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In his latest effort to look out for us, Bill O’Reilly advised Christians to stop “thumping the Bible” if we hope to win the gay marriage debate. Oh really?

Bill claims that the compelling argument is on the side of homosexuals, “We are Americans, we just want to be treated like everyone else.”

A fourth grade homeschooler could deflate that appeal to emotion with one swift poke. Would we let a thug get away with murder by simply stating, “I am an American, I just want to be treated like everyone else”?

Unfortunately for Bill and the many Christians who would agree with him, Bill’s desire to ban Bible thumping was exposed as foolishness when Bernie Goldberg told Bill, “If society has a consensus that it is OK for Lenny to marry his goat, then we can have that conversation at that time.” Yikes.

Who defines what is moral?

Option 1: Consensus. According to Bernie, when 51% of the public decides bestiality is OK, then open up the barn door. One wonders, would that be true of other issues like, say, cannibalism.

After all, on the island of Boingo Boingo, consensus says that noshing on Uncle Joe, while chewy and needing BBQ sauce, is acceptable. Who is right? Americans or the Boingo Boinguesse? FULL POST

The pomp. The circumstance. The formality. Viewing the installation of the new humble pope might tempt an evangelical to swim the Tiber and join the Roman Catholic Church. Especially when one views much of contemporary evangelicalism: the silliness, the shallowness, the Harlem Shake.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhA4Mx4Kd1E

Watching that could make any clear thinking evangelical long for something deeper, richer and more mature. But before you start paddling, please consider a few things.

Works, works, works No matter how you slice it, Catholicism teaches salvation by works. The Roman Catholic Catechism states: “Since the initiative belongs to God in the order of grace, no one can merit the initial grace of forgiveness and justification, at the beginning of conversion. Moved by the Holy Spirit and by charity, we can then merit for ourselves and for others the graces needed for our sanctification, for the increase of grace and charity, and for the attainment of eternal life. (2010)

The Catholic Church also teaches that others have worked for your salvation in addition to Jesus:
This treasury (or merits) includes as well the prayers and good works of the Blessed Virgin Mary. They are truly immense, unfathomable, and even pristine in their value before God. In the treasury, too, are the prayers and good works of all the saints, all those who have followed in the footsteps of Christ the Lord and by his grace have made their lives holy and carried out the mission in the unity of the Mystical Body.” (1477) FULL POST

There are few things more painful than being unequally yoked. Perhaps this will encourage you to press on and endure with joy. Yes, joy.

1. Remember how patient God was with YOU!

Your days can be long, painful and so frustrating. Before you throw a pot or pan your spouse’s way, remember how long-suffering God was with you. How many years did He pursue you as you continued to blaspheme Him? Perhaps that thought will get you through one more day.

2. Your spouse has committed no sin against you that is worse than the sins you commit against Jesus.

His/her words and actions can be brutally painful. It is OK to feel pain. But remember, his/her sins against you are like a stroll in the country compared to your sins against Jesus. Never forget who the chief of sinners is: You!

3. When your spouse is annoying and sinful, remember, your sins put Jesus on the cross.

“It was my sin that held Him there, until it was accomplished.” Your sins were the cause of the death of your Savior, and yet, He demonstrated His love for you by dying while you were yet sinning (Romans 5:8). Is your suffering worse than the suffering you caused Jesus? FULL POST

If you have ever been in an auto accident that didn’t kill you, which must be the case or you wouldn’t be reading this, you probably remember the specifics rather vividly. When your life is radically spared, you tend to remember the details. So why is it that many Christians struggle to remember when God saved their soul from death?

II Cor.5:17 tells us, “If any man is in Christ, he is a new creation.” Conversion of a spiritually dead man being brought to life by the power of the Holy Spirit is radical. That is why many preachers proclaim, “If you don’t have a conversion story, you probably aren’t converted.”

Most born-again Christians should and do have a conversion story. Perhaps they don’t remember the minute or even the year, but they do remember the season when their affections changed and they “got serious.” Why don’t some Christians have a conversion story?

Reason #1

You were never converted. If you cannot recall a time when you called out to the Lord in repentance and faith, then you should “examine yourself to see if you are in the faith.” I would suggest there are three reasons why you may have never truly been saved: FULL POST

Photo: Flickr/B.S. Wise

Sentimental love flows from the polluted well of postmodernism. Sentimental love is the offspring of moral relativism, which denies absolute truth. Sentimental love is not based on fact or truth, but on emotions.

What does sentimental love look like?

- You can’t make a woman keep a baby if she doesn’t want it.

- You can’t deny two men the joy of marriage if it makes them happy.

- You can believe whatever you want to as long as you believe it is true.

- Women should have equal rights, therefore, they should be allowed to go into military combat.

- If pot makes people happy, then we should legalize it.

- Boy Scouts should allow gay leaders and scouts as long as they qualify.

While the world continues to define love predominantly as “sentimentality,” Christians are commanded to show agape love to both Christian and heathen alike. Agape love is one of the four types of love described in the Bible.

Eros love: sensual, romantic love.

Philial love: brotherly love.

Storge love: familial love.

Agape love: self-sacrificing love.

