Dealergate?

Dealergate? .........a note from Gary Bauer

There is a lot of buzz on the blogosphere suggesting that Washington may be on the verge of the biggest political scandal since Watergate. The Wall Street Journal has noticed the developing story too. As we all know, the Obama Administration has taken extraordinary steps to nationalize the auto industry – firing the head of General Motors, publicly attacking bondholders and giving preferential treatment to the unions. As Chrysler is struggling through reorganization, dealer franchise owners are taking a very hard hit. Nearly 800 of them were recently notified that their franchises are being revoked and their stores are being shut. But the dealer pink slips appeared to be rather arbitrary. So much so that some dealers are suing. Leonard Bellavia, an attorney for the disgruntled dealers, recently deposed the president of Chrysler and issued the following statement: “It became clear to us that Chrysler does not see the wisdom of terminating 25 percent of its dealers.

It really wasn’t Chrysler’s decision. They are under enormous pressure from the President’s automotive task force.” What possible considerations could be at play in deciding which dealerships survive and which don’t? To paraphrase a famous movie quote from the Godfather, “It’s not business, it’s just politics.” There appears to be some evidence to support the contention that the dealerships are targeted based upon the political philosophy of the individual owners. Consider the following two examples. Vern Buchanan is the owner of the 23 dealerships in Florida and North Carolina. In the past decade, Mr. Buchanan donated more than $175,000 to Republican candidates and party committees. He also happens to be Representative Vern Buchanan, a conservative Republican representing Florida’s 13th Congressional District. His dealerships are being shut down.

(Click here to read more about GOP donors on the dealer “hit list.”) Now, consider the example of RLJ-McLarty-Landers. According to the Washington Examiner, “the RLJ-McLarty-Landers chain of Arkansas and Missouri dealerships aren’t being closed, but many of their local competitors are being eliminated.” The “RLJ” in the partnership refers to Robert L. Johnson, the founder of Black Entertainment Television, who has given more than $100,000 to Democrat candidates and party committees in the past decade. If “Arkansas” and “McLarty” ring a bell, you’ve got a good memory because that is Mack McLarty, Bill Clinton’s former White House Chief of Staff.

It’s too soon to say whether “Dealergate” will make it onto the front pages of the New York Times or Washington Post. But given the way the Left works, it’s not too much of a leap to think politics might be at work. After its loss at the ballot box last year, the militant homosexual movement wasted no time in targeting businesses that supported Proposition 8. It even published an online list of Proposition 8 donors.

ACORN is well known for targeting businesses and busing protestors to the homes of corporate executives. And liberal economics is all about politicians and Big Government picking winners and losers, rather than letting the free market decide.

Tragedy in Columbia, Illinois

Understanding the tragic event at Columbia, Illinois

Murder…with a capital M. On the morning of May 5, the bodies of Sheri, Gavin and Garett Coleman were found in their home after being strangled in separate bedrooms. Lurid news headlines covered the country and horror struck in every household on their block. According to prominent news reports, the investigators had a suspect in mind, but took no action until final forensic reports were collected. Then, the husband and father, Chris, was indicted and arrested on the charge of first degree murder and jailed without bond. The latest online news today, May 22, indicates they found a red spray paint message on one wall, "I told you so." …whatever that might mean.

If true, the guilt of Chris Coleman in this tragedy will probably be ascertained at trial with all evidence and information pertaining thereunto. But my friend Millie’s question, "How could he do this, how could he murder his own sons?" is much harder to answer. We may not soon find any answers to the question, Why? Perhaps the trial evidence will point both to motivation and events preceding the murders. We cannot answer "why" just yet, but the "How" is a different kind of question. From a human perspective, it is simply unthinkable that a father would, or could murder his 9-year and 11-year old sons. From a biblical perspective, another light is shown on both the nature and character of every man.

The bible says with infinite clarity that there are only two kinds of people on planet earth – those "in Christ" and those "not in Christ". The difference between the new man (nature) and the old man (nature) is the difference between heaven and hell, the difference between sins forgiven and eternal judgement. From Genesis 1 to Revelation 22, these are contrasted and examined in every detail. With respect to the old man, it says that,

"There is none righteous, not even one; There is none who understands, There is
none who seeks for God; All have turned aside, together they have become useless
There is none who does good, There is not even one." "Their throat is
an open grave, With their tongues they keep deceiving,"
"The poison of asps is under their lips"; "Whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness"; "Their feet are swift to shed blood, Destruction and misery are in their paths, And the path of peace they have not known." "There is no fear of God before their eyes."

