Pastor Gordon D. Fields

2012-01-16T21:03:00.002-06:00

I have a passion for both evangelism and discipleship. In fact, I have always argued that they are two sides of the same coin. The lack of discipleship within many churches has been one of the number one reasons that churches are no longer growing and/or declining.

I read the article Who's Raising Up Future Pastors, and I tell you, it really got my attention and as you read it, I sure hope it gets your attention as well.

Raising up Future Pastors
by Wade Brown

In a time when pastors are leaving the ministry at a very rapid rate, here's a question in which every church needs to engage: Who will the next generation of pastors be? More importantly, who will shoulder the majority of the responsibility in helping to equip young men to serve as pastors?

Hopefully, the church will rise to this challenge. It certainly did 2,000 years ago. Paul and Barnabas were sent out by the local church (Acts 13:1-3). In 2 Timothy 2:2, Paul exhorts Timothy, the pastor at Ephesus, to entrust biblical truths and principles to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.

While Bible colleges and seminaries do a good job of further preparing pastors through the content heavy curricula of church history, systematic theology, the languages and other topics, we shouldn't expect them to identify and ultimately raise up pastors. That responsibility rests with the Church. How can you, in your role as a pastor, help set that tone?

First, pray that God will help you to remain faithful to biblical teaching and your disciple-making efforts.

Second, pray that God will help you identify those young men who He has already called into the pastorate.

Third, prayerfully consider starting an internship ministry for these young men—a place where they can process their calling out loud and, along with others, be more fully equipped for ministry.

Finally, find time to hang out with these young men. Allow them to ask questions about what's stirring in their hearts concerning their calling. Encourage them to share their fears and their excitement. In time, give them opportunities to serve, to teach, to preach. In doing so, you are helping to prepare the next generation of pastors.

I am a pastor today ultimately by God's grace. Though, I know He used my church of 20 years ago, and especially the pastor of that church to help me (and many others) to discern and embrace His calling on my life to pursue the pastorate. While it has been a bumpy ride at times, I'm grateful for my calling and for the church that helped equip me and sent me out!

Enjoy the journey!

Wade Brown
Director, Church and Community Care
Focus on the Family

Fantastic Week

2011-10-14T10:02:00.002-05:00

This week has been fantastic! We had a wonderful time Wednesday morning at the Coffee Corner (with the Pastor) good fellowship and good discussion on David Platt's book "Radical." Wednesday eve was great also as we continued our study on "Christian History." Finnaly, is seems that The Truth Project seems to gets better and better each week. I love what I see our Lord doing at Calvary Baptist! Just a note to say to our Faith Family, how much I appreciate you and love y'all... keep on keeping on for the glory of our Lord!

Bible Illiteracy

2011-10-10T12:15:00.003-05:00

In my devotion time,I read an article by Dr. David Jeremiah that simply amazed me. Let me share it with you and then I will makesome additional comments at the end.

Matthew,Mark, Luke, & Ringo

Listen to the statutes... teach them to yourchildren and your grandchildren.
Deuteronomy 4:1, 9

The Need For Theology

2011-10-09T23:25:00.000-05:00

Allow me to share my reading for this evening with you:

The Need for Theology

But is there really a need for theology? If I love Jesus, is that not sufficient? Indeed, theology seems to have certain disadvantages. It complicates the Christian message, making it confusing and difficult for the lay person to understand. It thus seems to hinder, rather than help, the communication of the Christian truth. Does not theology divide rather than unite the church, the body of Christ? Note the number of denominational divisions that have taken place because of a difference of understanding and belief in some minute areas. Is theology, then, really desirable, and is it helpful? Several considerations suggest that the answer to this question is yes.

1. Theology is important because correct doctrinal beliefs are essential to the relationship between the believer and God. One of these beliefs deals with God’s existence and character. The writer to the Hebrews, in describing those who, like Abel and Enoch, pleased God, stated: "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who seek him" (11:6). The author does not mean that one who attempts to approach God may be rejected because of lack of such a faith in him, but that one would not even attempt to approach God without this belief.

