Is Culture Driving the Church?

    Let me start this rant by stating that since the bad decisions made by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, all people (with only one exception) have been born into sin.  People have been sinning ever since.  They continue to sin today.  And sin will continue until Jesus returns on the Last Day.
     I believe with all my heart that the writers of our US Constitution knew this fact and wrote that document with that fact in mind.  They knew that a government which would not limit the power given to the people who run it was doomed to fail.  Therefore, the powers that are necessary in a government are separated into different branches.  The Constitution was also designed to limit the Federal government in terms of what areas of people's lives were to be controlled by them.  This Constitution has been the most successful one in world history. 
    I also believe that those framers thought in the back of their minds that someday this document would be misused and could eventually end in failure.  There are countless quotes from these men which warn us to this day about ways that the Constitution could be ruined.  Those warnings have been ignored, and now our Constitution is not only being misused and ignored, but there is even talk of getting rid of it.
    I believe those framers, through prayer and study of God's Word, were guided by God in their writing of that Constitution.  I believe our country was started as a "nation under God" and it continued that way until recent history.  There is much evidence these days that a rather large portion of our country would just as soon be not "under God".  That evidence can also be seen in the way our government is operating now.
    Not only has our country abandoned our Constitution, but there is also evidence that our nation is abandoning God's Word.  That includes many of our churches.  I have come to the conclusion that the culture is guiding many churches in determining their beliefs.  In a reversal of God's intentions, people are justifying their beliefs by saying that the words written in Scripture were meant for a different time and a different culture.  You can easily see how several behaviors which are described in Scripture as being contrary to God's Will are now not only tolerable, but they are condoned, even by our government.
    Our Founding Fathers did not want this to happen, and certainly God is not pleased.  Not enough Americans are familiar with their Constitution, and not enough Americans are familiar with God's Word.  Because God's Word is not allowed in our government schools these days, our children must learn their Bible stories from their parents, their church, or a Christian school.  And since many churches are modifying their doctrines to accommodate what is going on in the culture, our children are not taught God's pure Word.
    The whole situation should be reversed.  God's Word should be guiding the culture, not the other way around.  Is there hope?  We need to remember that God is in control.  That will not change, and for that we Christians can rejoice.  However, that does not guarantee the future of America.  As America drifts away from God's Word, we must rely on God's longsuffering.  God may just need to teach America a lesson, teaching us to return to Him only after He allows some pain into our nation.
    In this climate, I think we are no longer in a position to say "God Bless America".  Why should He?  Instead, I think we should pray words like "God Guide America".  I am a firm believer that when we sincerely give God the honor and praise that we know He deserves, He is very ready to bless us richly.  The same thing goes for our country. 
    God, we need you.  Please guide us.

