WHEN YOU THOUGHT I WASN’T LOOKING
 
A message every adult should read because children
are watching you and doing as you do, not as you say.
 
When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you hang my
first painting on the refrigerator, and I immediately
wanted to paint another one.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you feed a
stray cat, and I learned that it was good to be kind
to animals. 

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make my
favorite cake for me, and I learned that the little
things can be the special things in life. 

When you thought I wasn’t looking I heard you say a
prayer, and I knew that there is a God I could always
talk to, and I learned to trust in Him. 

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you make a
meal and take it to a friend who was sick, and I
learned that we all have to help take care of each other. 

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw you take care
of our house and everyone in it, and I learned we have
to take care of what we are given. 

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw how you
handled your responsibilities, even when you didn’t
feel good, and I learned that I would have to be
responsible when I grow up. 

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw tears come
from your eyes, and I learned that sometimes things
hurt, but it’s all right to cry.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I saw that you
cared, and I wanted to be everything that I could be.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I learned most of
life’s lessons that I need to know to be a good and
productive person when I grow up.

When you thought I wasn’t looking I looked at you and
wanted to say,’Thanks for all the things I saw when
you thought I wasn’t looking’

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Each of us (parent, grandparent, aunt, uncle, teacher, friend)
influences the life of a child. 

by Jerry Richardson

Christian people are often angry and surprised when people of the world declare them to be mentally unbalanced.  Many of us are concerned that persecution of Christians around the world is on the rise; and that criticism and hostility toward Christians in America continues to increase.  Perhaps what is most annoying is the presumptuous way that critical remarks are made about Christians in the media.  For example:

Slipped ever so casually into a New York Times profile on Dr. Francis Collins, the new director of the National Institutes of Health, is this stunning and not-so-objective example of reporting:

“First, there is the God issue. Dr. Collins believes in him. Passionately. And he preaches about his belief in churches and a best-selling book. For some presidential appointees, that might not be a problem, but many scientists view such outspoken religious commitment as a sign of mild dementia.”

Excuse me. Rewind the tape, please. Did the New York Times just say that people who believe in God and talk about it have dementia?

In an otherwise unremarkable profile, this offhand remark, which is never backed up by anything that could even remotely be considered “evidence,” is included as part of a discussion on whether Dr. Collins, who happens to be Christian, could possibly handle the reins of NIH and believe in God at the same time. “?– Reference (1) at bottom.

Anger (the righteous kind) at “this sort of ideologically-biased reporting is appropriate.  But surprise?  Christians who have even superficially read and studied the Bible should never be surprised when the world thinks we are odd.  Why?

[The world will despise Christians.]?”If the world hates you, you know that it has hated Me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, because of this the world hates you.”? – John 15:18-19 [NASB]

[Jesus was called insane and said to be demon possessed.]?”Many of them were saying, “He has a demon and is insane. Why do you listen to Him?”" ?– John 10:20 [NASB]

[Christians who are insulted and persecuted because of Jesus.]?”Blessed are you when people insult you and persecute you, and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, for your reward in heaven is great; for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you.”   ?– Matthew 5:11-12 [NASB]

To the world, we are odd.  Get over it.  Spend just a few moments reflecting on the secular-progressive world’s Weltanschauung (the original German word for worldview), and you will have to agree.  From the  secular-progressive world’s perspective Christians are very odd.

Thumbnail sketch of the secular-progressive world’s current naturalistic-materialistic Weltanschauung:

There is no spiritual reality; only physical reality.

There is no afterlife.  This life is all there is.

There is no God.  Hence, of course, no Jesus.  No Salvation.  No Heaven.  No Hell. 

There is no objective good and evil.  Good and evil are man made conventions.

There is no absolute moral truth.  Morals are relative to time and culture.

Science is the only real source of truth.  The Bible is a book of fairy tales and myths, written by deluded, religious fanatics.

Traditional notions of morality (such as marriage being between one man and one woman) are passé and outdated.

What should we do in the face of such biased mentality?  I think at least five things: 

1) Endeavor to insure that if the world despises us, it is because we follow Jesus, not because we have committed acts that are worthy of censor or punishment.

