Comin’ Down the Pike: A Warning for Christians

 

What the Political Parties are Promising in the Wake of the Election

 

A WARNING FOR CHRISTIANS

Very soon, American citizens will have the opportunity to vote in a national election that will

Dr. Rick Flanders

determine vital factors about our lives in the future.  The choice could not be between more contrasting visions.  You may have noticed what the campaign fliers in your mailbox are saying.  Some promise more regulation, taxes for the rich, and free government money.  Some pledge to cut the government back, lower taxes, and give us more freedom.  The two major political parties have told us, through their candidates and their platforms, what they will do when they assume power, and we can see, if we will pay attention, what the futures will be in our country under each of them. Christian voters are the most important people in the country politically.  We need to pay attention to what is “coming down the pike” should the Democrats or the Republicans be voted into power in 2016.  As you know, the election campaign has degenerated into a food-fight of traded insults.  The worst part of this disgusting back-and-forth is the effect it is having of distracting voters from seeing the radically different views of on the issues of our day.  Some time ago, my wife and I realized that we would not be able to choose a major- party candidate for President out of enthusiasm over his or her character, but would have to cast our votes up and down the ballot based strictly on our Biblically-based principles.  We advise our friends to do the same thing on November 8.  Learn what the parties say they are going to do, and make your choice based on what the party will do.  Staying home and not voting, or voting for parties or candidates that cannot win and have no expectation to win, are not reasonable options for Christians who care about what’s coming.  Let me show you where the two parties say they will take us. 

THE DEMOCRATS

The Democratic Party, which was for many years the political home of millions of Christians, is saying things this year that horrify us.  Of course, we know that the government has had a degenerating impact on American society in recent decades.  Unfortunately this year the Democrats are apparently glad for the negative changes.

Their Presidential candidate has said, “The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality [same-sex ‘marriage’] represents America at its best: just, fair, and moving toward equality. Now we have more work to do.  I’ll fight to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans have full equality under the law, and to end discrimination in employment, housing, schools, and other aspects of society.”

The Democrat platform states, “Democrats applaud last year’s decision by the Supreme Court that recognized that LGBT people—like other Americans—have the right to marry the person they love. But there is still much work to be done. LGBT kids continue to be bullied at school, restaurants can refuse to serve transgender people, and same-sex couples are at risk of being evicted from their homes. That is unacceptable and must change. Democrats will fight for the continued development of sex discrimination law to cover LGBT people. We will also fight for comprehensive federal nondiscrimination protections for all LGBT Americans, to guarantee equal rights in areas such as housing, employment, public accommodations, credit, jury service, education, and federal funding. We will oppose all state efforts to discriminate against LGBT individuals, including legislation that restricts the right to access public spaces. We support a progressive vision of religious freedom that respects pluralism and rejects the misuse of religion to discriminate. We will combat LGBT youth homelessness and improve school climates. We will support LGBT elders, ensure access to necessary health care, and protect LGBT people from violence— including ending the crisis of violence against transgender Americans. We will also promote LGBT human rights and ensure America’s foreign policy is inclusive of LGBT people around the world.“  This party has taken a stand against the traditional definition of marriage, and the movement against Biblical morals will apparently continue at full-speed under a new Democrat administration.

On the moral question of abortion, we find in the Democrat 2016 platform, “Democrats are committed to protecting and advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice. We believe unequivocally, like the majority of Americans, that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion—regardless of where she lives, how much money she makes, or how she is insured. We believe that reproductive health is core to women’s, men’s, and young people’s health and wellbeing. We will continue to stand up to Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers, which provide critical health services to millions of people. We will continue to oppose—and seek to overturn—federal and state laws and policies that impede a woman’s access to abortion, including by repealing the Hyde Amendment [which prohibits federal financing of abortions]. We condemn and will combat any acts of violence, harassment, and intimidation of reproductive health providers, patients, and staff. We will defend the ACA, which extends affordable preventive health care to women, including no-cost contraception, and prohibits discrimination in health care based on gender.”

Will we remember on Election Day the horrific harvesting and sale of fetal body parts at Planned Parenthood that moved many to call for the withdrawal of federal aid to this organization, and will we remember what “late-term abortion” is?  Can we doubt what the future will be regarding the murder of unborn children under a Democrat administration?  Their candidate says, “As president, I’ll stand up for Planned Parenthood and women’s access to critical health services, including safe, legal abortion.”

Because of the changes in government about marriage and abortion, many Christians have been concerned over the impact they may have on our religious freedom.  The Democrat Presidential candidate disturbed us by stating, “Deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.”  “It’s outrageous,” she said, to be “denied a wedding cake for being gay.”  The party platform says, “We support a progressive vision of religious freedom that respects pluralism and rejects the misuse of religion to discriminate.”  Will Christians be in danger of government sanctions for following or even stating their Bible-based convictions?  Will it happen as soon as the next presidential administration?  You and I will decide on Election Day.

In statements they are making in regard to the economy, the Democrats consistently stand in favor of changes that point in the direction of radical socialism.  Their platform says, “Democrats believe that today’s extreme levels of income and wealth inequality are bad for our people, bad for our businesses, and bad for our economy.“  It also advocates raising the minimum wage.  “We should raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour [an amount that can be shown to be too much for our fragile economy].”  They are proposing huge expansions of government, and of federal spending.  “Democrats believe that in America, if you want a higher education, you should always be able to get one: money should never stand in the way,” says the Democrat platform.  “Cost should not be a barrier to getting a degree or credential, and debt should not hold you back after you graduate. Bold new investments by the federal government, coupled with states reinvesting in higher education and colleges holding the line on costs, will ensure that Americans of all backgrounds will be prepared for the jobs and economy of the future. Democrats are unified in their strong belief that every student should be able to go to college debt-free, and working families should not have to pay any tuition to go to public colleges and universities.” These expensive proposals come in spite of our $19-trillion national debt, which is already growing at an alarming rate, and threatening our currency and our economy!

