What is "good" about Good Friday?

I recently spotted an LED billboard with a local news service asking the question "What is good about Good Friday?" Well, I couldn't wait for them to answer the question; I just had to answer myself...

In order for us to have fellowship with God, Jesus had to die for our sins. Hebrews chapter 9 says "...according to the law almost all things are purified with blood, and without shedding of blood there is no remission" and "He has appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. And as it is appointed for men to die once, but after this the judgment, so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many." It is "Good" because there had to be a perfect sacrifice for our sins; Jesus provided just that. In order to show that he conquered death, Christ had to die, so He could arise. 1 Corinthians 15 says "But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then Christ is not risen. And if Christ is not risen, then our preaching is empty and your faith is also empty." If you think about it, the bad (death) had to happen in order for the good (ressurection) to happen. But then, the bad (death) is really good, because without it there isn't any good (ressurection)...

His GREAT love. What happened on Good Friday is the true picture of love. Christ himself said love is characterized by obedience. (Jn 14:15) Thinking about how much Christ humbled Himself and how obedient He became in coming down to earth to die for the sins of mankind. (Phil 2:7-8) This shows the great love Christ had for His Father. Hebrews 12:2 says "looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God." The joy Jesus has in this verse isn't because He is looking past the cross and to what He will accomplish through it (otherwise joy would be found in circumstances). Rather His joy is based on His obedience to the Father through the cross. Christ's death on the cross is about obedience. I can't fathom the kind of love which would exhibit such obedience.

Even so, His sacrifice wouldn't have been necessary if it were not also for God's great love for mankind. "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life."
What a powerful example Christ exhibited for us on Good Friday- its dynamite! Let us "Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma." (Eph 5:1-2)

Love- it puts the "good" in Good Friday.

DW

Like a Flood His Mercy Reigns...

One month ago Wednesday, one of our very dear friends was in a horrible ski accident. The purpose of this blog is to relate how this incident shook both mine and Dan’s world, and to share with you the valuable life lessons that were learned.

For me there were four major lessons:

Lessons about just how precious and frail human life really is. I've heard about it all my life, but it wasn't until it was almost taken away before my eyes, until I knelt beside Amanda’s motionless body, and saw the lifeless look on her face, that I fully comprehended those lessons. None of us are guaranteed tomorrow. How often we go through our days, not realizing them for what they are –our life! Never look at life as something ordinary or commonplace…everyday is a precious gift from God. Seize the day!

Lessons about how I treat others. That night I couldn't help but think, if Amanda hadn't been spared, would I have had any regrets? What if it would have been someone else in our group lying there....would I have been "okay" with how I treated them? Just like we don’t know when it’s our last day, we never know when it’s those around us last days either.

Lessons about living in light of eternity. That night and through the following days, I kept thinking, “Amanda could have stood before God that night”. It made me really stop and think. I never know when I am going to stand before God and give my account- would I be ready today? If today was my last day here, would I wish I would have done just "that one thing" different?

Most importantly though, lessons about God. His overwhelming greatness, love, and mercy that covered our foolishness. I felt so small that night...so helpless...so thankful that I had Someone so much infinitely wiser and greater, who was in control, and had my best interest in mind to Whom I could turn. Who am I that God, the maker of the universe, should hear my pleas for help? I am humbled to think that He did. His ways are truly above my ways, I can only stand amazed and in awe of the miracle He worked that night.

I only hope that in the months and years ahead, I never forget these lessons...they weren't cheap, but they could have been so much more costly. At least once a week I drive past the emergency entrance to Regions Hospital and I remember that night a month ago. I can't help but shudder to think what might have been, and praise God for what was...

Almighty, Infinite, Father faithfully loving Your own. Here in our weakness You find us, falling before Your throne. Oh we're falling before Your throne. You are the One that we praise. You are the One we adore. You give the healing and grace, our hearts always hunger for.

Yes Lord, You gave the healing and grace that our hearts were hungering, no that our hearts were begging for…

“Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but to Your name give glory, because of Your mercy, because of Your truth.” Psalm 115:1

Soli Deo Gloria!

–Meagan

A few things that God has showed me and caused me to learn.

A vapor
One minute everything was great - the next our hearts stood still...We have all heard our parents say something like "Life is fragile" or "a gift" or "precious." It's almost like it was a little bit cliche- until the bubbly, energetic life of a friend was almost snuffed out in a split second, feet from myself. James 4:14 says, "...For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away." Job also proclaims, "(man) comes forth like a flower and fades away; he flees like a shadow and does not continue." Suddenly I began to more fully understand and appreciate the harsh but very true reality of the preciousness and fragility of a human life. Lord help us to redeem the time, for the days of our life are fleeting.

"What we do in life echoes in eternity"
The above is one of my favorite quotes. I use it to help me set my mind on things above (Col 3:2). However, I realized I had not been living in light of eternity, and instead was valuing things of self-interest. After the accident, God began to tear away the false perception I had of myself and showed me my pride, vanity, and foolishness which were partly to blame for the incident. Was a ski race so important as to endanger the lives of others and damage the testimony of Christ? I now realize how I had been so caught up in the moment as to not take the thought captive (2 Cor 2:10) and examine it in light of eternity. This is something in which God is really challenging me to refocus on in every area of my life. When we set our minds on things above, we choose to value the calling of Christ over the temporary pleasures of this world. We choose to abide in Him, to put off the old man and put on the New, to give him control of our heart and life and store up treasures for ourselves in heaven.(Matt 6:19) Lord, help us to take the time to examine every situation through your perspective.

Our insignificance compared to His greatness
Amanda's condition was totally out of our hands...there was nothing we could do, but cry out to the Lord. When our world gets rocked, we have the Rock on which to fall. When at the bottom of the hill and facing the reality of what had happened, to think that the omnipotent God of the universe cares about the "son of man" (Psalm 8:4) is truly remarkable, comforting, and reassuring. God allowed us to channel the tremendous nervousness and pressure within us to Him through prayer. He knows there wasn't anything we could do, but wanted us to cast our cares upon Him, to grow in our trust of Him. He allows us to do this through prayer. Help us Lord, to learn to turn to You not only in the bad times but also just as quickly in the good...to grow in our trust of You.

I wish that all the lessons could have been learned without the terrible crash happening. But it is assuring to rest in the sovereignty of God. He knows what it takes to get our attention and to hit home with a message. It's hard to believe it's already been a month. May God continue to bless your recovery, Amanda.

Christ Only, Always-
DW

Potpourri

Well, I decided to try something a little different. Instead of writing one big story, I thought it might be fun to write several smaller ones...We'll see how it goes.

Climate Change Cizik
Reverend Richard Cizik, founder of the organization "New Evangelicals" has recently been a featured video blogger during the Copenhagen "climate change" summit. Apparently the Reverend is attempting to become the Al Gore of so called "evangelicals." His goal is to "spread awareness of climate change among evangelicals and to promote a form of environmentalism known as 'creation care.'" Ironically, his hermeneutics seem to be somewhat out in left field. He recently proclaimed "God told us to be stewards of the earth. It was among his first commandments." As if that commandment should be given more gravity than later commandments?! Using this line of reasoning, the commands of Ephesians 4:29,5:15-16, or 1st Timothy 6:11, etc. would be far less important than a mandate to be a steward of nature. Apparently according to Rev. Cizik, the greater emphasis on Biblical mandates is determined by the location of the mandate itself. But wait, that's not all - Cizik is also quoted as saying “How can you say you love your neighbor if you don’t care that their homes are threatened by increased droughts or rising sea levels?” Hmmm...maybe this guy should look into Genesis 8:22 or Jeremiah 33:25.