In contrast to this, consider the fruit of the Spirit available to every new man:

But I say, walk by the Spirit, and you will not carry out the desire of the
flesh. For the flesh sets its desire against the Spirit, and the Spirit against
the flesh; for these are in opposition to one another, so that you may not do
the things that you please. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under
the Law. … But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness,
goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. Now those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires.

Keep your eye on that last fruit, self-control, and also listen to the scripture describe the flesh and the old man immediately preceding:

Now the deeds of the flesh are evident, which are: immorality, impurity,
sensuality, idolatry, sorcery, enmities, strife, jealousy, outbursts of anger,
disputes, dissensions, factions, envying, drunkenness, carousing, and things
like these, of which I forewarn you, just as I have forewarned you, that
those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God.

Note especially the description includes jealousy and outbursts of anger. National and local history is replete with accounts of anger and/or fear resulting in horrific crimes, insensible relationships, and events we strive to understand from divorce to beating children to murders, robberies and immoralities of every kind. They are without self-control, which is the fruit of the Spirit of God. The natural man can do no other!

He is not a victim, but the self-chosen host of rage, revenge, and bitterness overflowing into the lack of self-control. Of course, not all natural men do these things to the same degree, but the fleshly lusts are evident within them. Let us praise and give glory to God that the Restrainer is active and busy on our behalf.

One of my newspapers today quotes a judge in Madison County (in sentencing a man for child beating) who quoted the scriptures: "It would be better for him if a millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea, than that he would cause one of these little ones to stumble."

Is the Lord God able to judge and bring to justice? Depend on it. We do not know the why, but the bible does give us the "How":

"Trust in the LORD with all your heart
And do not lean on your own understanding.
In all your ways acknowledge Him,
And He will make your paths straight.
Do not be wise in your own eyes;
Fear the LORD and turn away from evil.
It will be healing to your body
And refreshment to your bones."

Exhortation to Believers

Excerpts from a John MacArthur "personal" letter:

Dear _______,
How do we grow the church? Whether you are a church leader yourself or a lay person using your gifts in a support role, that question has to concern you. Christ loves the church, and those who share that love always long to see the church grow spiritually, influentially, and
numerically. Ultimately, that means we want to see the gospel flourish, spread, and change lives.
So what is the most effective way you and I can draw men and women under the teaching of God's Word and to repentance and faith in Him?

That question and its various answers have been behind many of the biggest controversies in recent church history. In my lifetime alone, several popular movements have sought to remake and revive the church in hopes of reaching people. But which method is correct-how can we
effectively lead more men and women to faith in Christ? Is the answer found in the marketing-driven techniques of seeker- sensitive churches? Can we entertain people into God's kingdom
through pop music, dramatic skits, stand-up comedy, and bite-sized biblical truth?

Or do we adopt the cynicism and skepticism of the emerging church? Should we find ways to "contextualize" God's truth, translating it into the language of our times by aping the basest behaviors and wallowing in the fringes of pop culture? Or do we resort to the empty, man-centered promises of the health and wealth movement? The obvious answer is a resounding "No." We don't need to reinvent the church to bring people face to face with God's Word.
Cloaking biblical truth in entertainment and pop culture references does not make the gospel more potent to transform lives. The uncomfortable facts of the gospel that such a strategy always tries to soften are the very truths that bring fallen men and women to saving faith and repentance. In fact, there is only one way for the church to combat the current moral and spiritual crises in our culture and shine God's truth into a sin-darkened world. Instead of following a method or a movement, God's people need to focus on purity. The health of the church, the sanctification of believers, and the testimony of God's truth all stem from holiness, both individual and corporate. Nothing is more vital in the life of an individual Christian or
within the local body of believers.

