WHO SEPARATED THE "RACES"? Genesis 5-9

Below are some of the highlights from Jehovah’s dealing with Noah, a 
preacher of righteousness, who found  favor  in God’s  sight.  To get a
complete picture of these events read chapters 5 through 9 of Genesis.

"And God saw that the wickedness of  man was great in the earth, and 
that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil contin-
ually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and
it grieved him at his heart.  And the Lord said, I will destroy man whom 
I have created from the face of the earth; both man, and beast, and the 
creeping thing, and  the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have 
made them.  But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." 
                                        Genesis 6:5-8.

     "And behold, I even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to 
destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and 
every thing that is in the earth shall die.   But with thee will I establish 
my covenant; and thou shall come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and 
thy wife, and thy sons wives with thee."  Genesis 6: 17-18.

"And the Lord said unto Noah, Come thou and all thy house into the ark, 
for  thee have I  seen righteous  before  me in this generation.  In the six 
hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month,  the seventeenth day 
of the month, the same day were all the fountains of  the great deep bro-
ken up, and the windows of  heaven were opened. And the rain was upon 
the earth forty days and forty nights.  In the selfsame day entered Noah, 
and  Shem,  and  Ham,  and  Japheth, the sons of Noah,  and Noah’s wife, 
and the three wives of his sons with them, into the ark. And all flesh died 
that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of  beast, and 
of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth and every man.  All 
in whose nostrils  was the  breath of  life, of  all  that was  in the dry land, 
died."                                       Genesis 7: 1, 11-13, 21-22.
                                                                              

     It is clear from reading these passages that the sons of Noah and their 
wives populated the whole earth from “scratch.”  Read Genesis 9: 18-19 
for the clear statement concerning this. “And the sons of Noah, that went 
forth of the ark, were Shem, and Ham, and Japeth: and Ham is the father 
of Canaan.  These are the three sons of Noah: and of them was the whole 
earth overspread.” We must deduce from these narratives from the Word 
of  God the fact of  the earth  being  populated by a single people of which 
Noah was  head.  There  were no other  people on the earth.  There are no 
suggestions of  racial  division  in  the Holy Scripture, and the word race in 
the  Bible  always  refers  to  a contest,  never to a  people.   Even the best 
“secular” dictionary I have found refers only to  the human race as a given 
and other references have to  do with geography,  color,  and genetic char-
acteristics from  living in  close proximity,  rather  than a separate "race."  
So,  according to extensive study and  reflection on the matter there is but 
one  conclusion.  (As I see it)   Racial  labels,  connotations and  prejudices
are a concoction of  people of  ill  will seeking  to divide mankind into sepa-
rate groups for their own nefarious  purposes.  There  is this,  however;  it
is clear as  mankind  became numerous after the flood and joined together
to  build the Tower at  Babel,  the Lord God confused their  languages and
with this mankind went in different  directions.  This is covered in Genesis
11: 1-9.  Would  it not  be  hilarious to  go into work tomorrow and find the
employees  speaking several different  languages as  they try to get  some-
thing done?  No way the tower would be built under these conditions.

     In Scripture there are instances of "curses" placed on individuals and
groups.   To the best of my understanding, these "curses" were removed
by  our Lord Jesus Christ during his  life  here on  the earth  through  His
sacrificial death on the cross, His burial,  His  resurrection and  ascension
back to the Father.  The reason he came to earth in the first place was to
deal with the "curse" of SIN in the life of His people.

     One aside, concerning my own background with reference to this mat-
ter.  My Godly parents did not display any of  the “racial” prejudice ram-
pant on this earth during my  lifetime and before.  Our  home atmosphere 
encouraged full acceptance of others according to their character.  After 
Scripture became my very bread, my understanding in the matter became 
clear. The Lord God does not see a difference in people groups or “race,” 
so how can I.  There is also this; The constitution of  this  nation does  not 
make a  difference  in ethnic,  color,  physical or  cultural  differences.   A 
citizen is a citizen with full rights and privileges, but it seems we have got-
ten it wrong on many fronts, and I will,  under God,  make  it a  mission of 
my life to make sure “ethnic" prejudice in all it’s forms shall not be a part 
of my life and to use any platform afforded me to inform my  brothers and 
sisters who inhabit this planet of the truth of this critically  important way 
of perceiving and relating to those who might be somewhat different from
me.                                    They are in the majority.

