Some Thoughts

My eldest son is (as far as I know) now in the Middle East and will be flying over the wars zones in Iraq and Afghanistan. As a family we have been praying for our military personnel fighting in those two countries for years. I have a number of friends who have children that have served on the ground in those countries.

I am thankful that my son is not (as far as I know) on the ground in Iraq or Afghanistan, but he will be flying above them in an airplane that is more vulnerable than most, and I am concerned for his safety. I am also very proud of him and what he is doing.

I want the wars to end and for all our service personnel to come home. We should never have gone to war in Iraq, but we went to war there and tried to fight the war on the cheap.

Attempting to do something on the cheap usually fails and makes things much more expensive. That is what happened in Iraq. We won the war but tried to do the post war on the cheap. The government did not want to send enough troops there to do the "peace" correctly, so we are still there and we have paid for it with the body and blood of too many young men and women.

We had to go into Afghanistan, 9/11 left us no alternative, but again we never put enough people on the ground there to get the job done right. This is mostly because we started an unnecessary war in Iraq. I pray that we can finish one and then get the job done right in the other, so that we can bring our people home.

I hope our new leaders do what is right and not settle for what is politically expedient. I can hope, but I'm not overly optimistic.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

Orthodox Episcopalians: Contending For the Faith

The Episcopal Bishop of Fort Worth has taken a stand against the heterodox teachings (i.e. heresies) that long ago became the norm The Episcopal Church in the U.S. (TEC). Bishop Jack Iker issued an open letter titled: We Are Contending for the Faith

It is a good letter and it is encouraging to see that there are still godly believers in that once great/orthodox denomination, which today support boldly what God denies (e.g. abortion, homosexuality) and opposes what the Scriptures deny.

I hope you will read some Bishop Iker's letter below:

• Our Diocese believes in salvation by grace through faith in Jesus Christ alone. TEC believes there are many ways to salvation and that all religions lead to God.

• Our Diocese believes in the authority of Holy Scripture in all matters of faith and morals. TEC believes the Bible needs to be revised and adapted to meet the changing culture and that it may mean different things in different social contexts.

• Our Diocese believes that the essentials of the Christian Faith have been revealed once and for all in the teachings of Jesus Christ and are not subject to change. TEC believes in a revisionist approach that says only the votes of successive General Conventions can determine doctrinal and faith issues for Episcopalians as times change.

• Our Diocese believes that all ordained clergy are under the obligation to model in their own lives the received teaching of the Church that all its members are to abstain from sexual relations outside Holy Matrimony. TEC believes that active homosexuals and bisexuals ?should be ordained to the sacred ministry of bishops, priests and deacons.

• Our Diocese believes that marriage is the exclusive physical and spiritual union of one man and one woman for life. TEC believes same sex relationships are good and holy and should be blessed and celebrated.

• Our Diocese believes in the sacredness of human life from conception. TEC affirms abortion on demand.

• Our Diocese stands with the vast majority of Anglicans around the world. TEC is a declining body and very much out of the mainstream of orthodox Christianity, both here and abroad.

Most liberal (mainline) Protestant Churches are aligned with the TEC in promoting heresy and immorality. As in TEC there is a minority of stalwarts in the other liberal churches that have been fighting a loosing battle against the growth of the antichrist ideas like those above shown to be held by TEC.

I pray for these godly brethren. I don't believe their fight will not be for much longer. TEC loss over 13% of its membership in the last ten years. All the liberal mainline churches are also in decline. They are going the way of the dodo bird - to extinction.

Coram Deo,
Kenith
PS. Emphasis is mine

For The Record

In the presidential my own state (Louisiana) supported John McCain. I have very high regard for Senator McCain for his military service, for his courage as a POW in Hanoi, and for some of his actions in the U.S. Senate, especially is position own earmarks.

However, when I entered the poll both I did not vote for Senator McCain. Instead I followed my conscience and voted for Congressman Ron Paul. I knew that he did not have a chance to win any state, my own included, but I agree with him on most issues.

