accept the things of the Spirit of God, for they are folly to him, and he is not able to understand them because they are spiritually discerned.- 1 Corinthians 2:14

This misconception, which I have been trying to explain, involves Liberals’ belief that American Christians will not fight back against them and the things they want to say and do in our society.

If there’s one thing during all of the years of anti-Christian bias, which we experienced during the Obama administration, and now, 17 months after Christian Americans helped elect American Businessman and Entrepreneur Donald J. Trump as the 45th President, that the Liberals should have learned, is the fact that Christian American Conservatives will fight back.

It is funny though…that when we begin fighting back, the Liberals have a tendency to label us as uncaring, mean, divisive, and intolerant

Which is extremely ironic because as shown through their words and actions, those who consider themselves to be the “Smartest Christians in the Room”, these Modern-Day Liberal Pharisees, who wish to embarrass supporters of President Trump, like Jerry Falwell, Jr., are actually the meanest, most divisive, and least tolerant of us all.

“Let he who is without sin…”

God Bless America.

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

Has Erick Erickson Lost His Marbles?

On By kingsjesterIn PoliticsLeave a comment

 

 

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Dear Mr. Erickson,

You do not know me from Adam, but I am a political junkie, just like you. And like you, I also am not shy about stating my opinion about current events.

However, that is where the similarity ends.

Unlike you, I do not receive great sums of money for stating my opinion, nor have I ever gotten to host the Rush Limbaugh Radio Program.

But, since I have been writing daily since April of 2010 , I attend an “Evangelical” Church, and I describe myself as a Christian American Conservative, I would like to “speak” to you about something you recently said.

Breitbart.com reported yesterday that

Sunday on NBC’s “Meet the Press,” conservative commentator Erick Erickson said evangelicalism could be “set back” by their support for President Donald Trump.

Erickson said, “I think when he does good things, he should be praised, when he does bad things, he should be criticized.”

He continued, “He has done good things, his administration has done good things. But I do think ultimately you risk getting conservatism and evangelicalism in this country set back by a party standard bearer who these people rally too who is ill mannered, badly behaved and not a role model. At some point you want your kids to be proud of the president regardless of party. And it’s really hard to be other than he’s the guy that fights. I don’t want my kids to fight that way. I kinda believe they are going to be held accountable on the last day and they don’t need to fight that way.”

Well, you are correct. We are ALL going to be held accountable before the Throne. But, I am getting ahead of myself.

With all of the good that President Trump has been able to accomplish against impossible odds this past year, I am having trouble trying to understand why you, as a fellow Conservative, are attacking a sitting President who has been supported by Christian American Luminaries like Rev. Franklin Graham and Dr. James Dobson, whom after speaking to him during the primaries, told reporters that Trump was indeed a Christian.

This is not the time to be pressing American Christian Evangelicals to make a “collective” choice to not support President Trump, to move as “a Body”, if you will.

That being said, allow me to also state that I believe that American Evangelicals already excercised their Spiritual Gift of Discernment in choosing between Donald J. Trump and Hillary Clinton for the job of President.

And, thank God, we made the correct one.

When Mitt Romney was the Republican Candidate for President in 2012, a lot of Americans stayed home, rather than vote for Romney.

That may have helped those individuals feel better about themselves, but it also helped to bring them and their fellow citizens four more years of economic suffering under the Presidency of Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm).

Just as a Christian’s Salvation is not manifested as a Collective Experience, but a Personal one, so is a Christian American’s Voting Rights a Personal Experience.

I had somebody tell me during the Primaries, that they would “pray for me” to make the “right” choice, in the 2016 Presidential Election.

While the prayers of others are always appreciated, that hit me as if it was “The Church Lady” saying,

Well, bless your heart.

That’s an old Southern insult, in case you didn’t know.

My support of Donald  J. Trump, through the articles that I write, as a Christian American Conservative, is my individual choice, made through a detailed study of facts and with a heart-felt reverence toward this Sacred Land and the One who brought our Forefathers here.

Can Evangelicals support Donald J. Trump and still be Christians?

You bet your sweet bippy we can.

Our Salvation is not determined by the support of our American President…but, by God’s Grace.

As Christians we are instructed to individually listen to that “Still Small Voice” inside us.

While Christians, in church and outside of it, represent the corporate Body of Christ, according to scripture, we each possess the Spiritual Gifts of Free Will and Discernment.

These gifts are used by each of us on a daily basis, including aiding in our decision to continue to support President Trump.

Unlike Liberals and Marxists (but, I may be repeating myself), we do not make our political decisions or vote as a collective, nor should we.