Tiger Woods
Let's be honest...the media coverage of the messy situation Tiger Woods has involved himself in is overkill. Our culture's want for every detail of every situation in the Wood's story brings a comparable level of nausea to that which Wood's did himself. As Christians, we shouldn't be so surprised that this is the case. After all, it's just the unregenerate individual doing what the unregenerate flesh wants to do/hear. For us though, because our old man has been crucified with Christ, we are called to "...have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather expose them. For it is shameful even to speak of those things which are done by them in secret." Ephesians 5:11-12. As Christians witness the Wood's saga, we should pretty much think "there but for the grace of God go I." On a different note, it is interesting how fast our society can forget their own cries for moral relativism, and instead waggle their fingers in condemnation when another individual is found breaking God's moral law. (if the relativists are right, what's wrong with being unfaithful?- Their negative reaction to infidelity is proof of absolute, objective, knowable truth)

Christmas Advent Passage
While reading the book "A Classical Nativity Devotional" for an advent earlier this month, we came across the following passage adapted from a sermon by John Wycliffe: "...he who should make satisfaction for the sin of our first father must be both God and man. For as mankind trespassed, so must mankind make satisfaction.And therefore it could not be that an angel should make satisfaction for man, for neither has he the right, nor was his the nature that sinned here. But since all men are one person, that person makes satisfaction for man, if any member of this person makes satisfaction for all of this person. And in this way we see that if God made another man who was after the nature of Adam, he would be obligated to God as much as he might be for himself, and so he might not make satisfaction for both himself and for Adam's sins. And since satisfaction had to be made also for Adam's sin, as it is said, such a person that must make the satisfaction must be both God and man; for the worthiness of this person's deeds must be equal to the unworthiness of the sin." This passage resulted in a conversation about whether or not Jesus had the sin nature of man. Some of us thought that Jesus was incapable of sinning, and therefore didn't have a sin nature, while some (including myself) were inclined to think that Jesus did have man's sin nature (and so the capability to sin) but never did sin because of His God nature. The reasoning here is that Jesus "was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." (Hebrews 4:15) Also that Jesus was tempted by the devil. It would seem that Christ's "tempting" here on earth wouldn't have much meaning if He was incapable of sinning...indeed, it would seem like He couldn't "sympathize with our weaknesses" (Heb. 4:15) if He could not sin. It would seem to be almost be a mockery to say we have an example who conquered all temptations common to man yet without sin, if He could do no other. Now before you start priming the heretic fires, realize that this is just a theory and in no way am I claiming I am absolutely right. Maybe a good (maybe a bad) example would be how alleles determine physical characteristics. Say you have blue eyes. You may have the alleles for brown eyes, but since they are recessive, the dominant blue eye alleles never allow them to show...Might that be somewhat relateable to the human/sinful nature and also the God nature of Christ? He had the Sinful nature of man and thus the capability to sin, but His God nature never allowed Him too? Help me out...Maybe I'm way out in left field...What are your thoughts?

Have a blessed CHRISTmas!

DW
"The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in the land of the shadow of death, upon them a light has shined." Isaiah 9:2

Thanks a Million!

“It is the Soldier, not the minister
Who has given us freedom of religion.
It is the Soldier, not the reporter
Who has given us freedom of the press.
It is the Soldier, not the poet
Who has given us freedom of speech.
It is the Soldier, not the campus organizer
Who has given us freedom to protest.
It is the Soldier, not the lawyer
Who has given us the right to a fair trial.
It is the Soldier, not the politician
Who has given us the right to vote.
It is the Soldier who salutes the flag,
Who serves beneath the flag,
And whose coffin is draped by the flag,
Who allows the protester to burn the flag.”
-Charles M. Province

During World War II, Americans knew the reality of their country at war. It was evident by the scrap drives, the victory gardens, the advertisements urging people to buy war bonds, the blue stars displayed in windows, and by women working in the factories. Today, our country once again finds itself at war, but looking around at our fast-paced society, you wouldn’t know it. Sure, we hear about it on the news at night, occasionally we will pass along an email about our troops and what they’re going through, or we have a magnet on our cars saying that we support our troops, but the commitment and resolve that was displayed in America in the 40’s is not as evident now. We must realize that our troops are putting their lives on the line for us, giving up their safety for us, separating themselves from their families so that ours can be together. Just last week we witnessed the horrible events at Fort Hood, and realized that our soldiers are in harms way even right here at home. We must be resolved to earnestly and sincerely remember to pray for our troops, and the families that they leave behind. Looking back through history, we can see many times where prayer has turned the tides of wars. Douglas Winnail in his article, “Does God Guide World Affairs” tells of such time.

“In the summer of 1940, the German blitzkrieg had pushed 400,000 Allied troops to the European coast near Dunkirk, France, where British military planners were expecting the greatest military disaster in their history. Yet, in a tactical blunder, Hitler suddenly halted the advance of the German tanks just as they were closing in for the kill. The King of England announced a National Day of Prayer, and thousands flocked to churches. During the nine days of the Dunkirk evacuation, the normally stormy English Channel remained as calm as a millpond—while a storm broke over Flanders, grounding Germany’s Luftwaffe. These unexpected events allowed nearly the whole Allied army of 338,000 irreplaceable soldiers to survive and fight again—an amazing development which British Prime Minister Winston Churchill called a “miracle of deliverance,” when thousands of Englishmen gave the credit to God…”

So this veterans day, I would encourage you to pray for those who are willing to sacrifice their lives so that the rest of us can be free. I would also encourage you to take a minute to send a thank you note to an American Soldier. The website “Let’s Say Thanks” enables you to send an e-card to an America soldier serving overseas. Here’s the link: http://www.letssaythanks.com/Home1024.html

Remember, we are the land of the free because of the brave. “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friend.” John 15:13
…_

-M. Wanschura

The Economics of Jesus

A few weeks ago I was watching an interview between ABCs Terry Moran and filmmaker Michael Moore. The interview was about Moore’s view on economics most recently voiced in his newest film, "CAPITALISM: A LOVE STORY". Now besides the fact that it is the capitalistic system that has allowed Mr. Moore to create the films that he has, I decided to (after choosing each word with painstaking precision) look at this subject through the lens of Christianity.

First off, let’s take a look at some of the comments he made during the interview.

“Capitalism is an evil. And you cannot regulate evil. This is probably public enemy number one as far as I'm concerned.” Moore went on to say that his views were founded by his deeply held religious convictions. “Well, I'm radically in love with this country. I believe in democracy. And I believe in the core Christian values that I was raised with. I think it's (capitalism) anti-Christian. It goes completely against the values of Jesus and Moses and Mohammed and Buddha, all the great religions say that the pie at the table is to be divided fairly. And that you're not to leave a whole group of people behind, and that you will be judged by how you treat the poor. And capitalism, our form of capitalism today, is all about gimme, gimme, gimme, make as much as you can and to ( ) with the other guy.”

The first obvious sign that Moore’s religion is slightly off kilter would be that he believes the values of Jesus, Mohammed, and Buddha are the same, and that there is more than one “truly great religion in the world”. Anyways, those points aside, I’ll take a look at whether or not the Bible and Christianity actually believe that the “pie at the table is to be divided fairly”, and also if capitalism is indeed anti Christian.

So does the Bible say (or imply) that the pie is to be divided fairly? Well, while the Bible does clearly teach us that we should care for the needy (Proverbs 21:13, “Whoever shuts his ears to the cry of the poor will also cry himself and not be heard.”), it never says that we should just distribute goods equally, without people having to work for them. In fact, the Bible actually teaches the opposite. Proverbs is full of verses that talk about wealth following work. For example, Proverbs 12:11, “He who tills his land will be satisfied with bread, but he who follows frivolity is devoid of understanding”. Clearly this Bible verse teaches against Moore’s view of an equal slice of pie for everyone. This verse also introduces the principle of incentives (motivation to do something based on the rewards it will bring about), which is perhaps the biggest force behind our capitalistic system. The New Testament also supports the idea of incentives. 1 Thessalonians 3:10 says, “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” Common sense will also tell us that when people’s rewards or results are directly correlated to the effort that they expend, people will be more willing to take personal responsibility for their actions. Now, that being said, I do believe that there does come a time to extend help to those people who are doing everything they can, and still don’t have enough to meet their needs. In 1 Timothy, Paul sets up very strict guidelines in determining whom among the widows of Timothy’s congregation should be receiving help. “Honor widows who are really widows. But if any widow has children or grandchildren, let them first learn to show piety at home and to repay their parents; for this is good and acceptable before God…Do not let a widow under sixty years old be taken into the number, and not unless she has been the wife of one man, well reported for good works: of she has brought up children, if she has lodged strangers, if she has washed the saints’ feet, if she has relieved the afflicted, if she has diligently followed every good work…If any believing man or women has widows, let them relieve them, and do not let the church be burdened, that it may relieve whose who are really widows.” (1 Timothy 5:3-16) As a general rule, the Bible teaches people to take personal responsibility for their needs, and then, when someone is in real need of help, the church (not the government) is to help them.


