A Word for 2012: New Leadership, New Boldness and New Provision - J. Lee Grady

As I have prayed about the coming year, I’ve sensed three clear directives.


Some people are terrified of 2012. They worry because the Mayans of ancient Mexico mysteriously ended their 5,126-year-old calendar on Dec. 21, 2012—as if they expected the world to end that day. This silly hypothesis became the basis for several New Age books and a goofy disaster movie, 2012, in which actor John Cusack avoids meteors and earthquakes just in time to get his family aboard the modern version of Noah’s ark (built in China!) before the rest of the world is destroyed by a tsunami.
I’m not afraid of 12/21/12 because (1) Ancient Mayans never actually said the world would end in 2012—and even if they did, they didn’t have an inside track to God; (2) Doomsday predictions have never been accurate; and (3) Jesus holds the future in his hands. As long as I’m in relationship with Him, it doesn’t matter what happens on earth. I’m secure.


Despite strange weather patterns, global terrorism and the specter of an economic crash, I’m actually optimistic about where we’re headed in 2012. And as I have prayed about the coming year, I’ve sensed these three clear directives:


1. Expect major transitions in kingdom leadership. The world is focused on leadership in the political arena, but God has been working behind the scenes preparing men and women for kingdom assignments. Our focus should not be on Democrats, Republicans, Obama or Romney. 2012 is not about a presidential contest. Just as David was prepared for the throne during years of testing in the wilderness, a new battalion of Christian leaders has been trained in obscurity. They will be commissioned and appointed in the new year. And their influence—not that of a political figure—will shift the nation.


Jesus said He would call the humble from the back row and seat them at the head table. He openly rewards those who pray, fast, give and serve in secret. God will exalt those who have walked with Him in faithfulness and crucified selfish ambition. As in the days of Elijah, He has reserved thousands of prophets who have not bowed their knee to Baal. They have been in isolated caves of preparation for years, and some have been on the verge of quitting. A wind of new strength will cause them to stand and assume their positions.


2. The sound of evangelism must be amplified. The prophet Isaiah said: “Get yourself up on a high mountain, O Zion, bearer of good news, lift up your voice mightily, O Jerusalem, bearer of good news; Lift it up, do not fear. Say to the cities of Judah, ‘Here is your God!’” (Isa. 40:9). Just as the early disciples prayed for boldness in the midst of persecution, and the Lord answered with a supernatural earthquake (see Acts 4:29-31), the Lord wants to turn up the volume of our message and empower us with a spirit of might. We must put aside our timidity. We cannot hide our light under a basket.
Many churches in the United States have not made outreach a priority. We’ve catered to the saved and preached to the choir. The Holy Spirit wants to remodel and revamp weak churches and make them into powerhouses of spiritual impact. He can take a church with a four-cylinder engine and outfit it with eight; He can turn up the volume and cause a quiet congregation to shake a city. In 2012, expect small churches to be revitalized. God specializes in using small armies, like Gideon’s group of 300, to catch the enemy by surprise.


3. Supernatural provision will be released. The great recession has brought heartache and difficulty to families, companies and churches, but it has a silver lining: God has used it to purify motives, refine faith and refocus priorities. The Holy Spirit has exposed our materialism, and His fire has also consumed unhealthy prosperity doctrines that tainted the church with scandal and greed.


Today, a new passion is arising in the church to fight injustice, feed the poor, show compassion to the broken and share Jesus’ love with unreached nations. We’re tired of giving money to support charlatans who demand private jets and luxury treatment; we want to serve the orphan and the widow in the spirit of Christ. And we are asking God for His supply, knowing that if God can feed a multitude with one lunch, or provide for a family with one jar of oil, He can open sources of provision we never knew existed.


Missionary Hudson Taylor said: “God’s work done in God’s way will never lack God’s supply.” I pray you will experience this truth in 2012.


Isaiah 66:9 says: “Shall I bring to the point of birth and not give delivery? … Or shall I who gives delivery shut the womb?” Don’t fear the future. Receive new strength from the Lord as you step into this new year. No matter what disappointments or delays you have encountered during the past season, don’t give up. God brought you to this point, and He will not fail you now.


J. Lee Grady is the former editor of Charisma and the director of The Mordecai Project(themordecaiproject.org). You can follow him on Twitter at leegrady.


via: Charisma

Xmas and Christmas: A Lost Chapter from Herodotus, by C.S. Lewis

And beyond this there lies in the ocean, turned towards the west and north, the island of Niatirb which Hecataeus indeed declares to be the same size and shape as Sicily, but it is larger, though in calling it triangular a man would not miss the mark. It is densely inhabited by men who wear clothes not very different from the other barbarians who occupy the north western parts of Europe though they do not agree with them in language. These islanders, surpassing all the men of whom we know in patience and endurance, use the following customs.

In the middle of winter when fogs and rains most abound they have a great festival which they call Exmas and for fifty days they prepare for it in the fashion I shall describe. First of all, every citizen is obliged to send to each of his friends and relations a square piece of hard paper stamped with a picture, which in their speech is called an Exmas-card. But the pictures represent birds sitting on branches, or trees with a dark green prickly leaf, or else men in such garments as the Niatirbians believe that their ancestors wore two hundred years ago riding in coaches such as their ancestors used, or houses with snow on their roofs. And the Niatirbians are unwilling to say what these pictures have to do with the festival; guarding (as I suppose) some sacred mystery. And because all men must send these cards the marketplace is filled with the crowd of those buying them, so that there is great labour and weariness.

But having bought as many as they suppose to be sufficient, they return to their houses and find there the like cards which others have sent to them. And when they find cards from any to whom they also have sent cards, they throw them away and give thanks to the gods that this labour at least is over for another year. But when they find cards from any to whom they have not sent, then they beat their breasts and wail and utter curses against the sender; and, having sufficiently lamented their misfortune, they put on their boots again and go out into the fog and rain and buy a card for him also. And let this account suffice about Exmas-cards.

They also send gifts to one another, suffering the same things about the gifts as about the cards, or even worse. For every citizen has to guess the value of the gift which every friend will send to him so that he may send one of equal value, whether he can afford it or not. And they buy as gifts for one another such things as no man ever bought for himself. For the sellers, understanding the custom, put forth all kinds of trumpery, and whatever, being useless and ridiculous, they have been unable to sell throughout the year they now sell as an Exmas gift. And though the Niatirbians profess themselves to lack sufficient necessary things, such as metal, leather, wood and paper, yet an incredible quantity of these things is wasted every year, being made into the gifts.