There were no Saints who ran for the President of the United States of America, on either side. Just a flawed man, as we all are, and a woman…a very mean and evil woman.

And, America’s Christian Churches are not a Shrine for Saints. They are a Hospital for Sinners.

I’m just sayin’.

Now, Mr. Erickson, this Evangelical has a question for you:

What makes you any different in your judgment concerning the sins of President Trump than the commentator who is the subject of this article posted on FoxNews.com?

An MSNBC commentator declared President Donald Trump the “commander-in-chief of rape culture” after an aide was disgraced and resigned following domestic violence allegations from his previous wives.

As FoxNews.com reported:

White House Staff Secretary Rob Porter could be leaving the Trump administration as early as Thursday, a source told Fox News, amid questions over the internal handling of domestic abuse allegations against him.

Porter, who denies the allegations, announced his resignation on Wednesday and had been expected to stay on for a period of time to ensure a smooth transition. But with photos circulating showing one of his two ex-wives with what appears to be a black eye, the departure could be moved up.
New York University Visiting Scholar Anand Giridharadas said America is in the midst of “a rape culture presidency.”

Giridharadas was reacting to statements made by White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, who said Democrats like Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand of New York should look to their own party as well for examples of figures allegedly involved in sexual misconduct.

“[Some Democrats] protected, defended and harbored a sitting president who had sexual relations in the Oval Office and was impeached for lying,” Conway said of President Bill Clinton on ABC News.

Giridharadas dismissed Conway, claiming she “will say anything for money.”

You do not care for President Trump. You have stated that repeatedly in the articles you have written.

That’s all well and good. We are all entitled to our opinion, thanks to the Founding Fathers and the timeless Constitution which they gave us by which to govern our Sovereign Nation.

But, quite frankly, sir, with this admonition to and criticizing of Christian Evangelical Americans, you sound positively Pharisetical.

Since the “Shot Heard ‘Round The World” was fired on that fateful morning of April 19, 1775, this country has been built by Christian Americans making individual choices.

As I stated earlier in this article, our Individual Salvation is not determined by whom we vote for…but, by God’s Grace.

However, the much-needed Reclamation of America must certainly will be.

And, that is why this Christian American Evangelical Conservative remains firm and unwavering in his support for our American President, Donald J. Trump.

From one Conservative to another…it would be wise to heed the words of one of our Founding Fathers, Dr. Benjamin Franklin,

We must, indeed, all hang together or, most assuredly, we shall all hang separately. 

We must work together to MAKE AMERICAN GREAT AGAIN.

Until He Comes,

KJ

The War Against Christianity: Donald Trump Tells Christian Americans, “They Took Away Your Voice.” He’s Right.

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, PoliticsLeave a comment

donald-trumpDo Christian American Churches have the right to invite political candidates and public officials to speak from their pulpits?

Do Christian American Churches, like Christian American Conservative Bloggers, such as myself, still have the right to express our concerns about the direction that America is taking, by framing it in the context of traditional Christian American Faith and Values?

Or, should Christian Americans keep our faith out of the Public Arena of Ideas, like the “Smartest People in the Room” keep  insisting?

One Presidential Candidate recently took a stand for the First Amendment Rights of Christian Americans.

Cnsnews.com reports that

Republican Donald Trump told a roomful of evangelicals on Thursday that he was surprised to learn they are afraid to endorse him because they worry about their churches losing their non-profit status.

“Your power has been totally taken away. I mean, I don’t want to insult anybody, but your power has been totally taken away,” Trump told the gathering in Orlando, Fla.

“So, we’re going to get your voice back. We’re going to get it back,” he promised.

Trump explained how he recently learned about the so-called “Johnson amendment,” proposed by President Lyndon B. Johnson in 1954. The amendment changed the tax code to bar tax-exempt groups from endorsing political candidates or otherwise preaching politics from the pulpit.

“So I didn’t know this, and I didn’t know about the — I know 501(c)(3), but I didn’t know that it played such a big role. And basically, I looked back into it. I said, I want to check this out,” Trump told the pastors.

Trump said he was surprised to learn that Johnson, by getting his amendment passed, was able to “silence people who didn’t feel so good about him.”

“And I said, wow, that’s incredible. And for some reason, the churches, the pastors, the evangelicals, they didn’t do anything about it. It’s very strange, because I know how tough you are.”

Given the size of their congregations, pastors “should be far more powerful,” Trump said.

“And if you look what’s happened to religion, if you look at what’s happening to Christianity, and you look at the number of people going to churches — and evangelicals know this also — it’s not on this kind of a climb, it’s on this kind of a climb of slow and steady in the wrong direction.

