News, Summaries and Comments

Dialogue, Consensus & the Global Community 

       See The Dialectic Process | Community Policing | America's Secret Establishmen

Homeland Security & the transformation of America

Reinventing the World - Part 2: The Mind-Changing Process

   Home ~ News Index Articles  


When freedom fades, our security is in Christ:  Psalm 32:7  His people need not fear the future. Psalm 2:1-3


October 2007

False science. Educating for a Sustainable Future [A UNESCO project]: "Common information and shared understandings, however, are important not only for mobilizing public support, but also for carrying out work consultative and participatory approaches in all fields.... A public well informed of the need for sustainable development will insist that public educational institutions include in their curricula the scientific and other subject matters needed to enable people to participate effectively.... Perhaps the greatest problem that advocates of sustainable development face is to convince not only those who are opposed to their ideas, but also those who simply 'don’t want to know'....

     "...communication has to be seen as a long-term interactive process strategically aimed ... It is not necessary - or even desirable - for scientists to become propagandists, but it is essential that studies conducted in the public interest have adequate means to communicate their findings to the public..." See Saving the Earth

 

An Atheist-Evangelical Dialogue? "In order for such a meeting to take place participants would have to submit to a few ground rules. The atheists, agnostics and anti-theists must promise to refrain from excessive smirking, snarky asides about an 'imaginary friend,' and the use of profanities.... The evangelicals, for their part, would have to swear upon a Bible that they would not... make any efforts at soul salvation (even perfunctory ones).... As long as the leaders and polemicists of evangelical and secular America can agree to these simple and discourse-inducing protocols the possibilities of an enriching dialog...."

      Notice that the above dialectic process allows us to share our faith as long as we don't mention the gospel or the cross. Even in today's churches, the gospel seems too offensive for the new "diverse" small groups. See Spirit-Led or Purpose-Driven: Unity & Community

May 2007

 

Europe - Thy name is Cowardice: "Appeasement legitimized and stabilized Communism in the Soviet Union, then East Germany , then all the rest of Eastern Europe, where for decades, inhuman suppressive, murderous governments were glorified as the ideologically correct alternative to all other possibilities....

    "How is Germany reacting to the escalating violence by Islamic Fundamentalists.... A substantial fraction of our (German) Government, and if the polls are to be believed, the German people, actually believe that creating an Official State 'Muslim Holiday' will somehow spare us from the wrath of the fanatical Islamists. One cannot help but recall Britain 's Neville Chamberlain waving the laughable treaty signed by Adolph Hitler and declaring European 'Peace in our time.'" See The emerging New World Order


December 2006

What Rick Warren wants: "...what Warren was doing in Syria is what he's been doing all along here in America and around the world with the dialectic church - withholding inconvenient truths about sin and the call to repentance for the sake of Results and Relationships. Going soft on sinners is his specialty! That's how you 'build bridges,' exponentially grow churches and dialectically achieve 'unity in diversity' - by putting absolutes aside and dialoguing differences away until everyone's conscience is seared and conviction vanishes in the ambiguity of religious relativism.

     "The facilitators of the church growth movement have always played 'footsie' with reprobates - given 'cover' to evil - 'lied to the world about the state of the church' and overlooked 'bellicose threats' against resisters....

     "Like the dialectic church, the dialectic government would also see Warren as brilliant, offering him the world stage on which to present his Global P.E.A.C.E. Plan....

     "In March of 2001, The Chicago Daily Herald reported that a forum was held at Willow Creek for the world's five largest religions in an article entitled: Forum Unites Diverse Religions.... '...organizers of the forum preached respect between the faiths' and 'encouraged the representatives of Hinduism, Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and Judaism to revel in their diversity' - not exactly a concept you'd find in the Old or New Testament." See CREATING COMMUNITY ... through a New Way of Thinking

September

Bush administration continues funding Arab states: "Just recently, the Bush administration announced plans to sell $4.6 billion worth of arms to several Arab states including the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Jordan, Oman, and Saudi Arabia.... Even more paradoxical is the fact that the Bush administration recently offered citizens of Saudi Arabia scholarships to study aviation in the United States. Can you believe this? ... Some of the 9-11 hijackers are known to have been trained at aviation schools in the U.S."

