Blue Bloods Has People of Faith Seeing Red

Like many Christians, I have looked forward to each new episode of the Blue Bloods television show. It is in its 5th season and attracts more viewers than any other primetime drama on Friday night.

It follows the Reagan family of police officers with the New York City Police Department. Frank Reagan, played by Tom Selleck, is the police commissioner. The show has been refreshing in that the Reagan family’s Catholic faith has been front and center in every episode, with no apologies.

Though each family member is presented as flawed, as we all are, they all try to do the right thing. When they stray, they get back on track as they live out their faith — until recently. Continue reading “Blue Bloods Has People of Faith Seeing Red” →

Designer Chruches

The term “Mainline Protestant” has outlived its usefulness. In the mid-20th Century the mainline denominations represented a majority of all churchgoers in this country. They were considered “mainstream.” Today, these mainline Protestant denominations could more accurately be called “designer” churches.

Mainline denominations were known for their involvement in their community and the world at large. As citizens in a democratic republic, they took seriously their responsibility to live out their faith and see that God’s moral values were reflected in our laws.

Not anymore! Since the 1960’s, the moral values that are unequivocal in the Bible began clashing with the world’s values. Slowly, issues like abortion, fornication, adultery and homosexuality became subjects of debate within these denominations.

As a result, these mainline churches began drifting away from God’s standards and began designing their own rules of conduct. That’s when their numbers began shrinking. Today, these designer churches are not only a minority among all Christian denominations, but a minority among Protestant churches as a whole. Continue reading “Designer Chruches” →

The Bullies Won in Arizona (and are on their way to your state)

Nobody likes a bully. In the movies, we cheer as the bullies are defeated but in real life we often give into them simply because no one likes to be bullied. We take the road of least resistance, even when it means giving up important, even sacred ground.

Such was the case in Arizona when Governor Jan Brewer vetoed a most reasonable bill updating the state’s “Religious Freedom Restoration Act” to clarify two ambiguities in the state’s law which was modeled after the federal REFRA signed by Bill Clinton. Specifically, this new version made it clear that one’s “free exercise of religion” does not stop when you run a business. And that this “free exercise” not only protects you against the government but civil legal action as well.

Recently, business owners have been forced to go to great expense to defend their right to operate in a way that will not compromise the moral values they hold dear. The lawsuits brought by Hobby Lobby and Conestoga Woods against Obamacare’s birth control mandate are two of the most visible. The U.S. Supreme Court will decide these cases next summer.

Ready or not, this issue is headed your way. Continue reading “The Bullies Won in Arizona (and are on their way to your state)” →

The Bullies Won

I do not hate anyone. (It seems silly to have to preface my remarks with that statement but these are strange times.) I do hate bad behavior. That includes lying, name-calling, intimidation and bullying which have become hallmarks of gay rights activists.

Last week, the Boy Scouts of America abandoned the time-honored principles enshrined in the oath and laws and gave in to these bullies when leadership skillfully manipulated its voting delegates to approve a resolution to admit openly gay Scouts into its ranks.

The oath includes a “duty to God” and a pledge to keep oneself “morally straight.” The laws proclaim that a Scout is — among other things — obedient, reverent, loyal and brave. The BSA leadership is none of the above. Therefore, the Scouts’ ability to lead young boys to become responsible God-fearing young men with these qualities has been hopelessly compromised.

Adolf Hitler introduced the principle of winning the battle of the mind with the “Big Lie.” in his book “Mein Kampf.”

“ . . . the most brilliant propagandist technique will yield no success unless one fundamental principle is borne in mind constantly and with unflagging attention. It must confine itself to a few points and repeat them over and over. Here, as so often in the world, persistence is the first and most important requirement for success.” Continue reading “The Bullies Won” →

Obama’s Fourth Scandal

Barack Obama is fighting for his political life, embroiled in three scandals: the criminal use of the IRS, using the Justice Department to spy on reporters and the cover-up of the attack in Benghazi.

There is a fourth scandal that is equally serious but is not being addressed because this cover-up involves both the administration and Congress, Democrats and Republicans.

Last week, the Pentagon released a report on the soaring number of sexual assaults in the military. These crimes have increased a whopping 129 percent since 2004. The confidential portion of this report indicates that some 26,000 members of our armed forces were sexual assaulted last year alone. However, only 3,347 of these assaults were reported. The reasons are as obvious as they are disturbing. Continue reading →

Boy Scouts follow Girl Scouts Downhill (Last of a Three-Part Series)

There is a reason that the Boy Scouts of America have not partnered with the Girl Scouts USA. The two organizations would appear to be natural affiliates but at their core, they are now miles apart. That may be about to change.

