Category Archives: Politics

April 18, 2016 · 8:57 am

Will America Survive? (Part 3)

http://livehdwallpaper.com/american-independence-day-parade/

I really believe that God is backing Donald Trump’s bid to become the Republican candidate for President of the United States.

Okay, okay, relax for a moment. Take a deep breath and then continue reading.

No doubt, it’s easy for all of us to point out Trump’s flaws and his lack of Christian credentials. What you see with Trump is pretty much what you get: a seventy-year old man with swooped back hair, wearing a Brioni suit and dripping with pride, petty anger, lack of graciousness, intelligence, and bravado. He is what he is and nothing more.

Aha, so why would God back him?

Trump is the perfect tool in God’s hands to expose the Republican Party — GOP, as in God’s Own Party — to us Christians. And oh my! Has he ever! Trump has ripped open the underside of the Republican Party and exposed the party as a bunch of lying, conniving, manipulating, money-hungry scalawags that cares little about us believers, except for needing Evangelicals to keep them feeding at the money trough.

“Deception lasts until the faith for it is all used up.” (Francis Frangipane)

We Christians should praise God for Donald Trump. We should rejoice that our eyes are opened to the whitewashed deception that is the Republican Party and our involvement with it. We should bow on our knees and repent for placing our hopes for America in the GOP. We should then say, “Lord, what do You want us to do?”

Will Donald Trump become President of the United States? Maybe, but I do not know for sure.

Will America survive?

I believe America will survive – and may even see prosperity again – for a few more years, but we need to use this time of grace to wisely prepare for the horrible times that await us. How well we and our families handle the bad times in the future depends on our preparations now.

(Conclusion…the full series can be seen here.)

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April 17, 2016 · 11:57 am

Will America Survive? (Part 2)

http://livehdwallpaper.com/american-independence-day-parade/

Frank Schaeffer, son of Francis Schaeffer, wrote a best-selling memoir, Crazy for God: How I Grew Up As One Of The Elect, Helped Found the Religious Right And Lived To Take All (Or Almost All) Of It Back. His quote — “We helped make a movement that went totally off the rails and, of course, politically is still going now” — mainly refers to his disenchantment with Evangelical Christianity from his insider’s view of the participants.

But more on that later.

Let’s say that Francis Schaeffer was busy reading a book and didn’t watch TV the night Rev. Jerry Falwell preached at the televised crusade in 1978. Then, they probably would never have met. Then, Rev. Jerry Falwell would not have been involved in politics. Then, the Moral Majority would never have begun. Then, the Evangelicals would not have flocked to the Republican Party. Then. Then. Then. Then. Many other things would not have happened in America.

Would we be any worse off in America today if Schaeffer and Falwell had not met in 1978?

I believe the answer is a loud “NO!”

In fact, I believe we might be better off today if these two men would never have met.

Why?

Both Schaeffer and Falwell were dynamic, persuasive, intelligent believers. So, when they arrived at American Christianity’s fork in the road in the late 1970s, they set the standard for Christian leaders by choosing the much-traveled path of preaching and lecturing, which allowed them to reason with hundreds of thousands of people. Their examples spawned tens of thousands of pastors and preachers to tread on the same roads.

Almost overnight, eighteen state Moral Majority Chapters were organized with grassroots volunteers, supporting the Republican party. This probably helped elect President Ronald Reagan in 1980, but it also encamped most Evangelicals inside the GOP as lemmings following supposed Christian/conservative candidates.

The sad fact is that Christianity entered into spiritual warfare against abortion and anti-Christ attitudes by aligning itself with a political party and placing its hope in politicians. Yipes! We’re using the world’s weapons to try and defeat Satan on his battlefield and with his rulebook. It will never result in victories for Christ and His followers!

Yet, if anyone mentions that we’re heading the wrong way, tens of millions of believers will rise up and scream, “It worked for us in 1980. We just need another Ronald Reagan to change America!”

It would have been better to have suffered defeat in 1980. Then, we could have licked our wounds, sought the Lord, and learned how to fight the good fight. And anyway, almost every accomplishment of President Ronald Reagan has long since been lost…except for the political template, which we Christians drag out every four years to supposedly “take back America.”

