Update on Marco Rubio

Since we discussed Marco Rubio in WorldMovers last Sunday, some of you might enjoy keeping up with him through his Facebook page:

http://www.facebook.com/search/?post_form_id=f85049a71649c3c7ac913895bbcae39d&q=mrco%20rubio&init=quick&sid=0.8306280795731604#!/MarcoRubio?ref=search

Incidentally, he was victorious in his primary race!

The New Afghan Warrior Class

Here's an update for WorldMovers Sunday School class:

This Sunday will be our second time in the August 14 issue. We will be discussing two columns: p. 20, "A Need to Know Basis," by Janie B. Cheaney; and p. 32, "Talk, Talk, Talk, Talk, Talk," by Mindy Belz. This will be our last Sunday for the isue with Marco Rubio on the cover.

Home subscribers have already received the next issue, and those who have church subscriptions may pick them up at church this Sunday. On Sunday, September 5 we will be discussing the cover story from that issue: "Warrior Class."

A Biblical Approach to Politics

Of interest to WorldMovers and most other Dove Mountaineers is the upconing conference, "A Biblical Approach to Politics...Today!" at Desert Palms Church, PCA in Chandler on September 25 from 2:00-6:00 PM. Dr. Wayne Gruden, Professor of Theology at Phoenix Seminary, will be discussing our religious liberty in light of scripture, with comprehensive resources for understanding modern political issues. You can visit their web site here for registration information and more.

Praying for the election

From last Sunday's WorldMovers Sunday School class comes this suggestion for praying for the election:

"O God, Your plans are firm, faithful, and forever. The purposes of Your heart prevail through all the generations. Let your mighty, perfect will be done inthe elections this week and in November."

Psalm 33:11

Voice in the Wilderness

"Comfort zones are in the palaces, but the call to repentance is in the wilderness."
Pastor Allen, August 15, 2010

Colson says, "It's not too late!"

With the news of the federal court's overturning of Proposition 8 in California, comes the concern of those of us who signed the Manhattan Declaration that the law of our land will redefine the word "marriage" along political, rather than biblical lines. In an excellent Breakpoint commentary this week, Chuck Colson calls on us to not grow weary in well-doing; read or listen to Colson's admonition here.

It's "Back to School" TIme

As some thoughtful parents assign part of their children's welfare to carefully chosen teachers with curriculum and procedures that are accountably based on a definable foundation, it is well to reflect on these words by PCA pastor George Grant:

"The great pioneers of Western Christendom thus not only took the Bible to be their blueprint for living, but they passed it on to their children in blueprint form. They believed that the revelation of God to men in the Bible was the authoritative starting point and the final court of intellectual appeal on earth. They would have wholeheartedly concurred with Cornelius Van Til when he asserted, 'The Bible is authoritative on everything of which it speaks. And it speaks of everything.'"

"Thus, they taught every educational discipline to their children on the assumption that all forms of secular knowledge had been constructed on foundations of philosophical, moral, and spiritual sand. This meant that children learned to read straight from God's Precepts. They began to hammer out principles of economics in terms of God's Word. They began to develop political perspectives based upon God's Commands. They pioneered art, music, and ideas that were Scripturally grounded. Everything, in every field, on every front, was built on a fundamental rejection of the notion that there might be areas of moral, intellectual, or cultural neutrality. They understood that every realm of human endeavor must flow from Biblical principles: mathematics, biology, literature, sociology, law, music, physics, and welfare. Because God has ordained that the Bible govern them all. This is the essence of the Biblical worldview."

WorldMovers: Schedule for next two weeks

WorldMovers will not be meeting this coming Sunday (August 15) because of the potluck after church. The next WorldMovers class will be Sunday, August 22. We will discuss the article, "Investment Opportunity," on page 54 in the July 31 issue, which was assigned last time we met. Pictured above are some of the farmers in Pakistan who are mentioned in the article.

The next issue will be available at the potluck, so by the time we meet on August 22, you should also be prepared to discuss the next cover article, which is about a Florida candidate for Congress, Marco Rubio.

WorldMovers Update

This video contains interviews regarding the voting rights article which we discussed in WorldMovers this past Sunday. Featured is the lawyer who had the the courage and conviction to resign from the Department of Justice, J. Chrisitan Adams.