Now, I will briefly address the second point (which has been partly covered already), and that is the idea of whether or not capitalism is anti-Christian. Or perhaps the better way to put it would be: why do most Christians closely align themselves with the economic system of capitalism? According to Dr. David Nobel, “The Christian approach to economics is less concerned with money and how to get rich, than it is with freedom, justice, and order.” In communism we see a loss of personal freedom, as there is a higher authority that determines how to use our resources. We see a lack of justice when people who don’t work hard get the same benefits as those who work hard for them. And finally, we also see diminished order when people catch onto the idea that they can pretty much do what they want, and they will be rewarded for it. Dr. Nobel goes onto say that “…capitalism is most in accord with biblical teaching and principles. It is this system that provides not only for personal responsibility over resources, but also for retaining the freedom of all people.”

Now, I’m not saying that capitalism is THE perfect economic system…we live in a fallen world, and people often twist a good thing into a bad thing. I’m sure that in the name of capitalism and free market, people have cheated and exploited other people. They have probably used it as an excuse not to help someone in need. But the system as a whole does give people an equal playing field, and it best promotes the Biblical principles of personal responsibility, justice, freedom and order.

-Meagan Wanschura

"Obama Care" Opposed

Greetings friends! The blogging season has started again (at least for us), which means that with God’s help we will offer thought-provoking and encouraging blogs on the issues of the day through the lens of a Christian worldview.

One of the bigger issues that has been discussed has been that of universal healthcare, better known as, “Obama Care.” I have been challenged to come up with a basis for my negative position towards “Obama Care” not politically speaking, but Biblically.

Consider the following excerpt from an article critical of Christians entitled, “The conservative Christian's reaction to ‘Obama-Care.’” http://www.examiner.com/examiner/x-7556-Salt-Lake-City-Christian-Examiner~y2009m8d16-The-conservative-Christians-reaction-to-ObamaCare

"Now, there are many problems people have with what is being touted Obama-Care, but besides Sarah Palin inanely ranting on her Facebook and the legitimate concern of raised taxes and lower quality health care, one of the most resounding proclamations coming from conservative Christians has been: “I’m not paying for some welfare jerk’s hospital bill” or “if you want health care, then get a job!” Somehow, according to certain Christians, God picks and chooses which political confrontation He wants to weigh in on. With gay marriage, He was all over the place! Bible verse here, bible verse there, Rick Warren here, President Monson there, but He’s nowhere to be found on this one for some strange reason.

The Christian right hasn’t brought Him up once because there aren’t bible verses that support blatantly selfish catharsis. There are only verses that say we need to help the poor, love our neighbor and love our enemy and welcome the less fortunate with open arms. People were so quick to want to force their Christian values on people who didn’t necessarily share their beliefs, but none of them want to force those same values on themselves!"

Listening to the likes of Rush Limbaugh, Sean Hannity, or Glenn Beck, I often find myself getting caught up in their political agenda, and forget to support my view Biblically. It’s not that their arguments against the left are necessarily wrong; it’s just that they are focused on rebutting the left’s policies for political gains. They have no over-arching reason for their beliefs except for political reasons. However, we as Christians do. While we may agree with these talk show hosts that “Obama Care” wouldn’t be good because it is socialist, or that it would put our country further into debt, or that it would raise taxes on a certain class, or that it would provide federal funds to abortion providers, there ought to be further reasons Christians don’t support this ideology, beyond that the Republicans/conservatives don't.

The Bible states in Exodus 20 that we should not steal. “Obama Care” would raise taxes on small businesses and wealthier individuals. Believe it or not, “Robbing from the rich is still robbing.” Therefore we Christians oppose “Obama Care” because it robs/steals from a certain class, which is wrong and evil.

“Obama Care” would put our country into something like 1.6 trillion dollars into debt. Psalm 37:21a says “The wicked borrows and does not repay…” Being in debt isn’t a good thing. Chances are, that we would never repay this enormous amount of debt. Therefore, Christians could oppose “Obama Care” for the reason that going into so much debt and likely never paying it all back would be wicked. Christians might also use Proverbs 22:7b (“The borrower is servant to the lender.”) as a passage/reason for not wanting this plan. Especially since we would be selling our future generations into the servitude of a communist, mostly anti-Christian Government.

Exodus 20:13 says, “You shall not murder.” Proverbs 16:12 explains, “It is an abomination for kings to commit wickedness…” This is why Christians oppose giving federal funds to abortion providers. It is against God’s moral law and is extremely wicked.

These are just a few of the issues covered when talking about “Obama Care.” Unlike the gentleman’s opinion in the article above, there ARE Biblical reasons to oppose this health care overhaul. I have no doubt that more reasons could be found with more study and examination. As Christians, we must be ready to represent who we are. We are not a political party, but followers of Christ. This may mean we fit into a certain political party, but don’t let those politics drive you. Remember that we have an over-arching position as Christians – to represent Christ and to draw our support and reasons from Him and Him alone for our beliefs – so that we uphold Christ and not a party’s political agenda.

DW

Our Mandate

While reading my Bible and listening to the radio today, several things were impressed upon my mind. So, I started to blog. I was a little over half-way done, when we went to church. God really must want to imprint this on my mind, because He again hammered me with His mandate for me,
and everyone.

I’m sure some of you know what “Maundy” means, but I was enlightened from my ignorance today when I heard it explained on the radio. I just used to think of Maundy Thursday as the day of the Last Supper, when we would remember the Lord and what he has done for us by partaking in communion. Now this isn’t exactly a wrong view, but it only recognizes perhaps half of the significance of this day. “Maundy” is derived from the Latin word mandatum, which is where we get our word “mandate”.

It is very important to remember what Christ went through and did for us, but it is equally important for us to remember His mandate for us. What was His mandate? Consider the following:

Now before the feast of the Passover, when Jesus knew that His hour had come that He should depart from this world to the Father, having loved His own who were in the world, He loved them to the end…(Jesus) rose from supper and laid aside His garments, took a towel and girded Himself. After that, He poured water into a basin and began to wash the disciples' feet, and to wipe them with the towel with which He was girded… So when He had washed their feet, taken His garments, and sat down again, He said to them, "Do you know what I have done to you? You call me Teacher and Lord, and you say well, for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Teacher, have washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another's feet. For I have given you an example, that you should do as I have done to you. Most assuredly, I say to you, a servant is not greater than his master; nor is he who is sent greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, blessed are you if you do them… A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another.” (Taken from John 13)

Christ showed His humility as well as His serving attitude by washing the disciples’ feet…He wants His followers to live with this same mind set:

Let nothing be done through selfish ambition or conceit, but in lowliness of mind let each esteem others better than himself. Let each of you look out not only for his own interests, but also for the interests of others. Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus, Phil 2:3-5 (NKJV)

It would be impossible to live for Christ if we didn’t have His perfect example set before us. He lived out that which He preached. Writing these blogs is sometimes very convicting. I can write them, but do I live them? Thankfully, God uses the writings, to help me refocus on striving after the way of truth. I am thankful that Christ not only told us the way we should go, but He lived it out Himself. He talked the talk, and walked the walk.