But during these fifty days the oldest, poorest, and most miserable of the citizens put on false beards and red robes and walk about the market-place; being disguised (in my opinion) as Cronos. And the sellers of gifts no less than the purchaser’s become pale and weary, because of the crowds and the fog, so that any man who came into a Niatirbian city at this season would think some great public calamity had fallen on Niatirb. This fifty days of preparation is called in their barbarian speech the Exmas Rush.

But when the day of the festival comes, then most of the citizens, being exhausted with the Rush, lie in bed till noon. But in the evening they eat five times as much supper as on other days and, crowning themselves with crowns of paper, they become intoxicated. And on the day after Exmas they are very grave, being internally disordered by the supper and the drinking and reckoning how much they have spent on gifts and on the wine. For wine is so dear among the Niatirbians that a man must swallow the worth of a talent before he is well intoxicated.

Such, then, are their customs about the Exmas. But the few among the Niatirbians have also a festival, separate and to themselves, called Crissmas, which is on the same day as Exmas. And those who keep Crissmas, doing the opposite to the majority of the Niatirbians, rise early on that day with shining faces and go before sunrise to certain temples where they partake of a sacred feast. And in most of the temples they set out images of a fair woman with a new-born Child on her knees and certain animals and shepherds adoring the Child. (The reason of these images is given in a certain sacred story which I know but do not repeat.)

But I myself conversed with a priest in one of these temples and asked him why they kept Crissmas on the same day as Exmas; for it appeared to me inconvenient. But the priest replied, “It is not lawful, O stranger, for us to change the date of Chrissmas, but would that Zeus would put it into the minds of the Niatirbians to keep Exmas at some other time or not to keep it at all. For Exmas and the Rush distract the minds even of the few from sacred things. And we indeed are glad that men should make merry at Crissmas; but in Exmas there is no merriment left.” And when I asked him why they endured the Rush, he replied, “It is, O Stranger, a racket”; using (as I suppose) the words of some oracle and speaking unintelligibly to me (for a racket is an instrument which the barbarians use in a game called tennis).

But what Hecataeus says, that Exmas and Crissmas are the same, is not credible. For first, the pictures which are stamped on the Exmas-cards have nothing to do with the sacred story which the priests tell about Crissmas. And secondly, the most part of the Niatirbians, not believing the religion of the few, nevertheless send the gifts and cards and participate in the Rush and drink, wearing paper caps. But it is not likely that men, even being barbarians, should suffer so many and great things in honour of a god they do not believe in. And now, enough about Niatirb.

The Man and the Birds - by Paul Harvey

I can’t think of a better Christmas blessing than this story. It reminds me of what this whole thing is about. God Bless, and Merry Christmas! - Cliff




The Man and the Birds by Paul Harvey


The man to whom I'm going to introduce you was not a scrooge, he was a kind decent, mostly good man. Generous to his family, upright in his dealings with other men. But he just didn't believe all that incarnation stuff which the churches proclaim at Christmas Time. It just didn't make sense and he was too honest to pretend otherwise. He just couldn't swallow the Jesus Story, about God coming to Earth as a man. 


"I'm truly sorry to distress you," he told his wife, "but I'm not going with you to church this Christmas Eve." He said he'd feel like a hypocrite. That he'd much rather just stay at home, but that he would wait up for them. And so he stayed and they went to the midnight service. 


Shortly after the family drove away in the car, snow began to fall. He went to the window to watch the flurries getting heavier and heavier and then went back to his fireside chair and began to read his newspaper. Minutes later he was startled by a thudding sound...Then another, and then another. Sort of a thump or a thud...At first he thought someone must be throwing snowballs against his living room window. But when he went to the front door to investigate he found a flock of birds huddled miserably in the snow. They'd been caught in the storm and, in a desperate search for shelter, had tried to fly through his large landscape window. 


Well, he couldn't let the poor creatures lie there and freeze, so he remembered the barn where his children stabled their pony. That would provide a warm shelter, if he could direct the birds to it. Quickly he put on a coat, galoshes, tramped through the deepening snow to the barn. He opened the doors wide and turned on a light, but the birds did not come in. He figured food would entice them in. So he hurried back to the house, fetched bread crumbs, sprinkled them on the snow, making a trail to the yellow-lighted wide open doorway of the stable. But to his dismay, the birds ignored the bread crumbs, and continued to flap around helplessly in the snow. He tried catching them...He tried shooing them into the barn by walking around them waving his arms...Instead, they scattered in every direction, except into the warm, lighted barn. 


And then, he realized that they were afraid of him. To them, he reasoned, I am a strange and terrifying creature. If only I could think of some way to let them know that they can trust me...That I am not trying to hurt them, but to help them. But how? Because any move he made tended to frighten them, confuse them. They just would not follow. They would not be led or shooed because they feared him. 


"If only I could be a bird," he thought to himself, "and mingle with them and speak their language. Then I could tell them not to be afraid. Then I could show them the way to safe, warm...to the safe warm barn. But I would have to be one of them so they could see, and hear and understand." At that moment the church bells began to ring. The sound reached his ears above the sounds of the wind. And he stood there listening to the bells – Adeste Fideles(O Come, All Ye Faithful)- listening to the bells pealing the glad tidings of Christmas. And he sank to his knees in the snow.

What is God like? #11 - The Justice of God

The Justice of God


    I don't know about you, but I grew up with a high sense of justice. I was always concerned with things being fair. My poor mother, God bless her, had to endure many frustrating moments of refereeing to make sure that my brother and I had exactly the same amount of cake. I laugh about it now, but we were serious about things being fair, especially when it came to chocolate cake. Sad to say, I grew up with a great level of bitterness in my heart over the lot I had been handed in life. The effects of rejection, divorce and the constant shame of poverty led me to conclude that life is just not fair. So in college I decided that this pointed to a universe with no God in it. Just like the people in Ezekiel's day, I was crying out "the way of the Lord is not fair." In the midst of this spiritual turmoil I read a passage of the Bible that I really liked at the time. All of the rest of the Thee's and Thou's didn't make much sense to me at the time, but I really liked it when Jesus told the rich young ruler that  "it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God(Matt. 19:24).” It was the early morning hours after a late night , but I yelled out, "Yes!, That's the way to tell 'em, Jesus! Yes!" Of course, this was spoken out of the most bitter gall imaginable, but somehow I got something out of it. It was the beginning of the idea for me that God actually does see all of the junk that goes on on this seemingly God-forsaken dirt ball, and that He is not fooled one minute by whatever fake righteousness people put up to one another, and that the evil that goes on that people don't see, or just ignore, will eventually be dealt with. 