July

 

Obama Asks Evangelicals To Assimilate: "Sen. Barack Obama, considered a possible Democratic nominee for president in 2008, told left-leaning religious leaders at the Call to Renewal’s 'Building a Covenant for a New America' conference June 28 that in order to sort through some of the 'bitter arguments' about religion in America today, evangelicals need to water down their views to fit in better with the rest of society. 'Democracy demands that the religiously motivated translate their concerns into universal, rather than religion-specific, values,' Obama said.... Now this is going to be difficult for some who believe in the inerrancy of the Bible, as many evangelicals do,' he added. 'But in a pluralistic democracy, we have no choice.'” 

      Not true! We do have a choice! But those who refuse to trade Biblical truth for universal values may face pressures and punishments that would have been unthinkable in our "free" nation some years ago. See Re-inventing the World and Justifying Mind Control

June

 

International Association of Facilitators - Mission, Values and Vision: "...to promote, support and advance the art and practice of professional facilitation through methods exchange, professional growth, practical research, collegial networking and support services. This is accomplished through peer-to-peer networking, professional development and annual conferences....

     "Inclusiveness - Including the full spectrum of personal, professional and cultural diversity in our membership and in the field of facilitation...

     "Global Scope - Connecting and serving facilitators locally, nationally and internationally

     "Participation - Advocating participative methodologies that generate ownership of decisions....

     "Celebration - Celebrating life through spirit filled [what spirit?] quality interchange, activities and events...

     "Social Responsibility - Supporting socially responsible change within private, public and voluntary organizations."

May

Small Group Toolkit: Diaprax in a Box: "If you listened to the Crosstalk I recently did with Dean Gotcher on small group dynamics and how the dialectic is used increasingly in small groups to create change within churches, you will recognize the language and ideas in this ad. ... Note especially the part about group covenants. These covenants are the secret to eliminating dissent and moving the group forward towards the pre-determined goals of the leadership."

 

The "Small Group Toolkit": "What if your small groups could promote intimacy within the group as people share and learn how to make the Bible come alive in their own life? Finally, there is a resource that does all that and more.... Now, there's a reliable, tested 'Toolkit' with secret information....

     "A good group agreement will eliminate over 93% of all group conflict. Misunderstandings. Unmet expectations. Poor communication. These are the roots of conflict in groups and these are the exact things that a group covenant will get rid of -- forever."  

      But the process is based on manipulation -- and the cost is compromise and conformity to politically correct social guidelines. Read Dean Gotcher's explanation:

 

Dialectic and Praxis: DIAPRAX and the End of the Ages: "There is a major move to change the way Americans think. Some call it 'the reculturing of America,' others call it 'reinventing government,' and still others refer to it as 'being competitive in a global economy.' This scheme that socio-psychologists have designed for American education, business, and politics consists of the three phases: 1) 'social-class' consciousness; 2) sustainable 'social mobility;' and 3) perpetual 'equality of opportunity.'...

     "The facilitator controls the agenda—environment—and thereby controls the direction all questions will be taking. The facilitator’s ability to control group feelings gives him the ability to shape the definition each person in the group gives for his or her position. What is lost in the whole scheme of things is that someone is always influencing the definitions we give for our position and that apart from God and His Word, all positions are subject to change." See Re-inventing the World

February 2006

NCC praises ‘disciplined restraint’ over cartoons and calls for a ‘dialogue of civilizations’: "The National Council of Churches USA said Monday it stood in solidarity with North American Islamic organizations who 'exercised disciplined restraint and advocated diplomacy and education' over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad.... The dialogue, Premawardhana said, would provide 'a common table at which we can educate each other about those parts of our faith and life that are most holy and significant. It will also provide the opportunity for people of different faiths to come together on values that unite us. We support the Global Dialogue of Civilizations initiated at the Parliament of the World’s Religions in 2004 and the recent call by the Philippine government to institutionalize interfaith dialogue at the United Nations." See The Mind-Changing Process


September 2005

Interfaith coalition unveils public school Bible course: "An aimed at teaching public high school students about the Bible.... To avoid problems, Bible Literacy's editors accommodated Jewish sensitivities about the New Testament, attributed reports about miracles to the source rather than simply calling them historical facts and generally downplayed scholarly theories... that offend conservatives....

