A Moment of Real Pride and Hope

As I’ve been watching the news the last couple of days, I’ve seen something wonderful — something that makes me so proud and also hopeful that conservatism can rise again in America. 

I saw seniors at Notre Dame preparing to peacefully protest President Obama’s visit there this weekend.  Many pro-life students are disappointed over the school’s decision to invite a radically pro-choice president to speak as a guest of honor.

I saw Miss California, Carrie Prejean, standing up in defense of traditional marriage. . .and allowed to keep her crown. 

I saw that Chad Farnan, a student at Capistrano Valley High School, is suing the school district over his European history professor’s daily anti-Christian tirades and indoctrination of his students.  Chad Farnan is standing on truth, no matter the opposition.

I see groups like Family Research Council being a loud voice around the world (and frequently in the media) as they stand up for faith, family and freedom.  Others such as the National Right to Life, Randy Alcorn’s Eternal Perspective’s Ministries and Watchman Fellowship are groups that make me proud to be fighting for the causes I believe in, no matter the popularity – causes that I believe to be straight out of the Bible.

In these days where it seems like our culture, morality and freedoms are falling prisoner to political correctness, tolerance and an “anything-goes” mentality, I am encouraged to see people standing up for truth.  Following the Lord is not about winning a popularity contest, it is about living our lives grounded in the Word of God, regardless of the world.

“If the world hates you, keep in mind that it hated me first.  If you belonged to the world, it would love you as its own.  As it is, you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world.  That is why the world hates you” (John 15:18-19).

The American Idol is. . .Oprah!

Something in our human nature longs for someone to look up to.  Kids write book reports on their heros.  Adults buy gadgets, books, or apparel from athletes, movie stars, or other famous people simply because they sponsor or endorse a product.

Oprah is everywhere. . .magazine covers, tabloids, discussion groups, book clubs, and even cable news websites.  CNN has a link to Oprah’s website on their front page.  MSNBC has a sponsor link called “Oprah’s Flat Stomach Rule.”  Type in “Oprah” for a Google search and it will yield 22 million hits.

She has made big names of Dr. Phil, Dr. Oz, Eckhert Tolle, and made barely known authors hundreds of thousands of dollars simply by having them as a part of her Book Club.  Some even say that she, at least moderately, influenced the presidential election this past November, all because she threw her name (and money) behind Barack Obama.

Is this too much power for one human to have?  She has “experts” on everything and an opinion on it all as well.  Shouldn’t we know the worldview from which she operates before we blindly follow her?  We are idolizing another person to the point that we buy what she buys, wear what she wears, eat what she eats, read what she reads, and now, the most dangerous part, we are worshipping what she worships.

Do we really know what we are doing, and who we are following?  Shouldn’t we compare everything we allow into our minds and hearts to what God’s Word says and see if it matches, and when it doesn’t, stay far away from it?  Much of what Oprah teaches from her stage is steeped heavily in the New Age Movement.

Oprah frequently uses words like “force” to describe God and has shows that help the viewer connect to their higher or awakened self.  Her guests have included authors such as Eckhart Tolle and Marianne Williamson, both of whom teach philosophies in stark contrast to biblical truth; her show teaching the principles behind “The Secret” (law of attraction) last year was one of her most popular; and probably the most clear evidence that Oprah is misled is found in this You Tube video taken at one of her shows.  In this clip, she denies that Jesus Christ is the only way to heaven.  “Jesus can’t be the only way!” she says, but just as an audience member points out, just because Oprah says He can’t be the only way, doesn’t mean He isn’t.

2 Peter 2:1  “But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them—bringing swift destruction on themselves.”

The sad truth is that many, many Americans, looking for truth and purpose and something (or someone) to believe in, are believing her.  Let’s be careful out there.  Let’s protect our minds from falsehood and be on guard against being deceived in a way that brings “swift destruction.”

(For further reading on Oprah’s religious beliefs and philosophies, go to www.watchman.org and read “The Gospel According to Oprah” or check out Erwin Lutzer’s book, Oprah, Miracles, and the New Earth:  A Critique)

Priceless

I’m reading of a 22 year old woman who is auctioning off her virginity in Nevada, only one of two states in the U.S. where prostitution is legal.  And isn’t that really what this is?  Prostitution. Apparently, the online bidding is up to $3.7 million. 

Let me begin with the obvious.  Who are these people that are eager to corrupt something that should be kept special?  What about the fact that this money could be put to much better use in this economy—charity, church, or a woman’s shelter?  Can I get past my fury at this woman for cheapening something so sacred in order to be even more outraged at what this says about our culture?

Actually, this is no surprise to me.  We have numbed ourselves to sin.  We instinctively want to run from taking responsibility for our choices so we simply call it something else.  With regards to this particular woman, or other prostitutes, we say, “Oh, she is just wounded from her childhood.  Her father must not have been around.“  Or about the men who seek what she offers?  “Well, they have a sex addiction and they need help.”  This is not to throw away compassionate care of those who truly need guidance, but aren’t we also a bit desensitized to what the Bible clearly calls sin?

We have numbed ourselves to what tears apart the human spirit, morality, and the family.  We are overexposed to those things and we are not protecting ourselves from what infiltrates and corrupts our mind.  The fact that our culture is becoming increasingly more accepting of this young woman’s proposition is disheartening.  We laugh it off.  We see it as a joke.  But do we see it as an indication of just how far this world has turned from biblical values and virtues?

“There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death”  (Proverbs 14:12).  Our culture thinks that there is little sacred about intimacy anymore.  God’s design is considered prudish and out-dated.  Immorality is the essential ingredient in all the sitcoms and dramas on television lately.  When was the last time you saw a show that didn’t have sexual immorality, or the suggestion of it, woven throughout?  We believe that we are obligated to feed our feelings what they desire regardless of right or wrong.  (Whatever you do, do not exercise self-control.)  We’ve bought into the world system of belief that only the things that are wrong for you are immoral.  And as we follow that way “that seems right to a man,” we are blinded to the fact (or maybe we see it clearly) that it will lead to death—emotional, spiritual, and sometimes, even physical.  Aren’t we just living for the moment, with no regard for the future?

“They are darkened in their understanding and separated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the hardening of their hearts.  Having lost all sensitivity, they have given themselves over to sensuality so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more” (Ephesians 4:18-19).  These are the end days.  This Nevada virgin does not realize that what she is auctioning off is a gift from God, to be treasured and not cheapened.  It is priceless, doesn’t she care?

Or maybe she’s just reflecting the world we live in.

Recommended Books on Our Culture

The God of Stones and Spiders by Charles Colson

A collection of Colson’s writings from the 80’s. It’s amazing how his observations about our culture ring true even more so today. Excellent and highly recommended!