Therefore be imitators of God as dear children. And walk in love, as Christ also has loved us and given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling aroma.
Eph 5:1-2 (NKJV)

Finally, Christ told His disciples a lot of things, but the mandate that summarizes them all is to love one another. Not to be mistaken with worldly lust, Christ wants us to love all with His kind of love- Love that will be for the betterment of others. In doing this, we fulfill all other mandates. If we walk in love, we will be fulfilling the command to be a humble servant to those around us. If we walk in love, we will be imitating our Perfect Example. God help us keep and honor this charge!

Daniel Wanschura

What to Live For.

As part of my carpentry course at Saint Paul College, we watched the Ken Burns documentary on the life of Frank Lloyd Wright. Extraordinary architectural achievements aside, Frank Lloyd Wright provides us an example of one who had a rather “natural” view of life.

What struck me most about Wright was that he seemed to do anything that pleased him. In fact, only the things that pleased him. One example of this was made manifest through his marriages.

Wright first married Catherine Tobin and after 6 children fell out of love with her. The children, he said, had taken too much of her focus and time. Even though Catherine wouldn’t divorce him, Wright turned to another woman -the wife of a neighbor, Mamah Cheney- to solve his problems. Even though Wright had been married for just about 20 years, he and Mrs. Cheney eloped to Europe. They later moved into a house in Wisconsin, called Taliesin. It was there that Mrs. Cheney was murdered by a servant. In 1922, Wright’s first wife finally gave him a divorce. She had loved him, and had hoped he would return. After waiting the required year after a divorce, Wright married Maude "Miriam" Noel in 1923. Things didn’t turn out so good for Wright in this marriage either, and while still married to Maude, he and Olga Hinzenburg moved in together in 1925. Wright officially married Olga in 1928 after going through divorce proceedings with Maude.

It is hard to imagine such a life- until we realize where Wright is coming from. He once said something like: “You have to live for the now; it is the most important thing.”

The example of Frank Lloyd Wright provides us Christians with a good example of what happens to one when he looks within himself instead of to God, his Creator for how to live life. This thinking stems from a view of “self law” or the belief that ultimate authority rests with the individual. Really, then, what Wright had was a view of existentailism. His mere existence determined how he would make choices and choose to live his life.

For the Christian, here are some responses to existentialism.

True Purpose:
True happiness, purpose, and fulfillment isn’t found in doing whatever one wishes or whatever makes one feel good in a given situation. Rather it is found in glorifying Christ, and this often consists of doing the exact opposite thing one feels in his human nature like doing. But it is the only way by which we may live a meaningful, purposeful, joyful life. How do we glorify Christ? Consider the following verses:

John 15:4 Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me.

John 15:8 By this My Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit;

John 15:11 These things I have spoken to you, that My joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full.

To illustrate:

Abiding(which requires brokeness/obedience) leads to – Glorification of God, which leads to – True Purpose and Joy

Instead of living in a way that will bring me the most pleasure, happiness, NOW at this moment of existence, we have joy and purpose in abiding in Him.

Eternal Perspective:
Another response to existentialism for the Christian is that God tells us to “Set your minds on things above, not on things of the earth.” (Colossians 3:2). Instead of getting caught up in this “vapor,” we are called to look beyond this world and its temporary pleasures. We are reminded that there are greater things to consider than to simply view life through “natural” eyes. There is a day when all will be judged for what they did in this life, and for this we are reminded to “not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life. And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart.” Indeed how easy it is to live life microscopically, losing the forest for a tree. But let us strive to live each moment for Him, with an eternal perspective “bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”
“What we do in life echoes in eternity.”

What would your responses be to existentialism?

Daniel Wanschura

Darwin Day 2009

Recently, I had the invigorating opportunity to attend a debate between Dan Barker (atheist) and Dinesh D’Souza (christian). The debate resolution was “Can we be good without God?” During the debate, the subject of Darwinian evolution was referred to many times by Dan Barker in order to solidify his arguments as an atheist. It got me thinking more about Darwin’s theory, and since we are on the verge celebrating the 200th anniversary of Darwin’s birthday on February 12th, I thought I might explore the subject. Consider the following statement by Mole333:

Darwin's 200th birthday, to be celebrated by the GLOBAL community as a toast to the common good of all humanity. We will all want to develop events to Celebrate Darwin, Science and Humanity and come together as one human family in appreciation of verifiable knowledge that has been acquired solely through human curiosity and ingenuity. Scientific knowledge has been of great value to all of us.
http://moleprogressive.blogspot.com/2009/01/nevada-focus-darwin-day-blogs_29.html

Toast to the common good of all humanity?
First, like Mole333 and Dan Barker (who said, “If you want to be a good person, be a good person.), most evolutionists have seemed to have overlooked a key word- GOOD. Without a creator, there is absolutely no logical way to measure what the standard of goodness is. If God, our Creator is not the standard of goodness, and if He hasn’t provided us with a conscience to know what that standard is, good becomes a relative term. If, as evolutionary thought states, we are all products of random chance, there is no basis for the Darwinists to claim that their definition of good (whatever it is) is any better than another group of people’s definition of good, such as terrorists. What if I thought it was a good thing to steal? After all, my family and siblings could live much more comfortably, if I stole - that would be good thing for us, right? Tell me fellow byproducts of chance, how and why could you tell me that my opinion of goodness really isn’t good, but that your opinion is truly good?

On to my second point, not only is it illogical for Darwinists claim “goodness” but it is equally illogical for them to claim that Darwin’s ideas were or are good for ALL humanity. Indeed, the effects of social Darwinism can be found all around us.

What is social Darwinism? Bill Muehlenberg explains:
“‘Social Darwinism’ is a term which refers to the social and political ramifications of biological Darwinism and the materialism which it is imbedded in. Darwin regarded humans as basically higher animals, and as the social sciences became more and more tinged by the Darwinian outlook, humans increasingly began to be treated as mere animals, or machines.
… As academics, scientists and politicians apply the Darwinian view of man to various social sciences, some very negative outcomes have ensued. We have steadily become dehumanised and depersonalised as we have taken on board the logical implications of evolutionary materialism.”

Ahh…humans treated like animals or machines, steadily dehumanised and depersonalised. This kind of thinking does sound good for all humanity! However, maybe this kind of reasoning would explain why human embryos can be treated like lab rats for scientific experimentation. Or why Planned Parenthood, Doctors, and individuals can think of discarding human life through abortion and euthanasia as if it were of no value. Or why people like Hitler, desiring to expedite the evolutionary upward climb to perfection and utopia, could stomach the slaughter of millions of Jews, the weak, the old, the handicapped, the “less-favoured” races. Or why Criminals, instead of receiving justice, receive mental therapy. Yes, all this good stuff is made possible in part by, Social Darwinism…and can be found being taught, endorsed and praised at a location near you!The bottom line is this: Darwinism is the major driving force in the effort to reduce the value of human life. Hmm…maybe, this doesn’t sound so good for our race?

In his closing statement during the debate, Dan Barker said that there is no need for a god. By stating this, He was implying that all we need is ourselves to be good and determine goodness. He then relayed a story about a young man who went up to an atheist after a debate and asked him something like, “What should I do to have a meaningful life?” The atheist replied, “ If you want to have meaning in life, do something meaningful.” However really think about that statement and you’ll realize that this is another area in which Darwinian evolution has trouble with. Besides having trouble with the goodness claim once again, the claim that there is an actual essence to life by the Darwinist is absurd. Think about what he is saying. He’s saying that a total random, unguided, meaningless process created life with a meaningful essence or existence! Does life have an essence? Yes, a single essence given to us by God. If this essence wasn’t given to us by God, then just as was the case in the goodness debate, the essence of life would also be relative. This by no means ends the many errors of Darwinian thought, but I just wanted to highlight some of those many issues.

I like how Dinesh D’Souza closed out his last speech. He questioned the real reason we were having the debate. He quoted Fyodor Dostoyevsky who said, “If God is not, everything is permitted.” Those who want to continue to live in the God-rejecting lifestyle they are living in, try to be free from their moral guilt, by getting rid of The Judge. But there is hope for them, and I encourage my fellow Christians to pray for those who will be celebrating Darwin Day. Pray that they would realize there IS a God, for this is the start to realizing His love for us.