     "Educators know biblical knowledge is valuable -- 60 percent of allusions in one English Advanced Placement prep course came from the Bible -- and that polls show teens don't know much about Scripture."

     The fact that most students are Biblically illiterate makes them all the more vulnerable to a distorted view of both God and His Word. See Twisting Truth through Group Consensus

May

 Bush and Putin focus visit on common global goals: "Russian President Vladimir Putin welcomed President Bush to his country home Sunday as the two leaders put aside their differences to focus on joint efforts to combat terrorism, stop the spread of nuclear weapons and bring peace to the Middle East. 'There's a lot we can do together,' Bush told reporters during a brief photo session at Putin's dacha, about 25 miles west of Moscow." See Soviet Education in the 1930s compared to U.S. Education in 2001

March

Let's stop being manipulated! The Delphi Technique: "More and more, we are seeing citizens being invited to 'participate' in various forms of meetings, councils, or boards to 'help determine' public policy in one field or another. They are supposedly being included to get 'input' from the public to help officials make final decisions on taxes, education, community growth or whatever the particular subject matter might be....

     "Supposedly the job of the facilitator is to be a neutral, non-directing helper to see that the meeting flows smoothly. Actually, he or she is there... to see that the conclusions reached during the meeting are in accord with a plan already decided upon.... This Delphi Technique was developed by the RAND Corporation for the U.S. Department of Defense back in the 1950s. It was originally intended for use as a psychological weapon during the cold war. However, it was soon recognized that the steps of Delphi could be very valuable in manipulating ANY meeting toward a pre-determined end." See Re-inventing the World

Consensus: "A better way of reflecting the nature of the church": "'Listen to each and respond to each other in a spirit of open listening,' [Eden] Grace said. 'We don't just accumulate more messages in favour than against. We build a common mind. It's a much more dialogical approach than we've had in the past.'" See The Mind-Changing Process

Hillary in Nuke Summit with Kim Jong-il? "South Korea's opposition Millennium Democratic Party is trying to arrange a nuclear summit between North Korean dictator Kim Jong-il and New York Sen. Hillary Clinton, the Korea Times reported."

January

The Church of Common Ground: "...searching for '“common ground' is neither a biblical concept nor a new idea. It is an old transformational Marxist strategy made popular by men like Antonio Gramsci and Georg Wilhelm Friedrich Hegel, designed to 'win friends and influence people' toward the socialist cause of world order. ... Searching for common ground is one of the favorite shortcuts being preached and practiced by many in the church today who DO NOT HAVE and WILL NOT SURRENDER TO the sovereignty and authority of God and His Word. ... So, instead of preaching repentance and risking rejection or worse, they go about looking for all kinds of creative ways to widen the gate that leads to eternal life and make evangelism easier. ...

    "If someone is actually “reached” for Christ it will be because the Holy Spirit has supernaturally convicted them of sin and brought them into repentance and faith, not because you or I have somehow managed to manipulate them into a conversion experience through OUR relationship. Our job as Christians is not to 'reach' but to preach: 'Christ crucified.' ...

     "Dialectic: 'The process in Hegelian and Marxist thought in which two apparently opposed ideas, the thesis and antithesis, become combined in a unified whole, the synthesis.' " See Creating Community through a New Way of Thinking

 

I beg to disagree (Thomas Sowell): "Too many people today act as if no one can honestly disagree with them. If you have a difference of opinion with them, you are considered to be not merely in error but in sin. You are a racist, a homophobe or whatever the villain of the day happens to be....

    "Dictators often gained total power over a whole nation by their ability to arouse emotions and evade thought. Watch old newsreels of Hitler and watch the adoring and enraptured look on the faces in his audience. Then read what he said and see if it makes any sense whatever. Yet he convinced others -- and himself -- that he had a great message and a great mission. The same could be said of Lenin, of Mao, of Pol Pot, and of countless other despots. ...

    "Instead of trying to propagandize children to hug trees and recycle garbage, our schools would be put to better use teaching them how to analyze and test what is said by people who advocate tree-hugging, recycling, and innumerable other causes across the political spectrum."