Belief in the deity of Jesus Christ also seems essential to the relationship. After Jesus had asked his disciples what people thought of him, he also asked, "Who do you say I am?" Peter’s response, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God," met with Jesus’ resounding approval (Matt. 16:13–19). It is not sufficient to have a warm, positive, affirming feeling toward Jesus. One must have correct understanding and belief. Similarly, Jesus’ humanity is important. First John was written to combat the teachings of some who said that Jesus had not really become human. These "docetists" maintained that Jesus’ humanity was merely an appearance. John pointed out the importance of belief in the humanity of Jesus when he wrote: "This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God" (1 John 4:2–3). Finally, in Romans 10:9–10, Paul ties belief in Christ’s resurrection (both a historical event and a doctrine) directly into the salvation experience: "If you confess with your mouth, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. For it is with your heart you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved." These are but a few examples of the importance of correct belief. Theology, which concerns itself with defining and establishing correct belief, is consequently important.

2. Theology is necessary because truth and experience are related. While some would deny or at least question this connection, in the long run the truth will affect our experience. A person who falls from the tenth story of a building may shout while passing each window on the way down, "I’m still doing fine," and may mean it, but eventually the facts of the matter will catch up with the person’s experience. We may continue to live on happily for hours and even days after a close loved one has, unknown to us, passed away, but again the truth will come with crushing effect on our experience. Since the meaning and truth of the Christian faith will eventually have ultimate bearing on our experience, we must come to grips with them.

3. Theology is needful because of the large number of alternatives and challenges abroad at the present time. Secular alternatives abound, including the humanism that makes the human being the highest object of value, and the scientific method that seeks truth without recourse to revelation from a divine being. Other religions now compete with Christianity, even in once supposedly secure Western civilization. Not merely automobiles, electronic devices, and cameras are exported to the United States from the East. Eastern religion is now also challenging the once virtually exclusive domain of Christianity. Islam is growing rapidly in the United States, especially among African American males.³² Numerous quasi-religions also make their appeal. Countless psychological self-help systems are advocated. Cults are not restricted to the big-name varieties (e.g., Jehovah’s Witnesses, Mormonism). Numerous groups, some of which practice virtual brainwashing and mind control, now attract individuals who desire an alternative to conventional Christianity. Finally, many varieties of teaching, some mutually contradictory, exist within Christianity.

The solution to the confusion is not merely to determine which are false views and attempt to refute them. Bank employees learn to detect counterfeit money not by studying false bills, but by examining numerous samples of genuine money. They look at it, feel it, scrutinize it in every way. Then, when finally given bogus bills, they immediately recognize the difference. Similarly, correctly understanding the doctrinal teachings of Christianity is the solution to the confusion created by the myriad of claimants to belief. [1]

³² Russell Chandler, Racing Toward 2001: The Forces Shaping America’s Religious Future(Grand Rapids: Zondervan, and San Francisco: Harper San Francisco, 1992), pp.183–85.

^{^[1]} Millard J. Erickson, Christian Theology, 2nd ed. (GrandRapids, Mich.: Baker Book House, 1998), 29-31.

Where Do You Stand?

2011-10-07T17:04:00.000-05:00

Although Joel Osteen pastors the largest congregation in the America, it is extremely difficult (if not impossible) to pin his theological ideologies down.

Osteen, should run for president (kidding). The way he evades important moral/ethical issues reminds me of a good politician.

Although he reluctantly admits that homosexuality is sin, he also indicates that he would attend (not officiate) a same sex wedding. He also points out “there are other sins that the Bible indicates that he would try to change.” as well. My question then would be: "would he attend a robbery to see someone murdered?" “What about an attack where someone is raped?” Of course not! But what is the difference one might ask? I contend his attending a same-sex wedding would give the appearance of his condoning it.

When asked about faith he replied, “to me, faith is all about learning to be happy where you are..” I think he might get confused at times. Faith is confidence in knowing that God is working ‘now’ in the present for your good and His glory.

Every time Osteen is interviewed he walks away leaving question marks about Christianity. With the exception of promoting his books, I cannot think of one good reason for him submitting to be interviewed. The last time he was interviewed by Larry King, he left questions concerning salvation. However he did later recant and apologize.

What about the death penalty? Where does Osteen stand? I do not know either.

http://www.cnn.com/video/#/video/bestoftv/2011/10/04/piers-osteen-death-penalty.cnn

Would a Muslim vote for a Christian president? Should a Christian vote for a Muslim president? Should it matter?