“We are going to fight to make sure every American has access to quality, affordable health care. We will tackle the problems that remain in our health care system, including cracking down on runaway prescription drug prices and addressing mental health with the same seriousness that we treat physical health. We will fight Republican efforts to roll back the clock on women’s health and reproductive rights, and stand up for Planned Parenthood. And we will tackle the epidemics of substance abuse and gun violence, which each claim tens of thousands of lives every year. Securing Universal Health Care Democrats believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and our health care system should put people before profits. Thanks to the hard work of President Obama and Democrats in Congress, we took a critically important step toward the goal of universal health care by passing the Affordable Care Act, which has covered 20 million more Americans and ensured millions more will never be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Democrats will never falter in our generations-long fight to guarantee health care as a fundamental right for every American. As part of that guarantee, Americans should be able to access public coverage through a public option, and those over 55 should be able to opt in to Medicare. “  The solution to our problems, say the socialist-leaning Democrats, is to keep on expanding the government, and to keep on spending billions and trillions more into the hole!

Law-enforcement, to a Christian, is a matter of the state doing its God-given duty.  “Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil…He is the minister of God to thee for good…a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil” (see Romans 13:1-5).  Of course, law enforcement has been hindered and endangered by radical revolutionary movements in recent months, encouraged by people in authority.  But the Democrat platform this year does not bring us back to a law-and-order society.  It casts doubt on policing, and also advocates the abolition of the death penalty and the legalization of harmful drugs.

“We will work with police chiefs to invest in training for officers on issues such as de-escalation and the creation of national guidelines for the appropriate use of force. We will encourage better police-community relations, require the use of body cameras, and stop the use of weapons of war that have no place in our communities. We will end racial profiling that targets individuals solely on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin, which is un-American and counterproductive. We should report national data on policing strategies and provide greater transparency and accountability. We will require the Department of Justice to investigate all questionable or suspicious police-involved shootings, and we will support states and localities who help make those investigations and prosecutions more transparent, including through reforming the grand jury process. We will assist states in providing a system of public defense that is adequately resourced and which meets American Bar Association standards. And we will reform the civil asset forfeiture system to protect people and remove perverse incentives for law enforcement to police for a profit.” 

 “The war on drugs has led to the imprisonment of millions of Americans, disproportionately people of color, without reducing drug use. Whenever possible, Democrats will prioritize prevention and treatment over incarceration when tackling addiction and substance use disorder. We will build on effective models of drug courts, veterans’ courts, and other diversionary programs that seek to give nonviolent offenders opportunities for rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration. Because of conflicting federal and state laws concerning marijuana, we encourage the federal government to remove marijuana from the list of Schedule 1 federal controlled substances and to appropriately regulate it, providing a reasoned pathway for future legalization. We believe that the states should be laboratories of democracy on the issue of marijuana, and those states that want to decriminalize it or provide access to medical marijuana should be able to do so. We support policies that will allow more research on marijuana, as well as reforming our laws to allow legal marijuana businesses to exist without uncertainty. And we recognize our current marijuana laws have had an unacceptable disparate impact in terms of arrest rates for African Americans that far outstrip arrest rates for whites, despite similar usage rates.

“We will abolish the death penalty, which has proven to be a cruel and unusual form of punishment. It has no place in the United States of America. The application of the death penalty is arbitrary and unjust. The cost to taxpayers far exceeds those of life imprisonment. It does not deter crime. And, exonerations show a dangerous lack of reliability for what is an irreversible punishment. “

Bible readers know what God says about the death penalty in Genesis 9:6 and other passages, as well as other law-enforcement issues, and are alarmed by such extreme and dangerous proposals.

The prayer of Christians for government authorities is that the state will leave us alone to live our lives for Christ and spread His Gospel.

“I exhort…that prayers…be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

(First Timothy 2:1-2)

The Democrats this year are promising us more of President Obama’s rule by executive mandate instead of Constitutional legislation.  Their candidate has said, “If Congress won’t act, I’ll defend President Obama’s executive actions—and I’ll go even further…If Congress refuses to act to end the epidemic of gun violence, I’ll take administrative action to do so.”  Any objective student of government must admit that our Constitution is being violated and ignored in the way the country is being run.  Congress has vacated its duties, the executive branch has overreached its power, and activist judges have illegally expanded their powers to change the government, and under a new Democrat administration, we can expect it to become much worse.  The candidate promises, “I would not appoint someone [to the Supreme Court bench] who didn’t think Roe v. Wade is settled law.”   Supreme Court decisions like this one derailed and perverted the meaning of the Constitution and its amendments, and transformed our culture from its original Biblically-based structure.  The Democrats are determined that this perverse and illegal transformation continues.
 
THE REPUBLICANS

This election year, the Republicans have taken an unusually clear stand for Constitutional government, Biblical morals, fiscal responsibility, religious liberty, and public reverence for our Creator.  Their platform includes this statement:

“Every time we sing, ‘God Bless America,’ we are asking for help.  We ask for divine help that our country can fulfill its promise.  We earn that help by recommitting ourselves to the ideas and ideals that are the true greatness of America.”

Their position on the definition of marriage could not be clearer: “Traditional marriage and family, based on marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values.  We condemn the Supreme Court’s ruling in United States v. Windsor, which wrongly removed the ability of Congress to define marriage policy in federal law.  We also condemn the Supreme Court’s lawless ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which in the words of the late Justice Antonin Scalia was a ‘judicial Putsch’ — full of ‘silly extravagances’ — that reduced ‘the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Storey to the mystical aphorisms of a fortune cookie.’  In Obergefell, five unelected lawyers robbed 320 million Americans of their legitimate constitutional authority to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  The Court twisted the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment beyond recognition.   To echo Scalia, we dissent.  We, therefore, support the appointment of justices and judges who respect the constitutional limits on their power and respect the authority of the states to decide such fundamental social questions.”  At present, several important cases are standing in line for the review of the high court which will decide immense societal issues on the side of the justice that will be appointed by the new president to replace Scalia.  In a definite way, we voters will decide what kind of judge that will be, and what our society will be like.

The platform states that “only a Republican president will appoint judges who respect the rule of law expressed within the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, including the inalienable right to life and the laws of nature and nature’s God, as did the late Justice Antonin Scalia. We are facing a national crisis in our judiciary.  We understand that only by electing a Republican president in 2016 will America have the opportunity for up to five new constitutionally-minded Supreme Court justices appointed to fill vacancies on the Court. Only such appointments will enable courts to begin to reverse the long line of activist decisions.”