Daniel Wanschura

"An Unspeakable Horror"

The following is a speech I wrote to deliver at this year's competitive speech tournaments. I thought that since January is Sanctity of Life Month, and today is Sanctity of Life Sunday, that I would share it with you. Any feedback is welcome and appreciated.

September 11, 2001. It started out as beautiful autumn morning, and ended as a day that would live on in our minds forever. Planes crashed, buildings burned, and approximately 3,000 lost their lives.

But did you know that every day, approximately 4,000 lose their lives to the horrific domestic terrorism called abortion?

Since Roe v. Wade was made law in 1973, we have lost more American lives to abortion, than we have lost in all of our wars combined. Since America’s founding in 1776, to war, we have lost approximately 1,200,000 soldiers. But to the horrendous practice of abortion, nearly 42 times that amount, have been killed in just 35 years. The current abortion death toll is about 50,000,000.

I believe that in order to stop this atrocious killing, we must restore meaning to the word abortion. What exactly is the unborn? Why can’t we just kill it? Many on the pro-choice side argue that a woman can do whatever she wants with her body, and they are quick to point out that a women shouldn’t have to be punished with a baby, just for making a mistake. Gregory Koukl, president of the apologetics ministry, Stand to Reason says this about the unborn: “If the unborn is not a human being, no justification for abortion is necessary. However, if the unborn is a human being, no justification for abortion is adequate.” So, in order to restore meaning to the abortion debate, we must determine whether or not the unborn is human. There are four major areas that distinguish the unborn from people who are born.

First, there is size. The unborn is much smaller than an adult, but so is a four year old. Does this then mean that bigger people are more human than smaller people? Of course not! So, we can see that our size has absolutely nothing to do with our humanness.

Secondly, there is the unborn’s level of development. An unborn baby isn’t as developed as we are, but neither are handicapped people. Should we be able to do anything we want with handicapped people, just because we are more developed than they are? No. Why? Because they are persons, just like us. We can see then, that our level of development is not what makes us human.

Thirdly, the unborn’s environment is different than ours. But if it is our environment that makes us human, then does that make people in Africa less human than Europeans? Surely, no one would ever think that. So, it obviously isn’t our environment that makes us human.

The fourth thing that separates the unborn from the rest of us is their level of dependency. It is true, that the unborn are very dependent on their mothers, but does that disqualify them from being human? My 18-month-old niece is dependent on other people to survive, and many others lives depend on such things as insulin, oxygen, and medications. But their dependency doesn’t make them less human.

So, we can clearly see that is not our size, our level of development, our environment, or our dependency on others that makes us human. Since those are the only differences between the unborn, and you and I, we must conclude that the unborn are indeed human. This conclusion really should not surprise anyone. The law of biogenesis states that living things reproduce after their own kind. Dogs beget dogs, fish beget fish, and humans beget humans. Now, because we have determined that the unborn are indeed humans, then we must come to the conclusion that abortion kills a person. Not a blob of flesh, or a mass of tissues as some would like us to believe, but a precious, living human being.

Abortion not kills a human being, it also degrades the morality of our society as a whole. In Proverbs, King Solomon observes, “Righteousness exalts a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people.” Abortion is a sin because it takes the life a living member of our society. We must fight the sin of abortion, and stop the culture of killing. The late representative Henry J. Hyde, in his book Catch the Burning Flag, says “…I would be terrified at the thought of having to explain, at the final judgment, why I stood unmoved while Herod’s slaughter of the innocents was being reenacted here in my own country.” We cannot look away while our society kills an entire generation and expect no repercussions. You see, when you devalue one from of human life, whether you realize it or not, you devalue all of human life. If we don’t speak up for the unborn now, there will be nobody to speak up for us later. Consider this quote from Martin Nielmoller, a pastor in Nazi Germany during WWII. "In Germany, the Nazis came first for the Communists, and I didn't speak because I was not a Communist. Then they came for the Jews and I did not speak because I was not a Jew. Then they came for the trade unionist and I didn't speak because I was not a trade unionist. Then they came for the Catholics and I was a Protestant and so I did not speak. Then they came for me, and by that time there was no one left to speak for any one'.

Not only does abortion end this life of an innocent child, and degrade our society, it also haunts the mother for the rest of her life. Listen to the emotional testimony of Rebecca Porter. “Walking in the door, I was crying. I did not want to be there. It was like they just wanted to take your money. No one tried to stop me, no counseling. I got up on the table. I remember staring up at the ceiling and the nurse, walked over to me and patted me on the arm and said, “Oh, it will be okay. It will be over soon.” I wouldn’t even look at her because I knew what I was doing was not okay, and I knew it wouldn’t be over soon. After a little while, the abortionist came in. The procedure started—I don’t even think he spoke to me. I just stared at the ceiling the whole time. I could hear the nurse, she walked down to the end of the table where the procedure was happening. For some reason, I did look over at her about the same time she looked down at what he was doing. Then I heard her saying, “Oh look, twins.” Then she looked up at me, and she smiled at me. I just remember seeing her in like slow motion. I’m sure I must have went into shock, but the first thing out of my mouth was, “Oh my God, what have I done?” Then I just began to scream, “Stop, stop. Please stop.” I tried getting up off the table, and the abortionist began to scream at me to lay still, he couldn’t stop what he was doing. They actually had to bring someone in to hold me down on that table while they finished the procedure. I remember walking out of there like a zombie, wishing I were dead. I tried to commit suicide and overdosed several times because I hated myself for what I had done. I want women and men to know that you can never imagine the pain unless you’ve gone through it yourself. Abortion is not something that happens, and you just go on with your life. You go on as a very wounded individual. I don’t want other women to experience the pain that I have had I will speak out to let people know that the laws need to be changed, so that other women don’t make the wrong “choice” like I did. Rebecca is now working with Operation Outcry to help spare other women the pain she went through. Now, some might argue that Rebecca’s story is just an exception. I would like to show you that her story is not an exception, but rather the norm. In the video, “Faces of Abortion” from the ministry Operation Outcry, consider what these mothers say about their abortion experience “…It just overwhelmed me, and I thought the only way to escape the pain was to take my life.” “It brings heartache, it brings hurt.” “ I remember laying there and just sating to myself, that I will never forgive myself for what I am doing.”

Edmund Burke once said that the only thing necessary for evil to triumph was for good men to do nothing. It is time for us to stop ‘standing unmoved’. It is time to speak up for the unborn. We have determined that the unborn, regardless of their size, level of development, environment, or dependency, are humans and because of that they have intrinsic worth, and are deserving of our full protection. Mothers are haunted and live their lives full of remorse and regret. In the time it has taken for me to deliver this speech, 28 babies have been aborted. Here is what you can do to help stop it. Every year on January 22, there is a pro-life march at the state capitol. I urge you to go and show your support for the unborn. For more information go to www.mccl.org. There you can also keep informed about pro-life issues, and legislation concerning the unborn. If you are able, I would also encourage you to donate money to the pro-life cause. The average abortion costs’ about $750, but it only takes about $25 to save one baby through ‘compassionate education’. For more information visit www.movementforabetteramerica.org, and click on “how you can help”. And of course, you can pray. Pray that God will move the hearts of individuals to respect human life, at its most innocent stage.

Meagan Wanschura

Christmas Clash

From FOXNews.com:

“All right. It's the season now for disputes over holiday displays. From Olympia, Washington, there is this now. A group of atheists putting up an anti-religious sign at the state Capitol right next to the nativity scene and a Christmas tree.
Here's what the sign says. It says, quote, ‘There are no gods, no devils, no angels, no heaven or hell. Religion is but myth and superstition that hardens our hearts and enslaves our minds.’”

