Bullied student takes his life

Greensburg, Indiana is the scene of another suicide involving anti-gay harassment.

 

In contrast to some advice givers, I would say Greensburg schools need to talk about sexual orientation related harassment in their schools.

Tonight my local school district rolls out a bullying prevention program. I am on the committee charged with making it work and I have already heard concerns that the exercise is just some kind of left-leaning pro-gay thing. My reply is that my children in elementary school have been called anti-gay slurs. I live in a small town full of truly caring people and we still need to discuss respect for all. They do in Greensburg. I bet they do in your town too.

(Hat tip to Timothy Kincaid)

Will Hawaii be 2nd dominionist state?

TalkToAction asks this question using different words.

This information is important to help evaluate the rise of Lou Engle and Cindy Jacobs in Republican politics during the last decade.

For our Ugandan friends worried about American intervention in your nation: Check it out, Uganda, Hawaii and Alaska – The United States of the New Apostolic Reformation (USNAR).  

These efforts to win political entities (states, nations) rest on what I believe to be a faulty understanding of God’s OT covenant with the nation of Israel. In short, the NAR folks take the covenant God made with Israel to apply to the Church. One of the key verses identified in the TalkToAction post is Deuteronomy 28:13:

The LORD will make you the head, not the tail. If you pay attention to the commands of the LORD your God that I give you this day and carefully follow them, you will always be at the top, never at the bottom.

Even though the ministry of Jesus was to usher in a new covenant, the adherents of NAR want the old one to apply prescriptively to the present day. They seem to believe Christians can take these promises to the cosmic bank if they take over the nation (state, city, etc.). Likewise, listening to Lou Engle, it becomes clear, he believes that the problems America faces derives from failure to follow the law of Moses.

However, none of these promises or threats of curse apply to anyone but Israel as is clear from the first verse of the next chapter (Deut. 29:1):

These are the terms of the covenant the LORD commanded Moses to make with the Israelites in Moab, in addition to the covenant he had made with them at Horeb.

I do not think the United States of America as a nation is referenced in the Bible. In my view, viewing these promises and curses directed toward Israel as applying to the US or any other nation is egocentric thinking.

All of this may seem like theological inside baseball, but given the continuing merger of NAR religious leaders and some elements within the GOP, understanding these theological foundations will be key to understanding at least the next two elections.

Christian singer promotes counteraction against planned burning of the Quran

Sonia Vannest an independent Christian singer is organizing a protest outside the church which is slated to burn the Islamic holy book on 9/11. You can read more about her event on Facebook where she is seeking to organize people to come and sit outside Dove World Outreach Center tomorrow 9/10/10.

UPDATE: As is being widely reported, the Quran roast is off and the Pastor who called it off says he got a commitment from the NY Ground Zero would be mosque builder to move it.

Well now, “pastor” Jones says he might postpone the bonfire, and hold it later…

UPDATE:

New UPDATE 9/10/10 12:35

With the indecision of the Quran burning by the Dove World Outreach Center still in limbo, the Christian Counteraction Peaceful Prayer Vigil will continue but rescheduled for 9/11 beginning at 4:00pm in front of the Dove World Outreach Center.

5805 Northwest 37th Street Gainesville, FL 32653

Although there may be other groups present, the Prayer Vigil will be a silent, prayerful counteraction displaying reminders that God is Love on signs.

Plan on heavy traffic and parking issues. If you wish to find me, I will be holding a God is Love sign and probably wearing a LIVE LOVE LOUD tshirt.

Contact me if you still wish to attend and group together with me.