Friday, August 29, 2008


You Can't Spell "Morality" Without G-O-D


I said that I wasn't going to do it; but I did. I watched Obama's speech last night and I must say that I wasn't disappointed. I wasn't disappointed because I expected him to give an eloquent and persuasive speech. I also expected him to give a speech totally void of a godly perspective. As I said, I wasn't disappointed.

Sure, he spoke of opportunities for education for all people. Sure, he spoke of re-establishing America as the beacon of hope for the world. Sure, he spoke of sacrifice and individual responsibility. He spoke of finding common ground between those who are pro-death and those who are pro-life. He spoke of finding common ground between those who want to protect the 2nd amendment and those who want complete gun control. He spoke of finding common ground between those who want to protect our borders and those who want to fling them open. All very fair proposals. However, Obama and his minions continue to overlook (perhaps ignore) one very simple, yet indispensible fact. A fact that he, as a professed Christian and as one who respects the "Great Teacher", should understand . . . the fact that morality apart from God is still SIN.

I have no doubt that Obama wants to achieve what he spoke of last night; but just as he accused his opponent "he just doesn't get it". As a Christian he should realize that mixing pagan/godless morality with the truth of God will not work. Has he not understood what caused Old Testament Israel to be sent into exile? The very same syncretic dabbling with paganism in which the church and our country is engaged today. Christians like Obama and our society in general compromise God's clear denunciation of abortion homosexuality, etc. under the guise of tolerance and inclusion. DO NOT BE DECEIVED; GOD IS NOT MOCKED (Gal 6:7)!!!

Doesn't anyone get it that the material ills this country is currently enduring are merely the symptoms of our true and more deadly affliction? We have abandoned God just like the Israelites. We simply cannot flout God's righteous will and expect to prosper.

You believe it's evil for wealth to be concentrated in the hands of so few? Blame the destruction of God's image in millions of womens' wombs every year. Not white people. You believe that the oil companies are evil for profiting so much at our expense and misery? Blame the abomination of homosexuality and homosexual "marriage". Not capitalism. You believe the war in Iraq is evil? Blame the fact that we have allowed God to be removed from the public square.You believe blacks don't have equal opportunities in this country? Blame the religious pluralism and relativism that has gained acceptance even within many of our churches. Blame SIN! You want it to stop? REPENT!

We have millions of professing Christians shouting the praises of God, claiming to love His Word and we don't really believe the prophet Jeremiah (ch.2:5-37):
"Thus says the Lord:
What wrong did your fathers find in me
that they went far from me,
and went after worthlessness, and became worthless?
They did not say, ‘Where is the Lord
who brought us up from the land of Egypt,
who led us in the wilderness,
in a land of deserts and pits,
in a land of drought and deep darkness,
in a land that none passes through,
where no man dwells?’
And I brought you into a plentiful land
to enjoy its fruits and its good things.
But when you came in, you defiled my land
and made my heritage an abomination.
The priests did not say, ‘Where is the Lord?’
Those who handle the law did not know me;
the shepherds [1] transgressed against me;
the prophets prophesied by Baal
and went after things that do not profit.

“Therefore I still contend with you,
declares the Lord,
and with your children's children I will contend.
For cross to the coasts of Cyprus and see,
or send to Kedar and examine with care;
see if there has been such a thing.
Has a nation changed its gods,
even though they are no gods?
But my people have changed their glory
for that which does not profit.
Be appalled, O heavens, at this;
be shocked, be utterly desolate,
declares the Lord,
for my people have committed two evils:
they have forsaken me,
the fountain of living waters,
and hewed out cisterns for themselves,
broken cisterns that can hold no water.

“Is Israel a slave? Is he a homeborn servant?
Why then has he become a prey?
The lions have roared against him;
they have roared loudly.
They have made his land a waste;
his cities are in ruins, without inhabitant.
Moreover, the men of Memphis and Tahpanhes
have shaved [2] the crown of your head.
Have you not brought this upon yourself
by forsaking the Lord your God,
when he led you in the way?
And now what do you gain by going to Egypt
to drink the waters of the Nile?
Or what do you gain by going to Assyria
to drink the waters of the Euphrates?
Your evil will chastise you,
and your apostasy will reprove you.
Know and see that it is evil and bitter
for you to forsake the Lord your God;
the fear of me is not in you,
declares the Lord God of hosts.