“And a lot of it has to do with the fact that you’ve been silenced. You’ve been silenced like a child. You’ve been silenced, you’ve been silenced. Strong, brilliant, great people that want to do the right thing. We’re not talking about bad people, we’re talking about great people.”

Trump said pastors should be able to air their political views in church without fear of losing their federal tax exempt status.  “And I’m going to figure a way that we can get you back your freedom of speech that was taken away,” he said. The line drew applause.

Trump noted that as he got closer to receiving the Republican presidential nomination, he told his people to add repeal of the Johnson amendment into the Republican Party Platform.

And he said he intends to follow through with repeal efforts: “I was with a couple of pastors two weeks ago and they weren’t really sure. They had heard we’re going to get rid of it, but they weren’t really sure.

“I hope you can spread the word,” Trump said. “This will be so great for religion, but it will be so great for the evangelicals, for the pastors, for the ministers, for the priests, for America, for America. You know, they took away your voice. They took away the voice of great people.

“They took away the voice of people that want to see good things happen. It’s not like they took away a bad voice, an evil voice. They took away a voice.”

Trump promised that he’ll be able to “terminate” the Johnson amendment.

“And you’ll have great power to do good things. And religion will start going, instead of this way — I mean, Christianity, when you think of what’s happening, you look at the numbers. I talk about Sunday school and people don’t even know what I’m talking about anymore. It’s true. They don’t know what I’m talking about.

“When you look — instead of going this way, you’re going to be going this way. You may be going this way. But you’re going to be going — we’re going to bring it back because it’s a good thing. It’s a good thing. They treated you like it was a bad thing, but it’s a great thing, not a good thing. It’s a great thing.

“So, if I get elected president, one of the early things, one of the absolute first things I’m going to do is work on totally knocking out the Johnson amendment. Now, it’s not going to be that hard, because even the Democrats — the power you have is so enormous. It’s not like you have — you represent two percent of the country and, you know, it’s going to be difficult. You probably — 75, 80 percent.

“And if you want to put your full weight, I mean, can you imagine if all of your people start calling up the local congressman and the local senator, and you — I mean, they don’t have a chance of winning that one.”

Trump also told the pastors he “may not perfect,” but he knows how to win. He admitted to being “not perfect on the Bible — but I did go to Sunday school for many years, I want to tell you that.”

Before I get started with my analysis, please allow me this disclaimer:

I am a member of a Contemporary Evangelical Church, which I attend regularly, when I am not working on Sunday.

My faith is not marginal. I stand on The Solid Rock, not shifting sands.

America is a Constitutional Republic, not a Theocracy. And, as such, Americans, including the 75% of us who declare that Jesus Christ is our Personal Savior, must each make our own individual choice as to whom would best represent us as the Leader of the Free World, based upon both logic and the Spiritual Gift of Discernment.

Logic dictates that I vote for someone who will keep my family, my friends, and my country safe from the murderous barbarians that are at our gates. It also drives me to choose someone who actually has a chance to defeat the Democrat Candidate, the representative of the political party whose sitting President has driven this Sovereign Nation straight down the Highway to Hell, over the last seven years.

Judging from the Republican Primaries’ outcome, and the overflowing crowds at his Campaign Rallies that the MSM refuses to acknowledge, the overwhelming majority of voters believe that candidate to be Donald J. Trump.

During the Republican Primary Season, I was called everything but “a Child of God”, simply because I wrote factual posts about Donald J. Trump and stated that I would pencil in the bubble beside his name as my choice to fill the Office of President of the United States of America.

According to some people, you are not truly a Christian, if you are willing to make that choice.

However, I beg to differ.

That being said, Christianity, the faith of the overwhelming majority of Americans has played a part not only in the birth of our nation, but also the shaping of its Domestic and Foreign Policies.

To deny that fact is to attempt to rewrite history.

There is no such codicil in the Constitution of the United States of America as “The Separation of Church and State”.

Per the website, usconsitution.net,

One of the founding fathers, Thomas Jefferson, is directly responsible for giving us this phrase. In his 1802 letter to the Danbury Baptist Association, then-President Jefferson used the phrase — it was probably not the first time, but it is the most memorable one. He said:

Believing with you that religion is a matter which lies solely between man and his god, [the people, in the 1st Amendment,] declared that their legislature should make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof, thus building a wall of separation between church and state.

Jefferson did not have a hand in the authoring of the Constitution, nor of the 1st Amendment, but he was an outspoken proponent of the separation of church and state, going back to his time as a legislator in Virginia. In 1785, Jefferson drafted a bill that was designed to quash an attempt by some to provide taxes for the purpose of furthering religious education. He wrote that such support for religion was counter to a natural right of man:

… no man shall be compelled to frequent or support any religious worship, place, or ministry whatsoever, nor shall be enforced, restrained, molested, or burthened in his body or goods, nor shall otherwise suffer, on account of his religious opinions or belief; but that all men shall be free to profess, and by argument to maintain, their opinions in matters of religion, and that the same shall in no wise diminish, enlarge, or affect their civil capacities.