2) Do not be dismayed about the world’s animosity; but do not cultivate a paranoid expectation of it. Remember that Jesus said, “Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.”  ?– Matthew 10:16 [NASB]

3) Study and know what the Bible actually says, not what worldly people want it to say.

4) Study, know, and exert your rights as a citizen (The Apostle Paul did, Acts 21:37-40).

5) Make vigorous use of your 1st Amendment rights to freedom of worship and freedom of speech.

Item one through four above can all be effectively exercised in a solitary fashion.  So can item five, but in addition it needs to be exercised through collective action.  Obviously many of us are accustomed to exercising our freedom of worship collectively.  The Bible commands us to  “…let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another…” [Hebrews 10:24-25 (NASB)]. 

But many of us are unaccustomed to collectively exercising our freedom of speech.  Why is that?

There are numerous possible reasons.  But, I think the two most likely reasons are the facts that most of us have been reared in a culture that places high value on individual accomplishment and on individualism (self-reliance and personal independence).  Also, for most of our lives, and probably for our parents during their lives, collective free speech activity has often been associated with radical (often Marxist), political activity.  Hence, collective free speech activity has taken on an unspoken characterization of a less-than-desirable activity.  It is here that some of us may need to explore and rethink a vague feeling that could possibly arise from an unexamined, ingrained assumption. 

I suggest that you give serious thought to becoming involved with some organization or organizations that provide venues for serious collective expressions of free speech, especially applied in the political, social, and cultural realms. 

I would be derelict if I didn’t recommend the American Family Association (AFA) for this type of activity…so I do.

Last Monday night, the Teen Choice Awards aired on Fox. The entertainment industry – which selects the TV programs and movies up for awards – packed the nominations with R-rated adult fare…yet when the teenagers’ votes were in, clean, kid-friendly shows crushed the raunchy competition!

Teens picked the clean comedy-adventure Night at the Museum: Battle of the Smithsonian over the sex-and-liquor party movie The Hangover and the scatological Land of the Lost for favorite comedy movie. As top TV animated show, offered choices including the foul Family Guy, American Dad and South Park, the teens chose the child-friendly SpongeBob SquarePants. In the “Choice Bromantic Comedy” category, teenagers picked the only PG-13 movie nominated, ignoring the four R-rated nominees. And throughout the night, the romantic (but not sexual) movie Twilight and Disney stars like Miley Cyrus, Zac Efron, Selena Gomez and the Jonas Brothers were overwhelming favorites. This stands as proof that teenagers – like most adults – clearly prefer clean, upbeat and family-friendly entertainment…no matter how hard some in Hollywood might try to push them in the wrong direction.

• To read more about the Teen Choice Awards, click here.

• To learn about the PTC’s Broadcast Indecency campaign, click here.

–via Parents’ Television Council

 I have listened with great interest and concern to the “pros” and “cons” of the impending health bill that has been drawn up by the House of Representatives.   Few, if any, of our representatives have actually read the bill in its entirety.   In contrast a growing number of concerned citizens have taken the time to download and examine this piece of legislation in detail.  I downloaded HR3200, and have spent a total of slightly more than ten hours reading the bill, page by page, and line by line.   I can confidently say that I have read the bill.  Having said that, there are some observations I want to make relative to a “political coup” that is presently underway in the very halls of our Congress.Before addressing what is actually IN the bill, I want to address a mistake that many are making relative to an honest, but mislead attempt to discredit this bill.   The internet is a source of much “misinformation.”  I have received emails saying that the bill will demand abortion if a family has more than two children and the wife becomes pregnant – a scenario similar to China’s forced abortion laws.   Another email has stated that this bill includes a provision whereby teen age girls will be injected with some kind of a sterility pill and removed later in adult life only when she agrees to the government’s law concerning birth, child rearing, etc.  I have read of no such provisions in HR3200.   All such emails that misrepresent HR3200 only make our attempt to discredit this bill look foolish, and makes honest and concerned individuals appear to be ill-informed at best, and radicals at worst.   There is enough in this bill to discredit it based on its own “merits” (I use that word to refer to provisions within the bill that make it a horrible piece of legislation).

