Jasper Schuringa, A Passenger On Northwest Flight 253, Who Helped Apprehend Abdul Farouk Abdulmutallab

Newest Weapon Coming Up -- XM-25

London Police Searching Terror Suspects Million $ Apartment - In Other Words: Poverty & Lack of Education Does Not Equal Crime

Calvin & the Snowmen

Jews Celebrate the Liberation of the Old City on Yom Yerushalayim at the Kotel

On Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day) thousands of Jews at the Western Wall celebrating the liberation and reunification of the Old City of Jerusalem during the Six Day War, 42 years ago. Filmed by Tovia Singer on May 21, 2009

Thousands Receive Blessings at Birchat Kohanim this Sukkot -- Western Wall

The Blessing of the Priests in front of the Western Wall on Sukkot, 5770 (October 5, 2009). Police estimated that there were nearly 100,000 people who came to Judaism's holy site to receive blessings ok Sukkot. 

Emergent "Theologian" Tony Jones & "Slippery Slope" Arguments

 

This argument against the “slippery slope” position is often mischaracterized. Many times, like with Tony Jones response to it, an example of one fallacious argument (micro) is applied to the whole (macro). With same-sex marriage often times I hear the cross-species example thrown around in the same sentence with polygamy. This is merely a red-herring. Dennis Prager has made it a point to show, by applying the same arguments that same-sex proponents use, that if one is allowed the other follows. In fact, this has been proven to be the case in its early murmurings. On the Michael Medved show Michael had on people from who support legal cases against states that have legalized same-sex marriage saying they are discriminating against polygamous marriages. This is not a slippery slope argument. Take note:

• VIDEO: Mark Henkel Proposes Polygamy Rights WIN-WIN Solution at a Government Public Hearing - 04/22/09, posted at YouTube
• NH’s "Same Sex Marriage" Law "Discriminates" Against Polygamy - 06/04/09 op-ed at Pro-Polygamy.com 
• Maine’s "Same Sex Marriage" Law "Discriminates" Against Polygamy - 05/07/09 op-ed at Pro-Polygamy.com 
• Rick Warren's Mistake, “Forbidding to Marry” Re-Defines Marriage - 02/12/09 comprehensive essay (authored by Mark Henkel) at Pro-Polygamy.com

It is the state condoning an action by authorizing an action. An example. Running red-lights is prohibited by the law, so society says to run them causes damage and should be prohibited. Society also says that children raised by their mother and father is the best of all possible scenarios so we will support male/female marriages and give tax breaks so that the nuclear family can succeed in spending money on itself. The courts can intervene in divorce mainly due to the involvement of children. One well-known/respected homosexual sociologist and psychologist Paul Nathanson says as much:

• Foster the bonding between men and women
• Foster the birth and rearing of children
• Foster the bonding between men and children
• Foster some form of healthy masculine identity
• Foster the transformation of adolescents into sexually responsible adults

Note that Nathanson considers these points critical to the continued survival of any culture. He continues "Because heterosexuality is directly related to both reproduction and survival, ... every human societ[y] has had to promote it actively . ... Heterosexuality is always fostered by a cultural norm" that limits marriage to unions of men and women. He adds that people "are wrong in assuming that any society can do without it."

This is the same argument against polygamous marriage as well, that is: multiple persons involved in “marriage” creates undue competition and strife that is harmful to the child. Many examples of this being the case are in books and interviews found in plenty and it is not my position here to point the reader to them.

IF marijuana is legalized, will use of it increase or decrease? WHEN abortion was legalized federally, did abortion increase or decrease? If society decreases the importance of the ideal situation for raising children, will society lose or strengthen the importance of raising them? As homosexual radio show host Al Rantell points out:

What more certifiable blessing than state sanctioned marriage of two men or two women, even for a group that has offered no indication that most even desire to enter into the kind of commitments that marriage ideally entails, or that serves the real purpose of marriage. Marriage exists in order to create a stable and structured environment for couples to reproduce and raise their offspring. And so we have come to yet another chapter in the story of those who would portray themselves as victims in need of another sanction from the state. This time the price of social acceptance of gays is the redefinition of an institution that is thousands of years old and a cornerstone of society. Does that really seem like a wise and prudent choice for America to make at the wish of a handful of judges, and at the behest of those whose real goals are more political than anything else?

One other aspect Tony and other emergents seem to forego in their apparent arguments for same-sex marriage and arguments against polygamous marriage is precedence. One commentato on a Prager article said this:

One more thing about polygamy (which I oppose as strongly as I oppose same-sex "Marriage.") There is a historical context for polygamy. Middle Easterners and Africans have practiced it for centuries, long before Joseph Smith came along. It is a part of Muslim life, and Muhammad (if I'm not mistaken) had a harem. Polygamy can be put into the context of "cultural differences" but same-sex "marriage" cannot. As I have stated many times there is no historical evidence of same-sex "marriage" having been recognized by any one at any time, anywhere, ever.