     In Ephesians 4, we find in reference to the church,  or body of  Christ; 
"There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called in one hope of 
your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, 
who is  above all,  and through all,  and  in you all.  But to  each one of  us 
grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift." (vs. 4-7)

     One other note;  There are people in my part of this great country who 
believe, sincerely, in separation of the "races."  Some are,  as I am,  belie-
vers in the Lord God and  Holy Scripture.  At one time,  this belief  had an 
influence in my life, but  training from  Godly  parents  kept  me from ever 
being unfair to a person  because  of  perceived differences.   In  my  mind, 
there were  reservations  about how close one  might  be to  a  person who  
was different from me.  The  idea  of  marriage  between people who were 
unlike in  certain  ways  was  thought to  be unwise.   This was  pure ethnic 
prejudice.   Because of this, there  is  an understanding, on my part, of one 
who might harbor the same prejudice that influenced me.  This piece is not 
offered to alienate anyone,  and if  your  understanding  remains  different 
from  mine,  please  communicate  your  reasons with  me,  with awareness
of my conviction and knowledge that I do not have a corner on truth.                       
 don porter, sr                                                 jlrsbnch@msn.com...

     In retrospect,  all of life, as I see it, is a process of  growth.  There will 
be many changes in  thought patterns,  attitudes and  relationship skills as 
we mature in a life centered on Jesus Christ and His Word.  If we neglect
this Word and fail to make  it's principles basic to our  understanding,  we 
will  become stagnant,  the changes our  Lord would make for our benefit 
will  be retarded, and we will fall  in with folks who drift  through this  life 
without purpose.  We will then fail to accept the changes for the better of 
ourselves, friends and family.  God Bless you as you stay in the Word and 
become all you were meant to be in Christ Jesus.  

       Understand this:   Nothing written in  this  blog is considered by this
blogger to be a definitive exposition of the Scripture referenced. There is 
no way we may even grasp the main facets of the Mind of Christ as recor-
ded in His Word  and for a person to set  himself to be some authority on 
the  Bible is ludicrous.  We are  disciples, or learners  and are, hopefully, 
led by the Holy Spirit of God.   I ask your constant  indulgence, and com-
ments are always welcome.    

      Thanks for reading.                              edited... donporter 7.17.16      

JUSTIFICATION, Romans 5

          (This post is not in any way to be construed to be 
a proper treatment of this deep and most  holy princi-
ple (doctrine) of Holy Scripture.  The author is inca- 
pable of that kind of exegesis.)  Look it up; Websters. 
I had to look it up for the correct spelling.(Exegesis)

In Romans 5: 6-8;
     "For  when we  were  still without strength, in due 
time Christ died for the ungodly.  For scarcely for a 
righteous man will one die; yet, perhaps for a good 
man someone would even dare to die.
But  God demonstrates  his own love  for us in that
while  we  were  yet  sinners,  Christ  died  for  the 
ungodly.
   
      Jesus Christ said, "Think not that I am come 
      to destroy the law, or the Prophets; I am not 
         come to destroy the Law, but to fulfill.  
      For verily I say unto you; Till heaven and 
         earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no 
      wise pass from  the Law, till  all  be  fulfilled." 
         
Justification:  a forensic term, opposed to condem-
nation.  As regards it's nature, it is the judicial act 
of  God,  by  which  He  pardons  all  the  sins  of  
those who believe in Christ, and accounts, (treats)
them as  righteous in  the eyes of the Law,i.e.,  as 
conformed  to all it's  demands.  In addition  to the 
pardon  (q.v.) of sin,  justification  declares all  the 
claims of the law satisfied in respect of the justified.
It is the act of a judge; not a sovereign. The  Law is 
not  relaxed or set  aside, but  is declared to be ful-
filled in the strictest sense; and the person justified
is declared  to be entitled to all advantages and the 
rewards arising from perfect obedience to the law."   
                              (See Romans 5: 1-10)
It proceeds on the  imputing or crediting to the
believer, by God himself, the perfect righteous-
ness, active and passive, of  his Representative
and surety, Jesus Christ. Rom. 10: 3-9  Justifi-
cation  is not the  forgivenes of a  man without
righteousness, but a  declaration  that he  pos-
sses a  righteousness, which perfectly and for-
ever  satisfies the law, namely, the  righteous-
ness of  Christ. 2 Cor. 5:21; and Rom. 4: 6-8.