    Problem is: our public schools do teach children to analyze what they read -- but they must test everything through the filter of politically correct standards which rule out unwanted facts (science, history, etc.) and traditional values. That's why many children tend to object or "feel" offended when you share Biblical truth or values with them. Their new humanist or pluralist standards force them to reject our absolutes -- just as most children did under Communism. See A New Way of Thinking, Saving the Earth & The Nazi Model For Outcome-Based Education. The outcome (after decades of such brainwashing) is today's postmodern generations:

December

Muslims join Christians in Christmas festivities: "'Jesus is respected as a prophet same as the Prophet Mohammed,'" says Sheikh Khaled Yamoot, a Muslim cleric. ..."Celebrating Christmas in any form, even as simple as putting up a tree produces a festive mood and leaves a positive feeling in everyone," says Kasm, director of the Catholic Center of Information. ... Christmas, he says, "is the season to be merry and festive and the more people join in, the stronger and more positive the long term impact."

 

Text of Bush's Kwanzaa 2004 Message: "Kwanzaa celebrations provide an opportunity to focus on the importance of family, community, and history, and to reflect on the Nguzo Saba or seven principles of African culture. These principles emphasize unity, self-determination, collective work and responsibility, cooperative economics, purpose, creativity, and faith.... Laura joins me in sending our best wishes for a joyous Kwanzaa."

 

Black minister: Say 'no' to Kwanzaa: "Blacks should be outraged by attempts to stamp out Christianity from Christmas celebrations while accepting Kwanzaa as mainstream, says a black minister. ...  While commonly viewed as an 'African' holiday, observed from Dec. 26 to Jan. 1, Kwanzaa actually was created in the U.S. in 1966 by Dr. Maulana 'Ron' Karenga, the head of a violent black-power group, United Slaves Organization, which was a rival to the Black Panthers."

November

Evangelical, LDS find bit of common ground: "...this is an historic occasion," said Richard Mouw, president of Fuller Theological Seminary in California, who has been involved for several years in discussions among Protestant and Mormon theologians.... Mouw confessed that evangelicals have sinned against Latter-day Saints. 'We've often seriously misrepresented the beliefs and practices of members of the LDS faith,' he said.... 'I remain convinced there are serious issues of difference that are of eternal consequence, but now we can discuss them as friends....

     "Zacharias... acknowledged there are doctrinal differences - including some that are deep -- between traditional Christianity and the LDS faith.... But his overarching message -- that Jesus Christ is the answer to the longing in all human hearts - was one that resonated with both evangelical Christians and Mormons.... [Liz Wilcox said,] 'I loved the focus on the unity. They did a beautiful job of finding common ground." Biblical oneness

 

Coming American Revival? "It will be difficult to declare that the Church is marching toward revival when our churches pray less than ever before.... Currently, pastors pray an average of minutes a day; their people pray a few minutes less; and the prayer meeting and other serious intercessory efforts through the local church are, for the most part, dead. ...

      "A revival will mean that biblical truth is taught, and accepted. But churches have stumbled here as well. Barna shares a few indicators: Half of born-again Christians (50%) agree that Satan is 'not a living being but is a symbol of evil.' (2004) About one-third of born-agains (38%) believe that if a person is good enough they can earn a place in Heaven. (2004)... About one out of four (26%) born-again Christians believe that it doesn't matter what faith you follow because they all teach the same lessons; a belief held by 56 percent of non-Christians. (2000)...

     "In an interview with Charlie Gibson on ABC's Good Morning America [October 26, 2004], this is what the President said:... Charles Gibson: 'Do we all worship the same God, Christian and Muslim?'

President George W. Bush: 'I think we do.'

Charles Gibson: 'Do Christians and non-Christians and Muslims go to heaven in your mind?'