This is important. Whereas polygamy can be argued in a culturally relativistic way (something emergents generally accept), same-sex marriage cannot. Which indicates to me that there is something more political behind this movement due to its taking positions far from its stated “cultural truth” ethos or epistemology. Another aspect that is often ignored is general revelation as found in Natural Law. Keep in mind it is this language and worldview that the founding documents of this country were written (including the Constitution) and that many of the emergents preach under. (I say “preach under” because they live under it influence and should consider its original intent... culturally.) Here is a response to a question I posted quite some time ago:

Question 3) What is your views on gays? Are they bad? Are they going to hell? Are you born this way?

The homosexual man or woman is just as much a sinner as you or me. We all need Christ. To touch on the hell issue first, I believe hell is a testament to free-will, and dignity as well. C.S. Lewis mentioned that hell is locked from the inside. The only thing separating mankind from God is a belief in the finished work on the Cross. By choice people reject their Creator, they choose their path, God never imposes it. Many who are saved are not immediately pure in action, nor will they ever be. Sometimes people take decades to work through their faults (counseling, prayer, reading God’s Word, etc), so just like the person who may cheat on his wife regularly, when he comes to a saving knowledge of God, he will be challenged to change his ways and seek counseling and prayer and reference from God’s Word. The same with a gay man or woman. If they truly have a saving knowledge of God, they will be challenged by the Holy Spirit to seek biblical guidance in their life, and like many others, they will turn away from their homosexual lifestyles.

However, there is a “created order,” or, even a natural order (if you do not believe in God). My argument for heterosexual (between a man and a woman) unions is usable both by the atheist (non believer in God) and the theist (a believer in God – in the Judeo-Christian sense). Here is the crux of the matter in regards to “nature’s order:”

“…take gold as an example, it has inherent in its nature intrinsic qualities that make it expensive: good conductor of electricity, rare, never tarnishes, and the like. The male and female have the potential to become a single biological organism, or single organic unit, or principle. Two essentially becoming one. The male and female, then, have inherent to their nature intrinsic qualities that two mated males or two mated females never actualize in their courtship… nor can they ever. The potential stays just that, potential, never being realized…..

“….Think of a being that reproduces, not by mating, but by some act performed by individuals. Imagine that for these same beings, movement and digestion is performed not by individuals, but only by the complementary pairs that unite for this purpose. Would anyone acquainted with such beings have difficulty understanding that in respect to movement and digestion, the organism is a united pair, or an organic unity?”

So you see, the two heterosexual organisms that join in a sexual union cease being two separate organisms for a short time and become one organism capable of reproduction. This is what the state and the church are sealing in a marriage, this intrinsic union. The homosexual couple can never achieve this union, so “natures order” has endowed the heterosexual union with an intrinsic quality that other relationships do not have or could never attain. Both the atheist and theist can argue from this point, because either we were created this way or we evolved this way. Either way, nature has imposed on the sexual union being discussed.

Also, I do not think it is wholly genetic. I believe choice is involved as well as violence. For instance, take this thought from a pro-choice, lesbian woman, Tammy Bruce:

“ . . . . and now all manner of sexual perversion enjoys the protection and support of once what was a legitimate civil-rights effort for decent people. The real slippery slope has been the one leading into the Left's moral vacuum. It is a singular attitude that prohibits any judgment about obvious moral decay because of the paranoid belief that judgment of any sort would destroy the gay lifestyle, whatever that is…. I believe this grab for children by the sexually confused adults of the Gay Elite represents the most serious problem facing our culture today. . . . Here come the elephant again: Almost without exception, the gay men I know (and that’s too many to count) have a story of some kind of sexual trauma or abuse in their childhood -- molestation by a parent or an authority figure, or seduction as an adolescent at the hands of an adult. The gay community must face the truth and see sexual molestation of an adolescent for the abuse it is, instead of the 'coming-of-age' experience many [gays] regard it as being. Until then, the Gay Elite will continue to promote a culture of alcohol and drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, and suicide by AIDS.”

What she is basically saying is that there are emotional reasons, usually trauma, or circumstances that push these young boys into the choices they make in regards to their sexuality. For instance, one of my co-workers is a homosexual man. He is a wonderful guy; I would invite him to my wedding if I could go back in time. He is very open about his past, he was “initiated” into the homosexual lifestyle by a grown black man when he was 14. In other words, he was raped. Whether he feels now that he consented, or the person was a family friend or complete stranger. This act of sex with a minor by a grown man is rape. And this rape, at an age where boys are having surges of hormones and confused about a lot of things is what Tammy Bruce was speaking to. It is a psychological trauma that if not dealt with has traumatic results in one’s life. This sometimes works its way into sexual matters. There are many homosexual people, Al Rantel (790am 6pm to 9pm), to name a more popular one, that believe marriage should be kept between a man and a woman. Tammy Bruce wants it, but she, like most Republicans, want the states to decide, and not the Supreme Court.