     The sole condition on which this righteous-
ness  is imputed  or credited to  the believer is
faith in  or on the Lord  Jesus Christ.  Faith is
called a  "condition,' not  because it possesses
any  merit,  but  because  it  is the only instru-
ment by which the soul appropriates or appre-
hends Christ and his righteousness."

  (Rom. 1:17; 3:25, 26; 4:20, 22;Phil. 3:8-11;  
    Gal. 2: 16...) 

   The act of faith which thus secures our justi-
fication, secures,  at the same time our sancti-
fication(q.v.); thus the doctrine of justification  
by faith does  not lead to licentiousness.   
                                                        (Rom. 6:2-7). 

Good  works,while not the grounds, are the cer-
tain  consequence of  justification  (6:14. 7:6.)                    
Sanctification is  a process,  awarded,  without  
merit, to believers.  
  
       (This definition of Justification was taken
        from Easton's Bible Dictionary which is 
       on the Bible Gateway website.)
  

            Romans 5: 18,  (Referring to Adam, 
          then to Jesus Christ it says...)

         "Therefore, as through one  man's  offense,
         judgment  came  to  all  men,  resulting  in        
        condemnation, even  so through one man's
        righteous act the free gift came to all men."

   In order to apply  this principle/doctrine to one's
life, an understanding of the term may be required
by a thorough study  of  Romans chapter 5, as well
the  whole of  Paul's letter's to the Church at Rome
and Galatia."

     In the process of re-reading this post, I must 
     point out there has been  help from scholars.
    The post has very little in it from this blogger.
    The Word of  God has been my major source.

  10.10.13  don porter,sr. edited 1.16.14, 8.25.14,
12.24.14, & 2.03.17 

THE GREAT TRIBULATION IN SCRIPTURE

Scripture relating to “The Great Tribulation.”
Daniel 9:27,  And he shall confirm the covenant with 
many for one week:  and in the midst of  the week he 
shall  cause  the  sacrifice  and  the oblation to  cease, 
and  for  the overspreading of abominations he shall 
make it  desolate,  even until the consummation, and 
that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

Daniel 11: 31, And  arms shall stand on his part, and 
they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength,  and shall 
take away the daily sacrifice,  and they shall place the 
abomination that maketh desolate.

Daniel 12:11, And from the time that the daily sacri-
fice  shall be  taken away,  and  the abomination that 
maketh  desolate set up,  there  shall  be  a  thousand 
two hundred and ninety days.

Revelation 3: 10, Because thou hast kept the word of 
my  patience,  I also will  keep  thee from the hour of 
temptation,  which  shall come upon all the world, to 
try them that dwell upon the earth.

Revelation 7: 9-14 (9) After this I beheld, and, lo, a 
great multitude, which no man could number, of  all 
nations,  and   kindreds,  and  people,  and  tongues, 
stood   before  the  throne,   and  before  the  Lamb, 
clothed  with white  robes, and  palms in their hands;

(10) and cried  with a loud  voice, saying, Salvation 
to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto 
the Lamb.

(11) And  all  the  angels  stood  round  about  the 
throne, and  about the elders and  the four  beasts, 
and fell before the throne on their faces, and wor-
shiped  God,  

(12) saying, Amen:  Blessing,  and  glory, and  wis- 
dom, and thanksgiving, and honour, and power,
and  might,  be  unto  our  God  for  ever and  ever. 
Amen.

(13) And one of  the elders  answered, saying unto 
me,  What  are  these  which  are  arrayed in  white 
robes? and whence came they?

(14) And I said unto him, Sir,  thou knowest. And 
he said to  me, These are they which  came out of  
great  tribulation,  and  have  washed  their  robes,  
and made them white in the blood of the Lamb.
  