“For long ago I broke your yoke
and burst your bonds;
but you said, ‘I will not serve.’
Yes, on every high hill
and under every green tree
you bowed down like a whore.
Yet I planted you a choice vine,
wholly of pure seed.
How then have you turned degenerate
and become a wild vine?
Though you wash yourself with lye
and use much soap,
the stain of your guilt is still before me,
declares the Lord God.
How can you say, ‘I am not unclean,
I have not gone after the Baals’?
Look at your way in the valley;
know what you have done—
a restless young camel running here and there,
a wild donkey used to the wilderness,
in her heat sniffing the wind!
Who can restrain her lust?
None who seek her need weary themselves;
in her month they will find her.
Keep your feet from going unshod
and your throat from thirst.
But you said, ‘It is hopeless,
for I have loved foreigners,
and after them I will go.’

“As a thief is shamed when caught,
so the house of Israel shall be shamed:
they, their kings, their officials,
their priests, and their prophets,
who say to a tree, ‘You are my father,’
and to a stone, ‘You gave me birth.’
For they have turned their back to me,
and not their face.
But in the time of their trouble they say,
‘Arise and save us!’
But where are your gods
that you made for yourself?
Let them arise, if they can save you,
in your time of trouble;
for as many as your cities
are your gods, O Judah.

“Why do you contend with me?
You have all transgressed against me,
declares the Lord.
In vain have I struck your children;
they took no correction;
your own sword devoured your prophets
like a ravening lion.
And you, O generation, behold the word of the Lord.
Have I been a wilderness to Israel,
or a land of thick darkness?
Why then do my people say, ‘We are free,
we will come no more to you’?
Can a virgin forget her ornaments,
or a bride her attire?
Yet my people have forgotten me
days without number.

"How well you direct your course
to seek love!
So that even to wicked women
you have taught your ways.
Also on your skirts is found
the lifeblood of the guiltless poor;
you did not find them breaking in.
Yet in spite of all these things
you say, ‘I am innocent;
surely his anger has turned from me.’
Behold, I will bring you to judgment
for saying, ‘I have not sinned.’
How much you go about,
changing your way!
You shall be put to shame by Egypt (Iran, Russia, China)
as you were put to shame by Assyria (Iraq).
From it too you will come away
with your hands on your head,
for the Lord has rejected those in whom you trust,
and you will not prosper by them".

It's deja vu, all over again. Those who fail to remember history are doomed to repeat it.

To our shame, far too many professing Christians are cut from the same cloth as Obama. Our Christianity does not pierce to the level of our lives and actions (or even our vote). Someone I know opined that maybe Obama doesn't realize that abortion is a sin. Maybe . . . but WE do! So how can we tolerate by our vote that which God hates? We continue to place culture above Christ; color above conviction. Perhaps color is our only conviction.

Please do not construe this as an endorsement of John McCain either. The republicans have held the white house for 8 years and the congress for 6 and no legislation protecting life or traditional marriage has been passed. They have miserably failed on their promise.

You like prophecy? Here's a little prophecy for you. If this country does not change course (and I'm not talking about that vacuous/godless nonsense Obama spouts) we will go the way of Old Testament Israel. WE will be defeated and we will learn the hard way what happens to those who forsake God. We will owe Jeremiah Wright an apology. God will "damn" America if we persist not in mistreating black people; but in mistreating Him and His revealed will. Take that to the bank.

Last night Obama promised a godless morality. He promised the good at the cost of the best. I believe he can deliver . . . and that scares the hell out of me.


Keith,
B.L.B.B!!!
Be Like the Bereans, Baby!!! (Acts 17:11)

5 comments:

Anonymous said...

Well said, Keith.

I'm encouraged by Mac's VP pick though, solid on Life and a favorite of evangelicals.

But probably only about 30% of Republicans and about 1% of Democrats would subscribe to your thoughts outlined below.

That said, McCain is an easy choice on November 4th.