Also, in 1993, the biggest march by the “gay” community (Elite gay community) on Washington was held, and they had this as part of their platform:

• The implications of homosexual, bisexual, and transgendered curriculum at all levels of education.
• The lowering of the age [12 years old to be exact] of consent for homosexual and heterosexual sex.
• The legalization of homosexual marriages.
• Custody, adoption, and foster-care rights for homosexuals, lesbians, and transgendered people.
• The redefinition of the family to include the full diversity of all family structures.
• The access to all programs of the Boy Scouts of America.
• Affirmative action for homosexuals.
• The inclusion of sex-change operations under a universal health-care plan.

Obviously the Elite gay community Tammy Bruce spoke of knows which age is best for “recruiting,” e.g., traumatizing.

More can be said on all the above issues, but my book is not yet written. I will post three quotes from Tammy Bruce (a pro-choice lesbian):

Even if one does not necessarily accept the institutional structure of “organized religion,” the “Judeo-Christian ethic and the personal standards it encourages do not impinge on the quality of life, but enhance it. They also give one a basic moral template that is not relative,” which is why the legal positivists of the Left are so threatened by the Natural Law aspect of the Judeo-Christian ethic. (Tammy Bruce, The Death of Right and Wrong: Exposing the Left’s Assault on Our Culture and Values [Roseville: Prima, 2003], 35.)

...these problems don’t remain personal and private. The drive, especially since this issue is associated with the word “gay rights,” is to make sure your worldview reflects theirs. To counter this effort, we must demand that the medical and psychiatric community take off their PC blinders and treat these people responsibly. If we don’t, the next thing you know, your child will be taking a “tolerance” class explaining how “transexuality” is just another “lifestyle choice”.... After all, it is the only way malignant narcissists will ever feel normal, healthy, and acceptable: by remaking society - children - in their image (Ibid., 92, 206)

... and now all manner of sexual perversion enjoys the protection and support of once what was a legitimate civil-rights effort for decent people. The real slippery slope has been the one leading into the Left's moral vacuum. It is a singular attitude that prohibits any judgment about obvious moral decay because of the paranoid belief that judgment of any sort would destroy the gay lifestyle, whatever that is…. I believe this grab for children by the sexually confused adults of the Gay Elite represents the most serious problem facing our culture today.... Here come the elephant again: Almost without exception, the gay men I know (and that’s too many to count) have a story of some kind of sexual trauma or abuse in their childhood -- molestation by a parent or an authority figure, or seduction as an adolescent at the hands of an adult. The gay community must face the truth and see sexual molestation of an adolescent for the abuse it is, instead of the 'coming-of-age' experience many [gays] regard it as being. Until then, the Gay Elite will continue to promote a culture of alcohol and drug abuse, sexual promiscuity, and suicide by AIDS. (Ibid., 90. 99)

Jihadi Christmas: Featuring Rage Boy and Special Guest

Rewritten Cartoons

 (TownHall Cartoons (roundup); Daryl Cagle's "Topics"; John Cole)

Ex-Iranian Revolutionary Guard Helping Iranian Revolution -- Very Interesting

Amazing Video -- Ship Slaming Into Dock and Another Ship

Chris Matthews Calls Saul Alinsky One Of His Heroes

Chris Matthews on Tuesday called "Rules for Radicals" author Saul Alinsky one of his heroes.

This admission came only five days after the "Hardball" host proudly admitted on the air that he was a liberal.

"I always try to remind myself of Saul Alinsky when I get confused," Matthews told "Hardball" guest Bernie Sanders (I-Vermont).

Such was revealed as the pair discussed the fate of healthcare reform (video embedded below the fold with partial transcript, h/t Story Balloon):

CHRIS MATTHEWS, HOST: Well, to reach back to one of our heroes from the past, from the `60s, Saul Alinsky once said that even though both sides have flaws in their arguments and you can always find something nuanced about your own side you don`t like and it`s never perfect, you have to act in the end like there`s simple black and white clarity between your side and the other side or you don`t get anything done. I always try to remind myself of Saul Alinsky when I get confused.

So on Thursday, Matthews admitted being a liberal. Now he's admitting that Alinsky is one of his heroes.

What's next?

Detroit Bomber -- Failed Terror Attempt To Bring Down Airliner

ROMULUS, Mich. (AP) - An attempted terrorist attack on a Christmas Day flight began with a pop and a puff of smoke - sending passengers scrambling to subdue a Nigerian man who claimed to be acting on orders from al-Qaida to blow up the airliner, officials and travelers said.