Furthermore, “Article I of the Constitution directs that ‘All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States….’  For more than a century, however, Congress has delegated increasing amounts of legislative authority to executive departments, agencies, and commissions, laying the foundation for today’s vast administrative state. Unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch now write countless rules with the force of law and arbitrarily punish individuals who disobey those rules. The Constitution makes clear that these powers were granted to Congress by the people and must therefore remain solely with the people’s elected representatives. We call on Congress to begin reclaiming its constitutional powers from the bureaucratic state by requiring that major new federal regulations be approved by Congress before they can take effect, such as through the Regulation Freedom Amendment. We further affirm that courts should interpret laws as written by Congress rather than allowing executive agencies to rewrite those laws to suit administration priorities.”

One of the most amazing characteristics of the work of our government in the last eight years has been how little attention has been given to the explosion of spending and debt during this time.  The Republicans say they will take on the challenge of tackling this crisis.  Their platform states that our “national debt is a burden on our economy and families.  The huge increase in the national debt demanded by and incurred during the current Administration has placed a significant burden on future generations. We must impose firm caps on future debt, accelerate the repayment of the trillions we now owe in order to reaffirm our principles of responsible and limited government, and remove the burdens we are placing on future generations.  A strong economy is one key to debt reduction, but spending restraint is a necessary component that must be vigorously pursued.”  We read, “The federal fiscal burden threatens the security, liberty, and independence of our nation. The current Administration’s refusal to work with Republicans took our national debt from $10 trillion to nearly $19 trillion today. Left unchecked, it will hit $30 trillion by 2026. At the same time, the Administration’s policies systematically crippled economic growth and job creation, driving up government costs and driving down revenues. When Congressional Republicans tried to reverse course, the Administration manufactured fiscal crises — phony government shutdowns — to demand excessive spending…The Republican path to fiscal sanity and economic expansion begins with a constitutional requirement for a federal balanced budget. We will fight for Congress to adopt, and for the states to ratify, a Balanced Budget Amendment which imposes a cap limiting spending to the appropriate historical average percentage of our nation’s gross domestic product while requiring a super-majority for any tax increase, with exceptions only for war or legitimate emergencies. Only a constitutional safeguard such as this can prevent deficits from mounting to government default.”

The threats to religious liberty posed by the expansion of our government will be met by the Republicans. “America’s healthcare professionals should not be forced to choose between following their faith and practicing their profession.  We respect the rights of conscience of healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and organizations, especially the faith-based groups which provide a major portion of care for the nation and the needy. We support the ability of all organizations to provide, purchase, or enroll in healthcare coverage consistent with their religious, moral, or ethical convictions without discrimination or penalty.  We support the right of parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children. We support the right of parents to consent to medical treatment for their minor children and urge enactment of legislation that would require parental consent for their daughter to be transported across state lines for abortion. Providers should not be permitted to unilaterally withhold services because a patient’s life is deemed not worth living.  American taxpayers should not be forced to fund abortion.  As Democrats abandon this four decade-old bipartisan consensus, we call for codification of the Hyde Amendment and its application across the government, including Obamacare.  We call for a permanent ban on federal funding and subsidies for abortion and healthcare plans that include abortion coverage.”

Unprecedented examples of corruption in the executive branch have been exposed but largely ignored in recent years.  The Republicans say that they will straighten out the messes that have been found, and punish the criminals.  In their platform we read, “Many good civil servants work at the IRS, but the agency itself is toxic. Its leadership employs known tax delinquents, rehires workers previously fired for misconduct, spends user fees without congressional oversight, and awards bonuses for customer service that would put any private company out of business. Worst of all, the IRS has become an ideological attack dog for the worst elements of today’s Democratic Party. It systematically targets conservative, pro-life, and libertarian organizations, harassing them with repeated audits and denying their tax exempt status. Its commissioner has lied to Congress, hidden evidence, and stonewalled investigations. He should be impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted by the Senate. We value the right of America’s churches, pastors, and religious leaders to preach and speak freely according to their faith. Republicans believe the federal government, specifically the IRS, is constitutionally prohibited from policing or censoring the speech of America’s churches, pastors, and religious leaders. We support repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which restricts First Amendment freedoms of all nonprofit organizations by prohibiting political speech. We also support making the federal tax code so simple and easy to understand that the IRS becomes obsolete and can be abolished.”

The safeguard of our republic and our freedom is our Constitution, which we have seen slighted and ignored as well as flagrantly violated under the current administration.  The Republicans say in their platform, “Our Constitution is in crisis. More than 90 percent of federal requirements are now imposed by regulatory agencies, without any vote of the House or Senate or signature of the President. The current Administration has exceeded its constitutional authority, brazenly and flagrantly violated the separation of powers, sought to divide America into groups and turn citizen against citizen. The President has refused to defend or enforce laws he does not like, used executive orders to enact national policies in areas constitutionally reserved solely to Congress, made unconstitutional ‘recess’ appointments to Senate-confirmed positions, directed regulatory agencies to overstep their statutory authority, and failed to consult Congress regarding military action overseas. He has changed what John Adams called ‘a government of laws and not of men’ into just the opposite.”

The Republicans pledge to restore our crippled economy through free-market, Constitutional means.  Their platform declares, “Government cannot create prosperity, though government can limit or destroy it. Prosperity is the product of self-discipline, enterprise, saving and investment by individuals, but it is not an end in itself. Prosperity provides the means by which citizens and their families can maintain their independence from government, raise their children by their own values, practice their faith, and build communities of cooperation and mutual respect. It is also the foundation for our nation’s global leadership, for it is the vigor of our economy which makes possible our military strength and our national security.”

“Republicans consider the establishment of a pro-growth tax code a moral imperative. More than any other public policy, the way government raises revenue — how much, at what rates, under what circumstances, from whom, and for whom — has the greatest impact on our economy’s performance. It powerfully influences the level of economic growth and job creation, which translates into the level of opportunity for those who would otherwise be left behind.  Getting our tax system right will be the most important factor in driving the entire economy back to prosperity. The current tax code is rightly the object of both anger and mockery. Its length is exceeded only by its complexity. We must start anew. That will be an enormous undertaking and, if it is to succeed, it must command the attention and approval of the American people. It cannot be engineered from the top down, but must have a common sense approach, and be simplified.”