In my head, I’ve been debating over what to think about the politically correct efforts being made that try to take Christ out of Christmas. On one hand, it is very annoying to see and hear Christmas reduced to nothing more than a Christ-less, materialistic, Santa, reindeer, and jingle bells filled “happy holiday.” Nevertheless, no matter how annoying this may be, I have come to the conclusion that we, as Christians should not put our focus into fighting these skirmishes, but be neutral instead and focus on the bigger war that is waging,

My first reason for holding this view is:
What good will it do? If we focus on trying to fight and win battles over the recognition of Christmas(like getting stores to say “Merry Christmas” instead of “Happy Holidays”, or trying to get the signs like that in the WA capital removed, etc.) will it lead more people to understand and honor the real reason we celebrate Christmas? I don't think so. In order for people to truly understand/honor Christmas, a change in heart is necessary- a change that only happens when Christ is allowed into a life. Does fighting for the recognition of Christmas truly change the hearts of people? Laws, ordinances, or legal battles have never changed formerly held beliefs. Consider the words of John MacArthur: “We can’t protect or expand the cause of Christ by human political and social activism, no matter how great or sincere the efforts. Ours is a spiritual battle waged against worldly ideologies and dogmas against Christ.” So why should we fret and put our efforts into these fights over Christmas, if they wont change hearts? What good will it have done if people or groups go through life saying “Merry Christmas”, instead of “Happy Holidays”, or recognize “Christmas break”, instead of “Winter Solstice break” yet still don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ?

Secondly:
Just because someone doesn’t want to recognize Christmas doesn’t change the fact that I still can and will recognize and celebrate it. Why would anyone’s view change how I celebrate the coming of the true Messiah (Jesus Christ, not Obama). In The Christmas Carol, Scrooge says, “Keep Christmas in your own way, and let me keep it in mine.” In other words, you can keep your “holiday” in your way, and I’ll keep it my way. No one or no law can ever take that away from me. I like how Paul puts it in Romans,
“One person esteems one day above another; another esteems every day alike. Let each be fully convinced in his own mind. He who observes the day, observes it to the Lord; and he who does not observe the day, to the Lord he does not observe it.” Romans 14:5-6
Who cares what others want to do to the blessed holiday, when I can always still celebrate Christmas unto the Lord.
What do you think?

BTW: thanks to all who took the time to vote on our poll! Just in case anyone is thinking that I was that lone neutral voter, I didn’t actually vote ;)

Wishing all a very merry Christmas!

Daniel Wanschura

I Just Happen to Believe...

Last night, I was watching ABC reporter Cynthia McFadden interview George W. Bush on the role that faith has played during his time in office, and how it will continue to affect the rest of his life. While I have always liked George Bush, I must say that this answer especially was quite disturbing.


“I do believe there is an Almighty that is broad and big enough, loving enough that can encompass a lot of people. I don't think God is a narrow concept. I think it's a broad concept. I just happen to believe the way to God is through Christ, and others have different avenues toward God…”

Of course, this response is quite shocking. However, Mr. Bush’s politically correct reply seems to be an all too common response to Christianity these days, even among Christians. We hear things like, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere”, or “If Christianity works for me, great, but I’m not going to say that it’s right for everybody”, or, “God is so big, there isn’t just one way to Him.”


I will briefly answer each one of these common objections to believing that Christ is the only way to heaven.

First, “It doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you’re sincere.”
Well isn’t it possible to be sincerely wrong? For example, hundreds of years ago, very intelligent men sincerely believed that the earth was flat. Adolph Hitler sincerely believed he was doing the world a favor, and even thought he was doing God’s work. Being sincere isn’t enough. We can sincerely believe whatever we want to, but that doesn’t mean that it’s right. We must sincerely believe and follow after the truth-“that which conforms to reality as it actually is”.


Second, “If Christianity works for me, great, but I’m not going to say that it’s right for everybody.”
It is extremely contradictory to believe for yourself that Christ is the only way to heaven, and then tell someone else that they can believe what they want and still make it heaven. If you truly believe that Christ is the only way, then you have to believe that no other way to God is possible. You can’t “have your cake and eat it too”. Either Christ is the only way to heaven-for everybody, or He isn’t. “Christians (should) reject pluralism in part, because defining elements of different religions contradict each other. Judaism teaches that Jesus is not the Messiah. Christianity teaches that He is. Jesus either is the Messiah or He is not. Both groups can’t be right. The notion that Christianity and Judaism (or any other religion for that matter) are somehow equally true is contradictory, like square circles. –Greg Koukl

Third, “God is so big there isn’t just one way to reach Him.”
Jesus Himself, while He walked on the earth told His disciples, “…‘I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life. No man comes to the Father except through Me.’” (John 14:6) God is God. He can do whatever He wants. He has set up the ground rules. He tells us on what terms we must come to God- through Christ alone. “For there is one God and one Mediator between God and men, the Man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim 2:5-6)

When we as Christians don’t insist that Christ is the only way to Heaven, we are being no different from the rest of our relativistic culture. We must tell people that if Christianity is right, then all other religions are wrong. Telling our culture that they can believe whatever they want as long as they’re sincere about it, or that there are many roads to God, might make them feel warm and fuzzy inside during this life, but it will do nothing to save their eternal souls. Susan Schaffer Macaulay, daughter of Christian philosopher Francis Schaffer, says, “…I believe that the world around us has a definite shape…all kinds of facts make up that shape. And I believe that only one explanation of truth and life-and only one religion or philosophy-will fit all the facts. The other options won’t work. Finding the right one is like sorting through a pile of keys for the one that fits.” We must boldly assert that we know the Truth, and that the Truth has set us free.

Meagan Wanschura

Thanks be to God!

When I was younger, I remember reading a book of poetry on the different months. I like to tease my sister with the description of her birthday month of November (as if anyone can determine the month they are born in anyway). It went something like this: November is a cold, dull and dreary month…that’s all I needed, especially when my birthday month of June was something to the effect of a cheerful and warm month… Despite being dull and dreary, November offers us two holidays to reflect on what we have been given-Veteran’s Day, and Thanksgiving.

While thinking about Thanksgiving and being thankful, I offer my following thoughts on the subject.

Everything we have is from God, period. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning.” James 1:17 (you may want to look at Eccl 2:24-25, and 2 Cor 9:10-15 ). Recognizing this (that everything we have is from God) leads to thankfulness and consequently the right perspective in life. You see, when we are thankful we realize that what we have is from God alone. When we realize that what we have is from God alone, this leads us to not become possessive of, or always striving after material things. In other words, being thankful helps us to set our mind on things above (see Col. 3:2) as well as helps us be in the world, but not of the world.

In a way then, thankfulness is kind of like a belief, in that it affects the way we live our life. In the same way that the beliefs that make up our worldview affect the way we live and respond to things that happen around us, so does thankfulness affect the way we view our belongings and all the other things (whether material or circumstantial) God has given to us.

Consider for a moment the story about the ten lepers. Could it be that the one leper truly realized that his healing was a gift from God? This caused thanksgiving in his heart, and it changed the way he responded, or lived life. He turned around and thanked Jesus for what he had done in his life, unlike the other nine.

We as Christians have the supreme reason to be thankful this Thanksgiving. We have the gift of salvation through Christ, given to us by God. Thanks be to God for His indescribable gift!

What has God blessed you with?

Daniel Wanschura

Veteran's Day 2008

PLEASE REMEMBER ME

Remember me, America, for I was once your son

I fought and died at Valley Forge with General Washington;

I was there at Gettysburg on that tragic, tragic day When brother fought against brother -the Blue against the Gray.

I rode with Teddy Roosevelt on the charge up San Juan Hill

Some came back to fight again-but I just lie there still,

I went to France with A.E.F. to bring the peace to you.

I'm still here at Pearl Harbor since that December seventh day of infamy.

Lying silently with shipmates on the U.S. S. Arizona at the bottom of the sea.
D-Day June 6th 1944, we hit the beaches of Normandy and we fought up hill every inch of the way.

We routed the Germans and hurled them back but what a terrible price we had to pay.
I served on a U.S. submarine, the bravest of the brave

Until a German depth charge gave us a watery grave I bombed the Ploesti Oil fields,

they blew with one big roar

But in the attack we were hit with flack-I'll never bomb anymore:
In Korea I heard the C.O. shout "we'll make it - I'm sure we will"I lost my life to try and take a spot called Pork Chop Hill.