Your church might not have the most gifted teachers, the most talented musicians, or the most vibrant, outgoing congregation. But if you stress the importance of holiness and keep purity a priority in your fellowship, your testimony will be undeniable and powerful. Holiness sets believers apart from the world and maximizes our usefulness as firsthand witnesses to the life-transforming work of God's Word. Take a look at Christ's ministry and you’ll see just how important holiness is-it was the major emphasis of His instruction for the church. The majority of His teaching was dedicated to dealing with sin, both individually and corporately. Over and over in the gospels, Christ exhorted His followers to root out sin and live pure lives. Those same
exhortations to purity and holiness are just as applicable to us today. In fact, the first time Jesus ever spoke about the church, He set out a detailed, step-by-step pattern for dealing with sin. His words in Matthew 18 are clear: believers must be tireless in eliminating sin from their lives, and equally vigilant to deal with it at a corporate level. No believer can come away from that passage with any doubt or confusion about the absolute necessity for holiness. But if holiness is so important, and the effects of it are so far reaching, why do so many churches today fail to make it a priority? Why is Christ's pattern for church discipline so overlooked by His people
today? It may surprise you, but I believe that ignoring church discipline is the most visible and disastrous failure of the church in our time. Churches have become content to be fellowships of independent members with minimal accountability to God and even less to each other. Today we have an entire generation of pastors and church members who have never experienced church discipline-for them, it's a foreign concept.

In fact, some churches have gotten so far away from the biblical pattern that they view church discipline as an unloving, judgmental, and divisive practice. That couldn't be further from the truth-there's nothing more loving you can do for a fellow believer in sin than to call him or her
back to repentance and purity. For the sake of the individual and the rest of the church, you want to see fallen church members restored to a right relationship with Christ. The results of ignoring church discipline are catastrophic. Gross public sin is overlooked, ignored, and tolerated. The fellowship of believers deteriorates to the point where it's indistinguishable from the
unbelieving world. God's people forfeit the credibility of their testimony. And self-deceived sinners happily remain in the local church, unaware of their need for true repentance and faith.
One of the saddest effects of the lack of church discipline is the breakdown of marriages. Today, Christian divorce statistics mirror those of the world-in some cases, the numbers reflect far worse on believers. When applied biblically, church discipline helps members avoid all
kinds of sinful patterns, including many that lead to divorce. Lust, infidelity, lying-those are all sins that shatter a marriage if left unchecked. The threat of church discipline is a severe mercy-it helps curtail those sinful patterns. But by failing to biblically deal with sin, many churches have paved the way for divorce, provided no real help for restoring troubled marriages, and offered no biblical principles or recourse for dealing with the mess that always follows divorce.

Because failing marriages are such a prevalent problem in the church today, ...consider my new book, The Divorce Dilemma. God's Word is the most comprehensive guide to marriage and
divorce that you'll find. The practical truths this book deals with can strengthen good marriages, help heal troubled ones, and provide wisdom to single and divorced people considering marriage.
One last word about church discipline. If you're in a church that doesn't practice church discipline, don't lose heart. Pray for your pastor and other leaders that God would work in their hearts and lead them to follow His pattern for purity in the church. Even if that biblical standard
isn't applied to your church corporately, you can and should still hold yourself and your family to God's demands for purity and holiness. I'd also suggest you look for, connect with, and support ministries that promote and encourage you toward holiness. Grace to You has a wealth of resources to help strengthen your knowledge of Scripture, deepen your love for Christ, and catalyze your sanctification. Our goal is to supplement the teaching you're already receiving and spur you to greater love for the Lord and His holiness, and to see that same holiness reflected in your life. That's what we're doing on radio and television, via the thousands of free books or CDs we distribute each month, and through the 25,000 free sermons downloaded every day through our website.

I love Mallard Fillmore

Bruce Tinsley does it again!

A Sign of the Times

What do you think of this message from Mike Peters?

Another Sign of the Times

The End of the World As We Have Known It!

For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men who suppress the truth in unrighteousness, because that which is known about God is evident within them; for God made it evident to them. For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes, His eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen, being understood through what has been made, so that they are without excuse.
In Romans 1:18-20, that culture yielded the fruit of the seeds which had been sown. The culture became that of its own making. Is there a repeat occurring today?

