<?xml version='1.0' encoding='UTF-8'?><feed xmlns='http://www.w3.org/2005/Atom' xmlns:openSearch='http://a9.com/-/spec/opensearchrss/1.0/'><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34048164</id><updated>2007-10-17T20:47:59.989-05:00</updated><title type='text'>America: A Call to Greatness</title><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.greatness.com/blog/'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default'/><link rel='http://schemas.google.com/g/2005#feed' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.greatness.com/atom.xml'/><author><name>John Chalfant</name></author><generator version='7.00' uri='http://www.blogger.com'>Blogger</generator><openSearch:totalResults>9</openSearch:totalResults><openSearch:startIndex>1</openSearch:startIndex><openSearch:itemsPerPage>25</openSearch:itemsPerPage><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34048164.post-116339876304629999</id><published>2006-11-12T23:17:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-11-14T15:11:12.506-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Homosexual Marriage - Why God's Curse?</title><content type='html'>There is much heated commentary in all of the media as to the merits of legislation that legalizes homosexual and lesbian marriage. Of special interest are the commentators who host talk show forums, and their callers; special interest because they conspicuously avoid using the only foundation for any position of authority - God our Creator, the Author of marriage between (which He restricted to) a man and a woman.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Marriage between a man and a woman was purposed by God from the beginning in which He commanded, &lt;em&gt;...Be fruitful and multiply ,...(Gen. 1:22). He formed it (the earth) to be inhabited (Isaiah 45:18).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The very foundation of America's God-given freedoms is the family institution, which would perish if people were unable to propagate...an impossibility for homosexuals and lesbians.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our political freedom is not free. It is a product of obedience to God. Such obedience must be our highest priority in life: &lt;em&gt;Fear God, and keep his commandments; for this is the whole duty of man(Eccl. 12:13). I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land... (Deut 30:16).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;It is also impossible for homosexuals and lesbians to obey God. He is not frivilous or arbitrary. God did not create some men and women for marriage, and mandate our obedience as the imperative for His blessings; at the same time creating others contrary to His stated purpose, thus rendering such obedience in the realm of procreation impossible. In fact, God is so repulsed by homosexuals and lesbians that throughout both Testaments he terms them &lt;em&gt;abomination.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;For a detailed commentary and numerous Bible references, see my September 16 blog titled "God's Position On Homosexuals and Lesbians". Also, there are many references throughout the book &lt;em&gt;America - A Call To Greatness".&lt;/em&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.greatness.com/blog/2006/11/homosexual-marriage-why-gods-curse.html' title='Homosexual Marriage - Why God&apos;s Curse?'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34048164&amp;postID=116339876304629999&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.greatness.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/116339876304629999'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/116339876304629999'/><author><name>John Chalfant</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34048164.post-116172835276633187</id><published>2006-10-24T16:38:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-24T20:00:43.370-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Frontline Organizations</title><content type='html'>These days, almost everybody is urgently asking, "What can I do?", as they watch our God-given freedoms vanishing or in obvious mortal danger. If we let those freedoms slip away the inheritance we will leave to our loved ones could be horrible beyond our imagination. Many Christians are willing to "let it happen" because they believe we are living in the "last days" of the biblical "end times". Others would gladly go all-out to do SOMETHING, if only they knew where to turn and what to do.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is an answer to this common dilemma. It is set forth in the book &lt;em&gt;America - A &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;Call To Greatness &lt;/em&gt; pgs 213-226. Many frontline organizations are listed together with profiles on their leadership, fighting abilities, and track records. They extend from America's top Christian/conservative youth leadership training center, to her leading Constitutional law firms, to her unmatched pro-national defense organizations. All are engaged in the thick of the battles for our freedoms. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Fact is, we do not have to turn to the pages of history to find America's greatest heroes. They're alive and on the front lines in every theatre of the spiritual,&lt;br /&gt;ideological and political battles of the times and the hour. You can help them. They can help you. &lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.greatness.com/blog/2006/10/frontline-organizations.html' title='Frontline Organizations'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34048164&amp;postID=116172835276633187&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.greatness.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/116172835276633187'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/116172835276633187'/><author><name>John Chalfant</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34048164.post-115987694826716505</id><published>2006-10-03T07:02:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-03T08:08:39.056-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Islamic Terrorism - The Antidote</title><content type='html'>This presentation is based upon the preceeding 2-part series, &lt;em&gt;Islamic Terrorism - A Christian&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;Perspective.&lt;/em&gt; If you carefully read them, and the alarming referenced web site www.thereligionofpeace.com, you will understandably be asking the ultimate question: Can they be stopped, and if so, how? Is our hope in the sudden emergence of a great political leader?