Vietnam! Vietnam! When will we learn

I'm one of sixty thousand who never will return.

I left my town, my wife, my kids, my home so cozy and warm

I was killed in a Scud attack in a war called--Desert Storm!

And so in my eternity my thoughts are all for thee

I'll never forget my America

-- I pray she remembers me.

by John Dirusso WWII A.F. Combat Veteran

I am an American Soldier.
I am a Warrior and member of a team. I serve the people of the United States and live the Army Values.
I will always place the mission first.
I will never accept defeat.
I will never quit.
I will never leave a fallen comrade.
I am disciplined,. physically and mentally tough, trained and proficient in my warrior tasks and drills. I always maintain my arms, my equipment and myself.
I am an expert and I am a professional.
I stand ready to deploy, engage, and destroy the enemies of the United States of America in close combat.
I am guardian of freedom and the American way of life.
I am an American Soldier.

To all veterans: Thank you! Thank you for your selfless sacrifice on behalf of me and our country. God bless you!

Thank you Lord for people like my brother Brian, and both of my grandpas, who served our country so faithfully!

DW

Looking Ahead

We are saddened today for two reasons. First, that our country has elected a godless man for her next president. Second, that we, through this blog, did not do enough to convince most of our Christian readers that sticking to our values in an election is more important than winning, and that fearing God is more important than fearing a socialist. Our intention with this final Election 2008 article isn’t to “beat a dead horse” or to judge you, our readers, but our focus is on future elections and the role Christians play in them.

A common response to our articles has been that of trepidation in regards to the policies that would be enacted under an Obama presidency:

“As far as Barack Obama goes, he is more than just an inexperienced, arrogant man-he is the most extreme, communistic candidate to ever be put forth by the "Socialist Party." He would devastate our nation's economy and put the government in charge of what we the people ought to be in charge of.”

“An enemy to our conservative roots and the people of our country. He is the greatest threat put forth as a presidential candidate.”

“I just think that by voting for McCain, we would keep a worse candidate out of office. Even though McCain might support stem cell research on aborted embryos, a lot more babies would be murdered under an Obama presidency.”

“How can we be voting our values if we knowingly let Obama into office?”

“Obama will oppress the unborn and increase the devil’s foothold in society”

“Obama is the champion of pork barrel spending, earning a 0% rating from the Citizens Against Government Waste and Spending”

What comes across in these comments is that the focus was on doing everything possible to prohibit Obama from gaining the presidency (which is pragmatism), because it seems your greatest fear would be for him to hold that office. In this election, the greatest mistake that was made was that Christians did not heed the principles given to us by God. God has given us values through His Word. We did not fear Him, because we sacrificed those values, to vote for someone who contradicted them. We did not honor God because we put Christian support behind someone who didn’t support the values we hold.

Another response we got was that Scripture doesn’t bar voting the lesser of two evils. Once again, the Bible gives us principles, values, and standards by which to live. These standards must permeate every aspect of our lives, including choosing and disqualifying any candidate who doesn’t represent those standards. Just because we live in a secular society, doesn’t mean we should compartmentalize our beliefs. Rather, we must adhere to them when it is unpopular and even dangerous. (Matthew 5:13-16) How will we ever truly influence the secular realm of politics if we never take a stand by voting for our Christian beliefs?

A major issue Christians used in justifying their vote, was that it would save the lives of thousands of unborn children. Indeed, this should be a very big issue for Christians, because God hates the shedding of innocent blood. However, it is clear that neither of the two major candidates were pro-life. Is it any wonder that people didn’t feel good about voting for either one of them?

So our question is, why would you vote for anybody who kills the innocent, under any circumstance? Is this putting our support behind a candidate who God looks upon with favor? Are we putting ourselves into a position where God can bless us, when we support a candidate who supports the killing of the unborn? The general response to this was that many more lives would be killed under an Obama presidency, or that McCain wasn’t as bad. Now, humor us for a moment. Imagine that Barack Obama is running against Adolph Hitler. Suddenly, Obama is the “more pro-life candidate”. Do we as Christians now put our support and influence behind the lesser of the two killing-candidates? No, of course not! In the same way, why would we put our support behind a flip-flopping, "semi-life" candidate, when our God-given beliefs and values tell us otherwise? You can’t be part way pro-life - you either are, or you aren’t.

We said that the third party candidate most likely wouldn’t win. But at the same time, one would have to have been quite unrealistic to think that John McCain had a chance of winning, especially here in Minnesota. So, if winning is our criterion, why didn’t we all vote for Obama? As Christians, we don’t vote for the person with best chance of winning, we vote for the candidate who best represents the values and beliefs that we hold. Above all, God commands us to be faithful. Consider the story of Daniel. He was faithful and obedient to God, no matter the cost, and as a result God blessed him, even in a pagan land. Elections are a test to see wherein our faith lies. Is it in God, or a candidate? “He who is faithful in what is least is faithful also in much; and he who is unjust in what is least is unjust also in much.” - Luke 16:10 As Christians, winning is not the “end-all”, being faithful to God’s commands is. One way we honor God is by keeping the convictions He has given us. If these convictions aren’t worth losing for, then they’re not worth having at all.

So, come next election time, when it again will seem like it is the most crucial election yet, we would urge all of our readers to make their highest priority that of honoring God, no matter what – our country can’t afford to have us not to.

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.” -1 Corinthians 15:58

“If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and pray and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and will forgive their sin and heal their land.” -2 Chronicles 7:14

-Daniel Wanschura
- Meagan Wanschura

In the first place, a wasted vote is a vote for someone you know does not represent your own beliefs and principles. A wasted vote is a vote for someone you know will not lead the country in the way it should go. A wasted vote is a vote for the "lesser of two evils." – Chuck Baldwin

"If you will not fight for the right when you can easily win without bloodshed; if you will not fight when your victory will be sure and not too costly; you may come to the moment when you will have to fight with all the odds against you and only a small chance of survival. There may even be a worse case: you may have to fight when there is no hope of victory, because it is better to perish than to live as slaves." -Winston Churchill

"Doggone it!" "Say it ain't so."

I’ll be honest; at first I thought Sarah Palin was a great choice for VP. She seemed to be the candidate we (the Christian right) were all looking for. But once again, God continued to use this election to help me think outside of the big, political party box, and into what He - not the Party - wants me to do.

Is it Biblical for Sarah Palin, a woman, to be VP? Where in the Bible does it recommend, condone, or encourage such civil action? Although Christian leaders such as David Barton and Brannon Howse have tried to justify this pro-Palin view (http://www.worldviewtube.com/video.php/4047 - I suggest that you watch this), they still carry the burden of proof because the arguments they make, I find to be incredibly weak.

Let me be clear to begin with: In no way do I write this article to judge Mrs. Sarah Palin, or anyone else for that matter. I realize that none of us are perfect, myself being the prime imperfect example. I simply want to argue that I believe that women in the civil realm isn’t Biblical, and to point out the weak arguments used by Barton and Howse, who say it is OK for Palin to be VP. If you want to prove to me that it is Biblical for women to lead in the civil realm, prove it - I will gladly listen. However, don’t expect to convince me with the arguments like those of Barton and Howse.

Did they pray about it, and are they in agreement?
This is the first point and the one most often brought up by David Barton.