Poll at the bottom of this page

http://cnnpressroom.blogs.cnn.com/2011/10/04/piers-morgan-tonight-would-joel-osteen-vote-for-a-jewish-or-muslim-president/

I guess of the statements that Osteen made, the one that really tears my heart strings is when he said: “I can’t grab on part and say God wants you to blessed and live an abundant life...” I have often wondered if the Apostle Paul would challenge Osteen’s definition of “an abundant life” or to be “blessed.” When you compare the lives of each, you see to life that contradict each other. However you look at it, for me, “I am no longer my own. I have been bought with a price.” That being the very blood of Christ.

Who likes hamburgers any way?

2011-02-01T17:07:00.000-06:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A decision by a local Pennsylvania Chick-fil-A restaurant
to donate food to a pro-biblical marriage seminar has sparked controversy in the
homosexual community and caused a university to pull the franchise's food, but
it also has led to an outpouring of support from Chick-fil-A's customers as the
company has refused to back down.

At issue is the donation of food to a
marriage enrichment seminar sponsored by the Pennsylvania Family Institute.
Although the "Art of Marriage" seminar itself has little if anything to do with
politics and "gay marriage" -- ads say the video-guided seminar will "help
couples apply what the Bible teaches about marriage" -- the fact that the
Pennsylvania Family Institute has taken positions opposing "gay marriage" has
led some in the homosexual community to say they'll take their business
elsewhere. The video curriculum wasn't created by the Pennsylvania Family
Institute but by FamilyLife, an Arkansas-based pro-family group.

Read more http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=34564&ref=BPNews-RSSFeed0201

'Bum' speaks in chapel, shocks students

2010-12-15T15:38:00.000-06:00

"Loneliness and rejection is a terrible feeling," Headrick said. "but it makes
it much easier to understand why Jesus [before His resurrection] died of a
broken heart."

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=34265&ref=BPNews-RSSFeed1215

This is a must read.

Calvary Baptist Church Christmas Cantatas

2010-12-15T14:38:00.000-06:00

I would like to invite you and your family to a day of worshiping the King of Kings - the Lord of Lords as we celebrate the true meaning of Christmas.

Sunday, December 19, 2010, our Children/Youth Choir will perform in the morning service which begins at 10:45 am.

The Adult Sancturary will perform in the evening service which begins at 6:00 pm.

Bring the whole family and bring your friends with you!

May our Lord bless you!

Granite City native's first big Hollywood role is in faith-based film

2010-10-18T14:03:00.000-05:00

Make me proud to read articles like this.

Friends and family members know Amy Holland Pennell as a kind-hearted, religious young woman who often reaches out to people in need.
It's only fitting her first big role in a Hollywood movie would be that of a cancer survivor and single mother who overcomes bad choices in life and finds her way to God.
"She had gotten really mad at God because she was sick," said Amy, 29, of Los Angeles, who grew up in Granite City.

Read more: http://www.bnd.com/2010/10/18/1438727/look-whos-a-professional-actress.html#ixzz12jrYKIle

Obama says he is a Christian "by Choice."

2010-10-05T00:47:00.000-05:00

I realize that this is not new news to anyone, but I cannot help but to note that Obama falls short of what is means to be Christian.

Obama says he's Christian 'by choice'

At a campaign stop in Albuquerque, the president responds
to a question about his faith by saying 'the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to
me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead.'

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. — President Obama said Tuesday that he is a "Christian by choice" and that his decision was influenced by gospel teachings about salvation and the importance of loving one another.

His mother and the grandparents who helped raised him weren't regular churchgoers, Obama told a group of voters here. But he became a Christian "later in life" because of the religion's basic principles,
he said "It was because the precepts of Jesus Christ spoke to me in terms of the kind of life that I would want to lead," Obama said.

"Being my brother's and sister's keeper. Treating others as they would treat me."

Notice he refers only to the precepts of Jesus. This is very important. The Apostle Paul instructs one that "if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord, and ^bbelieve in your heart that ^cGod raised Him from the dead, you will be saved; for with the heart a person believes, ¹resulting in righteousness, and with the mouth he confesses, ²resulting in salvation.

This is to acknowledge His deity - to admit that He is God! It involeves more that admiring even applying the precepts Jesus taught. This would mean a "works salvation" as we can conclude as we examine the rest of the article.

Obama met with the voters group as part of a nationwide
political swing as he tries to rally Democratic voters in advance of the Nov. 2
congressional elections. Later Tuesday, Obama traveled to Madison, Wis., to speak to a large
gathering of students and others at the University of Wisconsin.