One more note and then I’ll share with you just two or three reasons why every child of God, and citizen of these United States should do all within their power to defeat this bill, and anything like it.   I think it important to make a distinction between what this Bill SAYS and what it implies; or in other words, what the Bill states in so many words vs. the authority within those words to enact provisions that are contrary to the very foundation of this country, and which would place in position the means by which the Government could run roughshod over the principles and precepts contained in God’s word.    If this were purely a health bill, addressing a reform of our health system, I would never have taken the time to read it in such detail.  But in my estimation it is a coordinated effort to infringe upon our God-given rights and responsibilities.

Consider if you will the following.

First, there is the issue of respect for life, whether at conception, or in the closing days of one’s life.  I am speaking of abortion and euthanasia.   Keep in mind that what is “implied” in this Bill is just as important as what the Bill specifically says.   On page 230, Lines 8-19 the Bill states:

IN GENERAL.—The Secretary of Health and Human Services shall analyze payments for non-therapy ancillary services under a future skilled nursing facility classification system to ensure the accuracy of payment for non-therapy ancillary services. Such analysis shall consider use of appropriate indicators which may include age, physical and mental status, ability to perform activities of daily living, prior nursing home stay, broad RUG category, and a proxy for length of stay.

The language gives the Government of the United States the authority to determine whether payment should be made to extend the life of someone who may have reached a predetermined age, physical state, or mental status that the Government deems too costly for treatment.  While the Bill does NOT say that anyone past a certain age will NOT be given adequate treatment, it implies it in this provision in the Bill.    Once this provision becomes a part of law, it is only a matter of time for the next small incremental step to be taken whereby the Government decides who shall live, or who shall die.

The other end of the life cycle is also under attack in this Bill.   There are two provisions in this Bill that should concern every God-fearing citizen of our country.  The first has to do with the Government’s authority to regulate pregnancies.  Page 767, Lines 21-24, and continued on page 768, lines 1-5 read as follows:

The term ‘nurse home visitation services’ means home visits by trained nurses to families with a first-time pregnant woman, or a child (under 2 years of age) who is eligible for medical assistance under this title…to the extent determined by the Secretary based upon evidence, that such services are effective in one or more of the following: ‘‘(1) Improving maternal or child health and pregnancy outcomes or increasing birth intervals between pregnancies.”

This provision grants the Government “as determined by the Secretary” the power to come into your home and evaluate the means by which they might improve the maternal or child health, with specific reference to the “outcomes” (note the plural language here) and/or intervals between pregnancies.  Please note the language carefully.   The only legitimate, God-authorized “outcome” of a pregnancy is BIRTH.  The only other outcome would be abortion.   In addition, the Government is going to tell the God-fearing family when they can or cannot have children.   And, with any other Government “Bill”or “Law” there will be penalties attached to the disregard for those laws.

But there is more in this Bill to support and promote abortion.  On page 783, Line 7 provisions are made for the Government financing of “free birth center services.”  The words are carefully chosen so as to make one think that we are talking about hospitals where provisions are made for births to take place.  But watch carefully the language in the lines to follow – and please note the possible interpretation of that provision if so deemed appropriate by the Government.  I have placed my interpretation of these possibilities in brackets:

The term ‘freestanding birth center services’ means services furnished to an individual at a freestanding birth center [i.e. abortion clinics, TW] (as defined in subparagraph (B)), including by a licensed birth attendant [abortionist, TW]  (as defined in subparagraph (C)) at such center. ‘‘(B) The term ‘freestanding birth center’ means a health facility— ‘‘(i) that is not [emphasis mine, TW] a hospital; and ‘‘(ii) where childbirth is planned to occur away from the pregnant woman’s residence [a teenagers doctor or parents, TW]…The term ‘licensed birth attendant’ means an individual who is licensed or registered by the State involved to provide health care [abortions, even to late term, TW] at childbirth and who provides such care within the scope of practice under which the individual is legally authorized [by Roe Vs. Wade Supreme Court decision in 1973, TW] to perform such care [abortions, TW] under State law (or the State regulatory mechanism provided by State law), regardless of whether the individual is under the supervision of, or associated with, a physician or other health care provider [the patients regular doctor or parents, TW].

There is one more provision in HR3200 that should concern us, especially those of us who are attempting to raise our children in a Godly manner.  On page 837, Lines 1-5 we are introduced to Sec. 1903:  GRANTS TO STATES FOR QUALITY HOME VISITATION PROGRAMS FOR FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN AND FAMILIES EXPECTING CHILDREN.    On the same page, Lines 13-17 we have the following provision:

PURPOSE.—The purpose of this section is to improve the well-being, health, and development of children by enabling the establishment and expansion of high quality programs providing voluntary home visitation for families with young children and families expecting children.