In review, here are some of the class's ideas at the end of the discussion:

Prayer Points:
- Pray for just leaders and government that operates by the rule of Constitutional law.
- Pray for continued healing for the African-American community, especially for our brothers and sisters in Christ.

Talking Points:
- Bearing in mind the sufferings of their past, keep a softer edge in political conversations with African-Americans whose political convictions are different from ours.

Action items:
- Practice "active" listening, with patience and perseverance.
- Seek understanding with other Christians on the common ground of God's Word.

As the sacred hymn says, he was a "wee little man"

Steve's challenge from his message:

"When have we been so passionate for the things of God that we would go to the extremes to which Zacchaeus went?"

Unbridled prayer

From Pastor Allen's sermon on August 1:

“The prayer of the Christian reaches beyond its set time and extends into the heart of [one's] work. It includes the whole day, and in doing so, it does not hinder the work; it promotes it, affirms it, and lends it meaning and joy. Thus every word, every work, every labor of the Christian becomes a prayer.” Life Together: The Classic Exploration of Faith in Community, Dietrich Bonhoeffer.

Who influences whom?

This morning my son Ethan was talking about the federal judge's ruling in California yesterday against Proposition 8, which had declared that marriage is to be between a man and a woman. The judge, in trashing Prop 8, called the prevention of homosexual "marriage" by law one of the last forms of government sanctioned discrimination in this country.

Ethan commented that this morning's blogs and news shows are full of Hollywood personalities hailing this as a great moment in American history. We both wondered out loud why anyone would want to know what a movie or television star thinks about a legal or moral issue. The fact that our society would even be interested in what people of their stature think on serious issues is disturbing.

In the course of the discussion we wondered who else are the big "influencers"? Ethan suggested parents, but I helped him understand that his growing-up experience with parental influence in faith and politics was pretty unusual in this country. I offered the opinion that among those who influence the future "movers and shakers" of the nation, it is probably teachers in general, and college professors in particular, who wield the most influence.

And then there are the media pundits. I can't tell you how many television interviews I've seen recently regarding (for example) SB 1070, in which the interviewee (always a protestor against the bill) is asked vague, softball questions which are replied to with passionate "fighting for a just cause" rhetoric. These are edited and included in the nightly news as if they actually mean something. They don't deal with questions like rule-of-law, national security, economic impact, or international reciprocity. They basically posit that somebody made somebody else feel badly about themselves, and so the first one who points a finger and yells "Bully" gets to claim victim status with all the attendant rights and privileges. This is less mature than the squabbles I arbitrate among elementary age children on the playground.

In contrast to the hours of interviews with these poor victims, what television station aired the photos of American flag desecration at a rally this past Sunday at the state capitol in Phoenix (photo above)? Right, not one.

And for the record, I'm not mad at the Hollywood stars, college professors, and media personalities for being who they are, any more than I would hate a snake or a scorpion for being what they are. I am mad at the church for not being the influence God created it to be. This will come to pass (Ephesians 5:27, Ephesians 3: 10-11, Isaiah 11:9) although not in my lifetime. I just want someone in my generation to be found faithful in standing against the affrontery of man's (insipid) wisdom against the eternally true counsels of God.

I Voted Early

One of the discussion points which has come up frequently in recent WorldMovers classes concerns the responsiblity we have as Christians to vote knowledgably. Many of the topics we discuss in WorldMovers reflect serious situations which we may feel we have very little power to affect. We remind ourselves at the end of each class that we need to be informed (the Book of Proverbs condemn the "simple" who say "it doesn't affect me"), reflective (holding all things up to Biblical standards), influential (which is why we rehearse "talking points" at the end of each session), and prayerful (because God is Sovereign over the things we cannot change). In recent weeks, one of our most consistent action points is to become informed voters.

Today I filled out my absentee ballot in the quiet of my own home office. It is remarkly easy now, with just a few clicks of the internet, to get to know candiates (both their pros and cons) very quickly. I think there are fewer excuses now than ever before for uninformed voting. I feel more confident than I ever have that I used knowledge and understanding in my selections. I now have high expectations of the candidates for whom I voted. It is easy to fall into the rationalization that one vote doesn't count much, but voting is something I do as part of being a responsible citizen. And I take solace in the thought that my vote doesn't count less than anyone else's, either.

By the way, we will be discussing World magazine's investigative look at voter fraud and voting rights in this Sunday's lesson.