His remarks in Albuquerque came in response to a question from the crowd about his religious faith, allowing the president to veer away from economics, the subject matter dominating the meeting.

The issue of Obama's beliefs is a popular subject of debate on cable talk shows and the Internet. Recent polling data suggests that a growing number of Americans think Obama is a Muslim.

But Obama on Tuesday gave a personal accounting of his faith more intimate than any since he published a 1999 memoir of his life.

"Understanding that Jesus Christ dying for my sins spoke to the humility we all have to have as human beings, that we're sinful and we're flawed, we make mistakes," Obama said Tuesday.

"And that we achieve salvation through the grace of God." Although flawed, individuals can "still see God in other people" and help others to find "their own grace."

Notice his statement: "we achieve salvation througth the grace of God." It is true salvation is extended by the grace of God, but there is nothing one can do to achieve it. The Apostle Paul makes this point clear in Eph. 2:8-9.

Two Sides to Every Story

2010-09-13T15:41:00.000-05:00

Two Wrongs Don't Make a Right, Or Does It?

2010-09-09T15:52:00.000-05:00

A lot has been said recently concerning the upcoming Quran burning that is scheduled to take place on September 11, 2010 in Gainesville, FL. What a lot of people don't know, or may have forgotten is something I read today. Check it out below:
___________________________________

But Bryan Fischer, director of issues analysis at the American Family Association (AFA), thinks it is the height of hypocrisy for the U.S. government to condemn the church, considering the fact that the U.S. military incinerated Bibles that were sent to Afghanistan in May 2009.

"There's really a staggering level of hypocrisy and double standard here for the military to burn the Holy Bible and then complain when a pastor's going to do the same thing to the Quran," Fischer contends. "You know, if the military was going to be fair here and even-handed, they would count up the number of Holy Bibles that they incinerated in Afghanistan, and then they would allow Reverend Jones to burn the same number of Qurans."

The AFA issues analysis director believes the whole incident illustrates the difference between Christianity and Islam. "When these Bibles were burned [in May 2009], the Christian community did not riot in the streets; we did not threaten violence against anyone," he points out. "[But] when even the threat of Qurans being burned takes place, it's like we're dealing with Armageddon [or] with World War III."

In a OneNewsNow poll conducted in May 2009, more than 60 percent of respondents said -- in reaction to the decision by the U.S. military to destroy the Bibles -- that "if it had been the Quran, this never would have happened."

Article

The People Have Spoken: Gay Marriage at the Polls

2010-08-20T11:06:00.000-05:00

After reading the article below and reflecting upon the way Judges are allowed to completely overturn the decision of the people, one cannot help but to think that we may be headed toward a monarchy.
_________________________________

August 18, 2010

As the ruling in Perry v. Schwarzenegger, which overturned California's Proposition 8, makes its way through the appeals process, one of the big questions concerns the impact of another case: Lawrence v. Texas. That 2003 Supreme Court decision overturned the Texas law making sodomy a criminal offense.

Judge Vaughn Walker clearly thinks that the line between Lawrence and his ruling is clear. His opinion not only cited Lawrence - it was, as many commentators have noted, practically written for an audience of one: Justice Anthony Kennedy, the author of the Lawrence decision, and the likely swing-vote on the Supreme Court.

But is the link as clear as Walker and his supporters say it is? No. Especially when you take public attitudes into account.

At the time Lawrence was decided, Texas was one of only thirteen states that made sodomy a crime. In the rest of the country, consensual same-sex acts had been made legal by legislation.

In other words, the public had adopted what could rightly be called a tolerant view of these acts: whatever people thought of homosexuality, they didn't think it was a matter for the criminal law, and the political process reflected this cultural and political consensus.

Thus, the ruling in Lawrence, whatever its constitutional merits, ratified an already-existing consensus - it didn't set out to impose one. Even justice Thomas, who dissented from the majority opinion, called the Texas law "uncommonly silly."

The same cannot be said of the ruling overturning Proposition 8. Only five states and the District of Columbia permit same-sex marriage and half of those are the result of court rulings. What's more, the trajectory of public, as distinct from elite, opinion has been clearly to ratify the traditional understanding of marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Since 1993, when the Hawaiian Supreme Court upheld same-sex marriage, the American people have consistently made their opposition clear at the polls. Every time the issue has been on the ballot (31 states in all), voters have rejected same sex marriage.