Testosterone Deficit Disorder

   A few years ago, I sat with a group of school administrators during a teachers conference.  The question was asked of those in the group about what quality each of us uniquely added to the schools where we served.  In my usual sarcastically humorous way, I decided to go for the laugh and said, "Testosterone".  I was serving at a school at which, other than the pastor, I was the only male on the staff.  Although I was going for a chuckle, and did indeed get several, I do believe that there is what I will describe as a testosterone deficit disorder in American schools....public, private, and parochial.
   There is a disturbingly low percentage of male teachers in our schools.  One report I read said that over 80% of teachers in public schools are women.  Before I proceed with my thoughts, let me say that there are absolutely wonderful ladies teaching in classrooms all over the country, and our children need the motherly, nurturing kind of care that only women can give.  However, the miniscule number of men in the classrooms is problematic. 
   When I began teaching in the 1970's, I served at a school that at one time had five men teachers on a staff of seven.  We even had a male Kindergarten teacher, which in those days was almost unheard of.  I have great memories of those days.  In today's schools, such a proportion is extinct. 
   Later in my career, I was one of two sixth grade teachers at a school.  Many single moms would request that their child be placed in my class, not because of any superior teaching on my part, but because they wanted a father figure for their children that was missing at home.  It was an understandable.
   I have a few thoughts about how this testosterone deficit disorder may have impacted the horrible events that took place at Sandy Hook Elementary School.  I believe that it is especially male students who are affected by the shortage of male influence in the schools.  Without that male influence, I think boys end up without some of what I would describe as manly traits.  They experience a world where most of the authority comes from females.  Men as authorities have been marginalized.  To be honest about it, I think a lot of the blame for this goes squarely on the male population which in a great part has abandoned the leadership responsibilities they should have.  To many, there is also confusion over the gender roles they should play in society.  I really have to wonder whether this killer in Connecticut was influenced negatively because of the lack of positive male role models in his life.  After all, he was apparently from a broken home.
   It is not hard to figure out why more men do not enter the teaching profession.  Society does not exactly hold the male teacher in high regard.  If the teacher is single and cares very much about children, they can often be perceived as being gay.  I know.  It has happened to me.  There are also so many other occupations out there which would provide a much larger salary as well.  Also, it has become increasingly true that all it takes to ruin a male teacher's career is the mere false charge of sexual impropriety with children.  I understand why we are not getting men to become teachers.
   I have looked at the list of staff members at Sandy Hook Elementary.  There is only one male listed on the staff, that being the custodian.  ALL of the educators in that school were women.  And I might add that they were unarmed women.  It just seems to me that a place which is known to be a gun-free zone, populated by almost all women and children, would be an incredibly soft target.  And it was.  There are stories coming out of this tragedy that indicate those women acted in incredibly courageous ways to defend those innocent children.  They are heroes.  However, I have to think that had there been knowledge of that school having some imposing male figures present on a daily basis, this young killer may have made a different choice.
   I know that if there is such a thing as testosterone deficit disorder, it was not the only factor leading up to this horrific event.  I also know that the biggest factor in events like this is sin, and it does not help to have schools that go out of their way to make sure that God is not talked about there.  Our country needs a cultural restoration....a spiritual restoration.....a moral restoration.   In conclusion, I would also add that what is needed with regard to testosterone deficit disorder is to get back to the gender roles as described in God's Word.  But, you see, those are not considered politically correct nowadays.  Alas.

Socialism in our Schools

This article provides support for the statements I have made about our government school.  It shows that there is indeed a connection between teachers, labor unions, and socialism.

http://www.breitbart.com/Big-Government/2012/11/11/Teachers-flock-to-Northwestern-University-Marxist-Conference-journalist-booted

The Grumps Plan for Restoring America's Greatness

   I believe that our American heritage and culture has been hijacked by liberal thinking.  A slow erosion of our American values has been taking place over a long period of time.  Certainly it was already present during the promotion of the New Deal during the years of FDR's terms as President.  The question now remains.  How can we restore America to the type of country our Founding Fathers had in mind when they penned the US Constitution?  Here are some of my suggestions.  It took a long time to get us to this point in time.  It will take a long time to get us back to where it should be.
    Before I begin, it must be noted that some of the big enemies of this restoration are to be found in our education system, public employee labor unions, and the mainstream press.  Therefore, any solution must include how to address these enemies.