I am not a Republican, but the great difference between the plans for our future proposed by the Republican Party in 2016 and the vision of this year’s Democrats cannot be missed.  It is the difference between more government, more debt, more undermining of our civilization, more corruption, less God, less growth, less law, and less freedom, as opposed to more law-and-order, more protection of life and liberty, more prosperity, more Constitutional government, less endangerment of individual rights, less executive power, and less deficit spending.  I have a responsibility to make a responsible choice on November 8, and so do you.  May the Lord show us our duty.

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live…”

(Dueteronomy 30:19)

 

Dr. Rick Flanders

Revival Ministries 

 

Comin' Down the Pike: A Warning for Christians

 

What the Political Parties are Promising in the Wake of the Election

 

A WARNING FOR CHRISTIANS

Very soon, American citizens will have the opportunity to vote in a national election that will

Dr. Rick Flanders

determine vital factors about our lives in the future.  The choice could not be between more contrasting visions.  You may have noticed what the campaign fliers in your mailbox are saying.  Some promise more regulation, taxes for the rich, and free government money.  Some pledge to cut the government back, lower taxes, and give us more freedom.  The two major political parties have told us, through their candidates and their platforms, what they will do when they assume power, and we can see, if we will pay attention, what the futures will be in our country under each of them. Christian voters are the most important people in the country politically.  We need to pay attention to what is “coming down the pike” should the Democrats or the Republicans be voted into power in 2016.  As you know, the election campaign has degenerated into a food-fight of traded insults.  The worst part of this disgusting back-and-forth is the effect it is having of distracting voters from seeing the radically different views of on the issues of our day.  Some time ago, my wife and I realized that we would not be able to choose a major- party candidate for President out of enthusiasm over his or her character, but would have to cast our votes up and down the ballot based strictly on our Biblically-based principles.  We advise our friends to do the same thing on November 8.  Learn what the parties say they are going to do, and make your choice based on what the party will do.  Staying home and not voting, or voting for parties or candidates that cannot win and have no expectation to win, are not reasonable options for Christians who care about what’s coming.  Let me show you where the two parties say they will take us. 

THE DEMOCRATS

The Democratic Party, which was for many years the political home of millions of Christians, is saying things this year that horrify us.  Of course, we know that the government has had a degenerating impact on American society in recent decades.  Unfortunately this year the Democrats are apparently glad for the negative changes.

Their Presidential candidate has said, “The U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on marriage equality [same-sex ‘marriage’] represents America at its best: just, fair, and moving toward equality. Now we have more work to do.  I’ll fight to ensure that lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender Americans have full equality under the law, and to end discrimination in employment, housing, schools, and other aspects of society.”

The Democrat platform states, “Democrats applaud last year’s decision by the Supreme Court that recognized that LGBT people—like other Americans—have the right to marry the person they love. But there is still much work to be done. LGBT kids continue to be bullied at school, restaurants can refuse to serve transgender people, and same-sex couples are at risk of being evicted from their homes. That is unacceptable and must change. Democrats will fight for the continued development of sex discrimination law to cover LGBT people. We will also fight for comprehensive federal nondiscrimination protections for all LGBT Americans, to guarantee equal rights in areas such as housing, employment, public accommodations, credit, jury service, education, and federal funding. We will oppose all state efforts to discriminate against LGBT individuals, including legislation that restricts the right to access public spaces. We support a progressive vision of religious freedom that respects pluralism and rejects the misuse of religion to discriminate. We will combat LGBT youth homelessness and improve school climates. We will support LGBT elders, ensure access to necessary health care, and protect LGBT people from violence— including ending the crisis of violence against transgender Americans. We will also promote LGBT human rights and ensure America’s foreign policy is inclusive of LGBT people around the world.“  This party has taken a stand against the traditional definition of marriage, and the movement against Biblical morals will apparently continue at full-speed under a new Democrat administration.

On the moral question of abortion, we find in the Democrat 2016 platform, “Democrats are committed to protecting and advancing reproductive health, rights, and justice. We believe unequivocally, like the majority of Americans, that every woman should have access to quality reproductive health care services, including safe and legal abortion—regardless of where she lives, how much money she makes, or how she is insured. We believe that reproductive health is core to women’s, men’s, and young people’s health and wellbeing. We will continue to stand up to Republican efforts to defund Planned Parenthood health centers, which provide critical health services to millions of people. We will continue to oppose—and seek to overturn—federal and state laws and policies that impede a woman’s access to abortion, including by repealing the Hyde Amendment [which prohibits federal financing of abortions]. We condemn and will combat any acts of violence, harassment, and intimidation of reproductive health providers, patients, and staff. We will defend the ACA, which extends affordable preventive health care to women, including no-cost contraception, and prohibits discrimination in health care based on gender.”

Will we remember on Election Day the horrific harvesting and sale of fetal body parts at Planned Parenthood that moved many to call for the withdrawal of federal aid to this organization, and will we remember what “late-term abortion” is?  Can we doubt what the future will be regarding the murder of unborn children under a Democrat administration?  Their candidate says, “As president, I’ll stand up for Planned Parenthood and women’s access to critical health services, including safe, legal abortion.”

Because of the changes in government about marriage and abortion, many Christians have been concerned over the impact they may have on our religious freedom.  The Democrat Presidential candidate disturbed us by stating, “Deep-seated cultural codes, religious beliefs and structural biases have to be changed.”  “It’s outrageous,” she said, to be “denied a wedding cake for being gay.”  The party platform says, “We support a progressive vision of religious freedom that respects pluralism and rejects the misuse of religion to discriminate.”  Will Christians be in danger of government sanctions for following or even stating their Bible-based convictions?  Will it happen as soon as the next presidential administration?  You and I will decide on Election Day.

In statements they are making in regard to the economy, the Democrats consistently stand in favor of changes that point in the direction of radical socialism.  Their platform says, “Democrats believe that today’s extreme levels of income and wealth inequality are bad for our people, bad for our businesses, and bad for our economy.“  It also advocates raising the minimum wage.  “We should raise the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour [an amount that can be shown to be too much for our fragile economy].”  They are proposing huge expansions of government, and of federal spending.  “Democrats believe that in America, if you want a higher education, you should always be able to get one: money should never stand in the way,” says the Democrat platform.  “Cost should not be a barrier to getting a degree or credential, and debt should not hold you back after you graduate. Bold new investments by the federal government, coupled with states reinvesting in higher education and colleges holding the line on costs, will ensure that Americans of all backgrounds will be prepared for the jobs and economy of the future. Democrats are unified in their strong belief that every student should be able to go to college debt-free, and working families should not have to pay any tuition to go to public colleges and universities.” These expensive proposals come in spite of our $19-trillion national debt, which is already growing at an alarming rate, and threatening our currency and our economy!