Jefferson’s act was passed, though not without some difficulty, in Virginia. Eyler Robert Coates wrote that the act was copied in the acts or constitutions of several states, either in words or in concepts. Jefferson himself was in France by the time word of the act reached Europe, and he wrote back to America that his act was well-thought of and admired.

However, unlike the tyranny in England that our Founding Fathers escaped from, no one in this present free nation has ever been forced to follow the teachings of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

And, that fact is extremely evident in some of the comments one sees on Facebook Political Pages and Political Websites.

But, I digress…

In recent times, especially under the current Democrat President, Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm), a concerted effort has been made to marginalize Christian Americans, putting us in a box if you will. a lot of Liberals and “libertarians” seem to believe that Christianity Americans should only practice our faith on Sunday Mornings from 9 – 12, and be seen and not heard the rest of week.

To which I personally answer, with two quotes from the Bible,

So Judas threw the money into the temple and left. Then he went away and hanged himself. – Matthew 27:5 (NIV)

…”Go and do likewise.” – Luke 10:37 (NIV)

And, boys and girls, that is MY right as an American.

For decades, American churches, like the black congregations in my hometown of Memphis, Tennessee, have invited local politicians to speak from their pulpits. while Modern American Liberals have had conniption fits over white churches around the country doing the same thing, they have not said a mumblin’ word about the actions of a constituency which historically votes Democratic.

Imagine that.

The Johnson Amendment was a violation of Christian Americans’ Constitutional Rights to begin with, whose selective enforcement has been an intentional act of self-serving hypocrisy by the Democratic Party.

The Republican President Candidate was exactly right in what he told that meeting of Evangelical Christians on Thursday:

They took away the voice of people that want to see good things happen. It’s not like they took away a bad voice, an evil voice. They took away a voice.

This November I pray that voice is heard once again…loud and clear.

Until He Comes,

KJ

 

 

 

For God and Country: Head of Southern Baptists Speaks Out About June 21st Evangelical Meeting With Trump.

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity1 Comment

th0MSCP94RThe blessing and protection of Heaven are at all times necessary but especially so in times of public distress and danger. The General hopes and trusts that every officer and man will endeavor to live and act as becomes a Christian soldier, defending the dearest rights and liberties of his country. – General George Washington, First President of the United States of America, July 9, 1776

The Christian Post reports that

Southern Baptist Convention President Dr. Ronnie Floyd will join other evangelical Christian leaders next month in a meeting with Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump.

Dr. Floyd was invited to the gathering, which may get over 500 attendees, by the conservative Christian group United in Purpose.

In an interview with The Christian Post, Floyd explained that he wants to get a “deeper understanding” of Trump and his goals should he become president.

“I am highly interested in a deeper understanding and the genuineness of his commitment to appoint strong conservative justices for our Supreme Court,” said Floyd.

“I was honored to be invited, and I’m genuinely interested in getting to know the person who could be the next president of the United States.”

Floyd also noted to CP that he hopes to ask Trump about matters like Supreme Court nominees, the pro-life and religious liberty issues, and racial reconciliation matters.

“The silence of all candidates on this issue is deafening, yet it remains explosive and concerning to our future as a nation. From the beginning of my tenure as president of the Southern Baptist Convention, I’ve worked to heal the racial divide in this and in fact we will be dedicating a good portion of our annual meeting to this cause,” continued Floyd.

“So, this is also an issue of great importance. I want to know how he will stand up for what we care about but also how he will bring together a divided country.”

Earlier this week the conservative Christian groups United in Purpose and My Faith Votes announced that evangelical Christian leaders will meet with Donald Trump.

Dubbed “A Conversation About America’s Future with Donald Trump and Ben Carson,” the event is scheduled for June 21 in New York City. Hundreds of evangelicals have been invited.

Dr. Ben Carson, the head of My Faith Votes and former primary opponent to Trump, said in a statement Wednesday that dialogue is the major theme for the gathering.

“This moment is perhaps the most critical in the history of our nation, and people of faith can make a crucial difference for our children and grandchildren by exercising their civic duty to cast an informed vote based on a biblical worldview,” stated Dr. Carson.

“The goal is that coming out of this meaningful ‘conversation,’ the faith leaders and Mr. Trump will be more informed about each other and would know one another better, and that he would see their unity in seeking God’s direction for the future of America.”