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The answer lies in these direct, to the point words of Jesus Christ from John 15:5:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;...&lt;em&gt;without me ye can do nothing.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;We established that the essence of the battle with the Islamic fundamentalists is spiritual. Therefore man by himself, without the intervening aid of our Creator, the Author of our liberties, cannot prevail against the intensly focused attacks of the evil Islamic merchants of death.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places (Eph: 6:12).&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Surely the Islamic merchants of death are the arch enemy of the Lord Jesus Christ, the Author of life and liberty, the true Founder, through the Fathers, of our American Constitutional Republic. &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Reference extensive discourse and proof in the book AMERICA - A CALL TO GREATNESS.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What must we do if we are to pass to our children an inheritance of life, liberty and (the right to) the pursuit of happiness?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;We must stop mocking the Lord&lt;/strong&gt; through travesties and abominations such as abortion, homosexuality, pornography, a debased anti-Christian/anti-God educational system ruinous to the minds of our sacred trust- our children; and we must stop the attacks upon, and breakdown of, our God-given U.S. Constitution and Republic.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The list of direct mockeries of God and against Christ Himself is extensive and growing. &lt;em&gt;Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap &lt;/em&gt;(Gal. 6:7)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;The essence of every freedom-related issue today is addressed in the Bible&lt;/strong&gt;. Contrary to propaganda, the Bible's truths do NOT change&lt;em&gt;&lt;strong&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt; Heaven and earth shall pass away, but his truth&lt;/em&gt; (the word of the Lord) &lt;em&gt;endureth to &lt;strong&gt;all&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;/em&gt;generations (Mat. 24:35 &amp; Ps 100:5) . That is, times change. Circumstances change. But our Creator's laws of liberty and righteousness never change.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;A brief review of a few biblical fundamentals&lt;/strong&gt; central to a Christian's faith: &lt;strong&gt;What is truth?&lt;/strong&gt; Jesus proclaimed&lt;strong&gt;:&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt; I am the way, the truth, and the life:...&lt;/em&gt;(John 14:6). &lt;em&gt;Thy law is truth&lt;/em&gt;...(Psalm 119:142). &lt;strong&gt;Who originated the Law&lt;/strong&gt;? &lt;em&gt;The Lord is&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;our lawgiver&lt;/em&gt; (Isaiah 33:22). &lt;em&gt;Thy commandments are truth&lt;/em&gt; (Ps 119:151) . &lt;em&gt;Thy Word is truth...(&lt;/em&gt;John 17:17); &lt;strong&gt;What, or who, is the Word&lt;/strong&gt;? &lt;em&gt;In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;with God, and the Word &lt;/em&gt;(Christ)&lt;em&gt; was God&lt;/em&gt; (John 1:1). &lt;em&gt;And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;full of grace and truth &lt;/em&gt;(John 1:14). &lt;em&gt;Thy Spirit is truth &lt;/em&gt;(1 John 5:6). &lt;strong&gt;How does the Spirit relate to God the Father, and to Christ, His Son?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;For there are three that bear record&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;in heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy Ghost&lt;/em&gt;:&lt;em&gt; and these three are one&lt;/em&gt; (1 John 5:7). &lt;em&gt;I and my Father are one &lt;/em&gt;(John 10:30). &lt;strong&gt;How much power does Christ have?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;em&gt;All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth&lt;/em&gt; (Mat. 28:18).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Could God even at this late hour save America?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Yes, but there are conditions: Inasmuch as 85% of the American people claim to be Christians, the answer to the relentless, increasing Islamic fundamentalist terrorist assaults is in our recognition and acknowledgement that Jesus Christ is the Author of our liberty. &lt;em&gt;Where the&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty&lt;/em&gt; (II Cor. 3:17), and in our commitment to obedience to God: &lt;em&gt;I command thee this day to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land &lt;/em&gt;(Deut. 30:16).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;God's greatest gift to us is volition&lt;/strong&gt;, that is, the right to choose blessings or consequences. For example, in Deuteronomy 30:19 the Lord declares: &lt;em&gt;I set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: choose life, that you and your children may live.&lt;/em&gt; Here God expresses His will for us, but there is a price: As the Author of the laws of liberty, He commands us to live diligently by them, which means that we must &lt;em&gt;Put on the whole armour of God...&lt;/em&gt;(Eph.6:11),&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;define the evil death-dealing destroyers of our freedoms and do what is necessary to prevail against them. The Lord again describes their nature: &lt;em&gt;"...your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour:...&lt;/em&gt;(1 Peter 5:8).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From Genesis through Revelation the Lord exhorts us to be ever vigilant in the defense of our priceless God-given freedoms...whatever the cost...and &lt;strong&gt;be ever mindful of our responsibilities to&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;our children and future generations&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;em&gt;Preach the word; be instant in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine &lt;/em&gt;(II Tim. 4:1,2). As the apostle Paul wrote to Timothy: &lt;em&gt;O Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust...&lt;/em&gt;(1 Tim 6:20).