“We are going to fight to make sure every American has access to quality, affordable health care. We will tackle the problems that remain in our health care system, including cracking down on runaway prescription drug prices and addressing mental health with the same seriousness that we treat physical health. We will fight Republican efforts to roll back the clock on women’s health and reproductive rights, and stand up for Planned Parenthood. And we will tackle the epidemics of substance abuse and gun violence, which each claim tens of thousands of lives every year. Securing Universal Health Care Democrats believe that health care is a right, not a privilege, and our health care system should put people before profits. Thanks to the hard work of President Obama and Democrats in Congress, we took a critically important step toward the goal of universal health care by passing the Affordable Care Act, which has covered 20 million more Americans and ensured millions more will never be denied coverage because of a pre-existing condition. Democrats will never falter in our generations-long fight to guarantee health care as a fundamental right for every American. As part of that guarantee, Americans should be able to access public coverage through a public option, and those over 55 should be able to opt in to Medicare. “  The solution to our problems, say the socialist-leaning Democrats, is to keep on expanding the government, and to keep on spending billions and trillions more into the hole!

Law-enforcement, to a Christian, is a matter of the state doing its God-given duty.  “Rulers are not a terror to good works, but to the evil…He is the minister of God to thee for good…a revenger to execute wrath upon him that doeth evil” (see Romans 13:1-5).  Of course, law enforcement has been hindered and endangered by radical revolutionary movements in recent months, encouraged by people in authority.  But the Democrat platform this year does not bring us back to a law-and-order society.  It casts doubt on policing, and also advocates the abolition of the death penalty and the legalization of harmful drugs.

“We will work with police chiefs to invest in training for officers on issues such as de-escalation and the creation of national guidelines for the appropriate use of force. We will encourage better police-community relations, require the use of body cameras, and stop the use of weapons of war that have no place in our communities. We will end racial profiling that targets individuals solely on the basis of race, religion, ethnicity, or national origin, which is un-American and counterproductive. We should report national data on policing strategies and provide greater transparency and accountability. We will require the Department of Justice to investigate all questionable or suspicious police-involved shootings, and we will support states and localities who help make those investigations and prosecutions more transparent, including through reforming the grand jury process. We will assist states in providing a system of public defense that is adequately resourced and which meets American Bar Association standards. And we will reform the civil asset forfeiture system to protect people and remove perverse incentives for law enforcement to police for a profit.” 

 “The war on drugs has led to the imprisonment of millions of Americans, disproportionately people of color, without reducing drug use. Whenever possible, Democrats will prioritize prevention and treatment over incarceration when tackling addiction and substance use disorder. We will build on effective models of drug courts, veterans’ courts, and other diversionary programs that seek to give nonviolent offenders opportunities for rehabilitation as opposed to incarceration. Because of conflicting federal and state laws concerning marijuana, we encourage the federal government to remove marijuana from the list of Schedule 1 federal controlled substances and to appropriately regulate it, providing a reasoned pathway for future legalization. We believe that the states should be laboratories of democracy on the issue of marijuana, and those states that want to decriminalize it or provide access to medical marijuana should be able to do so. We support policies that will allow more research on marijuana, as well as reforming our laws to allow legal marijuana businesses to exist without uncertainty. And we recognize our current marijuana laws have had an unacceptable disparate impact in terms of arrest rates for African Americans that far outstrip arrest rates for whites, despite similar usage rates.

“We will abolish the death penalty, which has proven to be a cruel and unusual form of punishment. It has no place in the United States of America. The application of the death penalty is arbitrary and unjust. The cost to taxpayers far exceeds those of life imprisonment. It does not deter crime. And, exonerations show a dangerous lack of reliability for what is an irreversible punishment. “

Bible readers know what God says about the death penalty in Genesis 9:6 and other passages, as well as other law-enforcement issues, and are alarmed by such extreme and dangerous proposals.

The prayer of Christians for government authorities is that the state will leave us alone to live our lives for Christ and spread His Gospel.

“I exhort…that prayers…be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty.”

(First Timothy 2:1-2)

The Democrats this year are promising us more of President Obama’s rule by executive mandate instead of Constitutional legislation.  Their candidate has said, “If Congress won’t act, I’ll defend President Obama’s executive actions—and I’ll go even further…If Congress refuses to act to end the epidemic of gun violence, I’ll take administrative action to do so.”  Any objective student of government must admit that our Constitution is being violated and ignored in the way the country is being run.  Congress has vacated its duties, the executive branch has overreached its power, and activist judges have illegally expanded their powers to change the government, and under a new Democrat administration, we can expect it to become much worse.  The candidate promises, “I would not appoint someone [to the Supreme Court bench] who didn’t think Roe v. Wade is settled law.”   Supreme Court decisions like this one derailed and perverted the meaning of the Constitution and its amendments, and transformed our culture from its original Biblically-based structure.  The Democrats are determined that this perverse and illegal transformation continues.
 
THE REPUBLICANS

This election year, the Republicans have taken an unusually clear stand for Constitutional government, Biblical morals, fiscal responsibility, religious liberty, and public reverence for our Creator.  Their platform includes this statement:

“Every time we sing, ‘God Bless America,’ we are asking for help.  We ask for divine help that our country can fulfill its promise.  We earn that help by recommitting ourselves to the ideas and ideals that are the true greatness of America.”