In other words, HR3200 gives the Government the authority to come into your home and tell you how to raise your children.  Interpreted, the “well being” of your child includes indoctrination in evolutionary thinking, humanism, and Godless indoctrination.

Should HR3200 pass the House and Senate, every child of God is going to find himself at odds, once again, with an ever encroaching Government that is determined to undermine every attempt on your part to live a Godly life.   There are a number of other reasons why I simply cannot support this Bill, but in this article I am concerned about the impact it is going to have on our service to God.  Take action; be informed.

 “Man who is born of woman is of few days and full of trouble” (Job 14:1). We encounter many problems in our daily lives

• Financial problems
• Health problems
• Governmental problems
• Social problems
• Family problems
• Spiritual problems

Can we solve these problems, or do we just have to learn to live with them?

The apostle Peter gives us this advice: “casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you” (1 Peter 5:7).

And the apostle Paul says, “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Philippians 4:13). Notice that we cannot do all things through our own strength, but the strength which comes through Christ.

Consider the great power of God which is available to us: “Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us,  to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen” (Ephesians 3:20-21). Note that this power “works in us.”

What is the greatest thing you can ask God to do? God can do more than that!

What is the greatest thing you can imagine for God to do? God can do more than that!

Just how powerful is this “power that works in us?”

We read three things in the book of Ephesians that the apostle Paul wants us to know: “Therefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all the saints, do not cease to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers: that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give to you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that you may know what is the hope of His calling, what are the riches of the glory of His inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of His power toward us who believe, according to the working of His mighty power which He worked in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places” (Ephesians 1:15-20).

The power that God used to raise Christ from death is available to us! 

God does not hand us a “blank check” -  he expects us to do whatever we can to solve our problems – but let us never forget that he is always there to help!

We live in a sinful world. We live in a world filled with the sin that Jesus hates. Today’s world is filled with sinners. We live in a world of sinners whom Jesus loves. We must make our attitudes toward sin and sinners the same as those of Jesus. We must hate the sin and love the sinner.

Some of today’s sins are being promoted by national leaders in the name of progress, open-mindedness, or social reform. Two of these sins are particularly repulsive to Christians: abortion and homosexuality. These are promoted in the name of freedom of choice and alternative life-styles. Both of these sins are condemned in the Bible. Abortion is nothing short of murder (see Exodus 21). It is not just a matter of a woman’s choice. Homosexuality is clearly condemned in the Bible (see Romans 1). This very sin was responsible for the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (see Genesis 19).

The point is this: Christians must hate these two sins in no uncertain terms. However, we must love the sinners. We should not even think of doing them bodily harm. We must make every effort to change their thinking by teaching them what God’s word plainly says about these matters.

It is obvious as we mention these unmentionable subjects that some Christians hate the sins, as they should. But they also hate the sinners! This attitude must be changed. This is not the attitude of Jesus!

Hate the sin, but love the sinner!

Psa. 71:18

The value of the gray-headed brothers and sisters in Christ cannot be measured. I am thankful beyond description that I have been blessed to be taught by them and follow their advice and examples. I have been privileged to preach in places as a young preacher where there were both men and women who knew more about the scriptures than I did and I will be forever grateful for their counsel and the faithful life that they lived before me. Elders in congregations at Bay, Arkansas; Swifton, Arkansas;  Levy in North Little Rock, Arkansas, and their wives and many others have been of more encouragement to me than I could ever repay and their wisdom has benefited me in spreading the gospel to others.  I was blessed to sit at the feet of men like E.R. Harper, V.E. Howard, Guy N. Woods, Boyd E. Morgan, Melvin Elliott, and many others who loved the truth and preached it faithfully and without favor.