• First of all, every effort should be made to stop the so-called "progressive" agenda.  In the immediate future, that would entail the House of Representatives standing in the way of this agenda's success.  The Senate can have some influence also through their use of the filibuster.
• As for long-term solutions, they are going to have to include ways to educate our citizens differently.  Liberal teachings have penetrated into every government school.  That must be changed, and that will take quite a bit of time.
• Conservative young couples should have more children.  Then they must do what is necessary to make sure those children learn the lessons from American history taught from a conservative (and therefore, true) perspective.  Liberal educators, starting in elementary school and going all the way through our higher education institutions, have succeeded in revising our history to set in motion their liberal agenda.  
• This part of the plan will necessitate parents to do all within their power to make sure their children do NOT attend government schools.  Two good alternatives for this would be sending them to Christian schools or opting for homeschooling.  As far as Christian schools go, you know my bias toward the Lutheran school system run by the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod.  This, of course, would require sacrifice, but if we are to take our country back, it must be done.
• Those who are not parents, such as grandparents, can pitch in by urging others to avoid the public school system.  It would be an admirable thing for such people to adopt other children, dedicating their time and financial support to make this approach possible.
• In the meantime, in the political arena, we must draw the line in the sand and not allow our country to slide farther away from Constitutional principles.  Compromise should not be a priority.  A persistent stance against continued progressive erosion must be the priority.
• One piece of good news from the recent election is the fact that we now have 30 GOP governors in America.  Those governors should continue efforts such as those made in Wisconsin by Gov. Walker to stifle public employee unions in order to promote fiscal sanity.  Other Americans need to be made aware of the successful results from such policies.  Getting more of our states to become right-to-work states is a must.
• One of the big obstacles to overcome is reduce the influence of the liberal mainstream press.  I think the only way to get this done is to attack them in their pocketbooks.  We must be vigilant about letting companies that advertise in the liberal media know that we are going to find other products to consume instead of theirs.  We need also to make sure that we cause their ratings to descend to the depths by simply not watching or listening to their coverage.
• An underlying important concept which must be part of this plan is to diligently work at making sure our country is a Christian nation.  Our people need to be well-versed on what Scripture teaches, and once again the general moral fabric of our country will be improved.  Our country ideally should be a country which strives to do God's will in all they do.
• The easy thing to do is to continue down the road to moral and fiscal decay.  The hard thing is to dedicate our time, talent, and treasure to making the USA the exceptional country that our Founding Fathers envisioned.  By now, we should know that those things which are worthwhile in life are also the things which require them most hard work.  We know we have a God who is more than willing to guide us in the right way to go, equipping us with what we need to promote His kingdom.  Get on your knees and ask for His blessing.

Hip, Hip, Hooray!

Here is a partial list of those who are celebrating the re-election of our President:

• Ahmadinejad 
• Chavez
• Putin
• Zawahiri 
• Greece
• China
• The 47%
• Occupy Wall Street
• Planned Parenthood
• The Communist Party
• George Soros
• And of course......Honey Boo Boo

Alan vs. Allen

This is an indication of what is really wrong with the American electorate:

This Alan was elected to return to the Congress:

....and this Allen wasn't:

Venting - Part 2

• One good thing about the GOP being the side that lost is that the result was certainly not going to end with a violent reaction.
• Now that the election is over, the Democrats can now safely turn off their conservative speech and return to their very liberal actions.  It's to be expected.
• I cannot imagine how the GOP could have put forth a more squeaky clean ticket, yet the combination of the Obama campaign and the mainstream media still managed to convince enough of the electorate that they were monsters.  
• The GOP also put forth the kind of ticket which was designed to deal with America's biggest problems.....against a ticket which is completely unqualified in that department.  Yet again, the Obama campaign and the mainstream media turned the race into one about contraception and other issues that do not matter.
• If I didn't care so much about our country, I'd tell the Republicans in Congress to let the Democrats have everything they want and then sit back to watch the country go down the toilet so they lose all credibility.
• The Stock Market certainly did not act as if they liked the results today.
• I am ready to admit how wrong I have been.  I always thought that there were still plenty of citizens left in America to defend good, old-fashioned American values.  I was wrong.  I now live in a different America.  It is a short-sighted, live-for-today America.  This did not happen overnight.  It apparently has been around for a while.  I just did not recognize it.  I do still have faith that this trend can be reversed, but it's going to take a lot of work to change the culture, and it may take that 2X4 smack on the head from God himself to make it happen.
• I mourn for my grandchildren's future.
• Unemployment is high.  Growth is extremely slow.  People said the economy is the biggest problem.  The American people re-elected President Obama anyway.  This points to the fact that this election was mostly a popularity contest.
• The Libya story is an outrage, yet, between Romney not focusing on it and the press shoving it under the rug, it was not the issue it should have been.  I now wonder if President Obama will ever be held accountable for it.
• Green energy companies failing and Fast and Furious also did not get raised as important issues either.  
• President Obama has absolutely divided our country into so many factions.  Yet he proclaims how he is going to unite us, and apparently over half of America believes him.
• In fact, America obviously believes a lot more things that he says than I do.  His description of America in the last few days before the election was a description of an alternative world that wasn't close to reality.  OK, I'll say it.  He lied to America, and they believed the lies.