Caffeinated Thoughts

“For the Sake of the Gospel” Group Willing to Have “Safe Politics” with Mitt Romney.
Quoting Obama Isn’t Attacking Him
Rick Santorum to Author American Patriots: Answering the Call to Freedom
Hope & Change Still Doesn’t Equal Jobs
U.S. House Readies to Block Proposed Changes to Iowa’s 132nd Fighter Wing
Concerned Women for America Kicks off "She Votes 2012" in Iowa

“For the Sake of the Gospel” Group Willing to Have “Safe Politics” with Mitt Romney.

Posted: 20 Jul 2012 01:52 AM PDT

There is only one gospel of grace. Ministers of that gospel have a duty to warn the flock about false prophets and false religions.

On a website called "For the Sake of the Gospel," (FTSOTG), some Christian leaders—led by Jerry Johnson, John Ankerberg, and R.C Sproul, Jr.—have sounded a clear warning for Christians to distinguish Biblical (and historical) Christianity from Mormonism.

The purpose of this call to evangelical Christians and leaders is two-fold:

To protect the purity and integrity of the Biblical Gospel.

To seize the opportunity to educate the America Public and Christians to the fundamental differences between historic Christian faith and that of the Latter-day Saints (Mormons).

To use Romney's candidacy as a golden opportunity to proclaim the glorious gospel of Christ is brilliant and forward-looking.

To use this defense of the gospel as an opportunity to subtly support Romney's candidacy is wrong-headed and blind:

For the sake of the Gospel, we, the undersigned, call upon Christian leaders and their respective ministries and organizations, if you plan on endorsing Governor Mitt Romney for the office of President of the United States, do so by clearly and unequivocally distancing yourself and Biblical Christianity from his Mormon beliefs.

Do gospel ministers fulfill their duties if they imply it is okay to embrace the leaders of false religions for political office (as long as they offer some thin warning about the false doctrine that leader proclaims)?

Coming from Jerry Johnson—who once eloquently explained why he would never vote for a Mormon—this document sounds a lot like the advice some foolish parents give: "I don't want you to have sex outside of marriage, but if you do…protect yourself"

By putting this declaration in the context of voting (which was totally unnecessary), the group provides cover for those who would vote for Romney in violation of God's Word. Why not rather just come out with a document that says, "In light of having a Mormon nominee in the GOP, this is a good opportunity for us to remind Christians that Mormonism isn't Christianity"? Why suggest that they may want to vote for Romney at all?

As far as I can tell, this group has provided no such document for Christians who would vote for Barack Obama (even though 24% of Evangelicals voted for Obama in 2008). There are no warnings about Jeremiah Wright, Obama's embracing of pluralism, and his apparent liberation theology. Why is this so? Because it is clear that, as a whole, this group intends to vote FOR Romney, whose election would quite possibly do more harm to the professing church than four more years of Obama, though many Christians think Romney presidency would be better for the country than Obama. I doubt if you will find a single signer who is going to vote for Obama. The website is more about politics than religion, I am afraid.

I briefly address the issue of Mormonism in my book, With Christ in the Voting Booth, but I am clear that it would be wrong to vote for an unbeliever of any kind, not just Mormons. I am also concerned about the devastating effect of politics on religion in our culture. In other words, professing Christians are succumbing to the temptation to sacrifice principle and truth in order to gain seats of power.

When FTSOTG suggests voting for an unbeliever is only a matter of personal conscience they have lost nearly everything they tried to gain. The Bible tells us that magistrates must Fear God and Kiss the Son. Timothy J Hammons typifies the flippancy towards the issue of voting for unbelievers and the incongruity of the document when he states: "Vote for Romney in the fall, worship in a true church this Sunday!"

Suppose a man has forbidden his daughter from marrying the cad down the street. Does it make sense for him to then allow the young man to come a-courting every week, having unsupervised time with his daughter? Or suppose a congregation is about to vote on deacons or elders for its church; is it sufficient to remind the congregants that only experienced believers may serve as elders, if you allow unqualified candidates to be put on the ballot?