A crucial component of the Republican voting bloc, evangelical Christians have given mixed results for the billionaire real estate mogul and GOP presidential hopeful.

Darren Patrick Guerra, an associate professor of Political Science at Biola University, recently released research from exit polls showing that while a plurality of evangelical Republicans voted for Trump, the vast majority supported other candidates.

“64% of evangelicals in all southern states voted for someone other than Trump. Indeed, a majority (51%) voted collectively for either Rubio or Cruz instead of Trump,” wrote Guerra in March.

“In addition, one must also realize that these polls only address Republican primary voters, but there are significant groups of evangelicals who are Democrats or Independents, so the anti-Trump vote amongst all evangelicals in the country might reach 80-90% once non-Republican primary voters are accounted for. With these numbers it seems difficult to draw the conclusion that evangelicals widely support Trump.”

Floyd, who is involved with My Faith Votes, told CP that he believes the June meeting has a “cooperative spirit” and that like many fellow evangelical leaders he has neither endorsed Trump nor any of his remaining opponents.

“Most of us have chosen to endorse issues rather than candidates and we have been seeking to find out more about him in this uncertain election process,” said Floyd.

“Additionally, when I found out the meeting was going to be a conversation with Mr. Trump about the things that concern us as conservative Americans and conservative evangelical Christians, rather than listening to a speech from him to us, I knew I must be a part of this conversation.”

As a Southern Baptist who supports Donald Trump, this article interests me.

Dr. Floyd, as much as I respect you, sir, I must advise you that I, through God’s Gift of Discernment, will decide, as a  Christian American Conservative, whom I will vote for in the Presidential Election this November.

I also question the conclusion reached by Dr. Guerra and the validity of the polls which he used to reached that conclusion.

But I digress…

Sir, my faith is not marginal. I stand on The Solid Rock, not shifting sands.

America is a Constitutional Republic, not a Theocracy. And, as such, Americans, including the 75% of us who declare that Jesus Christ is our Personal Savior, must each make our own individual choice as to whom would best represent us as the Leader of the Free World, based upon both logic and the Spiritual Gift of Discernment.

Logic dictates that I vote for someone who will keep my family, my friends, and my country safe from the murderous barbarians that are at our gates. It also drives me to choose someone who actually has a chance to defeat the Democrat Candidate, the representative of the political party whose sitting President has driven this Sovereign Nation straight down the Highway to Hell, over the last seven years.

Judging from the Republican Primaries’ outcome, the overwhelming majority of voters believe that candidate to be Donald J. Trump.

During this Republican Primary Season, I have been called everything but “a Child of God”, simply because I have written factual posts about Donald J. Trump and have stated that, if and when he becomes the Republican Party’s Nominee, I will pencil in the bubble beside his name, as my choice to fill the Office of President of the United States of America.

According to some people, you are not truly a Christian, if you are willing to make that choice.

However, I beg to differ.

And, here’s why…

I do not believe that Jesus would be a part of the Social Justice Movement, which is so popular among Liberal Churches, today. His was and is a soul-saving movement. One that still brings hundreds of thousand of people to individual salvation on this terrestrial ball every day. A movement that, in fact, was embraced by the founders of this cherished land.

That being said, Rev. Graham, in a recent article which was posted during the Republican Primaries, spoke of “a left movement within the evangelical community that are telling people, ‘If so-and-so wins or this person wins don’t vote.’ ” Rev. Graham went on to add, “I’m just saying, I don’t care who wins and who’s out there, you have to vote.”

When Mitt Romney was the Republican Candidate for President in 2012, a lot of Americans stayed home, rather than vote for Romney.

That may have helped those individuals feel better about themselves, but it also helped to bring them and their fellow citizens four more years of economic suffering under the Presidency of Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm).

Just as a Christian’s Salvation is not manifested as a Collective Experience, but a Personal one, so is a Christian American’s Voting Rights a Personal Experience.

I had somebody tell me not too long ago, that they would “pray for me” to make the “right” choice, in the upcoming Presidential Election.

While the prayers of others are always appreciated, that hit me as if it was “The Church Lady” saying,

Well, bless your heart.

That’s an old Southern insult, in case you didn’t know.

While Christians, in church and outside of it, represent the corporate Body of Christ, according to scripture, we each possess the gifts of Free Will and Discernment.

These gifts are used by each of us on a daily basis, including aiding in our decision to support a Presidential Candidate in the Election of 2016.

Unlike Liberals and Marxists (but, I may be repeating myself), we do not vote as a collective, nor should we.

There are no Saints running as candidates, on either side, during this Primary Season. Just men and a woman…a very mean and disingenuous woman.