President George W. Bush: 'Yes, they do. We have different routes of getting there.'" See Salvation

September

NFL helps launch One World: "Created by Scholastic [Harry Potter's U.S. publisher] of with consultation from Facing History and Ourselves, One World is an interactive, multi-tiered program that is designed for educators and parents to use with their children to encourage dialogue about respecting each other, valuing diversity and ethnic differences, and taking positive actions to build stronger, more inclusive communities. The program has been made possible through part of a $10 million fund set up by the NFL and NFL Players Association." Riding on the wake of Harry Potter's popularity, Scholastic has published many new series on witchcraft for students in schools across America. The next three links show its emphasis on blending beliefs and building acceptance for occult spirituality:

Scholastic - Welcome to One World: "This dynamic, new education program teaches the importance of appreciating diversity, understanding others, and building strong communities." See Re-inventing the World

Shatterglass: "Tris shook her head. The man had obviously lost control of his magic working. 'You'd better let it go,' she informed him. 'And what possessed you, that you didn't draw a protective circle?'" See A Twist of Faith - Chapter 2

Spellfall: "When Natalie finds a strange candy wrapper floating in a parking-lot puddle, an ominous yellow-eyed man informs her it’s a spell—and a bewitching tale of his magic powers, she soon realizes she must put them to use to save Earthhaven." Deuteronomy 18:10-12

July

Huge Decline In Book Reading: "The reading of books is on the decline in America, despite Harry Potter and the best efforts of Oprah Winfrey.... The likely culprits, according to the report: television, movies and the Internet. 'I think what we're seeing is an enormous cultural shift from print media to electronic media, and the unintended consequences of that shift,' Gioia said....

      "'Whenever I hear about something like this, I think of it as a call to arms,' said Mitchell Kaplan, president of the American Booksellers Association. 'As booksellers, we need to look into what kinds of partnerships we can get into to encourage literacy and the immediacy of the literary experience.' ...

      "'There's a communal aspect to reading that has collapsed and we need to find ways to restore it,' Gioia said."

      This "communal aspect" is being restored in local libraries or community centers where public reading of politically correct books is followed by group dialogue -- just another way of generating the envisioned consensus. Reinventing the World - Part 2: The Mind-Changing Process

March

Marxist education and the war on terror: "...while al-Qaeda leaders may be described more as religious zealots and anarchists than Marxists, men like Osama bin Laden, himself the product of a wealthy family and a good education, are not so dumb as to overlook the fact that today’s voters in the 'Westernized' target countries think with their emotions instead of their rational minds.... Voters in Spain, like most voters in the United States, were raised on a diet of 'conflict resolution,' in which all the players are moral equivalents who bring to the table only their differing perspective....

     "As Baby Boomers worldwide approach their senior years, they have passed along - inadvertently, in some cases - an irresponsible and even deadly legacy of non-reason. They have internalized the psycho-political message of appeasement passed along to them by UNESCO and its Marxist cohorts." See Molding Human Resources for the Global Workforce

 

Protest snags school seminar on violence: "A workshop on teen dating and sexual assault is under fire from a community group claiming that it discriminates against white males and violates family values....

    "One column lists six attributes of people in power: white, rich, middle-age, able-bodied, male and heterosexual. The other column lists people without power: nonwhite, poor, young, elderly, disabled, female, homosexual. WEAVE contends that the list is used to provoke discussion about how the need for power and control can lead to violence and that the attributes are merely examples of answers workshop leaders get when they ask the question: 'Who is in power?" See Mine is the Power?

 

In Pakistan, Muslim and Christian Students Fast Together: "At the St. Lawrence Catholic School here, even Muslims fast for Lent -- at least for a day. It is part of a reciprocal program, whereby Christian youths share a day of fasting and a 'friendship dinner' with Muslim during the month of Ramadan.... Headmaster Peter Bhatti told Fides: 'It is part of the specific mission of our school to build relationships of tolerance, respect, dialogue and esteem among pupils of different religions.' He said the school will continue to educate its pupils to be 'heralds of peace and reconciliation in society.'" Separation versus Solidarity

January

Being Real Christians in the Real South Africa - SACLA II (Scroll down to title): "SACLA ll was the most representative gathering of the Church in the history of South Africa with men and women of all ages, denominations, races and circumstances present. ....There were a few internationally renowned speakers who addressed delegates.... They included Mrs Janet Museveni, First Lady of Uganda, who has been honoured with the Global AIDS Leadership Award; Dr Bruce Wilkinson, author of ‘The Prayer of Jabez’....