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In the two-parts series, &lt;em&gt;Islamic Terrorism&lt;/em&gt; - &lt;em&gt;A Christian perspective,&lt;/em&gt; we noted that America was born in the pulpits. &lt;strong&gt;America - A Call To Greatness&lt;/strong&gt; contains a treasury of quotes by the Founding Fathers who not only diligently sought the guidance and aid of Christ against seemingly impossible odds as they, with no organized, equipped army and no navy confronted the mightiest military force in the world. God honored their faith and commitment which resulted in their forming our American Constitutional Republic, which is our Christ-based bedrock of freedom. In fact, the &lt;strong&gt;Preamble to the 1783 Peace Treaty&lt;/strong&gt; between the Continental Congress and Great Britain, signed by Founders John Adams, Benjamin Franklin and John Jay recites:&lt;em&gt; In the name of the most Holy and undivided Trinity, it having pleased Divine Providence to...&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Perhaps founder &lt;strong&gt;John Quincy Adams&lt;/strong&gt;, on July 4, 1821 (as 6th President of the United States), summed it up most succinctly: &lt;strong&gt;"The highest glory of the American Revolution was this; it connected in one indissoluble bond the principles of civil government with the principles of Christianity." &lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;French historian/philosopher Alexis deTocqueville wrote of the American spirit: &lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;Not until I went into the churches of America and heard her pulpits flame with rightousness did I understand the secret of her genius and power... Americans combine the notions of Christianity and of liberty so intimately in their minds, that it is impossible to make them conceive of one without the other.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;What a priceless heritage every American has been given! But it was, and is, not free. The Founders and later generations paid unspeakable sacrifices with their lives, their fortunes, and their scared honor in the "&lt;strong&gt;holy cause of freedom&lt;/strong&gt;" that we may enjoy the blessings of liberty. It is our sacred duty to carry on that torch by restoring our nation to the god-fearing, God-obeying country it once was.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;If we choose&lt;/strong&gt; to continue in our degeneracy and disobedience, here is what we can expect: &lt;strong&gt;The words of Christ Himself&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;em&gt;If the salt &lt;/em&gt;(ie, you and I) &lt;em&gt;has lost its savour&lt;/em&gt; (ie our willingness to stand and fight for the personal and civil freedoms made possible by Christ on the cross)&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;...&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out, and to be trodden under the&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;foot of men&lt;/em&gt; [tyranny] (Mat. 5:3).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;God means business&lt;/strong&gt;: &lt;em&gt;The axe is laid unto the root of the trees. Every tree therefore that bringeth not forth&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire&lt;/em&gt; (Luke3:9)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;IS there hope for America&lt;/strong&gt;? Yes - IF we act quickly in the ways God commands. Once again, the battle must trumpet from the pulpits. Is God still in control?: &lt;em&gt;At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation...to pluck up, and to pull down&lt;strong&gt;,&lt;/strong&gt; and destroy it&lt;strong&gt;;...&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt;(Jer. 18:7,8).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In Deut. 4:30-31 &lt;strong&gt;God again sets forth His promise to the faithful&lt;/strong&gt;;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Again in II Chron. 7:14... &lt;em&gt;If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways; then will I hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin, and will heal their land.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;From Genesis through Revelation God offers the way out of bondage into the light of His liberty. He affirms to us in II Cor. 3:17: &lt;em&gt;Where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty&lt;strong&gt;,&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/em&gt; as He does throughout the Bible, but always His condition is obedience to Him, without which we will decend only into confusion, despair and bondage.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;IN SUMMARY: &lt;strong&gt;Clearly and incontestably, the antidote to the Islamic fundamentalist terrorist&lt;/strong&gt; threat against America is that we must &lt;em&gt;turn from our wicked ways&lt;/em&gt; (IIChron. 7:14) and return to our Judeo/Christian roots. Christians must repent, ask God's forgiveness, and recommit their loyalty and obedience to Jesus Christ, the Author of America's freedoms and the hope of the world.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;&lt;em&gt;...without me ye can do nothing&lt;/em&gt; &lt;/strong&gt;(John 15:5)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;NOTE: All of the above, and much more, is contained in the book AMERICA - A CALL TO GREATNESS.&lt;/span&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.greatness.com/blog/2006/10/islamic-terrorism-antidote.html' title='Islamic Terrorism - The Antidote'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34048164&amp;postID=115987694826716505&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.greatness.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115987694826716505'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115987694826716505'/><author><name>John Chalfant</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34048164.post-115944689198116189</id><published>2006-09-28T07:34:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-01T15:12:01.913-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Islamic Terrorism - A Christian Perspective - Part 2</title><content type='html'>&lt;strong&gt;Is it possible that Americans are confused and disarmed of their vigilance today in the face of the Islamic Jihad against them because, contrary to the Old and New Testaments, they have bought into the secular humanist evolutionary clap trap that man is basically good and evolving into an ever-higher condition?