    Maybe you've felt like that, too. Maybe you've wondered, either secretly, or out loud, that the inmates are running the prison, that those who ought to be in jail are running it. That would pretty much make you...normal. Yep, just plain old normal. I think that to be a real honest person you have to deal with this issue somehow or go crazy. Of course, God has a great answer for those who are genuinely looking for an understanding of this dilemma.

    In the book of Isaiah, God asks the nation of Israel a question:
Is. 40:27      Why do you say, O Jacob,
     And speak, O Israel:
     “My way is hidden from the LORD,
     And my just claim is passed over by my God”?
Is. 40:28      Have you not known?
     Have you not heard?
     The everlasting God, the LORD,
     The Creator of the ends of the earth,
     Neither faints nor is weary.
     His understanding is unsearchable.
Is. 40:29      He gives power to the weak,
     And to those who have no might He increases strength.
Is. 40:30      Even the youths shall faint and be weary,
     And the young men shall utterly fall,
Is. 40:31      But those who wait on the LORD
     Shall renew their strength;
     They shall mount up with wings like eagles,
     They shall run and not be weary,
     They shall walk and not faint. 


    So here is God saying what is on all of our minds and hearts, namely, "What the heck is goin' on around here? Is anybody listening? Does anybody care what's goin' on here?" Incidentally, the answer is a resounding," I know what's goin' on here. I am listening, and yes, I absolutely care what's going on." Of course, there are plenty of clear answers to the question, "Can I trust God to be just, and to deal with things in a satisfactory manner?" 


    The great covenant document called the book of Deuteronomy says of God, "He is the Rock, his works are perfect, and all his ways are just. A faithful God who does no wrong, upright and just is he(Deut. 32:4)." And later in the prophetic book of Zephaniah, it says, " The LORD within her is righteous; he does no wrong. Morning by morning he dispenses his justice, and every new day he does not fail,(Zeph. 3:5). In the tiny prophetic book of Nahum it says "The LORD is slow to anger and great in power; the LORD will not leave the guilty unpunished. His way is in the whirlwind and the storm, and clouds are the dust of his feet(Nah. 1:3)."  Paul was convinced of God's justice when he said, " For he has set a day when he will judge the world with justice by the man he has appointed. He has given proof of this to all men by raising him from the dead(Acts 17:31).”


    So let's think this through. Could anyone rightfully call a God that either could not or would not judge a real God? While many have a problem with the exact way that He may judge, could it be that if God were not a righteous judge, He would not be able to be merciful, gracious and loving either? A good God that would not judge would be the equivalent of a great lion with no teeth or claws, impressive from a distance, but powerless to do anything. No, if you're going to worship a God that is real, then He's got to be able to deal with evil doers, ne'er-do-well's and crooks of all kinds. You need a Lion with real teeth and claws. For if you choose Santa Claus as your god, you will feel good until it's time to really deal with the real issues of life. 


    So when I am calling upon God to help me in my distress, as many have done throughout history, I am calling upon God as Judge, fully able to set things right by the unlimited power He holds and that perfect moral purity, wisdom and strength that He possesses. For only if He has made a clear judgement is He then able to be merciful, kind and loving.   

Merry War on Christmas! - Mark Steyn

I can’t wait to see what those courageous atheists come up with for Ramadan.

Christmas in America is a season of time-honored traditions — the sacred performance of the annual ACLU lawsuit over the presence of an insufficiently secular “holiday” tree; the ritual provocations of the atheist displays licensed by pitifully appeasing municipalities to sit between the menorah and the giant Frosty the Snowman; the familiar strains of every hack columnist’s “war on Christmas” column rolling off the keyboard as easily as Richard Clayderman playing “Winter Wonderland” . . .

This year has been a choice year. A crucified skeleton Santa Claus (see above) was erected as part of the “holiday” display outside the Loudoun County courthouse in Virginia — because, let’s face it, nothing cheers the hearts of moppets in the Old Dominion like telling them, “Yes, Virginia, there is a Santa Claus — and he’s hanging lifeless in the town square.” Alas, a week ago, some local burghers failed to get into the ecumenical spirit and decapitated him. Who are these killjoys? Christians intolerant of the First Amendment (as some have suggested)? Or perhaps a passing Saudi? Our friends in Riyadh only the other day beheaded Amina bin Salem (so to speak) Nasser for “sorcery,” and it would surely be grossly discriminatory not to have some Wahhabist holiday traditions on display in Loudoun County. (The Islamic Saudi Academy, after all, is one of the most prestigious educational institutions of neighboring Fairfax County.) Across the fruitcaked plain in California, the city of Santa Monica allocated permits for “holiday” displays at Palisades Park by means of lottery. Eighteen of the 21 slots went to atheists — for example, the slogan “37 million Americans know a myth when they see one” over portraits of Jesus, Santa, and Satan.(see below)

I don’t believe I’ve mentioned the city of Santa Monica in this space since my Christmas offering of 1998, when President Clinton was in the midst of difficulties arising from his mentoring of a certain intern. My column that year began:

“Operator, I’d like to call Santa Monica.”

“Why? Just ’cause he’s a little overweight?”



Crickets chirping? Ah, how soon they forget. Perhaps Santa Monica should adopt a less theocratic moniker and change its name to Satan Monica, as its interpretation of the separation of church and state seems to have evolved into expressions of public contempt for large numbers of the citizenry augmented by the traumatizing of their children. Boy, I can’t wait to see what those courageous atheists come up with for Ramadan. Or does that set their hearts aflutter quite as much?

One sympathizes, up to a point. As America degenerates from a land of laws to a land of legalisms, much of life is devoted to forestalling litigation. What’s less understandable is the faintheartedness of explicitly Christian institutions. Last year I chanced to see the e-mail exchanges between college administrators over the choice of that season’s Christmas card. I will spare their blushes, and identify the academy only as a Catholic college in New England. The thread began by asking the distribution list for “thoughts” on the proposed design. No baby, no manger, no star over Bethlehem, but a line drawing of a dove with a sprig of olive in its beak. Underneath the image was the following:

What is Christmas?
It is tenderness for the past, courage for the present, hope for the future.
It is a fervent wish that every cup may overflow with blessings rich and eternal,
and that every path may lead to peace.
Agnes M. Pharo

The Agnes M. Pharo? A writer of such eminence that even the otherwise open-to-all-comers Wikipedia has no entry for her. Still, as a purveyor of vacuous pap to America’s credentialed class for all-purpose cultural cringe, she’s hard to beat. One unfortunate soul on the distribution list wandered deplorably off message and enquired whether the text “is problematic because the answer to the question ‘What is Christmas?’ from a Catholic perspective is that it is the celebration of the birth of Christ.” Her colleague patiently responded that, not to worry, all this religious-type meaning was covered by the word “blessings.” No need to use any insufficiently inclusive language about births of Saviors and whatnot; we all get the cut of Agnes’s jib from the artfully amorphous “blessings.”