(kjv)      donporter 8.22.13

“OLIVET DISCOURSE” (Part 1,2,3) Matthew 24: 1 – 14, 15-16

And Jesus said unto them,  “See ye not all these things?  Verily I say 
unto you, There shall not be  left here one stone upon  another,  that 
shall not be thrown down.”   And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, 
the disciples came unto  him privately,  saying,  "Tell us,  when shall 
these things be?  And what shall be the sign of thy coming and of the 
end of the world?"  (Vs. 2-3)

   At this time Jesus Christ began to expound to them things to come 
to pass in the future.   My understanding of this prophecy is that the 
same words/events our Lord was discussing are in two parts.  There 
would be a fulfilling of the words in the life of the Apostles and early 
church of that generation as well as future fulfilling of the prophecy.  
Those words came about,  indeed, in the lives of  those listeners, but 
there is a future  fulfilling not yet experienced  in full.  There can be 
no doubt in the mind of one who is a sincere believer  in the efficacy 
of   Scripture;  These same  prophecies are indeed coming to pass in 
the life of  the Church,  even the whole world, today.  Do we need to 
look  further  than things that occur around us every  day to  realize 
the truth of this prophecy?

  Vs. 4-5 “Take heed that no  man deceive you.”  Just as the Hebrews 
(Jews) of Jesus’ day were deceived because of their refusal to accept 
the Messiah in their day, those who fail to receive Him of this genera-
tion,  during their lifetimes on the earth are also deceived and will not 
participate in  the resurrection from the dead to eternal life.They will, 
as did the Jews of Christ’s day, run quickly to believe false messiahs 
and accept doctrines that tickle their ears rather than express faith in 
the one true Messiah and the Gospel of Jesus Christ.  They are predis-
posed to do this for their own reasons or  reasons undisclosed to them-
selves or to us. We could, at this point digress into Election or Predes-
tination  as  part of the discussion.   Since we are  unable to explain it, 
we will  discuss that doctrine  in another setting,  as my understanding 
of this widely held doctrine increases..

Vs. 6-7 “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be 
not troubled:  for all these things must come to past, but the end is not 
yet.”

       There  have  always  been conflicts as nations rise against nations.  
Although those incidents seem  to increase and are a  reminder of  the 
imminent  return of  our Lord  to claim  His church,  we  are  unwise to
set dates or suggest  the Lord will come for  His followers by a certain 
date.  Evangelical believers are looking for the soon return of the Lord 
to  this earth to claim His Bride,  the Church.  We believe he will come 
our lifetime.  This does  not mean we are absolutely sure He will catch 
His church away during your  lifetime or mine,  but certainly tells us to
be looking  for  this  event as imminent.  This gives our  lives an air of
much needed expectancy not present among those among  us who say 
He is delaying His coming and  forgotten about us. They were  predic-
ted in the New Testament in  Matthew 24: 4-6,  as  the  Lord  warned  
about false  messiahs in vs. 32-51 in the parable of  the fig tree,  and 
Luke 12: 42-48,  as Christ related a story of servants  taking advan-
tage, in their master's absence, to abuse his fellow servants. There is 
also a statement in Luke 24:14, "And this gospel of the kingdom shall 
be preached in  all the world for a  witness unto  all nations;  and then 
shall  the end come."   The very  next verse,  (15) states,  "When  ye 
therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel 
the prophet,  stand in the  holy place,  (whoso  readeth,  let him under-
stand:)   (The  space between vs. 15 and 16 might  be a good place to  
look for our Lord's return) (16)  Then let them which be in Judea flee 
into the mountains:...

     The Olivet Discourse is in approximately eight parts in Scripture. 
The above relates to the first three parts.  Next comes  the remarks 
about the Great Tribulation spoken of here and in Daniel 9:27, 11:31 
and 12:11 as well as in the Revelation 3:10, 7: 9-14.

     We must take care to refrain  from commenting on  Scripture in a
manner  that is beyond our  understanding.  Being convinced that the 
Word  is understood on differing levels, according to ones knowledge
and  Spiritual maturity.  The commentary here  has been kept simple 
and  direct in line with  my limited  knowledge  and  understanding of  
this fascinating and timely subject.
  
 donporter  8.9.13                                       edited 4.02.12

TRUTH FROM the PROPHETS & WISDOM LITERATURE

    PROVERBS 3...