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Ref. America - A Call To Greatness, Ch 6, "Evolution" for a full discourse&lt;/span&gt; &lt;p&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;"Fallen man's" savagery, ie the killing and enslavement of his fellow man in just the 20th century totalled more than all of the victims of persecution and war in history. Professor R. J. Rummel authored a classic book&lt;em&gt; Lethal Politics &lt;/em&gt;concerning 20th century statistics about wars, genocide and mass murder since 1900. Dr. Rummel concludes that in this century "...three times more men, women and children have died at the hands of their own governments than in wars". Millions in Nazi, communist Russian and Chinese death camps died from torture, beatings, starvation, genocide and execution. Fifty percent of the Cambodian population were slaughtered by communist Pol Pot.&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt; America - A Call to Greatness, Ch8, "Military Vulnreability"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;In Hitler's death camps, reportedly six million Jews perished together with an almost equal number of Christians. In addition to those terrible atrocities there was an even lower level. Hitler assigned to his SS a genocidal "cleanup task" to be performed by "Action Groups". That is, after the regular German army had won a battle against a country such as Poland or the Ukraine, Hitler's Action Groups would move in to perform mass executions and atrocities against the general populations. Millions of men, women and children were massacred. An Action Group rarely exceeded 3,000 SS. One Action Group typically exterminated up-to 1,400,000 civilians. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Nazism, communism and Islam have one thing in common: they violently deny the Judeo/Christian God of the Old and New Testaments (the Author of liberty), Who is the essence of America. Hitler, Lenin, Stalin, Khruschev, Mao Tse Tung, Pol Pot, were all anti-Christian evolutionists. Thus Christians and Jews are today the prime targets of communism and radical Islam.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Much of the contemporary Christian clergy in America have been preaching unbiblically justified "tolerance" and "compassion" for the enemies of our God-given freedoms, or to be &lt;em&gt;politically correct&lt;/em&gt;, ignoring them altogether. As a consequence, the average Christian has little knowledge of history from the perspective of the merciless, bloody rampages of "fallen man" (that is, of what he is capable) , and thus of the imperative for eternal vigilance in the cause of our God-given liberty. He is incapable of assessing the evil nature of the Islamic jihad threat against us, which is essential for taking the proper biblically directed preventive and assertive actions. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;It has been said that "The silent, uninvolved pastors are not only submitting their churches to the rape of the devil; they are submitting their church members to non-survivability.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Should the Islamic radicals win in their threatened all-out conflict against America, similar atrocities as those above, or worse, will likely be visited upon us, our loved ones, our children and grandchildren. &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;America's only theologically and politically correct attitude today can be summed up in the words of Ronald Reagan:&lt;em&gt; Here's my strategy on the cold war: We win, they lose.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The Lord Jesus Christ, the arch enemy of Islam, is the hope of America and of the free world. That is, whereas America was born in the pulpits, it will be from the pulpits that she will perish as a consequence of the clergy's default and abdication of God's mandated duty to engage in the battle and to lead the people. &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;America - A Call To Greatness, "The Christian In Action" pp 207-212 biblical mandates &lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;This writer fully realizes how difficult it may be for the reader to grasp the reality of ongoing Islamic jihadist atrocities throughout the world, and what could lie ahead for us.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;To help you, I refer you to the link &lt;a href="http://www.thereligionofpeace.com"&gt;&lt;strong&gt;www.thereligionofpeace.com&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;UPCOMING: Islamic Terrorism - The Antidote&lt;/strong&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.greatness.com/blog/2006/09/islamic-terrorism-christian_28.html' title='Islamic Terrorism - A Christian Perspective - Part 2'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34048164&amp;postID=115944689198116189&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.greatness.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115944689198116189'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115944689198116189'/><author><name>John Chalfant</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34048164.post-115932078745421180</id><published>2006-09-26T20:31:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-10-03T07:00:08.520-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Islamic Terrorism - A Christian Perspective - Part 1</title><content type='html'>If Islamic radicals get their way, the atrocities that will be visited upon America's Christians and Jews, in fact, all non-Muslim religions, will equal or exceed the most gruesome horrors of human history. While our government, leftist democrats and media leaders portray the religion of Islam as essentially peaceful, precisely the opposite is true. In fact, since 9/11 there have been more than 5,800 Islamic terrorist attacks throughout the world, taking the lives of men, women and children("infidels") without mercy. Islam's god is Allah, its prophet is Muhammad, and its bible is the Quran. The Quran contains 123 verses concerning fighting and killing for the cause of Allah. That cause is termed "jihad", meaning Holy War.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Hard to believe? Here are some of Muhammad's mandates in the Quran:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Fight and slay the pagans wherever you find them... &lt;/em&gt;(Surah 9.5) [Surah means Chapter].&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Those who reject Islam must be killed...&lt;/em&gt; (Surah 4.89).