When an explicitly Catholic institution thinks that the meaning of Christmas is “tenderness for the past, vapid generalities for the present, evasive abstractions for the future,” it’s pretty much over. Suffering no such urge to self-abasement, Muslim students at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., recently filed a complaint over the lack of Islamic prayer rooms on the campus. They find it offensive to have to pray surrounded by Christian symbols such as crucifixes and paintings of distinguished theologians. True, this thought might have occurred to them before they applied to an institution called “Catholic University.” On the other hand, it’s surely not unreasonable for them to have expected Catholic University to muster no more than the nominal rump Christianity of that Catholic college in New England. Why wouldn’t you demand Muslim prayer rooms? As much as belligerent atheists, belligerent Muslims reckon that a decade or so hence “Catholic colleges” will be Catholic mainly in the sense that Istanbul’s Hagia Sophia is still a cathedral: That’s to say, it’s a museum, a heritage site for where once was a believing church. And who could object to the embalming of our inheritance? Christmas is all about “tenderness for the past,” right? When Christian college administrators are sending out cards saying “We believe in nothing,” why wouldn’t you take them at their word?

Which brings us back in this season of joy to the Republican presidential debates, the European debt crisis, and all the other fun stuff. The crisis afflicting the West is not primarily one of unsustainable debt and spending. These are mere symptoms of a deeper identity crisis. It is not necessary to be a believing Christian to be unnerved by the ease and speed with which we have cast off our inheritance and trampled it into the dust. When American municipalities are proudly displaying the execution of skeleton Santas and giant Satans on public property, it may just be a heartening exercise of the First Amendment, it may be a trivial example of the narcissism of moral frivolity. Or it could be a sign that eventually societies become too stupid to survive. The fellows building the post-Western world figure they know which it is.

— Mark Steyn, a National Review columnist, is the author of After America: Get Ready for Armageddon. © 2011 Mark Steyn

Kingdom Quotes - World Peace -Charles H. Spurgeon

World Concord

“And they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks: nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more”

—Isaiah 2:4

Oh, that these happy times were come! At present the nations are heavily armed and are inventing weapons more and more terrible, as if the chief end of man could only be answered by destroying myriads of his fellows. Yet peace will prevail one day; yes, and so prevail that the instruments of destruction shall be beaten into other shapes and used for better purposes.


How will this come about? By trade? By civilization? By arbitration? We do not believe it. Past experience forbids our trusting to means so feeble. Peace will be established only by the reign of the Prince of Peace. He must teach the people by His Spirit, renew their hearts by His grace, and reign over them by His supreme power, and then will they cease to wound and kill. Man is a monster when once his blood is up, and only the LORD Jesus can turn this lion into a lamb. By changing man’s heart, his bloodthirsty passions are removed. Let every reader of this book of promises offer special prayer today to the LORD and Giver of Peace that He would speedily put an end to war and establish concord over the whole world.

What is God like? #10 - God is Immutable

God is Immutable

    One of the great frustrations of daily life is the experience of having to deal with a person that is unstable, always going from one extreme to another, moody and inconsistent. I have always struggled with such persons, especially when they looked back at me in the mirror! We have, many of us, suffered at the hands of those who were our parents, friends, and spouses who just could not summon the moral strength or courage to stand with us or be there for us in our times of need. Claiming to be impartial or "not giving preferential treatment, " they become the relational equivalent of Switzerland in matters of the heart, family, or business. How many of us have had a boss or manager who would not give clear leadership and instruction, but then criticize when things were not done a certain, unspoken way? We have wandered, visionless and passionless behind people who are afraid to show enthusiasm or point in a clear direction. But these are mere mortals, aren't they? Made of the same dust as we are. They can't be perfect, even if they tried. And yet we still long for this consistency and moral strength. Where can we get it? From God, of course.
    God is not subject to the same foibles and weaknesses as we are. He is absolutely consistent in His character and strength of conviction. In short, He does not change. He is immutable, never changing. James, the Apostle and brother of Jesus, puts it this way, "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows." Another version uses the phrase, "in Him there is no shadow of turning." Numbers 23:19 says, "God is not a man, that he should lie, nor a son of man, that he should change his mind." "Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today, and forever(Heb. 13:8)."
    The real strength of the unchanging nature of God is that we can now begin to see how the various attributes of God play off of one another. So God is unchangingly loving, immutably merciful, and never lacking in faithfulness or power. We can therefore count on God to lift us up when we fall, and restore us to our right place in His plan for our lives because of the absolutely unchanging nature of His goodness, mercy and love. Romans 11:29 states as much, "for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable."

Tim Tebow and the American War on Religion - Trifecta(PJTV)

The Guys at Trifecta discuss Tim Tebow and faith in America

There is an excellent and provocative discussion about Tim Tebow and religious faith in our day. Well. go check it out: right here --->  http://www.pjtv.com/?cmd=mpg&mpid=105&load=6360! 

And it's GOOD! Tebow Cartoon

Tebow’s Religion, and Ours

His authenticity irks our secular, selfish culture.

When the Detroit Lions’ Stephen Tulloch sacked Tim Tebow in the first quarter of their week eight matchup, the linebacker immediately kneeled next to the prone Denver quarterback, in a mockery of Tebow’s habit of praying on-field, most recently seen after his miraculous fourth-quarter comeback against the Dolphins the week before.

The insult coincided with and reinforced the explosion of “Tebowing” as an Internet meme, complete with a Twitter account and web-site. There you can see an act of communion with one’s creator rendered as a bit of pop-cultural ephemera, and you can scroll through pictures of folks striking the pose everywhere from Oxford to Istanbul, with that muddle of irony and enthusiasm that has become my generation’s trademark.

But there isn’t an ironic bone in Tim Tebow’s body. That’s what makes him conspicuous. That’s what makes the fact that he’s managed to stay squeaky clean, in a sport that notoriously is not, conspicuous. And it’s why the power of Tebow’s evangelical-Christian faith, and the earnestness with which he professes it, seems to annoy so many people.