The following is an outline of verses 1-14 of the 3rd chapter of the
Proverbs of Solomon, Son of  David.  As we look into this chapter 
we will discover the "secrets" (Wisdom)  for living successfully in 
the eyes of  God and man.  The  Proverbs of  Solomon are not law.  
Proverbs are to be used as a guide to pleasing the Lord and living 
a successful and righteous life.                                            

I.  Keep God's Law, live long in peace.  vs. 1-2

II. Make mercy and truth the effort from you heart and find favor 
with God and man. vs. 3-4

III. Trust the Lord God, rather than your understanding, submit 
to him, and He will  give you direction.  vs. 5-6

IV. Do not be too proud to fear the Lord and you will be healthier 
and stronger.  vs. 7-8

V.  Honor the Lord with your possessions and increase to enjoy 
freedom from want. vs. 9-10

VI. Accept Chastening from the Lord and find Happiness, Wisdom 
and Understanding.  Those  who are  loved of  the  Lord (His follo-
wers) he corrects.  vs. 11-12

VII. Wisdom and understanding tend to make a man satisfied in 
life. (Blessed)  It is better than that of silver and gold.  vs. 13-14

The book of proverbs contains 31 chapters,  making it convenient 
to read a chapter daily each month. The third chapter has become 
one of my favorite passages of Scripture.

"My son, forget not my law; but let thine heart keep my command-
ments: For length of days, and long life,  and peace, shall  they add 
to thee."

"Let not mercy and truth forsake thee:  bind them about thy neck 
write them upon the tables of thine heart.
 So shall thou find  favour and  good  understanding in  the sight of 
God and man."
     
  "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart;  and lean not unto thine own 
 understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct 
 thy paths."

  "Be not wise in thine own eyes; fear the Lord and depart from evil.
  It shall be health to thy navel, and marrow to thy bones."

   "Honor the Lord with thy substance, and with the first fruits of all 
thine increase.  So shall thy barns be filled with plenty, and thy pres-
ses shall burst out with New wine."

  "My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord; neither be weary 
of  his correction:  For  whom the Lord  loveth  he  correcteth;  even 
as a father the son in whom he delighteth."

    " Happy is the man that findeth wisdom, and the man that getteth 
understanding. For the merchandise of it is better than the merchan-
dise of silver, and the gain thereof than fine gold."  (kjv)


                                                                             donporter     7.30.13

"OLDSPEAK" from the Rutherford Institute

(The following was copied from a Rutherford Institute article received as an      email. There was no indication of copyright and is presented without edit.)
                                                                           

         "Oldspeak"                                 " The Passing of the Christian Right "