May I Vote For Someone Who is Not a Christian?

One from among thy brethren shalt thou set king over thee: thou mayest not set a stranger over thee, which is not thy brother. Deuteronomy 17:15b

Be wise now therefore, O ye kings: be instructed, ye judges of the earth. Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and ye perish [from] the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little. Blessed [are] all they that put their trust in him. (Psalm 2:10-12)

Though it may be argued that the first passage applies only to ancient Israel and the required appointment of ethnic or national Jews, the second text requires that all civil leaders must fear God and kiss the Son. The Bible also teaches that there is no fear of God before the unbeliever's eyes (Romans 3:18, Psalm 36:1). Adrian Rogers made a great case for only voting for Godly leaders (though it seems to be in conflict with his view that Christians must vote)

When it comes to this question, Christians are sometimes challenged with a quote from Martin Luther which usually goes like this: "I would rather be ruled by a wise Turk (that is, a Muslim), than a foolish (or stupid) Christian."

I would like to make several observations about this quote. First, there is strong reason to believe it has been falsely attributed to Martin Luther, for it is contrary to much of what Luther wrote about the rule of Turks.

Second, let us look at a genuine quote from Luther, who was arguing that the clergy should not take up arms:

I say this not because I would teach that worldly rulers ought not to be Christians, or that a Christian cannot bear the sword and serve God in temporal government. Would God they were all Christians, or that no one could be a prince unless he were a Christian! Things would be better than they now are and the Turk would not be so powerful.

As an early reformer, Luther recognized that the gospel was severely restricted in lands ruled by Muslims, especially Turkey. Later he wrote:

For although some praise his [the Turk's] government because he allows everyone to believe what he will so long as he remains the temporal lord, yet this praise is not true, for he does not allow Christians to come together in public, and no one can openly confess Christ or preach or teach against Mohammed. For it is misery enough to be compelled to suffer the Turk as overlord and to endure his government; but willingly to put oneself under it, or to desire it, when one need not and is not compelled – the man who does that ought to be shown the sin he is committing and how terribly he is going on.

Noah Webster also wrote:

"When you become entitled to exercise the right of voting for public officers, let it be impressed on your mind that God commands you to choose for rulers, "just men who will rule in the fear of God." The preservation of government depends on the faithful discharge of this duty; if the citizens neglect their duty and place unprincipled men in office, the government will soon be corrupted."

Quoting Obama Isn’t Attacking Him

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 03:15 PM PDT

The Obama Campaign launched an ad today, saying Mitt Romney misquoted President Obama, and that he'll say anything:

Well I won't deny that Mitt Romney will say anything. However, the problem with this ad is that President Obama did say, "If you've got a business — you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen."

Here is the White House transcript from his Roanoke, VA stop on July 13th:

There are a lot of wealthy, successful Americans who agree with me — because they want to give something back. They know they didn't — look, if you've been successful, you didn't get there on your own. You didn't get there on your own. I'm always struck by people who think, well, it must be because I was just so smart. There are a lot of smart people out there. It must be because I worked harder than everybody else. Let me tell you something — there are a whole bunch of hardworking people out there. (Applause.)

If you were successful, somebody along the line gave you some help. There was a great teacher somewhere in your life. Somebody helped to create this unbelievable American system that we have that allowed you to thrive. Somebody invested in roads and bridges. If you've got a business — you didn't build that. Somebody else made that happen. The Internet didn't get invented on its own. Government research created the Internet so that all the companies could make money off the Internet.

The point is, is that when we succeed, we succeed because of our individual initiative, but also because we do things together. There are some things, just like fighting fires, we don't do on our own. I mean, imagine if everybody had their own fire service. That would be a hard way to organize fighting fires.

So we say to ourselves, ever since the founding of this country, you know what, there are some things we do better together. (emphasis mine)

Here's the video if you don't believe that transcript:

Exactly how did Romney misquote him? He didn't. It looks like President Obama will say anything to get elected as well.