For the past several years I have been very much concerned about the fact that the gray-heads are passing on and it seems that there are few to fill their places.  I know today of congregations where the membership is almost totally made up of those advanced in years and there are very few young people. I know of congregations where the attendance 10-15 years ago was very good and today those numbers have faded drastically and one of the reasons is that our gray-heads have died and no one is taking their place.  I am told over and over again by brethren in these places that they do not know what is going to happen when the gray-heads are gone.  A dear friend told me this week that the church where he attends has some tremendous challenges ahead because even though it is an old, established, and faithful congregation, there are so few younger people in its’ membership. Those who are most faithful in attendance and those who most faithfully support the church financially are the gray-heads. Those who do most of the serving in the community, visiting the sick, caring for the needy, and trying to reach the lost are the gray-heads. I thank God for every one of them.

Pardon me, but I do not mean to be insulting to the wonderful young adult Christians among us who are striving to live the Christian life, build a Christian home, and build a beautiful church to the glory of God.  My concern is that their number is not as large as it should be. So many are busily engaged in working to provide for their family in an economic crisis age and that is a difficult thing to do. But, the Lord must come first!

We have been losing our young people in very large numbers. Many of our young adults are not standing for the truth because they do not know the truth.  A large number of them could not tell you for the life of them why they should not join the denomination that offers the most convenient and socially acceptable pleasures available.  Even many of those who come from ‘our’ colleges and universities are not remaining faithful in serving the Lord. What can be done to reverse the trend? What are some things that need to occur to stop the loss of our brothers and sisters in Christ to the world? We must do something because the gray is disappearing quickly and will soon be gone altogether. May this gray-head offer the following suggestions for your consideration?

First, LISTEN TO THE GRAY-HEADS!  Lev. 19:32; Prov. 16:31. We make a terrible mistake when we decide that our older brothers and sisters are deaf, dumb, and blind spiritually and we just sit them on the shelf.  I was told many years ago that when I reached the age of 55 years I would not be used much any more to preach the gospel. I am thankful that has not happened to me, but I know of others who have had that kind of experience. I know of some who are in their Sixties and Seventies and are very seldom invited to preach any more. How sad!

I spent a few hours on New Years Eve 2008 with Brother Perry B.Cotham.  Brother Cotham celebrated his 97th birthday on January 5, 2009.  In 2008 at the age of 96 he published a book that would benefit every Christian greatly if they would read it. It is entitled, “Beyond The Sunset.”  Brother Cotham was still making trips to India and other foreign countries when he was 95 years of age, preaching and teaching the gospel.  Brother Joe Spaulding and his beautiful wife Donna continue to serve the Lord and Brother Joe is over 90 years of age and on January 6, 2009 Sister Donna celebrated her 96th birthday.  Joe preaches almost every week. Recently I was asked if I thought that Joe could fill the pulpit in the absence of one of our local preachers and I said, “If he is alive and able to, he will do it”, and he did!

My precious young adult brothers and sisters, listen to the gray-heads that you have in your midst. They will bless your life richly.  Do not make the mistake that Rehoboam made in 1 Kings 11 when he refused the counsel of the older men and followed the counsel of the men his own age and brought tremendous damage to God’s people.

Our son is 46 years of age and our daughter is 42. As much as I hate to admit it, I am in the gray-head group now although my hair is not yet gray, at least not very much of it.   Not long ago I was talking with a preacher friend and he said, “Remember when we used to talk about what the older preachers thought about things? Well, now we are the older preachers!” Respect the wisdom of the gray-heads and LISTEN to them.  We may not be right in every case but do not discard our suggestions and ideas and put them on the pew to die with our knowledge and wisdom passing with us. Use us! Listen to us! We are not experts in every field and maybe not in any field, but we have something to say and do which could help you if you will let us.

Second, RESPECT THE AUTHORITY OF THE WORD OF GOD.  Do not engage in the practice of things just because they please you. Do not forsake the authority of God’s word because you want to appeal to numbers with innovations which are not authorized in the word of God.  The preachers, parents, and teachers when I was growing up taught me the importance of listening to the word of God and refusing to be drawn away and enticed by the popularity of a thing. That was valuable to me, not because it was their opinion but because it is plainly taught in the word of God. What is wrong with ‘speaking where the Bible speaks and being silent where the Bible is silent?” Is that not what Peter teaches us in I Pet. 4:11?