This despite being outspent by same-sex marriage proponents and always being vilified in the media and elite opinion.

All of this exposes the claim that we're trying to "impose" our view on others. We aren't doing that. That's ludicrous! We're simply defending the democratic consensus.

The only way to counter this distortion is if we do it ourselves: present our case winsomely and persistently.

And, given what's at stake in this battle, we don't have any choice. The battle over this California case involves more than same-sex marriage or even the institution of marriage. As the Manhattan Declaration points out, the biggest threat to religious freedom comes from those who want to redefine marriage and impose a particular view of sexual morality on all of us.

How could pastors denounce sinful behavior held by a court to be a constitutional right? The only way to keep that from happening is to make clear—to make known—the great consensus in America in support of traditional marriage. Because courts rarely go against that.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chuck Colson's daily BreakPoint commentary airs each weekday on more than one thousand outlets with an estimated listening audience of one million people. BreakPoint provides a Christian perspective on today's news and trends via radio, interactive media, and print.

President's sentiments on mosque made clear

2010-08-19T16:05:00.000-05:00

A Messianic Jewish leader and supporter of Israel thinks President Obama's recent comments made to a Muslim group clearly illustrate his sentiments are with Islam -- just as he promised in his book The Audacity of Hope.

On Friday, President Barack Obama created a firestorm when at a White House Ramadan observance he told the Muslim audience he supported the right of the developers to build a mega-mosque near the site of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. But over the weekend he added that he would not comment on the wisdom of building a mosque close to "Ground Zero."

Opponents of the mosque have deemed his comment insensitive because the terrorists who struck the buildings in 2001 were Islamic extremists.

Jan Markell, founder and director of Olive Tree Ministries, remembers what Obama wrote in one of his books.

"This is a bit of a paraphrase: 'When ill winds blow,' he said, 'I will always stand with the Muslims,'" she cites. [Editor's note - Actual quote: "I will stand with the Muslims should the political winds shift in an ugly direction."]

"I am not one who is saying that Barack Obama is a Muslim; we don't know that," the ministry leader continues. "But the fact is his sentiment is with the Muslims of the world, and his sentiment is with the Muslims of Manhattan. I'm quite sure that he would be very okay with a mosque just a stone's-throw away from 9/11."

But Markell believes once Obama expressed his support for the project, he publicly backtracked because he realized that he could not be disrespectful of the families of the 9/11 victims, even though his sentiments might be with the Muslims.

What next? Court says crosses along Utah highways must go.

2010-08-19T15:58:00.000-05:00

SALT LAKE CITY (BP)--Crosses alongside Utah highways and roads that memorialize fallen state troopers are unconstitutional and must be removed, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday in a case that could end up before the U.S. Supreme Court.

A three-judge panel of the U.S. Tenth Circuit Court of Appeals unanimously ruled that the crosses, which are 12 feet tall, six feet wide and have state approval, amount to an unconstitutional government establishment of religion. Each cross has the trooper's name, rank and badge number, along with the year he or she died, biographical information and a picture. It also has the Utah Highway Patrol official symbol. The program, started in 1998, places the cross as near as possible to the death site.

The organization American Atheists filed the suit, with one of the plaintiffs even saying he occasionally altered his travel route to avoid seeing a cross. Supporters of the crosses say they will appeal the decision, either to the full Tenth Circuit or to the Supreme Court.

The crosses themselves are privately funded, although most of them are on public land. There are more than a dozen of them statewide.

"[W]e conclude that the cross memorials would convey to a reasonable observer that the state of Utah is endorsing Christianity," the court ruled in a 35-page decision that reversed a lower court. "The memorials use the preeminent symbol of Christianity, and they do so standing alone (as opposed to it being part of some sort of display involving other symbols). That cross conspicuously bears the imprimatur of a state entity, the [Utah Highway Patrol], and is found primarily on public land."

Although the Tenth Circuit cited Supreme Court precedent, supporters of the crosses say the high court already addressed the issue in a recent opinion. In an April decision in which the Supreme Court allowed a cross to remain in the Mojave Desert, Justice Anthony Kennedy, writing for a 5-4 majority, asserted that the "goal of avoiding governmental endorsement does not require eradication of all religious symbols in the public realm.

