I asked him why he thought that Obama might be the anti-Christ. He replied that Obama supports abortion. He also asked if any democrat can be a Christian? After the election Dutch Sheets says that he is quite confident that the election of Barack Obama was definitely not God’s will. http://www.dutchsheets.org/index.cfm. He seems to base this on the premise that Mr. Obama supports abortion. when I listened to Obama it seems to me that he knows that abortion is not the best option. It seems to me that President -elect Obama would like to enhance the life options, rather than returning to wire coat hanger abortions.
Let’s not just look at the particular issue of abortions, but the entire issue about a Christian individuals relationship to the Government. The fate of new born or unborn are issues that are of intense opinions thought out our society. This issue causes many to break laws and to lose their inner peace. look at those who are in prison now for the destruction of Abortion clinics. The opposition also shows much anger about the issue. Decades ago, I visited a friend of mine, Bill Warren. He was a photographer. When I met him he was very proud of his latest assignment. he had made the cover of Newsweek Magazine. It was a collage of shots that he had taken at some abortion protests. At that time abortions were illegal. Women were dying from ill performed abortions. Today almost forty years later I can still feel the anger of the demonstrators.
These events have caused me to look at these issues in light of the Bible. After the election I looked up the verse about government in Romans 13:1-5.
1. Every person must be subject to the governing authorities, for no authority exists except by God's permission.
2. The existing authorities have been established by God, so that whoever resists the authorities opposes what God has established, and those who resist will bring judgment on themselves.
3 For the authorities are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you like to live without being afraid of the authorities? Then do what is right, and you will receive their approval.
4 For they are God's servants working for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for it is not without reason that they bear the sword. Indeed, they are God's servants to execute wrath on anyone who does wrong.
5 Therefore, it is necessary for you to be subject, not only because of God's wrath but also because of your own conscience. ISV
One interesting point about the Romans of the Biblical era was the way they handled a birth in a family. The baby would be presented to Pater Familias, the family head, who would decide the fate of the newborn. At the whim of the Pater Familias the baby would be taken to the forest and abandoned. There is archaeological evidence that some babies were actually placed on the trash heaps and never made it to the woods. If Paul admonished the Romans to obey the government and they were to pray for their leaders and to pay tribute. How can it be any thing other for us? God’s plan for us is peace. We may not see it in the world, but peace in our hearts, now!
I would like to comment about the Pastor that led President-elect Obama to the Lord, and to whose church Obama attended for many years. maybe you have seen the press videos of the Pastor ranting. Sometimes people vent. Does any Christian always have God’s Peace and His mind? I think that it would be almost impossible for anyone born in white middle class America to understand the Black experience in America. This certainly was made abundantly true for me one night in the mid sixties.
I had made friend a when I was working on the minuteman guidance system at the aircraft factory. His last name was the same as mine. We would go out at lunch time and ride our motorcycles together. He had a full dress Harley. I had a 250 rice burnin Yamaha. His first name was Vinsone, or Vinnie to me. One day he invited me to a party at his place. His place was in Watts, California. Vinnie was Black. It was only a year or two since Watts had burned the first time. So there I was, at a place that looked something like a plain old apartment complex, two story stucco sided buildings with lawns in between the building and close line poles in the lawns. At that time Vinnie chained his Full Dress Harley to a steel clothes line pole in the lawn in front of his apartment. While Vinnie's girl friend was trying to teach me to dance, Vinnie's brother burst in the front door and said that some guys were scheming to steal his bike. So, I said, “Let’s call the cops.” No response, only a heavy silence hung in the room as all eyes turned to look at the dumb white boy, me. So finally, it dawned me that in that part of town, in the local inhabitants minds, the cops weren't friends, allies or protectors, but something else.