Why are so many of our younger people today accepting the use of mechanical instruments of music in worship? Why are they content with the use of women in the roles of leadership in worship and other areas?  Why is our focus shifting to things that interest us and appeal to us instead of reaching out to the world with the gospel? Why does it seem that we are fast becoming more of a social and recreational organization than a body of people who want to do everything possible to turn many to the Lord?  Why are we not raising more Godly, qualified men to lead us as Shepherds of God’s flock instead of just appointing the most popular or successful men in the church to that office? Could it be that our knowledge of the word of God is so shallow that we don’t know the importance of insisting upon authority for our actions?  Or, do we not care whether a thing is authorized or not?  Are we so blinded by our pleasures that we cannot see the need for authority for our actions?

I want to challenge you younger adults to study your Bibles! Know the difference between what is right and what is wrong.  Listen to the Hebrew writer in Hebrews 5:11-14.  Make time every day in that busy, challenging schedule of yours to study the word of God.  When you read what it says, LISTEN TO IT and DO WHAT IT SAYS! You will never regret doing that.

Third, TEACH YOUR CHILDREN THE WORD OF GOD AND THE IMPORTANCE OF RESPECTING IT’S AUTHORITY.  How many of you reading this right now have children that have lost their faith and just gone off into the world? How many have been disappointed in some thing or someone in the church and have just walked away from the Lord? How many have gone off into denominationalism because they did not know why they should not go to church with their friends at their church? How many of our children have married out of the church and gone with their spouse into some church that we do not read about in the word of God?  Honestly, how many of our children are lost because we did not make the time and expend the effort to teach them the word and impress upon them that this is the ONLY way to please God?  I heard a man recently say that when he was dating the woman who would eventually become his wife and they were contemplating marriage, he was not a Christian and she was. She told him, “There are two things that you must know.” “There will be no divorce and there is ONE church.” To say that lovingly and be ready to give an answer as to why it is said is a wonderful thing.

Have you studied Deut. 6 recently, especially verses 1-9? Have you considered Eph. 6:4?  Have you thought about Prov. 22:6?  Parents, there is no more solemn and serious responsibility that rests upon us than raising our children up to submit to and follow the Lord.  That demands that we teach them the importance of respecting the authority of the word of God. As a part of that teaching and training we must make it clear that there is something very distinct and different about the Lord’s church and that leaving it is spiritually fatal.

I challenge you to teach your children from the very beginning of their ability to be taught, WHY we commune with the Lord every Lord’s day; WHY we do not sing with mechanical instruments of music; WHY one must be baptized in order to be saved; WHY one must be a member of the church that we read about in the bible in order to go to heaven, and many other vitally important issues.

My beloved brethren, if we would be convinced of this matter of respecting the authority of God’s word and pass it on to our children we would once again see the church moving forward and having a great influence for the Lord in a lost and dying world.

Fourth, WE MUST FOCUS ON EVANGELIZING THE WORLD.  The gray-heads of the past did that because they recognized the example set for us by the early church.  I like this…”We must evangelize every person who is not a Christian and equip every Christian to evangelize.”  The early disciples of the Lord were commissioned to emphasize one thing primarily and that was to take the gospel to the world as the Lord Himself had commanded them to do.

Evangelism may be the forgotten commandment today. We are so focused inwardly that our view of world evangelism is woefully distorted. We have missionaries in fewer foreign countries today than we had many years ago. We are baptizing fewer people at home than we have in days gone by.  WHY?  Would it be insulting if I were to suggest that we do not have a fire in our bones today to teach the lost?

The Lord’s charge to ‘preach the gospel to every creature’ has not changed. We gray-heads, the young adults, the teens, all of us, must be missionaries right where we are. Let’s get to it right now!

Yes, I am deeply concerned about what is going to happen when the gray is gone. But, I know that we have marvelous potential to reach greater heights than ever before because we have the talent to do it, the money to do it, and the methods to do it.  All that we need is the faith to do it, the interest to do it, and the determination to do it.

When this present generation of gray-heads has passed on to their rest, I fervently pray that the next generation will have benefited from them and that they will pass it on to the generation that follows them. I have two Great-Granddaughters and one Great-Grandson that I will not be allowed to influence for very long but I hope that the gray-heads that follow me will give them faith, courage, an example, and a determination to follow the Lord faithfully.