"A cross by the side of a public highway marking, for instance, the place where a state trooper perished need not be taken as a statement of governmental support for sectarian beliefs," Kennedy wrote in the case, Salazar v. Buono. "The Constitution does not oblige government to avoid any public acknowledgment of religion's role in society."

Read the entire article here: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=33539&ref=BPNews-RSSFeed0819

FDA-approved 'ella' is really an abortion pill

2010-08-16T16:14:00.000-05:00

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced Aug. 13 the approval of "ella," which it says prevents pregnancy when it is taken within five days after sexual intercourse. Ella, which requires a prescription, functions primarily to restrict or postpone ovulation in a woman, according to the FDA.

Pro-life organizations, however, charge ella can act to eliminate an embryo already implanted in the mother's womb. The newly approved drug is more closely related to RU 486, the abortion drug already sold in the United States, than to currently marketed emergency contraceptives Plan B and Next Choice, pro-lifers say.

Ella is like RU 486, also known as mifepristone, in that it prevents production of the hormone progesterone, destroying the placenta that provides nutrition to the embryo and causing the tiny child's death, according to the American Association of Pro-life Obstetricians and Gynecologists (AAPLOG). Like the "morning-after" pills Plan B and Next Choice, ella also can block implantation of an embryo in the uterine wall, causing an abortion.

Read More: http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?id=33523&ref=BPNews-RSSFeed0816

How Obama is locking up our land

2010-08-15T08:43:00.000-05:00

Have you heard of the "Great Outdoors Initiative"? Chances are, you haven't. But across the country, White House officials have been meeting quietly with environmental groups to map out government plans for acquiring untold millions of acres of both public and private land. It's another stealthy power grab through executive order that promises to radically transform the American way of life.

In April, President Obama issued a memorandum outlining his "21st century strategy for America's great outdoors." It was addressed to the Interior Secretary, the Agriculture Secretary, the head of the Environmental Protection Agency, and the chair of the Council on Environmental Quality. The memo calls on the officials to conduct "listening and learning sessions" with the public to "identify the places that mean the most to Americans, and leverage the support of the Federal Government" to "protect" outdoor spaces. Eighteen of 25 planned sessions have already been held. But there's much more to the agenda than simply "reconnecting Americans to nature."

The federal government, as the memo boasted, is the nation's "largest land manager." It already owns roughly one of every three acres in the United States. This is apparently not enough. At a "listening session" in New Hampshire last week, government bureaucrats trained their sights on millions of private forest land throughout the New England region. Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack crusaded for "the need for additional attention to the Land and Water Conservation Fund -- and the need to promptly support full funding of that fund."

Property owners have every reason to be worried. The Land and Water Conservation Fund (LWCF) is a pet project of green radicals, who want the decades-old government slush fund for buying up private lands to be freed from congressional appropriations oversight. It's paid for primarily with receipts from the government's offshore oil and gas leases. Both Senate and House Democrats have included $900 million in full LWCF funding, not subject to congressional approval, in their energy/BP oil spill legislative packages. The Democrats have also included a provision in these packages that would require the federal government to take over energy permitting in state waters, which provoked an outcry from Texas state officials, who sent a letter of protest to Capitol Hill last month:

"In light of federal failures, it is incomprehensible that the United States Congress is entertaining proposals that expand federal authority over oil and gas drilling in state water and lands long regulated by states... Given the track record, putting the federal government in charge of energy production on state land and waters not only breaks years of successful precedent and threatens the 10th Amendment to the United Sates Constitution, but it also undermines common sense and threatens the environmental and economy security of our state's citizens."

Read at: http://www.onenewsnow.com/Perspectives/Default.aspx?id=1123236

Obama Strongly Backs Islam Center Near 9/11 Site

2010-08-14T07:37:00.000-05:00

WASHINGTON — President Obama delivered a strong defense on Friday night of a proposed Muslim community center and mosque near ground zero in Manhattan, using a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan to proclaim that “as a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country.”

The latest on President Obama, his administration and other news from Washington and around the nation. Join the discussion.

More Politics News
After weeks of avoiding the high-profile battle over the center — his press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said last week that the president did not want to “get involved in local decision-making” — Mr. Obama stepped squarely into the thorny debate.