I agree with Francis Schaeffer’s son Frank’s quote, but I believe Evangelical Christianity never had its wheels on the right track even at the beginning of the journey in 1979. However, we’re still trying to beat the rock with Moses’ worn-out staff, hoping to get water from it.

Will America survive?

(Continued in Part 3)

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April 16, 2016 · 1:50 pm

Will America Survive? (Part 1)

http://livehdwallpaper.com/american-independence-day-parade/

“We helped make a movement that went totally off the rails and, of course, politically is still going now.” (Frank Schaeffer, son of Francis Schaeffer)

What if Francis Schaeffer had never met with Rev. Jerry Falwell in 1978?

Francis Schaeffer was a Christian theologian, pastor, author, political activist, founder of L’Abri community in Switzerland, noted intellectual, and profound speaker. He emerged as a powerful critic of American Evangelical churches and their many compromises with the world, especially abortion. He lectured, wrote books, and filmed a series of documentaries.

Schaeffer then crisscrossed America in the early 1970’s with his wife Edith and son Frank, pointing out our nation’s sins. His messages caught the attention of powerful Christian politicians: Congressman Jack Kemp, Senator Bob Dole, President Jerry Ford, Ronald Reagan, and the Bush family. These politicians believed the Republican Party needed to back Schaeffer’s ideas.

Also, during the 1970’s, Rev. Jerry Falwell, pastor and founder of Thomas Road Baptist Church and Liberty University, realized America was becoming more and more secular, moving away from its Christian roots. Although he had believed and preached for years that Christians should not be overly involved in politics, he noticed the success of Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the Civil Rights Movement in changing America through the political process. He then traveled across the nation in his “I Love America” tour in 1976 and preached against Equal Rights Amendment, lack of prayer in schools, and abortion.

Schaeffer happened to see Falwell on a televised crusade in 1978. Schaeffer instantly recognized Falwell’s potential for building a broad fundamentalist-evangelical alliance. The two met and Schaeffer convinced Falwell that Christians needed to change America through political involvement.

From this meeting, Falwell went on to found the Moral Majority with Paul Weyrich, a Republican political activist. President Ronald Reagan stated that the Moral Majority helped put him in the White House in 1980.

The Moral Majority was eventually disbanded in 1989. Jerry Falwell stated: “Our goal has been achieved…The religious right is solidly in place and … religious conservatives in America are now in for the duration.”

I agree with Francis Schaeffer’s son Frank’s above quote, but for totally different reasons. More on that later.

But once again, what if Francis Schaeffer had never met with Rev. Jerry Falwell in 1978?

(Continued in Part 2)

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May 7, 2014 · 4:06 pm

Lord, Help Me Love Democrats (Conclusion)

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.” (Edmund Burke, 1729-1797)

Don’t you agree that the desperate times we now face as a nation demand a radical turning away from the things of the world so that we can focus ourselves on the mercy of the Father?

But what if our radical turning away is labeled extremism and unpatriotic by Christian leaders and other believers? Then what? Will we cave in to the pressure and follow the same-o, same-o path that we American Christians have trudged upon for forty years? A path that has continually failed to produce any fruit for our efforts.

See to it that no one takes you captive by philosophy and empty deceit, according to human tradition, according to the elemental spirits of the world, and not according to Christ. (Colossians 2:8)

I believe the Rev. Jerry Falwell, the Moral Majority, Christian Coalition, other Christian conservative political groups, Christian leaders, and fellow believers that have embraced the American political system as a way to remove abortion and other sinful practices from our nation have been sincere in their faith, but also deceived.

We have ended up following human traditions and the elemental spirits of the world and not Jesus Christ.

I believe our only hope at this late hour in history is to turn ourselves one hundred and eighty degrees from our present direction, like Ninevah did at the words of Jonah. But even with this, there is no guarantee that America will be spared any of God’s upcoming judgments. Yet, we can at least have the same faith as the king of Ninevah.