     " Mr Thabo Mbeki [Socialist President of S. Africa].... applauded Christian leaders for their dedication and emphasised the critical role they play in serving the people of South Africa. He urged the church to maintain an open line of communication with government and to continue to be vocal on moral and national matters of importance.... Commenting on the government’s draft policy on Religion and Education, [the newly drafted letter] said, 'While we recognise the need to demonstrate Christian tolerance and respect in handling this matter with both the State and other faiths, we nevertheless see the current debate on Religious Education policy as a wonderful opportunity for the Church to demonstrate unity....”

      The next link tells more about the official policy on Religion and Education:

 

 Religious diversity in schools (South Africa): "Education Minister Kader Asmal... said religion in schools should be handled respectfully, with integrity and within the framework of tolerance and human rights.... Pupils will start learning about other religions than their own from grade 1.... In grade 6 they will be assessed according to their ability to discuss the dignity of the person in a variety of religions."

     To understand the goal of this mandatory "religious diversity" program, see the following quote from a government paper on the same topic. America is headed in the same direction -- but its focus is on global unity:

 

"Manifesto on Values, Education and Democracy.'' "'Religion education'...is a programme for studying religion, in all its many forms, as an important dimension of human experience.... Such education can provide opportunities for both a deeper sense of self-realization and a broader civil toleration of others... It can teach students about a world of religious diversity, and, at the same time encourage them to think in terms of a new national unity in South Africa."

       Any program that would teach children to respect all religions as equally good or valid would surely undermine faith in our sovereign God. But it would fit the requirements of UNESCO's Declaration on the Role of Religion in a Culture of Peace.

May

Anti-gay, anti-Islam Bardot to be sued: "It takes a lot for the French to lose patience with their ageing stars, and Brigitte Bardot... was given a lot of rope. Yesterday the free ride for her tirades against the decadence of modern society ended after two anti-racist and human rights movements announced they would take the 68-year-old to court Her latest outburst...attacks Islam, gays, the unemployed, teachers and illegal immigrants, and calls for a return of the guillotine."(5-15) No freedom in France to express a politically incorrect opinion? The Mind-Changing Process

April

Rowan Williams apologises to Freemasons: "The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr Rowan Williams, has been forced to apologise to Britain's 330,000 Freemasons after he said that their beliefs were incompatible with Christianity and that he had rejected them from senior posts in his diocese....

     "The quoted statements about the 'satanic' character of the Masonic ceremonies and other matters did not come from me and do not represent my judgment. Since my late father was a member of the Craft for many years, I have had every opportunity of observing the probity of individual members."

      Doesn't sound like religious freedom, does it?  Rom 12:2-9 Yet consider Dr. Williams liberal bent:

 

The Islamification of our law (UK): "World events... are teaching us that there is a radical distinction between those for whom law is a way of reconciling differences between people, and those for whom law is a way to eliminate those differences, by enforcing conformity....

     "...the emotions that are seeking to immortalise themselves in law have another, and deeper, source, which is a hatred of those who differ.... But the more our legislators espouse the principle that ‘public morality’ is sufficient grounds for legislation, the closer our legal system will come to the Islamic one." See The UN Plan for Your Mental Health

 

Looking down on frowns -- and disgusted expressions: "Palo Alto [home of Stanford University] may need to call in the Demeanor Police. The city council is wrestling with a code of conduct that urges elected officials not to roll their eyes. Or shake their heads. Or frown. Experts say the council's plan to discourage non-verbal forms of 'disagreement or disgust' is odd, unenforceable and almost an infringement on free speech." See Reinventing the World - Part 2

February

'It Wasn't Hip' to Protest Clinton's Wars: "Asked by 'Fox News Sunday's' Tony Snow why peace protesters like herself didn't object to Clinton's wars, Garofalo explained: 'I absolutely did. I did not support Operation Desert Fox. It's just that you didn't know me very well back then. Nobody really was interested in listening to me back then.' Then she added, by way of explaining why the anti-Clinton protests never gelled, 'It wasn't very hip.'" In our postmodern world, feelings count far more than facts.