Vinnie opened the closet by the front door and reached for the chains and baseball bats that were kept there. So, I said, “Let’s get ‘em.” I too reached for the goodies in the closet. Vinnie grabbed my arm and told me to stay there. It was good advice that kept my obit out of the Garden Grove paper. The guys went out without me, they were not gone long. When they returned they said it was all cool now. That night made me eventually realize that I am just a dumb white boy from the suburbs. As a white boy from the 'burbs I realize that I cannot, with the natural mind, understand another man's framework of thoughts and experiences.
3 For the authorities are not a terror to good conduct, but to bad. Would you like to live without being afraid of the authorities? Then do what is right, and you will receive their approval.
4 For they are God's servants working for your good. But if you do what is wrong, you should be afraid, for it is not without reason that they bear the sword. Indeed, they are God's servants to execute wrath on anyone who does wrong.
5 Therefore, it is necessary for you to be subject, not only because of God's wrath but also because of your own conscience. ISV
One interesting point about the Romans of the Biblical era was the way they handled a birth in a family. The baby would be presented to Pater Familias, the family head, who would decide the fate of the newborn. At the whim of the Pater Familias the baby would be taken to the forest and abandoned. There is archaeological evidence that some babies were actually placed on the trash heaps and never made it to the woods. If Paul admonished the Romans to obey the government and they were to pray for their leaders and to pay tribute. How can it be any thing other for us? God’s plan for us is peace. We may not see it in the world, but peace in our hearts, now!
I would like to comment about the Pastor that led President-elect Obama to the Lord, and to whose church Obama attended for many years. maybe you have seen the press videos of the Pastor ranting. Sometimes people vent. Does any Christian always have God’s Peace and His mind? I think that it would be almost impossible for anyone born in white middle class America to understand the Black experience in America. This certainly was made abundantly true for me one night in the mid sixties.
I had made friend a when I was working on the minuteman guidance system at the aircraft factory. His last name was the same as mine. We would go out at lunch time and ride our motorcycles together. He had a full dress Harley. I had a 250 rice burnin Yamaha. His first name was Vinsone, or Vinnie to me. One day he invited me to a party at his place. His place was in Watts, California. Vinnie was Black. It was only a year or two since Watts had burned the first time. So there I was, at a place that looked something like a plain old apartment complex, two story stucco sided buildings with lawns in between the building and close line poles in the lawns. At that time Vinnie chained his Full Dress Harley to a steel clothes line pole in the lawn in front of his apartment. While Vinnie's girl friend was trying to teach me to dance, Vinnie's brother burst in the front door and said that some guys were scheming to steal his bike. So, I said, “Let’s call the cops.” No response, only a heavy silence hung in the room as all eyes turned to look at the dumb white boy, me. So finally, it dawned me that in that part of town, in the local inhabitants minds, the cops weren't friends, allies or protectors, but something else.
Vinnie opened the closet by the front door and reached for the chains and baseball bats that were kept there. So, I said, “Let’s get ‘em.” I too reached for the goodies in the closet. Vinnie grabbed my arm and told me to stay there. It was good advice that kept my obit out of the Garden Grove paper. The guys went out without me, they were not gone long. When they returned they said it was all cool now. That night made me eventually realize that I am just a dumb white boy from the suburbs. As a white boy from the 'burbs I realize that I cannot, with the natural mind, understand another man's framework of thoughts and experiences.
So how can I judge the stance or position of another person's walk with the Lord? Is He finished with me yet? Is He finished with you yet? A persons heart is only too easy to be deceived. The walk with the Lord, for many, is long and perhaps rocky. I can only think of the years that I walked in an abusive nature, while thinking that I was close to perfection.
It is with this background that when I saw Obama’s Pastor go verbally ballistic, ranting about this country, I thought, "This man has a lot to vent." Although, only God can know a man’s heart, I believe that someday Barack’s Pastor, Rev. Wright, Barack and I will all be in heaven.
It is with this background that when I saw Obama’s Pastor go verbally ballistic, ranting about this country, I thought, "This man has a lot to vent." Although, only God can know a man’s heart, I believe that someday Barack’s Pastor, Rev. Wright, Barack and I will all be in heaven.