“Who knows? God may turn and relent and turn from his fierce anger, so that we may not perish.” (Jonah 3:9)

I believe we Christians need to:

Fast and pray one day per week for our nation,
Stay away from political arguments, which cause strife and division,
And if the Lord speaks to our hearts, drop out of the political system altogether and not vote in the 2016 November elections.

What if every Christian in America listened to my words and followed them? Wouldn’t the bad guys take over America?

It is my sincere belief we would have a church filled with peacemakers who could minister to those embittered and disillusioned by the failures of our political system. And guess what? We shall be known as sons of God.

Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God. (Matthew 5:9)

(Conclusion)

Lord, Help me Love Democrats (Part 14)

“What is your problem?” Carol said in a recent cell phone call. “You can’t ignore how bad our government is right now and then allow America to slide down the drain. What about our children and grandchildren? Doesn’t it make you angry? It does me.”

“Honey, what are you planning on doing to help change things in America?” I said.

“Well, I’m going to read and listen, then I’ll write to politicians and newspapers. I’ll make my voice heard.”

“Good luck. The trail up that mountain is filled with the bones of people who tried to win one for the Gipper.”

“Okay, Mister Smarty Pants, what are you planning on doing?”

“Wait on God. Then, when He speaks, I’ll help build His kingdom.”

A loud sigh came through my phone.

“Lord, I’m married to a man with his head in the sand.” She paused to add emphasis to her next point. “So, why build God’s kingdom now when nobody seems to care about God?”

“Ah, this is the perfect time. People have their guards down and their hearts are exposed. Many are angry about one issue or another. Many are losing hope. We just need some groups like the early Salvation Army and leaders like William Booth to come forth right now. The gospel will then invade cities. It will be a great time for all of us.”

“Yeah, right! How can you and I be so different, and still get along?

“I’m praying God will change you.”

“Funny that you say that because I’m praying the same prayer for you,” she said. “But still and all, I love you.”

“Honey, I love you.” (The Hunt for Larry Who, a memoir, © by Larry Nevenhoven, Amazon eBook)

In 1980, I voted as a Democrat for President Jimmy Carter when he ran against Ronald Reagan.

I voted as a Republican for Senator John McCain when he ran against President Barack Obama in 2008.

I now consider myself a political dropout who has not voted in an election since 2008. I plan on remaining as a political dropout until I die. Period.

Why?

(Continued in Part 15)

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April 24, 2014 · 8:10 am

Lord, Help me Love Democrats (Part 13)

Let’s fast forward to the year 2000. I still did not follow politics, but I kept up with most of the prophetic words spoken by leaders in the Prophetic Movement. Bob Jones prophesied: “A burning bush will come out of Texas and be elected president of the United States.” Jones prophesied these words before George W. Bush had even entered the presidential race as a Republican candidate.

I began paying some attention to politics when Bush became the Republican nominee for president.

The contentious presidential election ended up being decided by the U. S. Supreme Court when it declared George W. Bush the winner of Florida. Interestingly enough, Bob Jones had prophesied Florida would be the pivotal state with the difference being a scant number of votes.

Like Paul Cain’s prophecy in 1992, Bob Jones gave specific reasons why the Lord was electing George W. Bush to the presidency. The Church needed to pray for President Bush and his administration for these divine reasons to be fulfilled.

The 2000 presidential election hooked me into following politics again. I listened to conservative talk radio when I rode in our vehicles, watched Fox News, read conservative websites, and followed the Prophetic Movement leaders.

The 2004 presidential race did not sneak up on me this time. I followed the primaries, debates, and the election as closely as possible. Many prophetic voices stated the importance of Bush winning the election was so he could fulfill his destiny as the “burning bush from Texas.”

President George W. Bush won reelection on November 2, 2004.

The years between President Bush’s election in 2000 and the 2008 presidential election helped set me up for my prophetic fiasco.

In the spring of 2008, I had a prophetic dream in which I saw the Lord’s hand on Senator Barack Obama. I felt the Lord would use Obama to help reveal sin to our nation’s inner cities. This revelation of sin would help set the inner cities free of four hundred years of spiritual abuse from demonic principalities.