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Seize them and put them to death wherever you find them, seek out the enemies of Islam relentlessly&lt;/em&gt; (Surah 4.90). &lt;em&gt;Fight them until Islam reigns supreme &lt;/em&gt;(Surah 2.193).&lt;em&gt; Cut off their heads and cut off the tips of their &lt;/em&gt;fingers (Surah 8.12).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Anyone who fights against Allah or renounces Islam in favor of another religion shall be put to death or crucified or have their hands and feet cut off on alternate sides &lt;/em&gt;(Surah 5.34).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Al-Qaeda in Iraq recently issued this death threat:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;You infidels and despots, we will continue our jihad and never stop until God avails us to chop your necks and raise the fluttering banner of monotheism when God's &lt;/em&gt;[Allah's] &lt;em&gt;rule is established governing all people and nations...and the west are doomed...We will break up the cross...then the only acceptable is a conversion &lt;/em&gt;[to Islam]&lt;em&gt; or &lt;/em&gt;[being killed by] &lt;em&gt;the sword.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;It is my religious duty to use nuclear weapons if I can get them. &lt;/em&gt;- Osama bin Laden&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Note: It is speculated that Islamic jihadists have successfully smuggled nuclear or other weapons of mass destruction into the United States over our essentially wide-open, undefended Mexican border.&lt;em&gt; &lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Islam is now considered the fastest growing religion in the world. There are 50 countries in which Muslims (adherants to the Quran) constitute the majority of the population, 70% to 100%. France, England, India, China, Russia and the United States have smaller but increasing percentages of Muslims. There are 1 billion Muslims in the world, of which an estimated 10%, that is, 100 million, are fanatical and determined to destroy the West [Judeo-Christian civilization]&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;Why are our leaders telling us that Islam is essentially a religion of peace, and that 9/11 and today's threats to America are due only to a handful of fundamentalist Islamic extremists (estimated to be 100 million-strong)? And, why are the clergy, except for a few, mute about the Islamic fundamentalist threat to our God-given liberties?&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;strong&gt;The essence of the conflict is Christ vs anti-Christ. Thus Christians, empowered and driven by the Holy Spirit, constitute the only force capable of defeating our Islamic enemy.&lt;/strong&gt; &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Note: The entire book, America - A Call To Greatness, is about the action-based Christian faith of the Founding Fathers, the Christian roots of the Declaration and U.S. Constitution. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;But the church, with few exceptions, has been and is essentially mute in the face of the fast-increasing deadly Muslim terrorist threat to our liberties. Is it because it is expedient and profitable in these times for the clergy to ignore the realities of the "fallen nature" of man and the horrors to which he is capable of sinking; to focus on the "positive" and on "victorious personal living", that is, on "feel good theology"? Is it because the Christian clergy have chosen to ignore our Lord's mission statement:&lt;em&gt; The Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works of the devil&lt;/em&gt; (1 John 3:8) , thus abdicating their God-given mandates to be &lt;em&gt;watchmen on the wall &lt;/em&gt;(Ezekiel 33:6); and denying His roll call, &lt;em&gt;Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity &lt;/em&gt;(Ps 94:16)? &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;America - A Call To Greatness, ch 5 p55 The Decline Begins; &amp; Appendix pp 209-212 The Christian in Action &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;p&gt;Have the clergy, for expediency, turned the other cheek to the Christian founding of our country, and therefore to their sacred duty as leaders and shepards in these peilous times?&lt;br /&gt;Bear in mind that America was born in the pulpits. An awareness of God's mandates for eternal vigilance in the defense of our God-given freedoms was dominent in the minds of America's Christian founders and must become equally dominent today.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Driven by their deep action-based Christian faith, the Founding Fathers believed God in Jeremiah 17:9 when he said that &lt;em&gt;The heart of man &lt;/em&gt;[fallen]&lt;em&gt; is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked; &lt;/em&gt;and his description to us in Romans 3:15-18 of the evil, the enemies of freedom confronting us: &lt;em&gt;Their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways; And the way of peace they have not known: there is no fear of God before their eyes.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Muhammad's Allah is not the life-giving Creator and Author of liberty of the Old and New Testaments. How can people claim that Christians, Jews and Muslims worship the same God when so much of God's and Allah's words are polar opposites!?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;strong&gt;MORE TO COME&lt;/strong&gt;&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.greatness.com/blog/2006/09/islamic-terrorism-christian_26.html' title='Islamic Terrorism - A Christian Perspective - Part 1'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34048164&amp;postID=115932078745421180&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.greatness.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115932078745421180'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115932078745421180'/><author><name>John Chalfant</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34048164.post-115860945774380332</id><published>2006-09-18T14:56:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-09-18T18:43:06.930-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Clinton's National Defense Legacy</title><content type='html'>Former President Bill Clinton and his First Lady (now U.S. Senator) Hillary are constantly in the news. Hillary is a possible U.S. presidential candidate. If she is elected, every American should pray that in matters of national defense she does not become a reflection of her husband. Can we afford that chance? Americans are quick to forget, so I feel the following is an appropriate reminder of the Clinton defense crisis inherited by the Bush Administration.