The commotion began as Northwest Airlines Flight 253, carrying 278 passengers and 11 crew members from Amsterdam, prepared to land in Detroit just before noon Friday. Travelers said they smelled smoke, saw a glow, and heard what sounded like firecrackers. At least one person climbed over others and jumped on the man, who officials say was trying to ignite an explosive device.

"It sounded like a firecracker in a pillowcase," said Peter Smith, a passenger from the Netherlands. "First there was a pop, and then (there) was smoke."

Smith said one passenger, sitting opposite the man, climbed over passengers, went across the aisle and tried to restrain the man. The heroic passenger appeared to have been burned.

Afterward, the suspect was taken to a front-row seat with his pants cut off and his legs burned. Multiple law enforcement officials also said the man appeared badly burned on his legs, indicating the explosive was strapped there. The components were apparently mixed in-flight and included a powdery substance, multiple law enforcement and counterterrorism officials said.

The White House said it believed it was an attempted act of terrorism and stricter security measures were quickly imposed on airline travel. Dutch anti-terrorism authorities said the U.S. has asked all airlines to take extra precautions on flights worldwide that are bound for the United States.

The incident was reminiscent of Richard Reid, who tried to destroy a trans-Atlantic flight in 2001 with explosives hidden in his shoes, but was subdued by other passengers.

Multiple law enforcement officials identified the suspect in Friday's attempted attack as Umar Farouk Abdul Mutallab. He was described as Nigerian. ...[more]...

Truck Drifting

Merry Christmas

Cleric With Ties to Fort Hood Muslim Shooter Killed in Air Strike

Is Rob Bell a Christian? Pirate Christian Radio

13 States Ask To Be Exempt from Obama-Care

The Gospel According to Rob Bell With Critique by Chris Rosebrough (Fighting for the Faith via Christian Pirate Radio) -- 2-hours

Keep in mind the audio starts with Rob Bell talking... following that is Chris Rosebrough from Christian Pirate Radio

Emergent/Emerging

• The [False] Gospel According to Rob Bell w/ Critique by Chris Rosebrough (2hrs)
• R.C. Sproul, Albert Mohler, and Ravi Zacharias on the Emergent Church
• Mark Driscoll Critiques Rob Bell and Brian McLaren
• Todd Friel on Brian Mclaren and the Dangers in the Emergent Church from the Program "Wretched"
• Brian McLaren on the Doctrine of Hell
• Rob Bell Critiqued by Cameron Beuttel
• Rob Bell's Theology Egalitarian: Redemptive Movement Hermeneutic vs. Grammatical Historical (important key: illiberal egalitarianism)
• Stand to Reason (Koukl): Why We're Not Emergent: By Two Guys Who Should Be
• Bob Dewaay & Chris Rosebrough (Pirate Christian Radio) Discuss Their Visit to the Emergent Conference
• Is Rob Bell a Christian? Pirate Christian Radio
• Doug Pagitt Interviewed on Doctrine of Hell
• Tony Jones: "Paul was a Platonist"
• Rob Bell Quotes (from: Velvet Elvis & Christianity Today)

3-Year Old Hip-Hop Dancer

Democrats Raises Debt Ceiling to $12.4 Trillion (60-to-39)

(AP) - The Senate voted Thursday to raise the ceiling on the government debt to $12.4 trillion, a massive increase over the current limit and a political problem that President Barack Obama has promised to address next year.

The Senate's rare Christmas Eve vote, 60-39, follows House passage last week and raises the debt ceiling by $290 billion. The vote split mainly down party lines, with Democrats voting to raise the limit and Republicans voting against doing so. There was one defection on each side, by senators whose seats will be on the ballot next year: GOP Sen. George Voinovich of Ohio and Democratic Sen. Evan Bayh of Indiana. 

"I would not support raising the debt ceiling because Congress has not adopted a credible process to restrain spending and eliminate red ink," Bayh said a statement after the vote.

Pope Attacked!

Some Crazy Felines (and a very cute puppy)

I'm Shipping Up To Boston - Dropkick Murphys

The Last Straw: Leaving One Church and Finding Another

One should read this update/caveat to these posts for the whole story.

 One night alone in prayer might make us new men, changed from poverty of soul to spiritual wealth, from trembling to triumphing ~ Charles Haddon Spurgeon

I asked a few learned people how I should approach this topic.  After reviewing their advice, I decided not to get too in-depth in the reasoning and people behind my leaving one church and joining another.  I must, however, share the final reason (the proverbial “nail in the coffin”) behind my leaving a wonderful church that I attended for nearly 12-years.  During this time of attending my previous church my wife and I were rejoined in our marriage after almost 3-years of separation -- a miracle that only the wonderful shepherding in the pulpit my pastor could achieve via the Holy Spirit.  Until very recently I would have wholeheartedly recommend this church, now I would counsel persons that the type of resources used are dangerous (as I will explain).  That being said, the last straw that caused me to find a new church home was a book being used with the college group gents by one of the pastors.  The book is Irresistible Revolution, by Shane Claiborne (there is a pretty in-depth review here of the book entitled, A Humbled Resistance: An Examination and Response to Shane Claiborne’s “The Irresistible Revolution” and “Jesus for President”).