But somehow I twisted this revelation into believing the presidential battle would be mainly over abortions, which is the number one killer of African-Americans. I prophesied on my Larry Who blog that Senator Obama and Senator Joe Biden, both pro-abortion candidates, would lose to Senator John McCain and Governor Sarah Palin, both pro-life candidates, because God heard our prayers on abortion and was moving against the sin.

Everything seemed to be turning out as I prophesied until September 15, 2008. This was the day Lehman Brothers filed for Chapter 11 Bankruptcy protection. The following day, the Federal Reserve authorized the $85 billion bailout loan to AIG. Financial news then swirled out of control. The headlines pushed McCain/Palin to the background and the Democratic Party to the forefront, with the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 being enacted. This act established the $700 billion Troubled Asset Relief Program or TARP.

McCain/Palin wilted on the campaign trail and Obama/Biden won in a landslide on November 4, 2008.

(Continued in Part 14)

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April 14, 2014 · 12:28 pm

Lord, Help Me Love Democrats (Part 12)

Dad and I rarely talked about politics, but I remember one conversation as a senior in college.

“How do you choose which political candidate to vote for?” I asked.

“I always vote for the best person,” Dad said, puffing on his pipe.

“Really? Have you ever voted for a Democrat or even looked into their positions on issues?

“No, I’ve never once voted for a Democrat or even bothered to check them out. They never measure up well against Republicans.”

“So, you always vote for the best person as long as he’s a Republican, right?”

“Yeah, that pretty well sums up my political philosophy.”

As you can guess from this exchange, my parents voted conservative and raised me to think the same way, which I did until attending college. There I discovered being a conservative because my parents, Roy Rogers, and John Wayne voted like that were not winning arguments with my classmates, seventy percent of whom came from the Chicago area. I soon followed the lemming herd, becoming a liberal like most of the University of Illinois students.

I remained a dedicated liberal until my salvation in 1985 at which time I changed my voting status to Independent. I did this not for any political reasons, but because I no longer cared or read about politics. It seemed like such a waste of time when compared to seeking the Lord.

A few weeks after the 1992 presidential election, I happened to watch a TBN television program, featuring Pentecostal preacher Carlton Pearson. He read a copy of a letter, which was written by Paul Cain and addressed to Rick Joyner. The letter related the dream Paul Cain had the night before the presidential election about the reasons why the Lord was placing Bill Clinton into the office of President of the United States. As a sign that this dream was from the Lord, Paul Cain received the headlines for five major newspapers on the day following the election on the morning of November 4, 1992. The letter was postmarked and time stamped: 10:30 a.m., November 3, 1992. The five headlines proved to be accurate.

I had read the book, Some Said It Thundered, by David Pytches and knew a little about Paul Cain and his prophetic ministry. Cain’s accuracy and words still shocked me. To be honest, I figured Satan elected President Clinton into office, but the letter blew my thoughts about the election out of the water. The letter also opened my eyes to the possibilities of God revealing ahead of time who would win a political election.

Cain’s prophecies directed believers to pray for Bill Clinton and his administration in order for God’s divine plans to become realities in America.

(Continued in Part 13)

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April 7, 2014 · 12:25 pm

Lord, Help me Love Democrats (Part 11)

In the movie, Dave, a man named Dave (Kevin Kline) bears an uncanny resemblance to the President of the United States. Two political advisors convince Dave it’s best for America if he would take the President’s place while the Chief Executive is in a coma. Dave, of course, has problems posing as the President, but in one scene he asks a Secret Service Agent named Duane (Ving Rhames), who knows he’s a replacement, a few questions:

Dave: “You know, I’ve always wondered about you guys. You know, about how you’re trained to take a bullet for the president?”

Duane: “What about it?”

Dave: “Is that really true? I mean, would you let yourself be killed to save his life?”

Duane: “Certainly.”

Dave: “So, now that means you’d get killed for me too, right?”

(The whole scene can be seen on a Youtube video here.)

The Secret Service Agent stared straight ahead and never answered Dave. His face revealed his conflicted thoughts about where his loyalties began and ended in a situation like this.

I completely understand the Secret Service Agent’s problem.

You see, for a little over eight years, I had conflicting thoughts toward Christians who backed the Democratic Party.

Why?