Here is the rub; sentimental love is purely emotional, while agape love is based on what is true, right and good. In the world’s mind, sentimental love always trumps agape love. That is why your love for the world is so often received as hatred. FULL POST

The irony is almost overwhelming. In the Old Testament, we read the story of a commander named Barak who allowed a woman named Deborah to lead the nation of Israel into war. Deborah told Barak, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, there will be no glory for you in the journey you are taking, for the Lord will sell the enemy into the hands of a woman” (Judges 4:9).

Moral to the story? It is a shameful thing for a man (named Barak) to allow or send a woman into battle.

What does the Bible say?

The Bible is replete with clear teachings that men are to be the protectors of women.

Genesis 2 describes men as the “hard ones” and women as the “soft ones.” 6000 years later, technology confirms what is obvious: men are more suited for battle than women. God hardwired men with 1000% more testosterone than women.

Numbers 31:3,4: Moses sent men into battle.

Deut. 20:13,14: In war, the male enemies are to be killed but women and children are to be protected.

II Samuel 23:8: David chose mighty men, not mighty women.

Eph.5:25: Men must love their wives and be willing to give up their lives for them, just like Jesus did for the church. FULL POST

As Fox News is the cable news station of choice for most Evangelical Christians, this information may be of interest to you.

Rupert Murdoch: The 81 year old founder, chairman and CEO of Fox News holding company News Corporation was dubbed a Knight of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great by Pope John Paul II.

Roger Aisles: According to Newsmax, the CEO of Fox News has not officially converted to Catholicism, but he attends mass every Sunday with his Catholic wife.

Bill O’Reilly: The man who is looking out for you is a self-professed Roman Catholic. So is his regular substitute host, Laura Ingraham. So is regular Monica Crowley.

Sean Hannity: The Irish conservative commentator is of course, Roman Catholic.

The Fox Morning Team: Both Steve Doocy and Brian Kilmeade are Roman Catholics.

Megyn Kelley: Roman Catholic.

The Five: Four out of five ain’t bad. Bob Beckel, Dana Perino, Eric Bolling and Greg Guttfeld are all Roman Catholic. FULL POST

Thanks to our progressive government, Christians are suddenly confronted with conundrums that once belonged in the category of “how many angels can dance on the head of a pin?”

Conundrum #1

Due to new laws allowing gay marriage, Christian bakers, innkeepers, florists, photographers and caterers are suddenly forced to answer a question once thought unthinkable, “Is it a sin for a Christian business owner to provide a service for a gay couple?”

It is a Sin

Discover Annapolis Trolley Cars has determined to go out of business rather than compromise their Christian convictions. They believe it is a sin to provide a trolley ride to gay couples as they believe they would be participating in a sinful activity: gay marriage.

It is Not a Sin

Some would argue that providing a wedding service for a gay couple is no different than providing a service for any other sinner. Certainly Discover Annapolis Trolleys has provided a ride for some couples who were having affairs. We can assume that Discover Trolleys gave a wedding tour to couples who were unequally yoked, therefore, providing a service for a gay wedding couple should be no different. FULL POST

You don’t have to be Daniel to interpret the writing on Hobby Lobby’s wall. If one of America’s largest Christian owned businesses loses its fight against the federal government, you and I may be forced to provide birth control to our daughters.

Yes that is a Glenn Beck-like prediction, but this slope has been slipped down more than once. Permit me to make my case.

In 2003 the US Supreme Court voted 6-3 to overturn the Texas sodomy law heeding the cries of homosexual activists who insisted the government “get out of our bedrooms.” Lawrence v. Texas effectively invalidated every law against homosexual sex in every state in the nation. Pundits were mocked for predicting that this ruling would open the door to gay marriage. Nine years later, the pundits were proven correct.

In 2012, Christian innkeepers, bakers, photographers and trolley car owners were forced to rent rooms, bake cakes, take pictures and provide train rides to gay couples taking advantage of the new marriage laws.

In the cross-hairs

The Green family owns and operates Hobby Lobby’s 500 retail locations and they happen to be Christians who believe that providing the morning after pill is a sin. Hence the rub. FULL POST

Rain falls and the ground gets wet. A school shooting occurs and liberals call for gun control. Unfortunately, they are seeking to solve a tragic situation with the wrong solution.

Drunk drivers kill more people than people with guns but nobody is calling for an automobile ban. Why? Cars are not the problem, drunk drivers are the problem. You will search long and hard to find an organization called MAC: Mothers Against Cars.

On the same day that emotionally disturbed Adam Lanza misused legal guns to cruelly massacre children in a schoolhouse, an insane man used a knife to slash 22 school children in China. You don’t hear the Chinese calling for knife laws.

Cain killed Abel with a rock. Should we ban boulders?

Muslims throw sandals at people they hate. Should we outlaw open-toed footwear?

If we wish to have a helpful dialogue to keep our society safe, let’s stop focusing on weapons and focus on the people misusing the weapons.

Guns are neither good nor bad. They can be used to protect and save or they can be misused to maim and murder. Guns are a-moral objects; it is immoral people that cause the problem. There is not a lawyer on the planet who blames misspelled words on pencils. FULL POST