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"The following was reported 3/10/99 by NewsMax.com's Christopher Ruddy: &lt;em&gt;Clinton's Sell-out of America:&lt;/em&gt; Clinton has released classified missile technology to China after receiving political contributions from the communist Chinese...he has allowed China to take control of port cities on both ends of the strategically-vital Panama Canal...and Clinton has allowed the Russians and Chinese access to sensitive missile bases, command centers, and shipyards." &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;America - A Call To Greatness pp 111-112&lt;/span&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt; &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Here is another example...by...U.S. Senator James M. Inhofe (R-OK) of one attempting to sound the alarm both to the U.S. Congress and to the American public...." .&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"Senator Inhofe had his speech entered into the &lt;em&gt;Congressional Record&lt;/em&gt; so there could be no doubt as to its authenticity. In early 1999, in his lengthy, detailed speech the senator outlined the case for high treason against President Clinton. Inhofe opened his speech to the senate:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Mr. President&lt;/em&gt; [of the senate - ed],&lt;em&gt; I want you to listen. I am going to tell you a story of espionage, conspiracy, deception and cover-up -- a story with life and death implications for millions of Americans - a story about national security and a President and an administration that deliberately chose to put national security at risk, while telling the people everything was fine.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;If it was written in a book, it wouldn't sell, because no one would believe it. If it was fictionalized in a novel, few could conceive it. But it is true.&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Senator Inhofe continued:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;...President Clinton single-handedly stopped the deployment of a national missile defense system, exposing every American life to a missile attack, leaving America with no defense whatsoever against an intercontinental ballistic missile."&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;NOTE : All of the above quotes and quoted commentary are from AMERICA - A CALL TO GREATNESS, Ch 8, "Military Vulnerability".&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There is a well-known expression: "What you do speaks so loudly I can hardly hear a word you say." Smooth talking President Clinton left America a terrible legacy of military vulnerability which we must not forget.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Considering the increasing volatility of our times and the aquisition of nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction by numerous enemy countries, it is imperative that our country be armed with an unbeatable missile defense system and a military might that would discourage the boldest aggressors.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.greatness.com/blog/2006/09/clintons-national-defense-legacy.html' title='Clinton&apos;s National Defense Legacy'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34048164&amp;postID=115860945774380332&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.greatness.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115860945774380332'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115860945774380332'/><author><name>John Chalfant</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34048164.post-115849428850900338</id><published>2006-09-17T06:47:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-09-19T06:06:44.783-05:00</updated><title type='text'>God's Mandate About America's Borders</title><content type='html'>"This is not Ellis Island, this is an invasion" &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;World Net Daily headline of 9/18/06&lt;/span&gt; The author, Pat Buchanan, is calling for the impeachment of President Bush on grounds of his abrogation of his Constitutional duty to defend the states against invasion. Could there be a far-reaching reason behind the President's refusal to defend our borders, not just from a tidal wave of Mexicans, but from aliens and deadly enemies of the United States such as terrorists?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Could the President's actions be part of the implementation of an overall government plan known as the "North American Union" involving the new trilateral region of the United States, Canada and Mexico, &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Human Events/Jerome Corsi, posted 0612/06&lt;/span&gt; ie, part of the New World Order?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Did you know that the Bush Administration plans a NAFTA super highway through the heart of the U.S. from the Mexican border at Laredo, Texas to the Canadian border north of Duluth, Minn.? Once complete, the new road will allow containers from the Far East to enter the United States through the Mexican port of Lazaro Cardenas...straight into the heart of America." "...the first Trans-Texas Corridor segment...is ready to begin construction next year." &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Human Events, Jerome Corsi, posted June 12, 2006&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;God, the Author of America's freedoms, in fact, of our Constitutional Republic, addresses every freedom-related issue. Many contend that the Mexican border crisis could become so destructive to America's freedoms that it is reasonable to search His Word as to what we citizens should do.