God doesn’t always tell us what not to do, but what to do. In other words God never says “YOU SHALL NOT…
– at this point, just imagine Gandolf on the bridge of Khazad Dum ;)
…elect a woman leader.”
However, He does say:

Listen now to my voice; I will give you counsel, and God will be with you: Stand before God for the people, so that you may bring the difficulties to God. 20 And you shall teach them the statutes and the laws, and show them the way in which they must walk and the work they must do. 21 Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them to be rulers of thousands, rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens. 22 And let them judge the people at all times. Then it will be that every great matter they shall bring to you, but every small matter they themselves shall judge. So it will be easier for you, for they will bear the burden with you. 23 If you do this thing, and God so commands you, then you will be able to endure, and all this people will also go to their place in peace."
Ex 18:19-23 (NKJV)

"And I spoke to you at that time, saying: 'I alone am not able to bear you. 10 The Lord your God has multiplied you, and here you are today, as the stars of heaven in multitude. 11 May the Lord God of your fathers make you a thousand times more numerous than you are, and bless you as He has promised you! 12 How can I alone bear your problems and your burdens and your complaints? 13 Choose wise, understanding, and knowledgeable men from among your tribes, and I will make them heads over you.' 14 And you answered me and said, 'The thing which you have told us to do is good.' 15 So I took the heads of your tribes, wise and knowledgeable men, and made them heads over you, leaders of thousands, leaders of hundreds, leaders of fifties, leaders of tens, and officers for your tribes.
Deut 1:9-15

Women in leadership is a sign of judgment from God:
11 Woe to the wicked! It shall be ill with him, For the reward of his hands shall be given him. 12 As for My people, children are their oppressors, And women rule over them. O My people! Those who lead you cause you to err, And destroy the way of your paths."
Isaiah 3:11-12

Paul’s address:
3 The aged women likewise, that they be in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Titus 2:3-5

As long as Todd and Sarah prayed about it and are in agreement, then all the Christians should accept the Palin’s agreement on the issue to be confirmation that it is alright to vote for Sarah, and should not “judge”, or question her viability to become VP.
It is very disturbing and puzzling that our Christian leaders would actually compromise that much- to keep on trying to bend over backwards- to justify support for this ticket.
I wonder if those same Christian leaders would argue that it is OK:

For a Christian women to become a pastor as long as the church elders, and the wife and husband prayed about it and were in agreement?

For the leaders of a certain Emergent Church to conclude that truth is relative, and that there are different ways to come to God. What could be said against them for having this belief – I’m sure they prayed about it and feel in agreement?

For the dad and mom who have prayed about, and feel that a divorce is necessary and God’s plan to offer each of them relief and a new start in life?

For the church leaders who pray about and agree that they shouldn’t preach repentance from sin or that hell exists, and that they should just kind of ignore the convicting parts of the Bible in order to draw more people into church.

Do you see my point? If we ignore God’s word as the standard, and leave it up to men’s agreements and feelings, we will always find the way to justify our desired actions. If we go by the reasoning of Barton and Howse, we open up the door for relative truth claims. “How dare you say we are wrong? - We prayed about it and are in total agreement.” What could they say in response? “Well, God’s Word says that it is wrong.” In the same way, as far as I can tell, God’s Word says that we should choose men for civil positions.

When God tells us to do something (like choose men leaders) He is who we must obey. If God wants to raise up a woman, that doesn’t mean we disregard His command, and try to “help” His will get accomplished. If God is raising up Palin, this doesn’t mean He gives us a “cop out” in regard to His expectations from us.

Also, with this kind of reasoning, it is a wonder why God gave us commands at all– specific do’s and don’ts- Why wouldn’t He have people pray and see if they be in agreement about what is right in certain issues.

Don’t misunderstand me. I know that sometimes God does show His will through prayer. But when His will/command is already shown in His word, we can never justify acting on a contradicting point made by a human. My main point in showing that a woman in civil leadership is unbiblical, is to show how I, as a Christian cannot vote for her. I do not point it out to judge her.
If God is truly calling Sarah Palin to be VP, then God will make her VP without my vote. All I can go by is God’s word and not man’s (or in this case man and woman’s word).

Look at Deborah, Esther, and the Queen of Sheba. God raised up those women for civil leadership, and now they are in The Hall of Faith.
While it is true that women are mentioned in the Hall of Faith, I find no reference to Deborah, Esther, or even the Queen of Sheba. Of course the remote possibility exists that David Barton and Brannon Howse are actually talking about another Hall of Faith. Since this might be the case, I’ll focus on the main arguing point.

Deborah
When Ehud was dead, the children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord. 2 So the Lord sold them into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, who reigned in Hazor. The commander of his army was Sisera, who dwelt in Harosheth Hagoyim. 3 And the children of Israel cried out to the Lord; for Jabin had nine hundred chariots of iron, and for twenty years he harshly oppressed the children of Israel. 4 Now Deborah, a prophetess, the wife of Lapidoth, was judging Israel at that time.
Judges 4:1-4

At first glance, the Deborah argument seems to justify the Pro-Palin position (like the alliteration?) In the end, however, I believe using this argument doesn’t advance the argument at all, but in fact strengthens the opposite viewpoint.
Could Deborah’s position in what appears to be the civil realm, be a judgment from God? Yes, it appears that this would be a logical conclusion. As the book of Judges says, “The children of Israel again did evil in the sight of the Lord.” This appears to be very consistent with the passage in Isaiah where it is talking about the wickedness of Israel, and their consequential women leaders.
The example of Deborah does not help, but hurts the cause of the Pro-Palin viewpoint.

Esther and the Queen of Sheba
Just because something happens in the Bible, that doesn’t mean that the particular action has God’s approval. For instance, Abraham lied about Sarah being His wife. God certainly doesn’t approve of lying. Moses murdered an Egyptian. God doesn’t approve of murder. Likewise, because Esther and the Queen of Sheba might have had civil leadership, it doesn’t mean that God thinks that ideally women should fill these roles.
For another thing, these queens were not even queens of Israel, God’s chosen people. When it comes to decision time, why would we Christians really even care about who other pagan societies appointed as their leaders back in the day? Also, do we know that the “queen” of the Bible is even a relatable position to the VP of the United States, when it comes to the leadership/authority question? The burden of proof still lies with the side trying to justify that viewpoint.

As long as she isn’t out doing her own thing – then it is alright
“Moreover you shall select from all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth,” oh, and women- as long as they are not out doing their ‘own thing’.
I know I’m being a bit sarcastic, but so far I haven’t been convinced that this kind of reasoning is Biblical rational for voting for a women.

If they (Todd and Sarah) have prayed about it and are in agreement; get out of their way!
Believe me when I say I am getting out of her way. I’m not voting for her! Consider this, if it isn’t of God that Palin be the VP, what have I to gain by voting for her? If it is of God for Palin to be VP, what have I to lose by not voting for her? If God wants to raise up a woman leader for such a time as this, He doesn’t need or necessarily want anybody to help Him out. If the Pro-Palin side wants to use the examples of Deborah, Esther, and the Queen of Sheba, I argue, did God need anyone to get those women into their positions?

As soon as you get your life straightened out; start running hers
Once again, my goal isn’t to judge Palin. My goal is to vote in a Biblical manner. None of us are perfect; that is a given. However this doesn’t mean we can’t identify a particular action as unbiblical. In general, this kind of reasoning by Barton belittles wrong action. “You are not perfect, so why should you criticize me for my actions?” However, just because no one is perfect, doesn’t mean that where possible, we shouldn’t identify and confront the error. If we all stayed out of people’s ways, who had false beliefs – if we ignored the lie, instead of confronting it, all because we ourselves are imperfect, we would not only be ignorant, but this silence would lead our country further down the moral decline. It’s got to start with us.

Conclusion
These are just some of the arguments brought up by David Barton and Brannon Howse, as they try to reconcile their Biblical beliefs with their political ones.
Here’s a small recap of this ticket that they are trying so hard to justify:

McCain- believes in Federal funding of human embryo destruction.
He punishes the innocent for the sins of their parent – believes in abortion in the cases of rape and incest
Is McCain Biblically justifiable?

Palin- mother of 5 children, whose position as potential VP isn’t, or at the least has not been justified Biblically.
But, because of their intense fear of Barak Obama, Christian leaders have overlooked these facts, and pledged their support. Instead of focusing on changing our country through Christ, they sometimes focus too much on trying to change the country through politics. But I digress, for that is another blog for another time.

Don’t evaluate your voting options as voting for the lesser of two evils, but instead evaluate these two options as “the evils of two lessers.” It's crunch time. Vote for principle!

Daniel Wanschura