Their position on the definition of marriage could not be clearer: “Traditional marriage and family, based on marriage between one man and one woman, is the foundation for a free society and has for millennia been entrusted with rearing children and instilling cultural values.  We condemn the Supreme Court’s ruling in United States v. Windsor, which wrongly removed the ability of Congress to define marriage policy in federal law.  We also condemn the Supreme Court’s lawless ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which in the words of the late Justice Antonin Scalia was a ‘judicial Putsch’ — full of ‘silly extravagances’ — that reduced ‘the disciplined legal reasoning of John Marshall and Joseph Storey to the mystical aphorisms of a fortune cookie.’  In Obergefell, five unelected lawyers robbed 320 million Americans of their legitimate constitutional authority to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman.  The Court twisted the meaning of the Fourteenth Amendment beyond recognition.   To echo Scalia, we dissent.  We, therefore, support the appointment of justices and judges who respect the constitutional limits on their power and respect the authority of the states to decide such fundamental social questions.”  At present, several important cases are standing in line for the review of the high court which will decide immense societal issues on the side of the justice that will be appointed by the new president to replace Scalia.  In a definite way, we voters will decide what kind of judge that will be, and what our society will be like.

The platform states that “only a Republican president will appoint judges who respect the rule of law expressed within the Constitution and Declaration of Independence, including the inalienable right to life and the laws of nature and nature’s God, as did the late Justice Antonin Scalia. We are facing a national crisis in our judiciary.  We understand that only by electing a Republican president in 2016 will America have the opportunity for up to five new constitutionally-minded Supreme Court justices appointed to fill vacancies on the Court. Only such appointments will enable courts to begin to reverse the long line of activist decisions.”

Furthermore, “Article I of the Constitution directs that ‘All legislative Powers herein granted shall be vested in a Congress of the United States….’  For more than a century, however, Congress has delegated increasing amounts of legislative authority to executive departments, agencies, and commissions, laying the foundation for today’s vast administrative state. Unelected bureaucrats in the executive branch now write countless rules with the force of law and arbitrarily punish individuals who disobey those rules. The Constitution makes clear that these powers were granted to Congress by the people and must therefore remain solely with the people’s elected representatives. We call on Congress to begin reclaiming its constitutional powers from the bureaucratic state by requiring that major new federal regulations be approved by Congress before they can take effect, such as through the Regulation Freedom Amendment. We further affirm that courts should interpret laws as written by Congress rather than allowing executive agencies to rewrite those laws to suit administration priorities.”

One of the most amazing characteristics of the work of our government in the last eight years has been how little attention has been given to the explosion of spending and debt during this time.  The Republicans say they will take on the challenge of tackling this crisis.  Their platform states that our “national debt is a burden on our economy and families.  The huge increase in the national debt demanded by and incurred during the current Administration has placed a significant burden on future generations. We must impose firm caps on future debt, accelerate the repayment of the trillions we now owe in order to reaffirm our principles of responsible and limited government, and remove the burdens we are placing on future generations.  A strong economy is one key to debt reduction, but spending restraint is a necessary component that must be vigorously pursued.”  We read, “The federal fiscal burden threatens the security, liberty, and independence of our nation. The current Administration’s refusal to work with Republicans took our national debt from $10 trillion to nearly $19 trillion today. Left unchecked, it will hit $30 trillion by 2026. At the same time, the Administration’s policies systematically crippled economic growth and job creation, driving up government costs and driving down revenues. When Congressional Republicans tried to reverse course, the Administration manufactured fiscal crises — phony government shutdowns — to demand excessive spending…The Republican path to fiscal sanity and economic expansion begins with a constitutional requirement for a federal balanced budget. We will fight for Congress to adopt, and for the states to ratify, a Balanced Budget Amendment which imposes a cap limiting spending to the appropriate historical average percentage of our nation’s gross domestic product while requiring a super-majority for any tax increase, with exceptions only for war or legitimate emergencies. Only a constitutional safeguard such as this can prevent deficits from mounting to government default.”

The threats to religious liberty posed by the expansion of our government will be met by the Republicans. “America’s healthcare professionals should not be forced to choose between following their faith and practicing their profession.  We respect the rights of conscience of healthcare professionals, doctors, nurses, pharmacists, and organizations, especially the faith-based groups which provide a major portion of care for the nation and the needy. We support the ability of all organizations to provide, purchase, or enroll in healthcare coverage consistent with their religious, moral, or ethical convictions without discrimination or penalty.  We support the right of parents to determine the proper medical treatment and therapy for their minor children. We support the right of parents to consent to medical treatment for their minor children and urge enactment of legislation that would require parental consent for their daughter to be transported across state lines for abortion. Providers should not be permitted to unilaterally withhold services because a patient’s life is deemed not worth living.  American taxpayers should not be forced to fund abortion.  As Democrats abandon this four decade-old bipartisan consensus, we call for codification of the Hyde Amendment and its application across the government, including Obamacare.  We call for a permanent ban on federal funding and subsidies for abortion and healthcare plans that include abortion coverage.”

Unprecedented examples of corruption in the executive branch have been exposed but largely ignored in recent years.  The Republicans say that they will straighten out the messes that have been found, and punish the criminals.  In their platform we read, “Many good civil servants work at the IRS, but the agency itself is toxic. Its leadership employs known tax delinquents, rehires workers previously fired for misconduct, spends user fees without congressional oversight, and awards bonuses for customer service that would put any private company out of business. Worst of all, the IRS has become an ideological attack dog for the worst elements of today’s Democratic Party. It systematically targets conservative, pro-life, and libertarian organizations, harassing them with repeated audits and denying their tax exempt status. Its commissioner has lied to Congress, hidden evidence, and stonewalled investigations. He should be impeached by the House of Representatives and convicted by the Senate. We value the right of America’s churches, pastors, and religious leaders to preach and speak freely according to their faith. Republicans believe the federal government, specifically the IRS, is constitutionally prohibited from policing or censoring the speech of America’s churches, pastors, and religious leaders. We support repeal of the Johnson Amendment, which restricts First Amendment freedoms of all nonprofit organizations by prohibiting political speech. We also support making the federal tax code so simple and easy to understand that the IRS becomes obsolete and can be abolished.”

The safeguard of our republic and our freedom is our Constitution, which we have seen slighted and ignored as well as flagrantly violated under the current administration.  The Republicans say in their platform, “Our Constitution is in crisis. More than 90 percent of federal requirements are now imposed by regulatory agencies, without any vote of the House or Senate or signature of the President. The current Administration has exceeded its constitutional authority, brazenly and flagrantly violated the separation of powers, sought to divide America into groups and turn citizen against citizen. The President has refused to defend or enforce laws he does not like, used executive orders to enact national policies in areas constitutionally reserved solely to Congress, made unconstitutional ‘recess’ appointments to Senate-confirmed positions, directed regulatory agencies to overstep their statutory authority, and failed to consult Congress regarding military action overseas. He has changed what John Adams called ‘a government of laws and not of men’ into just the opposite.”