Interestingly, blacks, the highest percentage victims of abortion, hold the key to overturning Roe V Wade...in that if even 18% or so of blacks voted GOP...we would have a pro-life president most every election...and in turn Supreme Court..in that the Democratic party is basically just a grouping of disparate coalitions held together by emotional fear-mongering.

Just a slight increase in GOP votes by blacks effectively seals the deal for Dems on the national level.

The Democratic party, sadly, has a vested interest in keeping the majority of blacks poorer than the average American...and they do that by blocking school choice, promoting hand-outs and blaming "racism" for almost every ill.

The black family, so valiantly held together via personal effort through slavery and Jim Crow, has been ripped apart by liberal policy. And, unfortunately, the near unanimous block-voting by blacks for Democrats, enables blacks to do, I think blindly, to themselves what slavery and Jim Crow were unable to do.

I'm a conservative/libertarian first and Republican only second as they are, while highly flawed, so much better overall on the issues of personal responsibility, rule of law, smaller government, protectors of life and defenders of national sovereignty.

I have no doubt that the average black experience is a tougher one than the average black experience in terms of overcoming stereotypes. But it truly pains me to see what the majority of black voters do to keep their own people downtrodden, when most every other minority group (Jews, Irish, Italians, Asians) has socio-economically assimilated.

But back to your larger and more important point, it does all come down to our comportment vis-a-vis God's law. Republicans, in closing, come infinitely closer to reaching that (at least perfectly )unattainable precipice than do Democrats.

Best,

APH

Keith L. Tolbert said...

Thanks for your comment Adam.

I agree with you about everything except McCain being an easy choice. He and the republicans had a long time to make a dent in the culture of death. I do realize, too, that the dem's blocked every decent judicial nominee Bush put forth.

Perhaps this article sums up McClain best . . .

John McCain pro-life? What a joke!


Chuck Baldwin Chuck Baldwin
August 22, 2008


Once again, "pro-life" Christians are doing back flips to try and justify their compromise of the life issue by trying to convince everyone (including themselves) that John McCain is truly pro-life. However, these same people know in their hearts that John McCain shares no fidelity to the life issue in any significant or meaningful way. Like many in the Republican Party, McCain's commitment to life is about as deep as a mud puddle.

Dare I remind everyone that the "pro-life" GOP controlled the entire federal government from 2000 to 2006 and nothing was done to overturn Roe v. Wade or end legal abortion-on-demand? When George W. Bush took the oath of office in January of 2001, over one million innocent unborn babies were being murdered in the wombs of their mothers every year via legal abortions in this country. And when George W. Bush leaves office in January of 2009, over one million innocent unborn babies would still be murdered in the wombs of their mothers every year via legal abortions in this country. Eight years of a "pro-life" President and six years of the "pro-life" GOP in charge of the entire federal government and not one unborn baby's life has been saved. Roe v. Wade is still the law of the land, and abortion-on-demand is still legal in America.

Had John McCain and his fellow Republicans truly wanted to end legal abortion, they could have passed Congressman Ron Paul's Sanctity of Life Act. Year after year, Dr. Paul introduced this bill, and year after year, it sat and collected dust in the document room on Capitol Hill.

What would Congressman Paul's bill do? It would do two things: 1) It would define life as beginning at conception and, thus, declare the personhood of every pre-born child. 2) Under Article. III. Section. 2. of the U.S. Constitution, it would remove abortion from the jurisdiction of the Court. In practical terms, Dr. Paul's bill would overturn Roe v. Wade and end legal abortion-on-demand. So, where was John McCain? Why did he not support Ron Paul's bill and introduce a companion bill in the U.S. Senate?

How can John McCain, and his fellow Republicans in Washington, D.C., look pro-life Christians and conservatives in the eye in 2008 and expect that we take them seriously when they say that they are "pro-life"? If the GOP had truly wanted to overturn Roe v. Wade and end legal abortion-on-demand, they could have already done it. They controlled the White House, the U.S. Senate, and the House of Representatives for six long years, for goodness sake. The reason they did not do it is because they did not want to do it. They merely want to use "pro-life" rhetoric as a campaign tool to dupe gullible Christian voters every election year. And the disgusting thing about it is — it works.