By John W. Whitehead
February 4, 2008

"Nearly 30 years after religious conservatives decided to reenter the political arena—after abandoning it as 'dirty' and leading to compromise—what do they have to show for it? The country remains sharply divided and the reconciling message they used to preach has been obscured by the crass pursuit of the golden ring of political power. In the end, they got neither the power, nor the Kingdom;  only the glory, and even that is now fading as these older leaders pass from the scene."—Cal Thomas, former vice president of the Moral Majority
We are witnessing the end of an era. The deaths of Jerry Falwell (May 15, 2007) and Dr. D. James Kennedy (September 5, 2007) augured a decided downward shift in the Christian Right's steady march to power. Yet long before these men were laid to rest, the movement they helped energize had begun its steady decline.
In the early 1980s, an emergent generation of evangelists lit up television screens, appeared on university campuses, and infiltrated syndicated radio waves. Among these leaders were Falwell, Kennedy, James Dobson, and Pat Robertson, evangelical figures who both predicted and embodied the formation of a new political religion that has transformed the national political scene.
While this marriage between the Religious Right and the political right has been in the making for nearly three decades, the union was consummated with George W. Bush's rise to power and resulted in the Christian Right's enjoyment of unprecedented political influence. As Falwell remarked in 2004: "For conservative people of faith, voting for principle this year means voting for the re-election of George W. Bush…. I believe it is the responsibility of every political conservative, every evangelical Christian, every pro-life Catholic, every traditional Jew, every Reagan Democrat, and everyone in between to get serious about re-electing President Bush."
In fact, those of the Christian Right have made no effort to hide their intentions to impact the political scene in the halls of Congress. Falwell, Dobson, and others laid great store on their contacts inside the Bush White House. As Falwell once remarked, "Everyone takes our calls." However, the Christian Right's claim of political influence may be supercilious. David Kuo, in his book Tempting Faith: An Inside Story of Political Seduction (2006), argues that Christian Right leaders are nothing more than politically inept tools used by politicians to advance their own agendas.
Kuo, who served as Special Assistant to President George W. Bush, noted that evangelical leaders were often invited to White House functions in an effort to curry their favor and garner their support. Conference calls were held in the White House to update Christian leaders. According to Kuo, talking points were distributed and advice was solicited from these Christian leaders and others. But "that advice rarely went much further than the conference call." And "the true purpose of these calls was to keep prominent social conservatives and their groups or audiences happy." As Kuo recognized, the political establishment just wanted access to the evangelical voting base.
Unfortunately, there is always a price to be paid for power and prestige. In the process of seeking policy outcomes and funding for faith-based initiatives, Christian activists were seduced by political power to such an extent that the gospel of Jesus Christ has been held hostage to a political agenda. Whereas Christianity was once synonymous with charity, compassion, and love for one's neighbor, today it is more often equated with partisan politics, anti-homosexual rhetoric, affluent megachurches, and moralistic finger-pointing.
In fact, the Christian Right has been painted as the "American Taliban." In his book American Fascists: The Christian Right and the War on America (2006), Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and former war correspondent Chris Hedges contends that today's Christian Right resembles the early fascist movements in Italy and Germany that emerged at the beginning of the twentieth century. And no wonder he makes such a comment! The Christian Right has used religion like a sledgehammer to beat down its opponents.  For example, shortly following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Jerry Falwell appeared on televangelist Pat Robertson's television show, The 700 Club. The attacks, Falwell said, were evidence that God was angry at America for its cultural immorality and the nation was paying the price for it. Falwell laid the blame on certain individuals and groups such as the ACLU for "throwing God out successfully with the help of the federal court system, throwing God out of the public square, out of the schools," as well as pagans, abortionists, feminists, gays, and lesbians.
The answer proffered is to take control of the government. In fact, Gary Potter, president of Catholics for Christian Political Action, advocates: "After the Christian majority takes control, pluralism will be seen as immoral and evil and the state will not permit anybody the right to practice evil." Such rhetoric has contributed to a genuine but growing backlash against the Christian Right that can be seen in the popularity of Chris Hitchens' book god is not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything (2007).
Indeed, as President Bush's political star has waned, the Religious Right's legacy and its ability to positively impact the nation are increasingly being called into question. Critics contend that the evangelical movement has been largely reduced to political impotence and moral irrelevance.
By many indications, since the rise of the Christian Right in the early 1980s, the moral condition of the country has worsened. Several years ago, a Barna Group study found that the American adults surveyed found the following, among other things, "morally acceptable": gambling (61 percent), cohabitation (60 percent), and sexual fantasies (59 percent). Nearly half of the adult population felt that two other behaviors were morally acceptable: having an abortion (45 percent) and having a sexual relationship with someone of the opposite sex other than their spouse (42 percent). And the younger the age group surveyed, the more these types of activities were deemed morally acceptable.
As the study concludes, "The generational data patterns make a compelling case for this ongoing slide. Even most people associated with the Christian faith do not seem to have embraced biblical moral standards. Things are likely to get worse before they get better—and they are not likely to get better unless strong and appealing moral leadership emerges to challenge and redirect people's thoughts and behavior. At the moment, such leadership is absent."