Indeed, even other religious quarterbacks have, in a friendly way, advised Tebow to tone down his religiosity to avoid turning fans off. Said former Super Bowl champion Kurt Warner, himself known to have led on-field prayers: “I’d tell him, ‘Put down the boldness in regards to the words, and keep living the way you’re living. Let your teammates do the talking for you. Let them cheer on your testimony.’” Likewise, when Packers QB Aaron Rodgers was asked about Tebow in the context of his own, more subdued avowals of his faith, he quoted Saint Francis of Assisi: “Preach the gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.”

It’s easy to understand why Tulloch, a mediocre middle-linebacker who was a fourth-round pick out of NC State, would want to take Tebow down a peg. For good and for ill, head games and intimidation are as much a part of football as tackling is (not to mention that Tebow has four inches and a pound on Tulloch, and is a talented enough athlete that he’d probably make a better defensive back).

But there is also something a bit nastier in Tulloch’s mockery, in the phenomenon of “Tebowing” as a whole, and in the criticisms by former players like ex–Broncos quarterback Jake Plummer, who said of Tebow, “when he accepts the fact that we know that he loves Jesus Christ, then I think I’ll like him a little better.”

So what is it that so many around football — players, pundits, fans — are so peeved about? Why has Tebow’s faith generated so much controversy and criticism in a sports-entertainment complex that is so filled with clichéd Jesus praise that, to quote Homer Simpson, you’d think God only helped professional athletes and Grammy winners?

I have a theory. Part of it is redirected anger at Tebow’s success, after the whole of the football smart-set had come to the seemingly bizarre conclusion that though he was clearly one of the ten or so best ever to play the position in the NCAA, Tebow had no shot in the NFL. Football doesn’t like to be wrong; they’re mad enough when surefire prospects turn into busts, but when surefire busts succeed, they’re livid. They don’t like to see a guy who winds up to throw passes like he’s pitching for the Yankees — and only occasionally sees them land anywhere near their intended target — marching down the field in the fourth quarter.

But the greater part of it has to do with the curious double standard that seems to be in place when it comes to an athlete’s religiosity. With very few exceptions — Mariano Rivera comes to mind, as well as Curt Schilling, and post-“Prime Time” Deion Sanders — athletes’ professions of faith strike most believers, nonbelievers, and agnostics alike as empty ritual, an extended solipsism in which big men with bigger egos congratulate themselves for having God on their side. How could it be otherwise? We see that in fact so many of them are supremely arrogant — materialists, abusers, and lechers. We’ve become cynical and secular enough as a society that this dissonance doesn’t bother most people. The hypocrisy is actually sort of comforting, a confirmation that that old hokum in the Bible has no bearing on the world as it actually is. It’s the same sort of glee you see from some when Christian politicians and ministers are felled by all-too-human moral — especially sexual — foibles.

By contrast, Tebow is the last Boy Scout. A leader on the field and off who spent his college years not indulging in any of the worldly pleasures afforded to Heisman Trophy winners, but doing missionary work in Thailand; helping overworked doctors perform circumcisions in the Philippines (you read that right); and preaching at schools, churches, and even prisons. This is a young man with such a strong work ethic that, according to teammates, he can’t even be coaxed into hitting the town on a night after a Broncos win, because he is too busy preparing for the next week’s game. This is a young man who even turned the other cheek at Stephen Tulloch’s Tebowing, saying, “He was probably just having fun and was excited he made a good play and had a sack. And good for him.”

That’s way too much earnestness for the ironic. It’s way too much idealism for the cynical. And it’s way too much selflessness for the self-absorbed. In short, people aren’t upset at Tebow’s God talk. They’re upset that he might actually believe it.

— Daniel Foster is news editor of National Review Online.
via NRO

Has Mitt Romney become a climate-change skeptic?

Has Mitt Romney become a climate-change skeptic?
The GOP presidential frontrunner always said that man-made pollution played a role in global warming. Has he suddenly changed his mind?


GOP presidential frontrunner Mitt Romney's climate change beliefs have been called into question after he told a Republican audience that "we don't know" what's causing our planet to heat up.
Once again, Mitt Romney is being accused of flip-flopping. As governor of Massachusetts, and later as a 2008 GOP presidential candidate, the Republican said he believed that man-made pollution was contributing to a planetary warming trend. But on the campaign trail last week, Romney seemed to soften that stance, saying that "we don't know what's causing climate change," and "the idea of spending trillions and trillions of dollars to try to reduce CO2 emissions is not the right course for us." Has Romney decided that the scientific consensus on climate change is wrong?

Romney has slowly morphed into a climate-change denier: Many people now say that "Romney has flipped on climate change," says Josh Petri at Talking Points Memo. But he didn't do it overnight. The change over the last several months has been almost imperceptible. Before he hit the campaign trail in earnest, Romney said people were at least partly responsible for climate change. By August, he was sidestepping the issue, saying "he's no scientist." And now, Romney's view is that "we don't know" the cause. As flip-flops go, it's a "very slow" one.
"Romney's very slow flip-flop on climate change"

This is not a big change: Sure, in these latest comments, Romney didn't "specifically mention that he believed humans are partially responsible for climate change," says Katrina Trinko in National Review. But that doesn't mean he's renounced that view. Romney has always "been careful to stress how little is known about what causes climate change and how he himself is uncertain over how much of it is caused by humans." Doesn't sound like much has changed.
"Romney and climate change"

Romney's position remains "squishy": Romney might be trying to sound less "reasonable" to win over conservative climate-change deniers, says Kate Sheppard at Mother Jones. But the truth is that he has "been squishy on climate [change] for a long time." His line about how the science isn't clear is a dog whistle that tells global warming deniers that Romney is on their side. That's Mitt's trademark: "He says things that sound vaguely reasonable," then "when it comes time to actually take action, he jumps ship."
"Sorry guys, Mitt has always been squishy on climate"
via: The Week

Which Mitt Romney Will You Be For Halloween?

Columbia, SC — Are you having a hard time deciding who to be for Halloween? Why not go as Mitt Romney? Like the “Man of a Thousand Faces,” Mitt is the Man of a Thousand Positions.
Pick one, dress up as Mitt, and you are guaranteed that no two Mitt costumes will be the same.
South Carolina Democratic Chairman, Dick Harpootlian, released the following statement in response to the newest SCDP video:
“Mitt Romney looks in the mirror every morning and sees a stranger. Pro-choice Mitt wouldn’t recognize Pro-life Mitt,” Harpootlian said.
“Universal Healthcare Mitt would run from Anti Healthcare Mitt like Jamie Lee Curtis did from the Halloween slasher. Republicans are welcoming Mitt in South Carolina today, we just wonder which one will show up.”
Which Mitt Romney will you be for Halloween?