The Republicans pledge to restore our crippled economy through free-market, Constitutional means.  Their platform declares, “Government cannot create prosperity, though government can limit or destroy it. Prosperity is the product of self-discipline, enterprise, saving and investment by individuals, but it is not an end in itself. Prosperity provides the means by which citizens and their families can maintain their independence from government, raise their children by their own values, practice their faith, and build communities of cooperation and mutual respect. It is also the foundation for our nation’s global leadership, for it is the vigor of our economy which makes possible our military strength and our national security.”

“Republicans consider the establishment of a pro-growth tax code a moral imperative. More than any other public policy, the way government raises revenue — how much, at what rates, under what circumstances, from whom, and for whom — has the greatest impact on our economy’s performance. It powerfully influences the level of economic growth and job creation, which translates into the level of opportunity for those who would otherwise be left behind.  Getting our tax system right will be the most important factor in driving the entire economy back to prosperity. The current tax code is rightly the object of both anger and mockery. Its length is exceeded only by its complexity. We must start anew. That will be an enormous undertaking and, if it is to succeed, it must command the attention and approval of the American people. It cannot be engineered from the top down, but must have a common sense approach, and be simplified.”

I am not a Republican, but the great difference between the plans for our future proposed by the Republican Party in 2016 and the vision of this year’s Democrats cannot be missed.  It is the difference between more government, more debt, more undermining of our civilization, more corruption, less God, less growth, less law, and less freedom, as opposed to more law-and-order, more protection of life and liberty, more prosperity, more Constitutional government, less endangerment of individual rights, less executive power, and less deficit spending.  I have a responsibility to make a responsible choice on November 8, and so do you.  May the Lord show us our duty.

“I call heaven and earth to record this day against you, that I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live…”

(Dueteronomy 30:19)

 

Dr. Rick Flanders

Revival Ministries 

 

The Omnipresent Eternal God by Clay Nuttall

We should have little patience with those who deliberately abuse the scriptures, particularly in central doctrines.  At the same time, innocent statements can also be dangerous, even if they were not intended to be harmful.  The Bible is about God, and His purpose in giving us the scriptures was to reveal Himself to us.  His character is displayed in marvelous detail, and we are obligated to avoid statements that might mislead our listeners.

 

Here is an example of a careless comment, even though it might be intended to express the danger of rejecting the grace of God in eternal salvation.  How often have you heard someone say that "to be lost is to be separated from God eternally?”  It is true that the unsaved person will be separated from God’s love and mercy, but separated from God eternally?  Really?  How could that be?  David observed, “If I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.”  (Psalm 139:8b)  I remember, as a child, hearing an evangelist shout “The worst thing about hell is that God is not there!”  The truth is that the worst thing about hell is that God is there.  The careless student might say that the issue is not important.  The “cute” theologian may say that the place for the lost to dwell eternally is not hell, but is the Lake of Fire.  That is true, but it is not the point of this discussion.  After all, we are told “…and death and hell were cast into the lake of fire.”  (Rev. 20:14a)  To say that God is not in hell or eternity is an attack on the omnipresence of God.

 

CHRISTIANITY LITE

 

Much of the doctrinal error suggested by people who only know “about” the Bible comes from an erroneous view of the doctrine of God.  Whole denominations have invented ideas about the Holy Spirit that fail to recognize that He is God the Spirit.  That includes, without exception, all the attributes of God that belong to Him.   The Holy Spirit is eternally all-present in the first, second, and third heavens.  Eternity is hard for us to conceive, but He is, has always been, and always will be totally God.

 

An example of the general misunderstanding of the Spirit surrounds the event of Pentecost.  All that the Bible says on the subject is true.  He did come at Pentecost in special presence and ministry.  To hear some people tell the story, you would think that the Spirit had never been there before and was surprised at Jerusalem the first time He saw it.  While that is farfetched, it is no more misguided than some of allegorical ideas that historical theology offers, or that experiential religious views press on the Bible.

 

The Spirit has always been omnipresent, so that is not the issue of Pentecost.  The coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost has to do with the inception of His special ministry; and that ministry is clearly related to the Church, the Body of Christ, that came into existence on that day.  Some aspects of His ministry had never been exercised before, and the Scripture makes it plain that they will be used from Pentecost until that moment when the Church of Jesus Christ is caught away.  When the Church is removed, so will be that special ministry of the Spirit.  (I Thess. 4:13-18; II Thess. 2:1-12)  The Holy Spirit will still be all-present, but those special ministries He began at Pentecost will cease to function with men on earth.    

 

COME, HOLY SPIRIT

 

What do people mean when they sing “Come, Holy Spirit?”  He is already here, omnipresent. Why would we ask for something He already has given us, His marvelous presence?

 

He came once in special ministry for the age of the church, and He is not going to come like that again.  If we mean that we want Him to move in our midst with power and purity, bringing obedience to the saints, then that makes sense.  It isn’t healthy to confuse people, so we should say and sing only what we mean because the average Christian, who only knows “about” the Bible, may well think we mean something else.

 

Every true believer has the Holy Spirit indwelling his/her body.  He is already there. God meant for us to utilize His indwelling, teaching, guiding, convicting, empowering, etc.; and the fullness of the Spirit is simply yielding to the indwelling Spirit.  Since we have the power dwelling in us, what are you praying for?  God has already given us the answer, and we are not using it.  Why are people looking for something new or additional?

 

Our world is at the edge of disaster, on the verge of a world war, and our nation is more divided than it was even at the time of the Civil War.  One international or national spark could set off a war or cause fighting to erupt in our streets.  Some folks have their heads in the sand in denial; others are frightened half of their wits.  Some Christians believe that revival is the answer.

 

If you are praying for revival, what are you praying for?  Praying for others isn’t wrong, but if you don’t have revival and repentance of sin in your own heart, then don’t waste your time.  The greatest hindrance to revival is the need in each individual heart, and that is what each person should be paying attention to.  Many believers pray in vain for revival because they embrace doctrinal error and expect God to honor their prayer while they abuse the Scriptures and are openly disobedient to Him.  To take lightly the omnipresence of God, for instance, is a serious offence to Him.