I will forgo in-depth examples here on my site of all the cumulative reasoning behind my decision, though, I will link some books I recommend my fellow Christians to become familiar with at the end of this post which will give some hints as to why I left in a broader sense or meaning.  Much like the author (p. 97), I too wore Rage Against the Machine shirts (I think my oldest son still wears some of my old shirts).  Needless to say, I wore Rage Against the Machine shirts with the thought-in-mind that I rejected the class warfare lyrics that this self-admitted Marxist band sung and I engaged with younger minds when they asked about the shirt  about why I rejected their lyrics and ideas behind the music.  Shane wore the shirts of this band with full knowledge of and support for this class warfare idea found only in Marx and Engels manifesto.  I say this only after reading Irresistible Revolution.

Of course Shane makes the argument that you have to be an atheist to be "officially" a "Marxist."  This is only a small value in Marxism, granted an important one,  however, Marxism is much more than merely a belief in the divine. In fact, the divine is merely transferred to this world in dialectical materialism, and a push for utopia creates the “divine” in man and his anthropogenic fundamentalism... as exemplified in Shane’s writings.  Take note as well that I argue that Mormonism is a form of Dialectical materialism and is closer to atheistic Marxist philosophy than to Christianity.  Last time I checked Mormonism is riddled with "Divine" as is atheistic Buddhism.  Not to mention that the Communists (atheists) used religion:

A poignant example of this comes from the Bolshevik Revolution.  While this was an atheistic movement with a view of religion as “the opiate of the masses” used by a few powerful people to control said “masses,” the Soviets themselves tried to use religion to “control the masses.”  One early attempt by the Bolshevik Revolution to take over the spiritual was through the Renovated Church (also known as the Living Church Movement) which was meant to reinterpret the teachings of Christ and the Apostles towards a Soviet end.  During one of the short-lived attempts here by the Soviets we find this official “statement of faith:”

• The Soviet power does not appear as a persecutor of the Church.
• The Constitution of the Soviet state provides full religious liberty.
• Church people must not see in the Soviet state a power of the anti-Christ.
• The Soviet power is the only one which tempts by state methods to realize the ideals of the Kingdom of God.
• Capitalism is the “great lie” and a “mortal sin.”

The Soviet government is the world leader toward fraternity, equality, and international peace.

(Taken from the first chapter to my proposed book, Worldviews: A Click Away from Binary Collisions.  Here is a quote taken from this first chapter from Edgar C. Bundy's book, How the Communists Use Religion [Wheaton, IL: Church League of America, 1966], 12 -- I will put this caveat here; however, it applies to the whole: I will quote authors with whom I do not necessarily agree with.  I often quote authors that are: atheists, pagans, fellow Christians, politicos, homosexuals, evolutionists, and the like… merely because I quote an author, this quotation does not mean that I support their work as a whole.)

So as I was reading this book, Irresistible Revolution, I stopped at page 34 and went to the appendix after Shane wrote this:

Who knew you could make so much money writing a book? For the sake of transparency, I want you to know that all the money I get from the sales of this book, both the advance and the royalties, is being given away. This is not a noble act, of charity. It's the only thing that makes sense to me. Besides, this is not just my story, and I am not just exploiting the stories of others. This book has emerged from a movement of communities of faith and struggle, inspired by local revolutions and ordinary radicals, anchored in life among the poor and marginalized. So it is not only a responsibility but a joy and honor to share the profits with all of them.[footnote #3] May we continue to feed each other hope as we dance God's revolution together.

#3. In appendix 1 at the back of the book, you will find a list of ordinary radicals with whom I enthusiastically redistribute the money I receive from the publication of this book through the Simple Way's Jubilee Fund. (emphasis added to the Marxist/Leninist language)

I didn’t take much time in this appendix, but I did follow through with a few of the links Shane provided.  This is what I found -- keep in mind that: I underlined and emboldened the main site referenced in Shane’s appendix and then I follow that link with either a quote that represents some positional statement (italicized) of that site, or simply went to that sites "links" section and linked out to whom they recommend themselves.  Although I could have listed many links, I think the few I chose make my point.  I would say enjoy... but...

 

Alternative Seminary -- http://www.alternativeseminary.net/

• Liberation theology
• Feminist theology
• The Catholic Worker movement
• Theologies and biblical reflections emerging from the peace movement and faith-based resistance communities
• Gay and lesbian theology
• Jewish renewal

Links Out:

Jesus Radicals is a web-based community of Christians exploring Christian anarchism and a belief that the Gospel rejects militarism, capitalism and the state and promotes a message of justice and love.

http://www.jesusradicals.com/

Atonement Lutheran Church -- http://www.ourchurch.com/

I am Pastor Maggie Ainslie.  I've been pastor of Atonement Lutheran Church for 9 1/2 years now.  I live 4 blocks away from the church with my husband Matt....