(This is just a first showing of how vulnerable Mitt Romney is in the general election. Should we be looking for another choice? Yes! Uh, I mean...No! Uh, well, what I meant to say was, uh...)

Kingdom Quotes: A Defeated Enemy by Henry Blackaby

A Defeated Enemy

Having disarmed principalities and powers, He made a public spectacle of them, triumphing over them in it.

Colossians 2:15

Christians are not called to defeat Satan. God has already done that in Christ! Nor is it our mandate to “bind” Satan. Jesus has already set limits on the extent and duration of Satan’s freedom. Satan, “our ancient foe,” was decisively and completely defeated by Christ’s sacrifice on the cross and in His resurrection. With regard to Satan, our assignment is to trust in the victory that Christ already achieved and daily resist him with the truth of his defeat, as Jesus did.

Satan is the father of lies and a master deceiver (John 8:44). If he can convince you that God has not defeated him, then you will not experience Jesus’ victory. You will find yourself fighting battles that Christ has already won! You will fear Satan though he has already been utterly and humiliatingly defeated. Your responsibility is to resist Satan, and he will flee from you (James 4:7). When you resist him, you are acknowledging that Jesus has defeated him and given you victory over his influence. God has provided you with spiritual armor that is more than sufficient to withstand any assault by Satan (Eph. 6:10-20).

Christians can become preoccupied with battling Satan. This deceives them to invest their time and energy attempting to do something that Christ has already done for them. If Satan can divert you to wage a warfare that has already ended in surrender, he will have eliminated your effectiveness where God wants you. Fearing Satan is fearing a prisoner of war. You have no need or calling to defeat Satan; you need only to apply Christ’s victory in every area of your life and to live the victorious Christian life.

From Holocaust to Hope - the 180 movie

America in Decline by Bill O'Reilly

According to a new poll by The Hill newspaper, 69 percent of Americans now believe the USA is in "decline." In addition, a whopping 83 percent indicate they are worried about America's future.

Very sobering. So what's going on?

If you study history, you know that America was built on self-reliance and personal achievement. In the early years of the Republic, the federal and state governments pretty much stayed out of the way as folks built businesses and communities. There were absolutely no public safety nets. If you failed, it was up to you to survive.

Because of that circumstance, the citizens of America became strong. The motto "Don't Tread On Me" was absolutely appropriate. Hardship was accepted as a part of life. Self-sacrifice for the good of others was the order of the day. Cowardice and narcissism were condemned everywhere.

And so the world's greatest and strongest country was built. Not by pinheaded bureaucrats, but by the blood and sacrifice of hardworking folks. Each generation had strong role models to follow. There were rules of conduct, and there was a dominant Judeo-Christian signpost. As Superman well knew, it was "truth, justice and the American way."

But things have changed.

The collapse of tradition began in the late 1960s when the Vietnam War raged. For the first time, Americans could see the horrors of combat in their living rooms. And that war was largely undefined, especially for younger people. What the heck was the USA doing in Southeast Asia? Why were young men being drafted into a conflict few understood? In order to win any war, you need dynamic leadership. President Lyndon Johnson failed to provide it.

Out went the baby with the bath water. In came drugs, free love and a suspicion of authority. No longer was the United States a noble nation in the eyes of many of its own citizens who began to see their country as an oppressor.

America became a divided nation. Traditions eroded quickly, as many people began doing their "own thing." No longer was there a widely accepted code of conduct.

Self-reliance remained the key to success in our capitalistic system, but for those who declined to compete, the federal government stepped in to lend support. As the family structure collapsed, entitlements became more common, as children and single mothers had to be supported. The vexing issues of racial inequality and persistent poverty brought about ultra-expensive social engineering. Liberal Americans looked to the Western European model of cradle-to-grave support as a panacea for "income inequality." The view that Washington has a moral obligation to provide a decent lifestyle for everyone took root.

That philosophy, currently embraced by President Obama, has led to massive debt, which, in turn, has created chaos in the private marketplace. In this world, a strong economic base is the foundation of power. America has lost that base.

And so, once again, the folks are right. The United States is in decline. And only we the people can reverse that. We have to depend on ourselves.

via: Townhall - (pssst...I added the cartoons. - Cliff)

Wow: George Will Savages Mitt Romney - by Guy Benson

Politico lands a sneak preview of George F. Will's weekend column, and leaks out a single, powerful paragraph.  Suffice it to say that Will -- a card-carrying member of the elite Beltway conservative establishment -- has a very, very low opinion of Mitt Romney as the possible GOP presidential nominee.  Brutal:

Romney, supposedly the Republican most electable next November, is a recidivist reviser of his principles who is not only becoming less electable, he might damage GOP chances of capturing the Senate: Republican successes down the ticket will depend on the energies of the tea party and other conservatives, who will be deflated by a nominee whose blurry profile in caution communicates only calculated trimming. Republicans may have found their Michael Dukakis, a technocratic Massachusetts governor who takes his bearings from ‘data’ ... Has conservatism come so far, surmounting so many obstacles, to settle, at a moment of economic crisis, for THIS?

Using ALL CAPS to drive home a point is an abused play in the blogosphere, but it is rarely, if ever, employed by the staid Washington Post columnist.  Couple that abberation with his Dukakis comparison, and it's pretty clear that Will's disaste for Romney is unusually visceral.  We'll have to wait until Sunday to see if Will uses the balance of his column to promote another candidate, but his scathing assessment of Romney is newsworthy enough to merit its own discussion.  The Examinerpoints out that a key ingredient to Romney's steady momentum is widespread ignorance among Republican voters about his signature Massachusetts healthcare law:

Among those Republicans who actually expressed an opinion on Romneycare, the results weren't even close: 23 percent said they had an unfavorable view of the law, compared with just 3 percent who had a positive view. That's a nearly 8 to 1 margin of opposition to the law that was Romney's signature legislative accomplishment as governor. What's working to Romney's advantage, however, is that a whopping 70 percent of Republicans surveyed said they didn't know enough about the law to have an opinion. (Among all Americans, it was even higher at 76 percent.)

As I've written on numerous occasions, MassCare is a gaping chink in Romney's formidable electoral armor, yet few of his Republican opponents have even attempted to vigorously exploit it.  It's baffling.  According to recent polls, the former Massachusetts Governor leads in the first five primary and caucus states.  If someone really to separate himself from the pack and emerge Romney's top challenger, mounting a relentless voter education campaign on Romneycare could go a long way to overturning the apple cart.  But that would involve a lot more than lobbing in an ad or two, or briefly raising the issue in debates.  The 'anti-Romney' must become as acquainted with the details of the healthcare law as Romney is, and fashion very specific and detailed critiques.  He must be prepared to puncture Romney's slick four-point response and effectively articulate why this issue matters.  Is anyone up to that challenge?