Rick Santorum to Author American Patriots: Answering the Call to Freedom

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 02:30 PM PDT

Verona, PA – Patriot Voices Chairman and former Republican presidential candidate Rick Santorum announced today that Tyndale House Publishers will publish his upcoming book American Patriots: Answering the Call to Freedom. The book will release on October 2, 2012.

American Patriots highlights the heroic men and women who valiantly fought to secure our God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness-not only for themselves but also for countless future generations. Their stories provide reminders of the extraordinary faith, courage, and determination that set this country on the path to greatness centuries ago, as well as inspiration for future generations of great American patriots.

The book will include a foreword by William J. Bennett, former United States secretary of education and New York Times bestselling author of The Book of Virtues.

"This book was written to remind us who we are," Santorum says. "Americans today are faced with a decision. Do we want to leave our children a country that believes in the God-given rights of life, liberty, and the pursuit happiness? Or do we want to entrust the state to provide for us in exchange for our freedom?"

The book is broken into three sections: Life, Liberty, and The Pursuit of Happiness, each of which highlights unsung American heroes such as Peter Francisco, Nancy Morgan Hart, and Elias Boudinot-Patriots whose actions and contributions to the cause embody these ideals. The book concludes with a call to action from Santorum.

"Senator Santorum has done a phenomenal job articulating the values and ideals this country was founded on through the stories of these twenty-five unsung heroes and heroines of the Revolutionary War," says senior acquisitions editor at Tyndale Carol Traver. "In many ways, this book is this generation’s Profiles in Courage."

Senator Santorum continued, "Just as this book shares the stories of those who fought for our founding principles more than 200 years ago, Patriot Voices is fighting to protect those very same principles today."

Rick Santorum founded Patriot Voices in June 2012 as a grassroots and online community of Americans from across the country committed to promoting faith, family, freedom, and opportunity in accordance with the Declaration of Independence, the Constitution, and the Bill of Rights. Patriot Voices is uniting one million voices through a common belief in American exceptionalism, entrepreneurship, and personal responsibility.

Hope & Change Still Doesn’t Equal Jobs

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:30 PM PDT

We had a rebound! Well not the type of rebound that President Obama would probably like to see. The number of Americans filing new claims for unemployment benefits. CNBC reports:

Initial claims for state unemployment benefits increased 34,000 to a seasonally adjusted 386,000, the Labor Department said on Thursday. The prior week’s figure was revised up to 352,000 from the previously reported 350,000.

Economists polled by Reuters had forecast claims rising to 365,000 last week. The four-week moving average for new claims, a better measure of labor market trends, fell 1,500 to 375,500.

Claims data is volatile in July because of the timing of the annual auto plant shutdowns for retooling.

Automakers are not embarking on wholesale plant shutdowns, throwing off the model that the department uses to smooth the data for typical seasonal patterns.

A Labor Department official said they were still experiencing volatility related to the auto layoffs that usually happen at this time of year.

So jobless claims are up despite automakers not going through with the plant shutdowns they normally do. Interesting. On top of this we see that home sales drop to 5.4%, the lowest they've been since October. On top of this the U.S. Chamber reports that only 20% of small businesses plan to hire in 2013. Probably because they realized somebody else built their business, so why spend more money on hiring?

Then because our government wants to wrap its loving arms around people, and by that I mean they want to spend our money, the USDA is partnering with Mexico to boost food stamp participation. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack found one Bush Administration policy he actually likes (this was started in 2004). Vilsack is on the record saying he believes food stamps provide economic stimulus, so why wouldn't he want to expand the program?

I'm surprised that this isn't a wildly popular program when people have used EBT cards to purchase booze, cigarettes, and lap dances. Considering that food stamp participation is at an all time high, the food stamp president shouldn't have a hard time getting elected.

Hope and change.

HT: Drudge Report

U.S. House Readies to Block Proposed Changes to Iowa’s 132nd Fighter Wing

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 01:00 PM PDT

Washington, DC – Iowa Congressman Tom Latham announced that the full U.S. House of Representatives will vote to approve an annual appropriations bill that would block the proposed retirement of 21 F-16s attached to the 132nd Fighter Wing of the Iowa Air National Guard.