Brandywine Peace Community -- http://www.brandywinepeace.com/

For our nation in which money is readily available for warfare and weapons builders, like Lockheed Martin and Boeing, and while the very term security is used synonymously with weapons and military might: not with jobs, universal health care, healthy communities, education, a non-toxic environment, a future, All: We lift up the stones of our arrogance.

 (Their “cost of war” counter on this site is B.S. by the way)

Catholic Workers -- http://www.catholicworker.org/

Above all, we need to hear more and more about the doctrine of the Mystical Body of Christ. "We are all members, one of another. Where the health of one member suffers, the health of the entire body is lowered." "An injury to one is an injury to all," the old I.W.W.'s (The Industrial Workers of the World) used to say.

[...]

In none of the letters sent to us in protest was there recognition of the fact that the writer, Gonzales, was as much opposed in his own way to the Marxist-Leninist position as we ourselves. His position is that of the anarchist, pleading for the principle of subsidiarity, calling for "secular monasticism," using that expression when speaking to the clergy in order to make them understand the idea of farming communes, or collectives, or cooperative farms.

Links Out:

• Noam Chomsky Writings -- http://www.zmag.org/ (self admitted Marxist/atheist)
• Labor Net -- http://www.labornet.org/ (one of the most extreme union/socialist orgs out there)
• I.W.W. -- The Industrial Workers of the World - http://www.iww.org/ (a socialist/Marxist organization) 

Evangelicals for Social Action (ESA) -- http://www.esa-online.org/Display.asp?Page=home

Economic justice: ESA, on the whole, promotes an economic theory that once would have been called socialism, but which now, on the basis of historical considerations and semantic charity, is usually referred to as “democratic capitalism.” ESA describes itself as “pro-poor,” which means, in practical terms, that government-directed flow of capital is a necessary condition of economic justice. “Economic justice” is itself considered to be more a matter of equal distribution than fair return. Some argue that, over the past few years, Sider has drifted more towards the right. He certainly speaks with approval of “market economies,” but remains, with ESA and its partners, wary of “free market economies.”

Environmental protection: ESA is the source and current partner of the Evangelical Environmental Network (EEN), which has recently become famous for its “What Would Jesus Drive?” campaign. Basically, ESA’s position on the environment is: (1) The earth’s resources are running out, which entails the need for major lifestyle changes for (primarily) Western nations and (primarily) middle and upper class individuals. (2) The profligacy and abuses of (the rich people in) the West have contributed mightily to the instability of the global environment (e.g., “global warming”); hence, major changes are in order. ....

Obviously one can see the extreme political nature of this book and how it rejects history for one superimposed by Chomsky and Zinn.  There seems to be a correlation as well to some who may be saved because of their works.  I do not know ultimately if Mother Teresa was truly saved or not... only God knows this... that being said, I can say that if Mother Theresa believed the following...

Among the all-too-accessible examples that could be cited, consider the following excerpts (chosen because they are representative of the genre, not because they are outstandingly bad) from Novena Prayers in Honor of Our Mother of Perpetual Help, a booklet published by the Sisters of St. Basil with official church approval (Nihil Obstat and Imprimatur):

Have pity, compassionate Mother, on us and our families; especially in this my necessity (here mention it). Help me, 0 my Mother, in my distress; deliver me from all my ills; or if it be the will of God that I should suffer still longer, grant that I may endure all with love and patience. This grace I expect of thee with confidence, because thou art our Perpetual Help (p. 5).

We have no greater help,

no greater hope than you,

0 Most Pure Virgin; help us, then,

for we hope in you, we glory in you,

we are your servants.

Do not disappoint us (p. 16).

Come to my aid, dearest Mother, for I recommend myself to thee. In thy hands I place my eternal salvation, and to thee I entrust my soul. Count me among thy most devoted servants; take me under thy protection, and it is enough for me. For, if thou protect me, dear Mother, I fear nothing; not from my sins, because thou wilt obtain for me the pardon of them; nor from the devils, because thou art more powerful than all hell together; not even from Jesus, my Judge, because by one prayer from thee, He will be appeased. But one thing I fear, that in the hour of temptation, I may through negligence fail to have recourse to thee and thus perish miserably. Obtain for me, therefore, the pardon of my sins, love for Jesus, final perseverance, and the grace to have recourse to thee, 0 Mother of Perpetual Help (p. 19).

Elliot Miller and Keneth R. Samples, The Cult of the Virgin: Catholic Mariology and the Apparitions of Mary (Grand Rapids, MI: Baker Books/Academic, 1992), 57.