“I understand the emotions that this issue engenders. Ground zero is, indeed, hallowed ground,” the president said in remarks prepared for the annual White House iftar, the sunset meal breaking the day’s fast.

But, he continued: “This is America, and our commitment to religious freedom must be unshakable. The principle that people of all faiths are welcome in this country, and will not be treated differently by their government, is essential to who we are.”

In hosting the iftar, Mr. Obama was following a White House tradition that, while sporadic, dates to Thomas Jefferson, who held a sunset dinner for the first Muslim ambassador to the United States. President George W. Bush hosted iftars annually.

Aides to Mr. Obama say privately that he has always felt strongly about the proposed community center and mosque, but the White House did not want to weigh in until local authorities made a decision on the proposal, planned for two blocks from the site of the Sept. 11 attack on the World Trade Center.

Complete Article: http://www.nytimes.com/2010/08/14/us/politics/14obama.html?_r=1&th&emc=th

Obama endorses Muslim mosque near Ground Zero

2010-08-13T22:26:00.000-05:00

President Obama tonight endorsed building an Islamic community center and mosque a few blocks from the site of the 9/11 attacks in New York City, saying that "Muslims have the right to practice their religion" just like anyone else.

"That includes the right to build a place of worship and a community center on private property in lower Manhattan, in accordance with local laws and ordinances," Obama said at an Iftar dinner at the White House honoring the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. "This is America."

Obama said he understands the emotions aroused by the issue, including the objections of 9/11 victims' families who want the Islamic center to be built elsewhere in the city. But he said that the terrorists who attacked the World Trade Center do not represent Islam, but are killers distorting a great religion.

"That's who we are fighting against," he said. "And the reason that we will win this fight is not simply the strength of our arms, it is the strength of our values."

Read More: http://content.usatoday.com/communities/theoval/post/2010/08/obama-endorses-the-idea-of-a-mosque-near-ground-zero/1

A Mosque Named “Cordoba House” at Ground Zero

2010-08-13T22:20:00.000-05:00

A Mosque Named “Cordoba House” at Ground Zero

Charge: Taxpayer money promoting Islam worldwide

2010-08-13T18:37:00.000-05:00

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--American taxpayer money is being used to build mosques and otherwise promote Islam, according to a conservative watchdog group, a Washington newspaper and a Middle East commentator.

The American Center for Law and Justice has called on the U.S. State Department to remove Feisal Abdul Rauf, the imam behind the proposed mosque near Ground Zero in New York, from a taxpayer-funded trip to the Middle East to discuss Muslim life in America and religious tolerance.

"This shows a tremendous lack of judgment on behalf of the State Department and for the American taxpayers to be funding this global journey is not only wrong, but deeply offensive," Jay Sekulow, ACLJ's chief counsel, said Aug. 10. "We demand that the State Department put a halt to the imam's participation in this publicly-funded trip."

Rauf has refused to declare Hamas a terrorist organization, the ACLJ news release said, and in the days following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, he said U.S. foreign policy could be considered an "accessory" to the tragedy.

Read the complete article here: http://www.bpnews.net/BPnews.asp?ID=33515

Freedom? Yes! Mosque? No!

2010-08-13T16:52:00.000-05:00

It's Not About Liberty

New York City officials approved the building of the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" last week, but some religious liberty advocates continue to decry the decision.

Richard Land, president of the Southern Baptist Ethics & Religious Liberty Commission (ERLC), said one could be against the center while still maintaining that the group should have the freedom to have a mosque in lower Manhattan.

Speaking on Public Radio International's To the Point, Land said, "We have consistently defended religious freedom, separation of church and state. And we believe that Muslims certainly have the right to build mosques, to have places of worship that are convenient to them in their communities … I certainly defend the right of Muslims to have mosques and places of worship in lower Manhattan but not, not at Ground Zero."

Read more here: http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2010/augustweb-only/42-52.0.html

Adam blamed Eve

2010-08-13T12:01:00.000-05:00

One has to ask themsleves, "can you abuse your position and get by with it?"

Embattled Rep. Maxine Waters on Friday blamed the Bush administration for her ethics problems -- saying she had to intervene with the Treasury Department on behalf of minority-owned banks seeking federal bailout funds -- including one tied to her husband -- because the Treasury Department wouldn't schedule its own appointments.

Read more at: http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2010/08/13/rep-waters-violated-house-rules/?test=latestnews