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(1) "The Sovereign God of the Universe, who created man, established nations and assigned their boundaries as the framework for the life of man on earth (See Gen. 10:31-32, Deut. 32:8) to provide an environment within which men might enjoy the freedom to "seek the Lord" and serve Him (See Acts 17:26-27, 1 Tim. 2:1-4). &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;H. Edward Rowe, D.D., America - A Call To Greatness, pp 96-97&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;(2) God has ordained that national governments shall secure and perpetuate internal order and individual freedom. (See Rom. 13:1-7, 1 Pet. 2:13-14)". &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;America - A Call To Greatness, pp 96,97, from the section, "God's Position on National Independence and the New World Order"&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Our American Constitutional Republic is unique in the history of the nations of the world. As set forth in &lt;em&gt;America - A Call To Greatness&lt;/em&gt; all of our civil laws and laws of freedom were derived by the Founding Fathers directly from the Bible. In fact, any proposed law that did not meet the biblical test never made it into the U.S. Constitution. That is why the defense and preservation of America's freedoms is referred to by the Fathers as "the holy cause of freedom." The personal freedom that we enjoy is rare in our world (its alternative being tyranny) and it must be jealously guarded by every citizen. Nowhere in the Scriptures does God sanction a weakening of national defense, either military or through toleration of a borders invasion as we are witnessing today. The concept of "peace through strength" is biblical.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The essence of God's many mandates to Christians in times like these is that we must stand fast and obey Him. &lt;em&gt;I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways, and to keep his commandments and his statutes and his judgements, that thou mayest live and multiply: and the Lord thy God shall bless thee in the land...&lt;/em&gt;(Deut. 30:16). What are we up against? The Lord describes the enemies of our God-given freedoms: &lt;em&gt;Their feet are swift to shed blood: destruction and misery are in their ways: And the way of peace they have not known: There is no fear of God before their eyes &lt;/em&gt;(Rom 3:15-18). &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;Note: The above quotes are from AMERICA - A CALL TO GREATNESS, pp 207-211. &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:100%;"&gt;Freedom is not free. There is no substitute for eternal vigilance and military strength.&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;&lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;America was born in the pulpits. As goes the church (our obedience to Him), so goes the nation.</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.greatness.com/blog/2006/09/gods-mandate-about-americas-borders.html' title='God&apos;s Mandate About America&apos;s Borders'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34048164&amp;postID=115849428850900338&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.greatness.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115849428850900338'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115849428850900338'/><author><name>John Chalfant</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34048164.post-115843528316203345</id><published>2006-09-16T12:45:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-09-19T11:38:06.106-05:00</updated><title type='text'>God's Position On Homosexuals and Lesbians</title><content type='html'>The homosexual agenda is raging throughout our country. School books are being re-written to honor it as an "alternative life style". Even elementary school teachers in many areas of the nation are required to teach it. Television sit-coms seem to endorse it. Boy scouts of America has been under assault, much funding cut, for refusal to accept homosexual scout leaders. By contrast, Christian movements such as "Exodus Mandate" are rising like a tidal wave, encouraging parents to take their sons and daughters out of the public schools and enroll them in private Christian schools or home school them. These organizations profess the teaching of homosexuality to be a deadly, cancerous attack on their childrens' minds and morals. &lt;strong&gt;They &lt;/strong&gt;take one position. The homosexuals take the alternate position.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;"The ultimate answer as to who is right and who is wrong in every issue of life comes down to one thing: What does God the Creator and Giver of life and of all 'natural' laws and processes have to say? He is the ultimate authority in all matters, and through the Founding Fathers gave us America.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;... Is homosexuality 'of God' - just another 'lifestyle' deserving of their [the homosexuals'] claimed civil rights and minority status under the protection of our U.S. Constitution? God is explicit in what He professes about homosexuality:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Thou shalt not lie with mankind, as with womankind: it is abomination&lt;/em&gt; (Lev.18:22)&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;The New Testament carries the same message:&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;Wherefore God also gave them up to uncleanness through the lusts of their own hearts, &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;to dishonor their own bodies between themselves...For this cause God gave them up &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;unto vile affections: for even their women did change the natural use into that which is &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;against nature: And likewise also the men, leaving the natural use of the woman, burned &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;in their lust one toward another; men with men working that which is unseemly, and r&lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;eceiving in themselves that recompense [payment] of their error which was meet &lt;/em&gt;[deserved - ed] (Rom 1:24, 26,27).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;There are numerous other references throughout the Old and New Testaments regarding homosexuality, always in the context of abomination to God. (See Lev. 20:13; 1 Cor. 6:9,11; 1 Tim. 1:8; Jude 1:6-7.&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;In order that nobody in future generations could mistake His revulsion of homosexuality, God burned two cities, Sodom and Gomorrah, to ashes (see Gen. 19:24).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Homosexuals argue that the word 'homosexuality' is not to be found in the Bible. Bible scholars claim that God articulated His position so clearly that nobody could misunderstand what He meant. Homosexuals also claim that Jesus was silent on homosexuality and must therefore have been in favor of it or at least had no objection to it. Was Jesus silent? He said &lt;em&gt;Think not that I am come to destroy the law...I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill&lt;/em&gt; Mat. 5:17). The law of Moses, given by God, calls homosexuality "abomination".