...No matter what her good works are or would be, this dedication to other than Christ clearly -- according to Scripture -- negates the adherent from salvation.  There is good evidence that this Marion worship was employed in Mother Teresa's faith.  Shane also talks of and quotes Gandhi approvingly, which seems odd.  Odd because Gandhi was a racist and ordered, in racially tainted radio broadcasts, his followers to kill Zulu's (blacks).  Gandhi only used "peaceful" protests with the British because militarily India could not cope with the British and Gandhi was a good politician first and knew where to draw his lines and which strings to pull.

I wish I could say differently, but the book is just bad from beginning to end and is not a proper resource for a church to use, at least a church that claims conservative Evangelical mores.  Obviously no book is COMPLETELY bad, and there are noble points in it... I mean who wouldn't want to  stamp out poverty worldwide and stop all wars?  How has this worked in real life is what I want to know, and are all the claims Shane makes about war and poverty in the real world accurate and not some make believe candy-land Utopian dream:

"Since the beginning of the government’s 'war on poverty,' $15.9 trillion has been spent on welfare programs. The total cost of every war in American history, starting with the American Revolution, is $6.4 trillion when adjusted for inflation." (See also: "Understanding Poverty in America: What the Census Bureau doesn't count")

 

Again, there are noble ideas in the book, they just may not be very realistic, that's all.  On pages  123-124 you find a portion of what Shane's "ministry" does on "an average day":

"We are about ending poverty, not simply managing it. We give people fish. We teach them to fish. We tear down the walls that have been built up around the fish pond. And we figure out who polluted it. We fight terrorism -- the terrorism within each of us, the terrorism of corporate greed, of American consumerism, of war.... We spend our lives actively resisting everything that destroys life, whether that be terrorism or the war on terrorism. We try to make the world safe, knowing that the world will never be safe as long as millions live in poverty so the few can live as they wish. We believe in another way of life -- the kingdom of God -- which stands in opposition to the principalities, powers, and rulers of this dark world."

Unfortunately, this "kingdom now theology" that so infects the Word-Faith Movement and the name it and claim it gospel, also infects the eschatology of the extreme theological Left.  Both theologies have the view that Shane enumerates when he encourages us to "take courage, as you will then have more grace as you liberate others" (p. 32).  I am sorry, no person can liberate me, they and I are fallen and cannot liberate even ourselves. A great example of this egalitarianism:

“When people use the word hell, what do they mean? They mean a place, an event, a situation absent of how God desires things to be. Famine, debt, oppression, Loneliness, despair, death, slaughter — they are all hell on earth. Jesus' desire for his followers is that they live in such a way that they bring heaven to earth.”

(Rob Bell, Velvet Elvis [Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2005], 148.)

Obviously the political and theological tome of this book is very charged, to say the least.  (If you need to understand more of my reasoning, or have questions about this post I will be more than happy to talk to you -- my email is at the top of this site.) Through this process of seeing a great church compromise on its Reformation roots, I have talked to many pastors and visited quite a few churches.  I finally found a new home and a pastor that takes its Reformation history seriously and realizes the divide between Protestantism and other movements.  I know at this new home that future staff members will be vetted a bit more in regards to the faith once and for all delivered unto the saints.  Here ends my short reason why I have left my home of almost 12-years.


I wish to share a bit more personally here, so forgive my continuing this subject, but it is an important one.  One thing that pained me deeply was the approval of particular authors either through word-of-mouth or pastoral desks adorned with these writers.  Here is one excerpt from one of these authors that gives me pause about the rest of their writings:

When the boundaries between God-ordained practices and pagan practices are erased, as is the case in the Emergent Church, then it makes sense to find practices that are attractive to people in the surrounding culture. One such practice is Yoga. Although Yoga is a Hindu practice and intimately related to various Hindu deities, some Christians have begun to bring this pagan practice into the Church. Some claim that they have removed any religious content and are merely using Yoga positions for exercise. But this is wrong and dangerous. In the case of Pagitt's church, Solomon's Porch, Yoga clearly is not merely "exercise."

Pagitt's book, Church Re-imagined, contains a description of the church's weekly yoga class written by the woman who leads it. She states, "We aren't here for a hardcore physical workout as much as the chance to be together, to breathe, to relax, and to bring ourselves to a place of peace and gratitude." The process includes having the students regulate their breathing. They also use different poses each week: "These vary from week to week, but Downward Facing Dog is a must."  The poses and breathing are designed to do something to their inner state: "This [that the chit-chat has stopped] tells me that tension has been released from the muscles, inner chatter has moved out of the brain, and self-awareness and peacefulness have settled in."

The yoga instructor gives a more detailed description of the last pose:

Our last pose of the evening is called "savasana"... or corpse pose. The student lies on her back letting the legs fall open as they will, the arms hang limp like empty coat sleeves. The face, the forehead, the space between the eyebrows all relax, and the person melts heavily into the floor. Eyes are closed, breathing is rhythmic. I turn the lights off, and only the glow of candles and sometimes fireplace illuminates the room. This state of being is holy. It is at this time that we become closer to God, aware of our bodies, of the divine.