 

Police officers will have completed the Anti-Defamation League's anti-bias training: "Colorado is the only state offering statewide anti-bias training to its officers as part of a longstanding partnership between the Colorado Peace Officer Standards and Training board (P.O.S.T.) and ADL's Mountain States Regional Office in Denver to increase the number of police officers in the state who receive anti-bias training....The anti-bias training program is designed to address assumptions, perceptions and bias issues encountered in police work." See Community Oriented Policing

December

Candidates Take your Marx: "Karl Marx was an astute student of the political process. He summed it up this way - first a thesis, then a response with an antithesis, then a synthesis of the two ideas. Someone makes a proposal (thesis), the opposition parries with an objection (antithesis) and the result is a combination of the two ideas." Charts: Brainwashing & How to Resist It and the last part of Three kinds of temptation

November

America is afraid: "A prime motivator for failing to stand up for what's right in your families, your schools and communities, and in your jobs is fear. It is amazing how powerful and paralyzing fear is, especially when it's not specific....

      "An old propaganda film was on about how Germany was swallowed up by the Third Reich – how this most enlightened country in Europe, with probably more educated people per square inch than anywhere else in Europe, was capable of creating and promoting Nazism. ...I only watched it for about half an hour because I couldn't bear it. It was so honest. It pointed out that Nazism built slowly." Romans 12:2-9 and Reinventing the World, Part 2: The Mind-Changing Process

February

Professors & Puritans: "According to educational bureaucrats, the classroom is a forum for Ideas and Learning designed to equip a student to function in today’s marketplace.... What many students have realized... is that this semblance of 'philosophical neutrality,' propagated through the shared ideas of a classroom forum, is hardly neutral at all. When a professor informs a student that they should not call communism 'evil' merely because it is a 'different worldview' than theirs, the professor does not instruct moderated pluralism, but teaches a decidedly ideological view of world history.

     "Education cannot function as a purely relativistic process. When students learn about the Puritans by arguing in class about the pros and cons of repressive religion, or spend the time mocking buckles and hats, they leave the classroom with a permanently crippled grasp of history....

     "Instead of analyzing commentaries or studying original documents, we discussed 'our feelings' about the Puritans in general. Not the real Puritans, mind you – but the backward witch-trial buckle-heads that exist only in the caricatured revisionism of modern cultural ignorance.....

     "The Puritans saw learning as a process of growing closer to God — through the dedicated study of His word. In the hostile climate of England and later the new world, the Puritans kept their faith and their devout attitude towards their religious studies." Brainwashing in America

 

Mideast clerics meet in secret to determine God's will: "They [Israeli and Palestinian clerics — Jewish, Muslim and Christian] arrived under the cover of darkness to avoid the criticism they might have faced for having arrived at all. ...  The First Alexandria Declaration of the Religious Leaders of the Holy Land, as it was named when signed Jan. 21, was promoted by Britain's Anglican Archbishop of Canterbury George Carey and co-hosted by Egyptian Sheik Mohammed Sayeed Tantawi, one of the most prominent figures in Islam It was backed by institutions as diverse as three churches in Atlanta and the Egyptian government. It was also supported by both Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, making it perhaps their only common ground since the fighting began." Jer 6:5:21

January

Harvard to train 300 Chinese officials: "Three hundred highly ranked Chinese officials from central and local governments will be attending training sessions at Harvard University over the next five years, according to the South China Morning Post on Saturday. Harvard signed an agreement Friday to train 60 Chinese officials a year at its well-known John F. Kennedy School of Government." Training enemies to Christianity and freedom to be more efficient and productive? See Changing China: Communist Strategies Enforce Solidarity

 

Discarding Truth: "Hoping to close two national forests, government scientists planted evidence that the forests were inhabited by an endangered species of lynx. The scientists' dishonesty undermined a three-year study and confirmed suspicions that some government scientists fake studies in order to control environmental policy....

      "The appearance on the scene of scientists and scholars who betray the public's trust in their integrity in order to advance ideological agendas is frightening. It means that the enculturation of scientists and scholars is failing in the graduate schools where they are trained. ... See Saving the Earth (then click on "politicized science)

      "Education becomes the propaganda of the group that controls the schools. Indeed, education is already being pried loose from any relation to truth. Marxists denied the existence of any truth by claiming that 'truth' was nothing but the expression of class interests -- a claim that allowed Marxists to ignore facts that undermined their arguments. Class Marxism has given way to Cultural Marxism, which claims truth is just an expression of race interest, gender interest and sexual orientation. According to these multiculturalists, there is a different 'truth' for men and women, heterosexuals and homosexuals, blacks and whites, able-bodied and disabled. ...