The vast majority of notable "pro-life" leaders in the country are now trumpeting the candidacy of John McCain. And the best challenge they can come up with is "McCain better not pick a 'pro-choice' Vice President." Oh, shut up (to quote Jay Leno)!

John McCain openly embraces embryonic stem cell research. In 2000, he boldly said he did not favor the overturn of Roe v. Wade. John McCain was a member of the infamous "Gang of 14" senators from both parties whose purpose was to oppose pro-life, strict constructionist judges.

Speaking of judges, John McCain voted for the pro-abortion justice, Stephen Breyer, and the radical, pro-abortion, ACLU attorney, Ruth Bader Ginsburg. So much for the argument that we need John McCain for the sake of appointing conservative justices to the Supreme Court. For that matter, Republican appointments dominated the Court that gave us Roe v. Wade and the one that later gave us Doe v. Bolton. Proving, once again, that the Republican Party, as a whole, has no real commitment to the life issue.

John McCain also gave us McCain-Feingold. This is the law that keeps pro-life or pro-Second Amendment organizations from broadcasting ads that mention a candidate by name 30 days before a primary election or 60 days before a general election. This proves that John McCain believes neither in the right to life nor the right to keep and bear arms. (This is one reason why the Gun Owners of America gives McCain a grade of F.)

In a debate with George W. Bush in May of 2000, John McCain attacked Bush's support for the pro-life plank in the Republican Party. Still today, John McCain believes that babies who are conceived via rape or incest should be murdered. I remind readers, however, that there are no "exceptions" in the womb, only babies.

If all of the above is not enough, as a senator, John McCain has repeatedly voted to fund pro-abortion providers such as Planned Parenthood with federal tax dollars. In fact, McCain has voted to use federal tax dollars to support abortion providers at home and overseas. Yes, this "pro-life" senator (along with "pro-life" President, George W. Bush) has significantly increased federal spending for abortion providers to levels eclipsing even the appropriations authorized by President Bill Clinton and his fellow Democrats.

John McCain also supports the United Nations, which not only works to strip the United States of its independence and sovereignty, and banish our right to keep and bear arms, but is also the most radical, pro-abortion organization in the entire world. More babies have been aborted around the world under the auspices of the U.N. than any other single entity.

Tell me again, Mr. Christian Leader, how "pro-life" John McCain is. What a joke!


--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Chuck Baldwin is Founder-Pastor of Crossroads Baptist Church in Pensacola, Florida. In 1985, the church was recognized by President Ronald Reagan for its unusual growth and influence.

Anonymous said...

Keith,

Like you, I watched Obama's speech as well. Like you, I expected it to be inspirational and very well choreographed - and devoid of anything that would align him with Christ. I wrote a post about the Dem's "interfaith gathering" to kick off their convention, and the comment section turned into an article on why I can't vote for him.

God is in control, and He's up to something during this election. Sadly, many think that God's answer is Barack Obama.

Anonymous said...

Great summation of the current condition of America and the condition of profession Christianity that propagates that condition. I don't know about Obama, McCain and others but I GET IT!!

I wonder if God is really in this Obama thing considering the division that it is causing among Christians. The division is not over a Bible doctrine but the defense of a man.

I don't know about the homosexual baby but I am sure that Obama knew that the baby that survived the abortion that he voted against the bill that would have made it mandatory to provide medical assistance for that baby was a human being that is being deprived of much needed health care. Yet he attempts to persuade us that he is for universal health care. Maybe I am confused with everything going on but wouldn't universal health care include health care of an infant that his mother has attempted to kill who is dying alone on a cold table or in a trash hamper in a closet.

Maybe we should be as adamant about the fact that African-Americans die every day and go to hell because they have never heard a clear presentation of the Gospel. Perhaps the overwhelming support for Obama is just a symptom of a people who have laid up their treasure on earth instead of heaven and are excited by the material blessings that Obama promises.

I would rather see this kind of defense for Lott Carey Missions than the presidental bid of another politician.

Anonymous said...

wow! I havent finished reading all this yet but i can see its jam packed. btw did u see voddie baucham's commentary on sarah palin?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f14z3cnNzzo