I do disagree with Paul on Iran. I think he was correct on the invasion of Iraq - we did not have a lawful reason to go to war with Iraq. But after the invasion I believe that we have a duty to finish what we started. To have pulled out Iraq and leave them in chaos would have been immoral and brought about more bloodshed.

The main point that I disagree Senator McCain on is I find him to ready to go military. I disagreed with him on our taking the lead in the Balkans and on the invasion of Iraq.

I do believe that McCain was a better choice than Obama. McCain is a true American hero and I wish him all the best. He is a great American, but I voted for the paleo-con/libertarian because I that is where I am in my own political philosophy. I am a Christian libertarian/ paleo-conservative.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

A Christian Response to the Election of Barack Obama

As a theologically conservative Christian, I was not able to vote for Barack Obama in the Presidential election. Obama' views on abortion and gay rights made voting for him an impossibility for me and millions of other Christians (Catholic, Protestant, etc...)

While I could not vote for Obama, he has been elected President of the United States, and as a Christian I know that his election is ordained by God for His purposes. St. Paul wrote this about our relation ship to those whom God has placed to rule over us, "Let every soul be in subjection to the higher powers: for there is no power but of God; and the powers that be are ordained of God. Therefore he that resisteth the power, withstandeth the ordinance of God: and they that withstand shall receive to themselves judgment. For rulers are not a terror to the good work, but to the evil. And wouldest thou have no fear of the power? do that which is good, and thou shalt have praise from the same: for he is a minister of God to thee for good. But if thou do that which is evil, be afraid; for he beareth not the sword in vain: for he is a minister of God, an avenger for wrath to him that doeth evil. Wherefore ye must needs be in subjection, not only because of the wrath, but also for conscience' sake." (Rom. 13:1-5)

When Paul wrote these words Nero Caesar was leader of the Roman world in which lived. No, I'm not comparing Barack to Nero. But if the Apostle Paul could say these things to Christians about an evil ruler like Nero, than certainly it is true of all rulers, including American presidents.

In Paul's letter to Timothy we read, "I exhort therefore, first of all, that supplications, prayers, intercessions, thanksgivings, be made for all men; for kings and all that are in high place; that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity." It's the duty of American Christians to lift him up in prayer.

I believe that Obama will work support issues (abortion and gay rights) that I believe to be evil. We, as Christians, can not approve of such actions, but Christians can and should pray for him and his presidency so "that we may lead a tranquil and quiet life in all godliness and gravity." Paul goes on to say, "This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who would have all men to be saved, and come to the knowledge of the truth."

We need to pray for Barack Obama and all others who are in authority over us. We need to pray for him to our Lord about how he governs ans we need to pray for his soul as well.

Coram Deo,
Kenith

Protestant America?

I've been working an awful lot of hours and have not had much of a chance to read very much. But I did read a little bit and the most striking thing that I've read recently is an article in First Things titled The Death of Protestant America: A Political Theory of the Protestant Mainline. The article discusses the decline of the once culturally dominant "mainline" Protestant churches such as the Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, Lutherans, etc...

The older, larger versions of these churches long ago went "liberal" theologically. They preach a social gospel and they long ago gave up on preaching the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because they have abandoned the faith on which they were founded, millions of Americans have left their ranks for Churches that still promote Biblical Christiansity or left the Christian faith for non-faith or cults. These mainline churches have been hemorrhaging members for decades.

While they make the news when ordaining an active homosexual to the office of bishop, or debating "gay marriage" they have lost the cultural clout that they once had in this land. Today they are just shrill voices on the far left.

I know there are many solid Christian people in those denominations, who have been fighting the liberal drift and working to restore the biblical foundations of those once great denominations. I pray for these Christian. And my heart goes out to them, but I will not weep when these mostly apostate churches disapear completely.

It is sad, but so many of them have ceased to be Churches of Christ they have lost there reason to exist at all.

Coram Deo,
Kenith