The high-profile scandal in the fall of 2006 involving Ted Haggard, who at the time was president of the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), underscores the crisis in modern Christianity. For example, Haggard used his position as head of NAE to advocate various Christian Right platforms in condemning homosexuality and campaigning for amendments banning same sex marriage. However, he was forced to resign as pastor of his mega church and president of NAE when it was discovered that he was involved in sexual immorality with a homosexual.
The real tragedy of the Ted Haggard debacle was not that Haggard had been leading a double life. As David Kuo remarked to the Associated Press, "It's  tragedy enough if a pastor fails, but this is not about a pastor failing. This is about a politician failing, and the politician is bringing Jesus down with him."
Yet all is not lost. There is a growing sense among many Christians that politics cannot provide the fulfillment they are seeking. After all, by its very nature, politics is driven toward division, compromise, deceit, and, inevitably, corruption. Perhaps people are finally starting to wake up to this truth. According to Kuo, while evangelicals aren't flocking to the Democratic Party, they are perhaps turning away from politics as a means of moral engagement and fulfillment. His prediction is sustained by one post-election online survey of more than 2,000 people, which revealed that "nearly 40 percent of evangelicals support the idea of a two-year Christian 'fast' from intense political activism."
D. James Kennedy was, perhaps, keen to this shift. As a leading figure in the Christian Right and Republican Party politics, Kennedy's televised messages had strayed from traditional preaching to focusing primarily on politics and social issues. However, in April 2007, shortly before his death, Kennedy announced that he was shutting down the Center for Reclaiming America and his Center for Christian Statesmanship in Washington, D.C. He intended to return to his ministerial roots.
The Christian Right should follow suit. Unlike many Christians today, Christ did not engage in politics, identify with the government, or attempt to push an agenda through government channels. In fact, for Christians to be stridently aligned with conservative politics is to miss the point of their religion. "One of the greatest injustices we do to our young people is to ask them to be conservative," theologian Francis Schaeffer wrote. Conservatism, as such, means promoting a political agenda and, thus, maintaining the flow of the status quo. True Christians, however, should be revolutionaries against a status quo dedicated to materialism and the survival of the fittest. Indeed, Christians should stand outside the status quo. This includes politics. We often forget that Christ spoke truth to power and made it abundantly clear that His kingdom was not of this world.
Unfortunately, all too often Christians wrap their religion in the flag, so to speak. For the Christian, country and faith are never synonymous, and they are not two equal loyalties. As Francis Schaeffer noted, "It must be taught that patriotic loyalty must not be identified with Christianity." As Christians in past regimes have found, identifying with the establishment, as much of modern evangelicalism is doing, can present a grave danger—the establishment can and often has become the church's enemy.
Not only is it perilous to identify with the established powers, it also negates the true mission of the church. The church is not to identify with power but to speak truth to power—even at great costs. Martyrs, past and present, testify to this.
Thus, if Christianity is to serve as the moral compass of society, Christians must remain clear of the constraints and compromises entailed in political affiliation. The most appropriate role of religion in politics lies in its ability to define moral issues and speak truth to power. The voice of moral authority, enabled and enhanced by its spiritual roots and raised without dependence upon the legitimacy of the state, will always be the highest expression of true freedom. Such a voice denies the ultimate authority of the government to create or define right or wrong by its own power.
All this does not mean that the church has to be silent. This is definitely not a day for a sleeping church. While Christians should avoid politicizing their religion, this does not mean that pastors or individuals should not address the pressing social and moral issues of the day. Just the opposite is true. Christians need to be clear in what they say and stand by it.
Most of all, there is a dire need for a compassionate Christianity. Like the early church, the modern church needs to cut across all lines and reach out to every segment of society. If not, irrelevance will become its epitaph.

This post copied from the website of the Rutherford Institute.  This is no indication of copyright.  7.26.13

FALSE PROPHETS... Jeremiah 23: 16-17, 17: 9, Romans 2: 1

Thus says the Lord of hosts:  “Do not listen to the words of the pro-
phets who prophesy to you.  They make you worthless; They speak 
a vision of  their own hearts,  not from  the mouth of  the lord.  They 
continually say to  those who  despise  Me,”  ‘The  Lord  has  said,  
You  shall  have  peace;  And  to everyone  who  walks according to 
the  dictates of  his  own heart,'  they say,  'No evil shall come upon 
you'."  Jeremiah 23: 16-17

"The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; 
who can know it."  Jeremiah 17: 9