But, again, I digress…

Each of us must decide for ourselves whom we will vote for to fill the position of President of the United States of America.

Since the “Shot Heard ‘Round The World” was fired in April of 1775, this country has been built by Christian Americans making individual choices.

My perceived support of Donald J. Trump, through the articles that I write, is my inidivual choice, made through a detailed study of facts and with a heart-felt reverence toward this Sacred Land and the One who brought our Forefathers here.

Can you vote for Donald J. Trump and still be a Christian?

Certainly you can.

Your Salvation is not determined by your vote…but, by God’s Grace.

And…

‘Tis grace hath brought me safe thus far,

And grace will lead me home!

Until He Comes,

KJ

April 1, 2016, “National Atheists Day”: Of Atheists, Restricting Religious Liberty, and “Complaining Christians”

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics1 Comment

7b2b9eba5179818a8336fbf20269a8d1The fool says in his heart, “There is no God.”- Psalm 14:1

Lifeway Research reports that

A growing number of Americans believe religious liberty is on the decline and that the nation’s Christians face growing intolerance. They also say American Christians complain too much.

Those are among the findings of a new study of views about religious liberty from LifeWay Research. Researchers surveyed 1,000 Americans in September 2013 and September 2015 and then compared the results.

Two-thirds (63 percent) say Christians face increasing intolerance, up from half (50 percent) in 2013.

A similar number (60 percent) say religious liberty is on the decline, up from just over half (54 percent) in 2013.

Forty-three percent say American Christians complain too much about how they are treated, up from 34 percent in 2013.

“More Americans worry the U.S. has a hostile environment for religious liberty,” said Ed Stetzer, executive director of LifeWay Research. “As this perception grows, some approve of it while others speak up against it.”

Religious liberty has become an increasingly contentious issue in American culture—with disputes over birth control, same-sex wedding cakes, headscarves at work, and prisoner’s beards.

The more recent LifeWay Research survey found faith plays a key role in how Americans view the state of religious liberty.

Two-thirds of Christians (64 percent) and those of other faiths (65 percent) say religious liberty is on the decline. Self-identified evangelicals (71 percent) and those who attend worship at least once a week (70 percent) are most likely to agree.

Catholics (56 percent) and non-evangelicals (55 percent) are more skeptical. So are Nones (46 percent).

“Christians are particularly sensitive to what they see as intolerance towards their faith,” said Stetzer. “But they share a common concern with people of other faiths—that religious liberty in general is declining. And this perception is growing rapidly.”

Age also played a role in how Americans view the state of religious liberty.

Less than half  (42 percent) of those 18 to 24 say religious liberty is on the decline. By contrast, 6 in 10 (62 percent) of those over 25 see a decline.

LifeWay Research also found non-Christians are less convinced that Christians face intolerance.

Less than half of those from other faiths (43 percent) and Nones (48 percent) agree when asked if intolerance towards Christians has increased.

By contrast, most Christians (70 percent), self-identified evangelicals (82 percent) and Protestants (74 percent) see more intolerance. So do two-thirds (76 percent) of those who attend services once a week or more.

Researchers found some signs that Americans are tired of arguments over religious liberty. A sizable number of Americans believe Christians’ complaints about how they are treated are excessive.

Among them:

38 percent of Christians
39 percent of Americans of other faiths
59 percent of Nones
53 percent of those who rarely or never attend worship
American Christians face a challenge, as the nation becomes more secular, said Stetzer. Calls for religious liberty may fall on increasingly deaf ears in the future.

“Most people now believe Christians are facing intolerance, however, a surprising large minority perceives Christians to be complainers,” said Stetzer. “Both of those facts will matter as Christians profess and contend for their beliefs without sounding false alarms around faux controversies. It won’t be easy to strike that balance.”

Really? Really?

C’mon now.

As John McEnroe says,

You can’t be serious.

(Look him up, boys and girls.)

At first glance, this article should be upsetting to the 74% of Americans, including myself, who, as described by the “cool” word of the Millennials,  self-identify as Christian Americans.

The fact of the matter is, no matter how some seek to restrict the Religious Liberty of Christian Americans, the death of Christianity in America has been greatly exaggerated.

“Organized Religion”, a term usually spoken in derision by those seeking to somehow impugn the generations-old practice of Christian Americans to be a member of and attend the weekly worship service of the denomination and church building of their choice, is being attacked constantly by Atheists, Liberals, and Progressives (but, I repeat myself) to further degrade the spiritual backbone of the “Shining City Upon a Hill”, as President Ronald Reagan referred to our country.

For what now seems like an eternity, those on the left side of Political Aisle, have focused their attention on “radically changing” America.