Latham, Iowa's only member of the House committee, has worked with colleagues on the committee and with U.S. House leadership for several months to usher through the mission protecting language, which could receive the approval of the full House of Representatives as early as Thursday.

"The 132nd Fighter Wing has served our country time and again with distinction and honor, but a misguided and irresponsible White House-backed proposal would summarily eliminate the fighter wing based on flawed assumptions, not a thorough analysis," Congress Latham said. "As we look for savings and efficiencies in the defense budget, we have to make sure the process remains accountable and based on solid facts, solid data and an unwavering commitment to strengthening our national security rather than taking risks with it."

The language, included in the House's FY 2013 Defense Appropriations bill, would freeze the proposed retirement of all Air Force aircraft, including the F-16s, for one year, effectively blocking the Obama administration's plan with a legislative "time out." Meanwhile, the legislation would require the Air Force to conduct a full cost-benefit analysis of the plan by October, with a review by the nonpartisan Government Accountability Office within 120 days of its completion.

Latham did add a note of caution and concern that inaction on budget and appropriations bills by the U.S. Senate poses a very serious risk to the success of the blocking measure. The Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call reported late last week that U.S. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) speculated that the Senate may choose to not pass any appropriations bills before the end of the fiscal year.

Congressman Latham said that failure to complete the regular appropriations process jeopardizes the ability of Congress to halt the Obama administration from moving forward on the F-16 retirement plans for the 132nd when the new fiscal year begins on October 1.

"These are the types of problems created when representatives fail to do the basic jobs they were elected to do," noted Congressman Latham. "In Iowa alone, the White House-backed proposal reportedly will cut the 1,250 personnel assigned to the unit nearly in half. That is the loss of hundreds of good-paying jobs in central Iowa, and the economic shock waves that would go deep into the community because of those job losses are unthinkable. The Senate must do its job and move the yearly appropriations process along so that we can block this reckless cut."

Concerned Women for America Kicks off "She Votes 2012" in Iowa

Posted: 19 Jul 2012 12:00 PM PDT

Washington, DC – Concerned Women for America (CWA) President and CEO Penny Nance joins CWA Iowa State Director Tamara Scott in announcing the launch of She Votes 2012 in Iowa, part of a million-dollar nationwide campaign to get out the vote in the November general election. The goal is to raise awareness and activism of women in key states resulting in stronger conservative leadership on the state and national level.

“We know that when conservatives vote their values, they elect men and women whom CWA and CWA members can work with to see that founding principles are applied and enacted into law,” CWA President Penny Nance said. “We need conservatives in ‘The Hawkeye State’ to turn out in great numbers in order to get legislation passed that will move our great country back to a secure footing.”

“CWA of Iowa is excited to launch our new GOTV program which will help us identify voters in this critical 2012 election,” said Scott. “We look forward to working with other coalitions across the state and turning out voters who understand the need to defend liberty, protect the Constitution, and limit out-of-control government spending.”

The She Votes 2012 campaign will work to mobilize members in key states to change the trajectory of our nation through grassroots education and activism. Organizers will focus on three main areas:

· Voter registration

· Voter identification

· Voter turnout

Field directors will use phone-banks, social media, and public events to encourage voter participation. They will work with state CWA chapters, other organizations, and local churches as they carry out the mission of “She Votes 2012.”

“This program is a great way for every-day Iowans to join in the battle to save our Republic without having to be ‘political junkies’ or Constitutional scholars,” Scott said. “No arguments, persuasion or debating is necessary.”

CWA is the nation’s largest public policy women’s organization and is uniquely positioned to connect with and advocate for women and families. Over the past three decades, CWA has built an effective grassroots network of conservative activists, which includes 500,000 constituents and 600 chapters reaching women, families, and cultural leaders.

To learn more about She Votes 2012, please go to www.shevotes2012.org.

Horoscop

vineri, 20 iulie 2012

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