I. Phony Science
    Denial of creation – ignoring, neglecting, denying, then discarding of the living God
    Reorganizing origins – using reason without revelation; using the imagination
    Propaganda is not proof of any truth – repeating false information often with power-packed authority; credentialed liars is becoming the status quo in academia, science and political arenas
    Demand of allegiance – Required obeisance to the coat of false science

For even though they knew God, they did not honor Him as God or give thanks, but they became futile in their speculations, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing to be wise, they became fools, and exchanged the glory of the incorruptible God for an image in the form of corruptible man and of birds and four-footed animals and crawling creatures.
In Romans 1:21-23, foolishness reigned because the fool has said in his heart, there is no god. The humanist and god-hater, John Dewey, exemplified the modern culture and its trends, initiating once again the following:

II. Foolish Education
    Reason without revelations was the foundation – discarding the Word of God; using the imagination for self gain and adulation.
    Creating a national "public" education – using newly formed credentials/authority
    Creating a national standard for education – all schools are equal
    Restructuring the public – involves:
       Doubting the family; destroying its traditions – discarding God once again and discarding faith as well
       Creating new "families" in schools
       Larger schools, more disorientation of family

III. Faithless Religion
    Faith was made to be relevant to the culture – the Word of God is either discarded or not believed
    Making ourselves relevant to the culture – gaining credentials for anything we say
    Recreating the gospel to make it palatable to an unregenerate public – discarding the Spirit of God; let us "feel good" and believe primarily in self
    Losing God’s Sovereignty/gaining man’s persuasion – discarding the new birth
    Recreating the church to make it more relevant – discarding God’s power and gaining man’s; the church fits the business model of the culture…sound familiar?
    The state becomes god on the road to a socialistic society:
       Confusing patriotism – loyalty to the state or loyalty to the principle??
       Confusing interpretations of the founding documents and principles
       Legalizing theft for the "public good"
       Controlling production – subsidies and entitlements
       Controlling money – Federal Reserve; print, inflate, loan
       Creating a scapegoat people – eliminate and/or silence opposition
          Labeling the desired traits or people
          Labeling the undesirables
          Stigmatizing the undesirables
          Ostracizing the undesirables
          Eliminating the undesirables…but, WHO ARE THE UNDESIRABLES?

Therefore God gave them over in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, so that their bodies would be dishonored among them. For they exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served the creature rather than the Creator, who is blessed forever. Amen. For this reason God gave them over to degrading passions; for their women exchanged the natural function for that which is unnatural, and in the same way also the men abandoned the natural function of the woman and burned in their desire toward one another, men with men committing indecent acts and receiving in their own persons the due penalty of their error. And just as they did not see fit to acknowledge God any longer, God gave them over to a depraved mind, to do those things which are not proper, being filled with all unrighteousness, wickedness, greed, evil; full of envy, murder, strife, deceit, malice; they are gossips, slanderers, haters of God, insolent, arrogant, boastful, inventors of evil, disobedient to parents, without understanding, untrustworthy, unloving, unmerciful; and although they know the ordinance of God, that those who practice such things are worthy of death, they not only do the same, but also give hearty approval to those who practice them.
In Romans 1:24-32, God outlines that which is destined to happen as characteristics of an exceedingly sinful society and the impact of its authorities:

IV. Frantic Sexual Behavior
    Sexual intercourse as entertainment in many forms – perverting God’s plan
       God’s plan was clearly that of procreation
       Respectable porn, as illustrated in both private and public media; worship of the created, not the creator
       Acceptable porn of every kind increasing without restraint
       Protected porn - by first amendment guarantees?
       Making porn common, therefore acceptable by both religious and non-religious
    Sexual "by-products" – the nuisance of children, the unwanted result of fertility lends its way into pronounced political environs and culture. About 2.1 children per family are required to maintain the population. In Europe, it has dropped to 1.6 or less. The Islamics moving in have a rate of 6 to 8 and will soon control in most, if not all aspects. It has dropped to about 2.1 in the United States among non-Muslims and non-Hispanics. Do you see a prophecy coming?
       Giving up the "natural use"
       Planned Parenthood is nothing more than a Hitlerian cleansing of unwanted classes, including sterilization
       Prophylactics and other measures
       Birth prevention devices such as "the pill"; IUD’s; the morning after pill
       Finally, ABORTION
    Sexual perversions
       Misguided love
       Ultimate birth prevention…such as occurs by law in China