The issue that has divided them are the principles on which the two organizations were founded: A belief in God and a pledge to abide by the moral truths that are revealed in His Word.

In the 70’s, the Girl Scouts put feminist icon Betty Friedan on its national governing board. It wasn’t long before the Girl Scouts began purging its materials of all positive references to homemakers.
In 1980, the organizations changed its policy on homosexuality and welcomed lesbians as scouts and troop leaders.
In 1993, the Girl Scouts took aim at the Creator himself, making God an option by inserting an asterisk by the word “God” in the Promise.

Due to public outrage and loss of enrollment, that asterisk was removed from the latest Girl Scout Handbook. Don’t be fooled. Instead, girls are simply being instructed that when reciting the Promise they are “free to substitute their own wording for God’” http://www.girlscoutshs.org/sensitiveissuesfaqs. In other words, a girl is free to pledge to do her duty to herself as any good atheist would. Continue reading “Boy Scouts follow Girl Scouts Downhill (Last of a Three-Part Series)” →

Boy Scouts: Blowin’ in the Wind of “Change” (2nd of a 3-Part Series)

“Facts are stubborn things, but statistics are pliable.” Mark Twain

Dealing with a sticky issue and want to pass the buck? The timeworn established practice is to conduct a study. That is how the Executive Committee responsible for governing the Boy Scouts of America decided to deal with the issue of opening its ranks to homosexuals.

The results of this “study” led to a proposal that will be presented to roughly 1400 voting members of its National Council on May 24. It is a compromise that will please no one: admit homosexual youth but keep the ban in place that prevents openly gay adults from becoming Scout leaders.

A closer look at the Executive Summary released to the media reveals the twisted logic and the true agenda of those charged with running this prestigious youth organization. Continue reading “Boy Scouts: Blowin’ in the Wind of “Change” (2nd of a 3-Part Series)” →

Boy Scouts want to “Split the Baby” (Part One in a Series)

King Solomon was considered one of the wisest men in the world. According to the Bible, when two women came before him fighting over a baby, both claiming to be its mother, Solomon ordered that the child be cut in half with a sword. One woman was perfectly satisfied with his decision, but when the other offered to give up the child in order to save him, Solomon knew who the real mother was and gave the child to her.

The leadership of the Boy Scouts of America has proposed a similar arrangement in the effort to satisfy its members, volunteers and donors over the issue of admitting open homosexuals to its ranks.

The proposal, which will be voted on May 24, is to admit homosexual young people into scouting, while keeping the ban in place that prevents homosexuals from serving as staff or adult leaders. This proposal satisfies no one and, if it goes through, will mean the death of scouting as we know it. Continue reading “Boy Scouts want to “Split the Baby” (Part One in a Series)” →

Why We’re Losing Traditional Marriage

The relevant question in the gay marriage debate largely goes unanswered: “How does gay marriage harm traditional marriage and children?”

It is frustrating to see so many pro-family advocates and the attorneys representing them in court completely drop the ball when the answer is relatively simple.

There are only two reasons to marry: 1) to make a vow before God and have the union recognized by the church. 2) to have the union recognized by the government.

Since all major religions condemn homosexuality in the strongest terms, reason # 1 is an attempt to “feel good” at best.

So, why does a couple seek to have their union recognized by the government? Conversely, why do so many heterosexual couples no longer bother? Continue reading “Why We’re Losing Traditional Marriage” →

The Boy Scouts Conundrum: Morals vs. Money

For more than a century, the term “Boy Scout” has been a synonym for a person of character, someone with high moral values, who respects the law, serves his country and has a reverence for God.

In the last couple of decades the organization that has trained more that 110 million American males to become productive citizens, responsible fathers and respected leaders, has been under attack for holding true to the standards in its founding principles.

After prevailing in a plethora of law suits brought by feminists, atheists and homosexuals challenging its membership criteria, it is sad, indeed, that the organization now has signaled that its values may be negotiable.

The Boy Scouts of America’s Scouting programs are open to all boys age 7-18 who agree to follow the Scout Oath which includes duty to God and country and who pledge to keep themselves “physically strong, mentally awake, and morally straight.” Continue reading “The Boy Scouts Conundrum: Morals vs. Money” →