&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;NOTE: All text and Bible quotes were taken from Ameica - A Call To Greatness, pgs 131-133 &lt;/span&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;CONSEQUENCES: What is happening to America today? Jesus Christ is the Author of our liberty. Why are America's churches for the most part silent, much like the churches of pre-Nazi Germany?&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;All nations that forget God shall be turned into hell&lt;/em&gt; (Ps.9:17).&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;Do we have a choice&lt;em&gt;?&lt;/em&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;br /&gt;&lt;em&gt;I have set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose &lt;/em&gt;&lt;em&gt;life, that you and your children may live (Deut. 30:19).&lt;/em&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.greatness.com/blog/2006/09/gods-position-on-homosexuals-and.html' title='God&apos;s Position On Homosexuals and Lesbians'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34048164&amp;postID=115843528316203345&amp;isPopup=true' title='2 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.greatness.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115843528316203345'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115843528316203345'/><author><name>John Chalfant</name></author></entry><entry><id>tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-34048164.post-115768869637804963</id><published>2006-09-07T23:09:00.000-05:00</published><updated>2006-09-20T11:13:40.046-05:00</updated><title type='text'>Red Chinese Communist flag in Sanctuary</title><content type='html'>&lt;p&gt;My decision to write a series of blogs about Christian duty in our crisis times was catalyzed when I recently attended Sunday service at a mammoth, super-growth church and observed prominently displayed the Red Chinese Communist flag. It was among the flags of other nations, and had exactly the same prominence as the American Flag. I contacted the senior minister who responded by e-mail with a heated explanation that I “…do not understand the philosophy of the church leadership”, and ordered me to cease all communications with him.&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;I asked various members of the congregation if they knew what nation the red flag with five yellow stars represents. Their answers were blank. “Go home and look it up on the internet,” I was told by the church librarian. I was stunned and saddened by the disarming impression the Red Chinese Communist flag must make on the church’s young people (the future guardians of our God-given freedoms), by giving it an implied legitimacy instead of exposing it for the blood and anguish of untold millions of Christians, past and present, that it represents. Supposedly, this and the other displayed flags represent the nations in which this church is sponsoring missionary efforts. Such logic could have as easily applied to the Nazi Swastika. What would the Lord have this church’s clergy do?&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;And do not participate in the unfruitful deeds of&lt;br /&gt;darkness, but expose them. Ep. 5:11&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;Were it not for the fact that this is a modern “mega” church currently erecting new multi-million dollar facilities sponsored by thousands of members; a church with innumerable youth activities (except, evidently, the unpopular one of educating their young about the life and death issues of our times), I might not be so concerned. The outreach of the church leadership is toward a world church. This “speak of no evil” positive-only philosophy is in reality a deadly cancer symbolic of what is afflicting countless churches throughout our country. Noted author of the great book, &lt;em&gt;Classical Apologetics&lt;/em&gt;, Dr. R. C. Sproul, capsulated it in these words as he referred to &lt;em&gt;“…the narcotic effect of ecclesiastical opium”:&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;&lt;em&gt;The church’s extinction will come not by sword or pillory, but by the quiet death of irrelevance. It will pass away with a whimper, not a bang. &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;America - A Call To Greatness, pg 145&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/em&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;The choice is ours. Here are three of Christ’s many mandates to us:&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(1) roll call: &lt;em&gt;Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity&lt;/em&gt;? (Ps 94:16) &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;America - A Call To Greatness, pg 210&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(2) Christ’s mission : &lt;em&gt;The Son of God was manifested that he might destroy the works&lt;/em&gt; &lt;em&gt;of the devil&lt;/em&gt;. (1 John 3:8) &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;America - A Call To Greatness, pg 208&lt;/span&gt;&lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;(3) &lt;em&gt;Stand fast in the liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free, and be not entangled again with the yoke of bondage.&lt;/em&gt; (Gal.5:1). &lt;span style="font-size:78%;"&gt;America - A Call To Greatness, pg 210&lt;/span&gt; &lt;/p&gt;&lt;p&gt;These and many more of Christ's mandates to America’s Christians are presented in the book AMERICA – A CALL TO GREATNESS.&lt;/p&gt;</content><link rel='alternate' type='text/html' href='http://www.greatness.com/blog/2006/09/red-chinese-communist-flag-in.html' title='Red Chinese Communist flag in Sanctuary'/><link rel='replies' type='text/html' href='http://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=34048164&amp;postID=115768869637804963&amp;isPopup=true' title='0 Comments'/><link rel='replies' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.greatness.com/atom.xml' title='Post Comments'/><link rel='self' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115768869637804963'/><link rel='edit' type='application/atom+xml' href='http://www.blogger.com/feeds/34048164/posts/default/115768869637804963'/><author><name>John Chalfant</name></author></entry></feed>