Thank you, Gray-Heads of today and God bless you. May you spend the rest of your days seeking and speaking on behalf of the Lord. May others be caused to follow, not us, but the Lord.

by Jason Carlson and Ron Carlson

Many people in the Evangelical Christian community fail to understand the true underlying cause of the Secular Left’s antagonism for the Christian Right of America.  Many Christians assume it is because of our opposition to abortion, or the homosexual lifestyle, or our desire for alternative theories to evolution to be taught in the classroom; and while all of these are related to the Secular Left’s vitriol, none of them strike to the core of the matter.  No, there is a much deeper and far less recognized cause for the Secular Left’s animosity for the Evangelical Christian community.

What lies at the heart of the division between the Secular Left and the Christian Right in America is a debate over the nature of truth.  Evangelical Christians believe that truth is objective and universal, which means that there is absolute truth which applies to all people, in all cultures, for all times.  Evangelicals recognize that this objective and absolute truth is found ultimately in the one true God of the universe and in His revelation given to us personally in Jesus Christ and in the Bible.  As a result of God having revealed absolute truth to humanity, Evangelical Christians believe that lives and societies are best governed by adhering to the principles and guidelines that God has given.  After all, when an omniscient (all-knowing) and loving God personally reveals Himself and the correct path for humans to follow, it only makes sense to hold fast to His guidance.  And it is the Evangelical insistence on adhering to God’s absolute truth found in His word that stokes the Secular Left’s ire.

To the contrary, the Secular Left in America is guided by a far different understanding of truth.  For them, truth is no more than a social construction of reality.  This means that reality has no inherent structure or meaning and there is no objective truth that humanity can discover.  Instead, the Secular Left in our world has adopted a postmodern view of truth that declares that individuals and societies impose their own meaning and truth onto reality.  Thus, for them, truth is relative.  Truth is relative to individuals, to social groups, to cultures, and to religions.  And it is this postmodern view of truth that has created the wedge of animosity between the Secular Left and the Christian Right.

As a result of their denial of objective truth and their belief that truth is relative, the Secular Left has adopted a deconstructionist approach to history and traditional worldviews, and specifically towards the absolutes of Christianity.  The common claim brought by the various proponents of the Secular Left’s agenda is that “Christianity” has historically led to violence, repression, and conquest; and they will list a long series of historical abuses as evidence*.  As a result of these so-called “Christian” abuses towards non-Christian people and cultures, the Secular Left’s postmodern worldview has determined that we must now highlight and give preference to the historically marginalized and mistreated.

While highlighting marginalized people groups is a noble goal, the Secular Left does not stop here.  Once again, as a result of their postmodern view of truth, the Secular Left makes an amazing leap at this point.  They claim that not only should we recognize and highlight these historically marginalized people and cultures, but the leap that is made is that these marginalized people, cultures, lifestyles, and religions are actually equal to, or even preferable to the traditional Christian worldview.  Thus, we see the Secular Left’s embrace of every non-Christian lifestyle, choice, and religion as normative: homosexual marriage, abortion on demand, even Muslim terrorists.

It all boils down to the nature of truth.  The Christian Right has remained steadfast in our adherence to the objective truths and standards set forth in God’s word.  Thus, we oppose homosexual marriage, we stand on the side of the unborn and we believe that Religions that promote the killing and suppression of those opposed to them are evil.  Evangelicals are guided by God’s objective and absolute truths; and it is for this stance that the Secular Left despises us.

Christian brothers and sisters, we must be vigorously engaged in this cultural debate over the nature of truth.  The future of our country and our world is at stake.  Our engagement in this debate is a thoroughly Christian pursuit; in fact, God’s word admonishes us to contend for the faith, to contend for the truth (Jude 3).  At the same time, while we debate passionately, we must do so with a Christ-like “gentleness and respect” (1 Peter 3:15).  The way of the Master is to stand for the truth in love.  While we are right to defend the truth, point out sinfulness, and label right from wrong, we must do so with an attitude of humility and love.  If we do this, we will be faithful to the truth and to the example of standing for the truth left to us by our Master, Jesus Christ.

*Everyone, even the Evangelical Christians with whom they most identify these abuses, readily acknowledges the fact that historical abuses have taken place in the name of Christianity.  What they fail to recognize however, is that nowhere in God’s Word (once again, the “absolutes” for Christians) do you find the sanction for these historical abuses.