They soon realized that they simply could not do it through popular culture and educational indoctrination, inundating America’s children with both overt and subliminal imaging designed to countermand the Traditional American Values that they were being raised with, in normal American Households, out here in “Flyover Country”, otherwise known as America’s Heartland…or “the Red States”.

Modern Liberals soon figured out that the way to program Americans into believing that “all paths lead to God” and that cradle-to-grave Nanny-State Government were the new American Standards for living our daily lives, was to turn Christian American Houses of Worship away from being instructors of the Word of God and a sanctuary in which to worship Our Creator, to, instead, being purveyors of the joys of Popular Culture. Wednesday Night Bible Studies were soon replaced by Yoga Classes and Encounter Groups. Religious Leaders were soon quoting philosophy, instead of the Bible in their Sunday Morning Sermons.

And, instead of taking a stand against those things of the world which were directly opposed to what is found in God’s Word, these “new, enlightened” churches started standing up for the “right” of a woman to have her baby prematurely yanked out of her womb with a set of tongs, standing up for the right of Adam to “marry” Steve, when the Bible states that marriage is between a man and a woman, and standing up for the equality of all faiths, when the Son of God firmly states, in John 14:6, that

I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.

So, is Christianity in America going to “fade away”?

Not any time soon.

Being filled with human beings, churches have made a lot of mistakes, However, they have also done a lot of good in the name of the Lord.

For example, the church I attend, houses a Food Pantry, operated in co-operation with other churches in our area, which feeds 2,000 people per month, counseling them, and getting them the assistance that they need.

Churches today have to walk a fine line.

The spiritual battle the influence of American Popular Culture and those seeking the Will of God in their lives, takes all the strength…and prayer, that Christians can muster.

Articles, such as the one which I quoted earlier, are usually written by Liberals, especially those found in a Liberal Publication like USA Today.

Modern Liberals seem to have great difficulty comprehending the role which Our Creator, the God of Abraham, played and plays in this Grand Experiment, known as the United States of America.

Why have Liberals ratcheted up their anti-Christian Vitriol and Negativity since January 21, 2009?

Why are they so focused on removing America’s Christian Heritage?

Well, as is usually my wont, I have been doing some “reckoning” about this.

It seems to this ol’ Southern Boy, living here in the Heartland, that America’s Christian Heritage and the very real fact of His influence in building and shaping America’s growth into the greatest country on the face of God’s Green Earth, not only stifles and interferes with Modern Liberals’ “anything goes”, “share the wealth”, “hive-mind”, “man is his own god” Political Ideology, but the reality of God’s very existence, somewhere deep in their miserable, bitter psyches, scares the mess out of them.

According to a Pew Forum Survey, more than 13 million Americans are self-described atheists and agnostics, comprising less than 6% of the U.S. public.

I have never understood Atheists, especially the so-called activists among them.

Our Constitution provides for Freedom of Religion.

According to the Supreme Court, in their Ruling abolishing School Prayer, Atheism is a religion, which the Americans who embrace this nihilism are free to practice.

So, why the continuous full-blown attack on the Faith which our Founding Fathers wrote so eloquently about, and which has sustained this “shining city on a hill” through times of internal and external strife?

In other words, why are activist Atheists (and Progressives) so intent to either limit or completely eliminate Christianity’s influence on everyday American Life?

Why don’t they attack the political/religious ideology of Islam with the same fervor?

The answer to this question is simple:  Cowards will always tell you whom they are afraid of. They will avoid them, like one avoids a child with Chicken Pox.

Additionally, they expect Christians to allow them to take control by “turning the other cheek.”

Evidently, they never read the scriptures which describe Jesus running the “money lenders” out of the temple, overturning tables, and expressing his righteous indignation in a way in which no one could mistake it for anything else.

Or, perhaps, it’s the overwhelming overestimation of their own intelligence, which results from ignoring the influence of the God of Abraham in their life.

So, what drives them in this “Unholy Crusade”?

Bitterness, emptiness, and an unfulfilled longing in their soul which they cannot put a finger on, is the only explanation.

Otherwise, why would they fight so hard against the influence of and worship of Someone they don’t personally believe in?

Until He Comes,

KJ

Can You Vote For Donald J. Trump and Still Be a Christian? Are You Kiddin’ Me?

On By kingsjesterIn Christianity, Politics1 Comment

th (63)In our Sovereign Nation, 75% of Americans still proclaim Jesus Christ as their Personal Savior.

What role will Christian Americans play during this Election Cycle?

The Christian Post reports that

The Reverend Franklin Graham recently stated that Christians need to vote come November and that might include having to choose “the least heathen of the two.”