UPDATE - The same healthcare poll shows Obamacare plummeting to an all-time low in public support:

Only 34% of Americans now support Obamacare, according to the latest Kaiser Family Foundation monthly tracking poll. The previous low was 39% back in August of this year. The law's popularity peaked at 50% in July of 2010. A bare majority, 51%, now have an unfavorable view of the law, the highest percentage ever.

I wonder if this has anything to do with the public's continued loss of confidence.  Democrats aren't worried, though.  They'll just ban the term "Obamacare," blame everything on the "Republican Congress," and everything will be just fine.  Party of ideas.

via: Townhall

Common Threads between Islam and Mormonism - Michael Youssef

A number of years ago, I was on Larry King Live and was asked point blank if I had a problem with the appointments of Justices Roberts and Alito (both areRoman Catholics). My answer was very clear that I did not, as long as they shared my own conviction of upholding the Constitution — not trying to rewrite it — and as long as they were committed to the biblical values of the Founding Fathers. I was certain that both men were.

Many people today are quoting a statement reputedly made by Martin Luther, the great reformer, that he “would rather be ruled by a competent Turk (a Muslim) than an incompetent Christian.” First of all, there is no evidence whatsoever that Martin Luther ever said these words. But even if he did say them, it would have been a gross exaggeration used to make a point. He never lived under a Muslim ruler and did not know what that would be like. But I did. And I can tell you, there is no such thing as choosing between Muslim and non-Muslim leaders under Islam.

In America, we have the great privilege of choosing candidates based on our core values, rather than how they identify with our theological point of view.

In looking at some of the candidates for the 2012 election, one cannot help but notice the controversies that have arisen regarding the Mormon religion. As I considered Luther’s quote and the concerns regarding electing a Mormon president, I noticed some peculiar similarities between the Mormon faith and Islam as they relate to orthodox Christianity.

It's hard to believe that two religions that are worlds apart geographically have so many things in common. Here are some examples:

1. Both believe that Christianity was corrupt and incomplete until their respective founders came on the scene. For Islam, it was Muhammad; for Mormons, it was Joseph Smith.

2. They both have their own book of “sacred scripture.” While both tip their hats to the Bible, each see God’s Word as insufficient by itself. Both Islam and Mormonism use many biblical themes, narratives and personalities. But the Qur’an draws heavily from the apocryphal books rather than the authoritative cannon of the Bible.

3. In both cases, Islam and Mormonism see their religion as complete within itself. Above all, both repudiate biblical Christianity and identify orthodox Christianity as a false faith.

4. Both religions reject the doctrine of the Trinity. The Mormon’s concept of god includes many gods, not just one. Muslims view god as one, but as an aloof, remote god who could never become a man or relate to humanity. Allah can have mercy if he wants to, but he is also a cunning god.

5. Both religions reject the Bible as the sole and sufficient authority of faith. For Mormons, the Book of Mormon and other writings of the Latter Day Saints represent God’s final revelation. For Muslims, the Qur’an and the Sunna (traditions of Muhammad) constitute God’s final authoritative word.

6. They both reject the biblical teaching of original sin. Muslims believe Adam did not become completely depraved after disobeying God; he merely slipped but quickly recovered. Therefore to Muslims, humanity does not need redemption. Salvation in Islam is very uncertain, even when keeping the Five Tenants of Islam; although some teach that jihad will help in that quest for salvation. Mormons believe that they are not condemned by what many call “original sin.” In other words, they are not accountable for Adam’s transgression in the Garden of Eden.

Here are two questions Christians must ask when considering political candidates:

First, has the candidate been consistent in his/her political and moral values, or is he/she pandering? Second, has the candidate upheld their philosophical convictions throughout their public and private life, or did they change their political convictions to suit their audience?

All believers need to be good stewards and spend time in deep prayer before exercising their right to vote. God will give us wisdom so that we will not be persuaded by the slickest and the cleverest. We can trust Him to help us choose those who have proven core values.

Tea Party or Occupy Wall Street?

Christians Need Not Apply - by David Cortman

How exactly do we move from a nation whose founders and first public servants included many Christians, to a place where Christians are no longer fit to participate in public life? Because if the “Freedom From Religion Foundation” (FFRF) has their way, that’s exactly what our country will look like.

Let’s take a recent example. A school district in Texas implements a “character initiative” program for its students and decides to include an assembly on that same topic. Sounds pretty good so far, so what is the problem? Of all the people that it could possibly invite to speak, whom does it choose? A Christian group called “The Seven Project.”

This is nothing less than a constitutional crisis, according to the FFRF.

How could Christians possibly have anything relevant to say about character? And by the way, this objection is not even about the assembly itself being religious, the school district ensured that it would not be. The objection, as expressed in FFRF’s own words, is: “regardless of the motives of the presenters, allowing a Christian organization access to your student body gives the appearance that Northwest IDS endorses the program’s message.” But if the program has a secular message of character development, where is the objection?

Ok, let’s try again. The FFRF goes on to say that “it would have taken only a cursory glance at the Seven Project’s website to verify its religious agenda.” Now we got it. Because the group is Christian, they should be automatically disqualified from ever presenting at any school. After all, if they identify as a Christian organization, and have a Christian agenda, it must be unconstitutional to allow them to speak.

Or is the FFRF turning the constitution on its head? Is it permissible to disqualify someone from public service simply because of their faith? Not a chance. This idea is so radical, so distorted, that there have been few cases that even discuss the concept. One was heard by the Supreme Court several decades ago.

You see, in Tennessee there was a law that prohibited ministers of the Gospel from serving as delegates. Sound like a familiar theme? The Court had no problem striking down the law as unconstitutional and stating that the prohibition “effectively penalizes the free exercise of constitutional liberties.” So too does FFRF’s request.

With no evidence of any impropriety, FFRF demands that the school disinvite the Seven Project from speaking at the assembly merely because they are a religious group. But what would the FFRF say if a school refused to invite an atheist to speak on character just because they were atheist? Yep, they’d be crying that it was a constitutional violation. Can anyone say double standard?

FFRF is one of the most far-left radical groups in our country, and one of the most aggressive religious censors. They send out threatening letters to schools across the country on a regular basis. They wish to impose their (religious) atheistic views on the rest of us, while crying foul anytime a Christian worldview – or even a Christian – is involved. Their lack of “tolerance” and lack of attention to the actual facts of many situations exposes their true agenda – as stated in their own words – “Imagine no religion.”