Clearly, her claim is that yoga is a means to become holy and draw near to God. A corollary to this claim is that humans have a right to determine their own path to God. The Bible makes it clear that we must come to God on His terms only, not ours! It is one thing to claim the right to use practices of other religions in a non-religious way (which I believe has no place in the church), but it is egregious to claim that practices from pagan religions can make us holy and closer to God.

Bob Dewaay, The Emergent Church: Undefining Christianity (2009), 128-130 (quote within the quote taken from Pagitt's book Church Re-Imaged).

You see, when you forgo the plum-line of Scripture and include practice as your truth... problems tend to follow.  

Here is a slight update, it comes from a friendly exchange between I and one who supports my move, here is my response (I will update conversation here as it appears on my FaceBook):

ME: Thanks you two. Michele, yes, I know you do... thank you. It wasn't the "big building," it was the book that speaks out against churches like NP:

1. If we have parishioners who follow the advice in the writings of Brian McLaren, Rob Bell, Shane Claiborne, Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones, and the like (passed on by our pastors in some way), they will leave our church due to its "suburban" nature. (pp. 62, 84, 163 of Shane's book [as examples])
2. If our parishioners reject the emerging ethos as aberrant, then as they discuss the matter with some of our pastors, they will possibly find a church that takes a firmer stance on this up-and-coming issue within the historic faith.

Shane is also very antithetical to police (p. 122), anti-military (pp. 95-96, 122-123), and teaches a "kingdom now theology" (pp. 62, 87), calls for overthrowing a particular social order using Marxist/Leninist speak (p. 129), and the like. Pretty wild stuff even beyond the Richard Foster discussion we had.

[...]

TRAV:Thomas Watson said it better than I ever could, he said,"Toleration is the grave of reformation. By toleration we adopt other men's sins, and make them our own"...


ME:Can I tell you that that quote hit the spot, let me explain why. On page 152 of Shane's book we read this: "People are poor not just because of their sins, they are poor because of our sins..." Again, some of what Shane writes is "true." Throughout his book he shifts blame off of the person and their position with their savior and puts the blame on corporations, the rich, the privileged white-person, the police, etc. The class warfare language is immense in this political tome [see video below]. On page 124 he equates poverty with violence ("...knowing the world will never be safe as long as millions live in poverty..."). Newsflash, many of the persons committing the most heinous crimes today (Islamo-Fascists) are rich and have had privileged education. He doesn't make sense.


Poverty exists mainly because of corrupt governments (mainly revolutionary governments) and often times because of pacifists standing in the way of liberating millions of people by force do they remain in abject poverty (like the UN). So Shane's "sin of pacifism" inflicts more poverty and death on cultures than do the liberating forces that try to let people govern themselves (like in Iraq and Afghanistan).

After a friend mentioned that this should be handled in a more private manner I mentioned in parts the following:

ME: Kev, you said, "I think you also know the leadership of NP would NEVER consciously 'promote' this nonsense." I am sorry to inform you to the contrary. Ping-pong and softball at the men's retreat and talking about which NFL team is up that week and giving the shoulder-to-shoulder "dude hugs" may not bring out these topics, but I tend to. Where is the sound exegetic doctrine? This isn't about "giving your testimony" versus "an apologetic," or "pre" and "post" tribulation positions. This is about many in leadership implicitly supporting heretical views and a couple explicitly teaching it. Being "young in their theology" (as told to me during a convo with _________[ info for not here]) means they shouldn't be in the positions they are.

[....]

This just isn't a disagreement between brothers, it is many positions in a fine church being filled with people who teach or do not understand what heresy is. The pulpit (the main one, the college groups, or [any other position in any church]) are not places for experimental theology and aberrant Christian beliefs and practices... Rob Bell teaches a different Christ, Richard Foster teaches paganism/occultism, Shane Claiborne teaches Marxist/Leninist ideals and "Revolutionary Christ" (see above), Doug Pagitt teaches post-modern relativistic Gospel, Brian McLaren and psychologist David G. Benner do not think we have gotten the Gospel right yet, Thomas Merton was a Buddhist, Henry Nouwen was a homosexual Catholic /Buddhist mystic. For leaders not to know the dangers of recommending, teaching from, or following such "theology" is not something that needs to be brought before two or three brothers. These are "other than Gospel/Christian" theologies that are being injected into a once fine church by a non-existent vetting process (too much grace, no truth). Its like Obama's Cabinet and tax issues! So my warning may throw some, but as they travel with this church... keywords like Doug Pagitt, Tony Jones, Richard Foster, Shane Claiborne will hopefully be etched in their minds.

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