In an interview with CBN in Denver earlier this week, Rev. Graham stressed the importance of evangelical Christians being involved in the electoral process, saying “I don’t care who wins and who’s out there, you have to vote.”

“And I’m not going to tell people who to vote for, I’m not going to do that — let God tell you who to vote for,” said Graham. “You may have to hold your nose, you may have to decide which is the least heathen of the two heathen.”

 Graham’s comments came as he continued his travels across the country to speak on behalf of his Decision America Tour.

“I want to challenge Christians to boldly live out their faith and to pray for our nation and its leaders. I want to encourage Christians to get out and vote, and to cast their ballots for candidates who uphold biblical principles,” stated Graham last April.

“I want to strongly urge Christians to run for public office at every level — local, state, and federal. We will not be endorsing any political candidates, but I will be proclaiming the truth of God’s Gospel in every state.”

Graham’s tour is taking place during a heated primary season of controversial statements, actions, and even legal battles.

Donald Trump, the Republican frontrunner, has been criticized for his inflammatory rhetoric and for the violence that happens at his campaign rallies.

Hillary Clinton, the Democratic frontrunner, is weathering issues surrounding the private email server she had while Secretary of State and may face an indictment as a result.

On Facebook, Graham commented about these developments during the campaign season, believing it to be evidence that America needs a “Godly revolution” to heal its “broken” situation.

“This past week we saw violent protests at political rallies. One candidate is under investigation by the FBI. Another candidate says we need a political revolution. What America needs is a Godly revolution,” wrote Graham.

“Our nation is broken — politically, spiritually, and morally — and our only hope is Almighty God. Let’s take a stand together and pray for God to intervene in this country, to forgive us, and to give us another chance.”

This article attracted my eye, simply because, as the subtitle on my blog states, I am a “Christian American Conservative”.

However, during this Republican Primary Season, I have been called everything but “a Child of God”, simply because I have written factual posts about Donald J. Trump and have stated that, if and when he becomes the Republican Party’s Nominee, I will pencil in the bubble beside his name, as my choice to fill the Office of President of the United States of America.

According to some people, you are not truly a Christian, if you are willing to make that choice.

However, I beg to differ, and I stand with the Reverend Franklin Graham on this issue.

And, here’s why…

I do not believe that Jesus would be a part of the Social Justice Movement, which is so popular among Liberal Churches, today. His was and is a soul-saving movement. One that still brings hundreds of thousand of people to individual salvation on this terrestrial ball every day. A movement that, in fact, was embraced by the founders of this cherished land.

That being said, Rev. Graham, in the article, spoke of “a left movement within the evangelical community that are telling people, ‘If so-and-so wins or this person wins don’t vote.’ ” Rev. Graham went on to add, “I’m just saying, I don’t care who wins and who’s out there, you have to vote.”

When Mitt Romney was the Republican Candidate for President in 2012, a lot of Americans stayed home, rather than vote for Romney.

That may have helped those individuals feel better about themselves, but it also helped to bring them and their fellow citizens four more years of economic suffering under the Presidency of Barack Hussein Obama (mm mmm mmmm).

Just as a Christian’s Salvation is not manifested as a Collective Experience, but a Personal one, so is a Christian American’s Voting Rights a Personal Experience.

I had somebody tell me yesterday, that they would “pray for me” to make the “right” choice, in the upcoming Presidential Election.

While the prayers of others are always appreciated, that hit me as if it was “The Church Lady” saying,

Well, bless your heart.

That’s an old Southern insult, in case you didn’t know.

While Christians, in church and outside of it, represent the corporate Body of Christ, according to scripture, we each possess the gifts of Free Will and Discernment.

These gifts are used by each of us on a daily basis, including aiding in our decision to support a Presidential Candidate in the Election of 2016.

Unlike Liberals and Marxists (but, I may be repeating myself), we do not vote as a collective, nor should we.

There are no Saints running as candidates, on either side, during this Primary Season. Just men and a woman…a very mean woman.

But, I digress…

Each of us must decide for ourselves, as Rev. Graham said, which “heathen” we will vote for.

Since the “Shot Heard ‘Round The World” was fired on April 18, 1775, this country has been built by Christian Americans making individual choices.

My perceived support of Donald J. Trump, through the articles that I write, is my inidivual choice, made through a detailed study of facts and with a heart-felt reverence toward this Sacred Land and the One who brought our Forefathers here.

So…can you vote for Donald J. Trump and still be a Christian?

Certainly you can.

Your Salvation is not determined by your vote…but, by God’s Grace.

So, this November, get out there and vote!

A Charge to Keep We Have.

Until He Comes,

KJ