I hate abortion and believe it’s murder. The Democratic Party endorses abortion as a plank on its party platform. Therefore, I judged all Christians who voted as a Democrat to be a supporter of baby murder.

Judge not, that you be not judged. For with the the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you. Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to a brother, “Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is a log in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye. (Matthew 7:1-5)

Ouch! The lessons I have learned always seem to be painful, especially in time and money.

(Continued in Part 12)

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March 31, 2014 · 1:48 pm

Lord, Help me Love Democrats (Part 10)

Brother Andrew, author of God’s Smuggler and founder of Open Door Ministries, has witnessed horrible persecution of Christians firsthand by various governments, but yet, he refuses to take a political position. He views North Korean Communist leaders, Hamas leaders, and American politicians as all having the same problem: a need for Jesus Christ.

He met with 400 Hamas leaders in Gaza and said:

“I can’t change the situation you face here in Gaza. I can’t solve the problems you have with your enemies. But I can offer you the One who is called the Prince of Peace. You cannot have real peace without Jesus…” (Light Force: A Stirring Account of the Church Caught in the Middle East Crossfire, Brother Andrew and Al Janssen, Revell Publishing, 2005, pp. 182 to 190)

In an interview, Brother Andrew stated:

I always like to say at Open Doors we speak for those who cannot speak. We have to be bold in our statement without offending the government, because our role as dedicated followers of Jesus is not political. I want to emphasize that strongly, it must be spiritual and the moment we go off the track we are wrong… (The Christian Post, February 19, 2013)

Brother Andrew wrote in his book, Secret Believers: What Happens When Muslims Believe in Christ:

“Christians need a new filling of the Holy Spirit to love those who disagree with them…”

Yes, Brother Andrew is a radical Christian, but do his beliefs line up with the words of Jesus?

The Son of Man… a friend of tax collectors and sinners… (Matthew 11:19)

The Pharisees asked, “Tell us, then, what do You think. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not?” Jesus said, “Show me the coin for the tax.” And they brought him a denarius. And Jesus said to them, “Whose likeness and inscription is this?” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then He said to them, “Therefore render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” (Mark 22:17-21)

Even though Rome ruled Israel with a cruel hand, Jesus never once voiced a political opinion…nor did the Apostle Paul or the other apostles.

So, is it okay to vote? Is it okay to consider oneself a Democrat or a Republican?

(Continued in Part 11)

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March 17, 2014 · 4:04 pm

Lord, Help Me Love Democrats (Part 8)

The first city Israel faced in the Promised Land was Jericho.

The Lord gave His leader, Joshua, unusual instructions for laying siege to the city. Joshua was told to have Israel’s army quietly march around Jericho with seven priests blowing trumpets one time each day for six days. On the seventh day, the warriors and the priests marched seven times around the city and then the warriors shouted.

The walls of Jericho fell down and the city was soon destroyed.

After sacking Jericho, the next step for Israel was Ai, a fortified city of 12,000 men and women.

Joshua sent scouts to check out Ai. The scouts returned and said: “Ai is a puny, insignificant city compared to Jericho. Just send two or three thousand warriors to attack it.”

Joshua listened to the scouts and sent 3,000 soldiers against Ai. The Israelites were soundly defeated and 36 men were killed.

Now, came the big test for Israel’s new leader, Joshua. What should he do?

After all, Israel had an army of three hundred thousand fighting men. Joshua could have depended solely on Israel’s numerical strength and sent them all against Ai, hoping to crush them.

Or he could have sent a different scouting party to Ai. Maybe the first group of scouts overlooked something.

Joshua chose neither of these options, but instead, he humbled himself in prayer and fasting, seeking the Lord’s answer for Israel’s defeat by Ai. Joshua was determined to do nothing this time until he head the Lord’s voice.

What did the Lord eventually tell Joshua?

Israel has sinned…Therefore the people of Israel cannot stand before their enemies… (Joshua 7:11-12)

The sin in Israel had to be identified and handled in an extreme manner to ready it for future battles. You see, God hated Israel’s sin and would not be a partner with it.

What can we American Christians learn from this example?

(Continued in Part 9)

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