 

IT IS NO CHRISTMAS PRESENT

 

Christmas time is one of those periods when people are habitually careless with Scripture.  You have already heard my diatribe on this issue, but it illustrates the problem with misleading people about the omnipresence of Christ.  We are told that Jesus came down to earth at Bethlehem.  While that is true, much of the description is misleading.  Where did we get the stuff saying that the angels wept at His departure because they would miss Him?  On the day of His birth He was still present everywhere.  While He as a babe, clothed by God in flesh, lay in a manger, He was still the Creator and present everywhere in the universe.  We see Him as a helpless babe, a man of little wealth, or a despised servant; He was still the all-present God.

 

It is no Christmas present to mislead people about the God/man even if ours are innocent comments.  We don’t need “cute” explanations when we come to questions about Christ in the flesh.  We don’t need to feel that we have to explain things that are not explained in the Bible. Those who are plagued by the “Lucifer Syndrome” want people to think that they know the answers to everything.  Dr. Bowman repeatedly said, “We always begin with what we most assuredly know.”  Then we accept the clear, plain statements of the text.  The mysteries of the Scripture remain embraced in the omniscience of God.  Our task is to remain confident in what we know, such as the attributes of our Eternal God.

 

 

Shepherd's Staff is prepared by Clay Nuttall, D. Min.

 

A communication service of Shepherd's Basic Care, for those committed to the authority and sufficiency of the Bible.  Shepherd's Basic Care is a ministry of information and encouragement to pastors, missionaries, and churches.  Write for information using the e-mail address shepherdstaff2@juno.com or at The Shepherd's Staff

YOU CAN TELL FROM THEIR LANGUAGE

In the grand book of Deuteronomy, chapter twenty-eight, God continues to explain the judgment that will come to Israel if they are disobedient. These curses include a nation that will be identified by its language: The Lord shall bring a nation against thee, from far, from the end of the earth, as swift as the eagle flieth; a nation whose tongue thou shalt not understand. (28:49) In a walled city, if you were to hear a strange tongue, you would be on guard; in this text, it was a warning of judgment.

The land I live in is filled with many languages. Some of these tongues quickly identify the national background of the speaker. Normally, for a nation to be united, the country has to have one major language. It is misguided to think that all languages could be equal in one nation. The growth of a language, other than the one that unites the people, could be a signal of disruption and a possible sign of judgment. It would be unwise to demand that all languages but one be silenced. When a new language threatens a coup, however, trouble is on the agenda.

Languages help us identify many things, good or bad.

WORDS HAVE MEANING AND IDENTITY

Not only can our language identify our national backgrounds, it can also place us as being from a certain area of the country. Our community here is a retirement development. Some of our folks have had all the snow they want, so they come from New Jersey, New York, New England, and places like Boston. Others have come from mid-America and the deep South. When we have a community social, it becomes a plethora of accents.

When Peter tried to deny his relationship to Jesus, he was caught by his speech. And again he denied with an oath, I do not know the man. And after a while came unto him they that stood by, and said to Peter, Surely thou also art one of them; for thy speech betrayeth thee. (Matt. 26:72-73)

Words make up our vocabulary, so the speech of an educator, doctor, scientist, or engineer leaves you with a fairly good idea of what is his/her vocation. Then there is the moral quality of conversation. Tongues that freely take God’s name in vain, or are risqué, tell you a lot about the speaker’s background and moral perspective. Before you ever ask someone a direct question about their spiritual condition, their language has already betrayed them.

Yes, I am going somewhere with this. It applies to what has been happening in the circle of those who profess to be Christians as well as the phenomenon of the remaking of the American church. The political atmosphere at this point in time only adds to what we need to know about those who attempt to identify with Christianity.

THE WORLD OF THEOLOGY

In every discipline there are popular words, and the “in crowd” is obligated to use them to prove they are current. It is so obvious that it is humorous. In education and in theological symposiums, it seems that every paper or presentation has to use these terms even if they aren’t relevant to the specific subject. It is a strange way to try and prove you are a scholar. The problem is that this use of pet words is passed along to those who don’t know what they mean.

This is one of the ways that Bible ignorance has infected the Christian conversation. Some of my pet peeves include the word “kingdom.” It is used by many who seem to think it is some kind of magic wand. The truth is they have no idea what “kingdom” they are even talking about! “Similarities are not equal,” and the Bible describes a number of kingdoms. The use of cute little phrases is simply nonsense. People talk about “building, growing, enhancing, or strengthening the kingdom.” Which kingdom is that? God has made it clear that He alone is in charge of His kingdoms. God will build all of His kingdoms. He may use us to help in some minute action, and we may act as servants, but we are not building His kingdoms. When did God die and leave prideful man in charge?

To add insult to injury, in addition to taking credit for what God is doing, men have the gall to defend their views, ideas, opinions, and interpretations. Those human conclusions are irrelevant. There is only one true idea, the one that God has stated clearly in the Bible text before men began to insert their own ideas. Our speech definitely betrays us.

One more illustration is the use of the word “holiness.” Holiness is the sovereign possession of a holy God. We have no holiness and cannot beg, borrow, or steal it. God alone is holy, and if any of His holiness is in my life, it is because God dwells within each believer. Any holiness that flows in or out of my life is totally God's working through this earthly frame; I am not the source or the owner.

For the self-centered person, this looks like a matter of splitting hairs. The truth is that this religious cancer is destroying many of the young bucks in ministry today. The younger generation is enamored with false intellect. The purveyors of error - often scholars - poison young minds by their use of words that hide real meaning. What they are reading and following is obvious because “their speech betrays them.” Watch for the “buzz words” that are used in order to make one sound so much like the “in crowd.” In their youth and inexperience, they fail to ask about the theology behind the verbiage. Their heads and hearts have been turned from the scriptures, where the answers really lie - turned instead to those who have hidden truth behind their terminology and speech.
But that is a topic for another day.


Shepherd’s Staff is prepared by Clay Nuttall, D. Min.

A communication service of Shepherd’s Basic Care, for those committed to the authority and sufficiency of the Bible. Shepherd’s Basic Care is a ministry of information and encouragement to pastors, missionaries, and churches.
Write for information using the e-mail address shepherdstaff2@juno.com or ShepherdStaff