David Cortman
David Cortman serves as senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund at its Atlanta Regional Service Center in Georgia, where he heads litigation efforts to defend and reclaim the First Amendment rights of public school students across the nation. Cortman joined ADF in 2005, and is admitted to the bar in Georgia, Florida, and the District of Columbia. He has practiced law since 1996 and graduated magna cum laude from the Regent University School of Law, where he earned his J.D.

via townhall.com

Sing us a song of flip-flops, Mitty! (cartoons)

How Can Joel Osteen Say Mormons Are Christians? - Dr. Albert Mohler

How Can Joel Osteen Say Mormons Are Christians?

9:37AM EDT 10/27/2011 DR. ALBERT MOHLER

Joel Osteen (AP Images/Pat Sullivan)

Here we go again. Joel Osteen is in the news once again, this time for saying that Mormonism is just another form of Christianity. Osteen, pastor of “America’s largest church,” as the media repeats over and over, was speaking to The Washington Times in an interview that covered a variety of issues. It was the quintessential Joel on display.

Speaking to the newspaper on Monday, Osteen said, “I see faith in America at an all-time high.” His comments came just as a major research project detailed a significant loss of vitality in America’s Christian congregations. That loss of vitality can be traced, among other things, to a loss of theological and biblical conviction. Joel, of course, is proof positive that you can build a crowd without building a church. He is not inclined to deal in much theological conviction.

In the interview, he distilled his message in these words: “Part of our core message is that seasons change, and when you believe, if you don’t get bitter, and you don’t get discouraged, you may not change overnight, but you can get peace.”

He also told the newspaper: “People need to be reminded that every day is a gift from God, and bloom where you’re planted and be happy where you are, and to make that choice to get up every day and be grateful.”

That message includes some truth, of course—but it doesn’t even come close to the gospel of Jesus Christ. Hell will be filled with people who bloomed where they were planted.

On Mormonism, Joel said:

“I believe that [Mormons] are Christians. ... I don’t know if it’s the purest form of Christianity, like I grew up with. But you know what, I know Mormons. I hear Mitt Romney—and I’ve never met him—but I hear him say, ‘I believe Jesus is the Son of God,’ ‘I believe he’s my Savior,’ and that’s one of the core issues.

“I’m sure there are other issues that we don’t agree on. But you know, I can say that the Baptists and the Methodists and the Catholics don’t all agree on everything. So that would be my take on it.”

Osteen just stated his belief that Mormons are Christians. He then expressed the thought that Mormonism “might not be the purest form of Christianity, like I grew up with,” but he affirmed Mormon statements that Jesus is the Son of God and that He is Savior.

Evaluating Osteen’s boyhood understanding of Christianity would be a project unto itself, given the shifting theology of his preacher father, the late John Osteen.

The main point of concern in Joel’s latest comment is the lack of any biblical standard of judgment and the total abdication of theological responsibility. He relegates doctrinal disagreements between Christians and Mormons to the status of theological debates between Protestant denominations and then includes Roman Catholicism. There are plenty of issues there, and the issues are not the same when comparing Baptists to Methodists, on the one hand, and Protestants and Roman Catholics, on the other. Comparing any form of Trinitarian orthodoxy with Mormonism is another class of question altogether.

Joel reminded the paper’s staff that he has never attended seminary. This is true, of course, but there are thousands of preachers who never had the opportunity to attend seminary who have a sufficient grasp of and commitment to biblical truth that would prevent such carelessness.

By now, it is clear that Joel Osteen’s carelessness is deliberate and calculated. This is not the first time that he has encountered the question of Mormonism. Back in 2007, he told Chris Wallace of FOX News that Mormons are indeed Christians:

“Well, in my mind they are. Mitt Romney has said that he believes in Christ as his Savior, and that’s what I believe, so, you know, I’m not the one to judge the little details of it. So I believe they are.”

The little details of it? Mormonism does not differ from historic biblical Christianity in only the “little details,” and a faithful Mormon would be the first to point this out. Mormonism begins with a plurality of gods, not with the monotheism of the Bible. Jesus Christ is an exalted man—not the incarnate Word. The list of categorical doctrinal differences continues throughout the entire belief system.

The very essence of Mormonism is the claim that historic Christianity is fundamentally in error, and that true Christianity did not exist on earth from the time of the Apostles until Joseph Smith. Mormonism can hardly be charged with hiding their movement’s teachings—the Book of Mormonand the other fundamental texts of the Latter-day Saints are published in plain sight.

In a remarkable exchange with Chris Wallace, Osteen muddied the waters further:

WALLACE: So, for instance, when people start talking about Joseph Smith, the founder of the church, and the golden tablets in upstate New York, and God assumes the shape of a man, do you not get hung up in those theological issues?

OSTEEN: I probably don’t get hung up in them because I haven’t really studied them or thought about them. And you know, I just try to let God be the judge of that. I mean, I don’t know.

Here we face a fundamental dilemma. When Joel Osteen hears a summary of Mormon belief that mentions God assuming “the shape of a man,” does he lack the theological discernment to hear how that differs from biblical Christianity, or does it not concern him? In other words, does Joel not know, or does Joel not care?

In the end, we have to conclude that he does not care enough to know, and that is the greater tragedy for a Christian minister. He doesn’t “get hung up” on doctrinal issues, nor has he “really studied them or thought about them.” His own words indict him.

Evangelical Christians are going to face many questions in this season, and the question of Mormonism is now front and center. It will call upon all of us to do what Joel Osteen proudly has not done—to study and think about these issues. In this political moment, we will have to think carefully and act judiciously without confusing the theological questions. We will need the full wealth of Christian conviction.

We will also need deep doctrinal discernment mixed with urgent spiritual concern. The Latter-day Saints include some of the most wonderful and kind people we will ever meet. They put a great emphasis on character and on the moral values of our common concern. They talk freely and passionately about their own beliefs, including their beliefs concerning Jesus Christ. Furthermore, they put action behind their commitments, sending their young people on mission and fueling a worldwide movement that remains one of the fastest-growing on the planet.

But their beliefs concerning Jesus Christ are not those of historic Christianity, and their understanding of salvation differs radically from the message of the New Testament. It is the responsibility of every Christian—and most certainly every Christian minister—to know this.

Joel Osteen told The Washington Times that he is constantly “looking for new ways to influence the culture.” Our culture admires those with low theological commitment and high emphasis on attitude. In Joel Osteen’s case, it is the secular culture that has influenced the minister, and not the minister that is influencing the culture.