   During the days of Jeremiah the prophet,  there were “prophets” 
whom the Lord God rejected  because of the message of their pro-
phecy.  First they spoke as prophets of  Baal as in verse 13 of chap-
ter 23,  “And I  have seen  folly in the  prophets of  Samaria:  They  
prophesied by Baal and caused My people Israel to err.”  Secondly 
the Lord told Jeremiah,  in verse 16, “They speak a vision of  their 
own heart, not  from the mouth of the Lord…”  Of  course,  no one 
who names the name of Christ or follows the Lord God of the Bible 
could be found who responded to a prophecy they knew to  be from 
Baal, a pagan god who was/is no god.  But what about the prophecy 
from the heart? All of my life, to speak from the heart has been tou-
ted to be a great and wonderful thing. Vrs. 17:9 and 23: 16 certainly  
bring this kind of  thinking into question.  Is it  a bad thing  to speak 
from the  heart?   Well,  since the  heart is deceitful and  is  wicked,  
 there remains only one source of truth or true prophecy.  Prophecy 
is to  be  believed,  only as  it emanates  from  the Lord  God of  the 
Bible and proves  in  every  case  to be  dependable  and  accurate.  
Just  as we  take Scripture  to be divinely inspired of God, and infal-
lible, the prophets were accurate  and to  be trusted  as  they spake 
after  having received a word from the Lord God.  There were other 
standards for them such as integrity,  morality and  the word had to 
come as a Word from the Lord,  not in a  dream or a vision from the 
 heart  of  the  prophet.  The  Word  from  the Lord,  in some cases,
came as visions from Him as in Job 20:8, Proverbs 29:18, and Acts 
26: 19.   In Acts,  Simon Peter  was  given  a  vision  preparing  him 
to receive gentile seekers.  This vision was from the Lord God and
it came true in every respect.

    If my understanding is correct, a prophet is not only one who fore-
tells events that are to come to pass, but  is also one who  tells forth 
the truth of the Gospel  and events surrounding our  Lord's  time on  
the earth and  the ramifications of His birth, life, death, resurrection, 
ascension and intercession on our behalf.  So, a preacher of the Gos-
pel is a Prophet, although he may not have special revelation, outside 
Scripture,  of events yet to come, and receives his message from the 
Word of God, as found in Scripture.  He is, however; enlightened by
the Holy Spirit of God.  Pastors, Preachers, and Evangelists today are 
Prophets, called of God to these ministries, and are no less authorita-
tive as their message squares with Scripture.   If the word of a modern 
day Prophet does not square with the known,  accepted  Word of God, 
Scripture,  he must be regarded as a false prophet since one measures 
all  things by  the Word of God.  The follower of  Jesus Christ also has  
the Holy Spirit  on  his/her  life,  who along with  Holy Scripture  is the 
light, Life, and Instructor in every matter.  He gives discernment as to 
whether a messenger is from the Lord.  Without conscious effort, the 
Spirit controlled Child of  God is able to come to a conclusion and dis-
cern  whether  the messenger  is consistent with  the character of  the 
Word and the giver of that Word, Jesus Christ.  

There is an important distinction  between one who discerns, and  
one who is  judgmental.  That is sin.   Over  the years I have failed 
that test on more occasions than I care to admit.st.

   "Judge not,  that  you  be not  judged.  For with  what  judgment you  
judge,  you  will  be  judged;  and  with the  measure you use;  it will  
be measured back to you." (Matthew 7;1)  It would be profitable to 
read the entire chapter. 

According to this Scripture, it is impossible to be a critic/judge,   
and still be well pleasing to our Heavenly Father.  

With that said, this does must  not  keep one from  exercising his 
mind as did the Berean church.  It is said in Acts 17: 11, "These
men were  more noble  than those  in Thessalonica,  in  that they 
received  the word with all  readiness of mind,  and searched the 
Scriptures daily, whether those things were so."  
It is our responsibility, in every instance, to determine the validity 
of  the message preached  by confirming it with Scripture.   As we 
look  into the Word of God we  find truth.   Although  it may cause 
us, from time to time,  to disagree with the messenger, we are not 
to judge;  the Word  is  judge.  We should not,  criticize this one to 
others,  but gently confront, using  the Word of  God to enlighten,
and keep fellowship.  Recalling the "Golden Rule" will help.

    Remembering all men to be fallible; there is no truth in any doc-
trine or precept set  forth by a  man except as  it squares with the 
Word of the living God.  When we remember that  all men,  great 
or small, are mere flesh and blood, subject to error,  our responsi-
bility is to  validate every word,  comparing it  with  the Word and  
develop,  by diligent study and application,  knowledge and under-
standing  of  the Word of  God,  led by  the  Spirit of  God.  At the 
same time, remembering;  we have  feet of clay...  edited 2.06.17
 

donporter,sr