      "Before our very eyes, history is being transformed into politically correct fantasy. .... Is the next step to put us in reeducation camps and erase our memories?" See The International Agenda and Education Buzzwords

July

Sodomizing Society - It's not funny anymore: "... Not to be outdone by Hollywood liberals, Fox News, under its banner of "fair and balanced reporting" regularly provides titillating, tantalizing and tawdry stories for our consideration and consumption as if to be providing a legitimate public service by doing so. Posturing as respectable they are able end-run the conscience of their conservative viewers and readers who trust and accept Fox's self-polling and shrewd programming mix of prudence with perversion ONLY BECAUSE it has not been officially declared "liberal" by a compromised collective. 

         " This is exactly how the Hegelian Dialectic seduces its victims, my friends...dressing up as one thing while being another, mixing and blending right and wrong, good and evil, liberal and conservative until the confusion of compromise makes everyone and everything indistinguishable. That's the consensus process and the wily ways of The New World Order." Psalm 12:8

 

Will Bush Compromise on Faith-Based Initiative Too? "A report says a group of 19 conservative House members has sent a letter to Bush, expressing concern that he might make a deal with Democrats which would force religious organizations to stop excluding homosexuals as potential employees. Some Democrats have said they will not go along with Bush's plan unless the groups applying for the federal dollars agree to abide by local and state non-discrimination policies." Faith-Based Compromise

Bush Decision On Stem Cell Research Funding Saddens Pro-Lifers: "The Christian Medical Association also felt Bush had crossed a moral line. 'If it is wrong to destroy human embryos for research purposes, it is wrong to use human embryos who already have been destroyed for research purposes,' executive director David Stevens said." 

        Today's moral decisions are increasingly based on the consensus process rather than on God's absolute truths. But when truth is ignored or compromised, we set aside all firm moral boundaries. As a result, there will be no limits to corruption, nor any standard that can't be bent by today's eroding culture and "common ground." America's Spiritual Slide

Bush Broke Stem Cell Pledge, Say Some Pro-Lifers: "The president's position contradicts the Nuremberg Code, ethical guidelines set down after World War II, which prohibits experimentation that knowingly causes injury or death to a human being," said Wendy Wright, director of communications for the Concerned Women for America.

 

Choices.... The Real Truth Detector: "Choices...that's really what life is all about, isn't it? What we choose day in and day out reveals who we are and what we believe. Regardless of our stated position, the oath we take, the vows we make, the testimony we give, the truths we hold dear, the laws we enforce, the values we embrace, the costume we wear, the party we represent, the platform on which we stand, the faith we profess, the scripture we quote and the God we claim, it is our choices that reveal the naked truth about ourselves. And it is those choices that will vindicate or condemn us in the end.

        "However, in the 'Age of Illusion', our choices can be easily hidden from public view. The power of truth has taken a back seat to the power of image and the skills of marketing it."

 

  The Principle’s the Thing: "It will take almost superhuman strength now for the president to hold the new position he has moved into, having surrendered the strongest ground.... The president himself alluded to it in his speech, in the line about not using human beings as means for even the noblest of ends.... To use stem cells obtained by killing living human beings in their embryonic stage is still using them as a means. For this nation began its embryonic existence by declaring that it held to a fundamental truth about a right to life endowed in us by our Creator. The whole world depends on our upholding that principle.

        "Human beings very easily reason ourselves into taking positions that end up having the most tragic of consequences." 

 

Bush Draws A Stem Cell Line. "But what then about research using the stem-cell 'lines' long since taken from embryos? Bush wanted to know. Isn’t it true that you wouldn’t need many of them to do groundbreaking research? And wouldn’t funding of such research be morally acceptable, or, at least, far less objectionable? The bioethicists cautiously agreed: it probably would be."   Here's a  typical illustration of cultural relativism and the consensus process: seek "common ground," then appeal to the public by choosing the least offensive alternative. The cost?  Moral compromise and denial of God's absolutes.

Stem Cell Decision: "On July 9, Bush met with two bioethicists -- Dr. Leon Kass and his colleague Dr. Daniel Callahanan -- who assured him that the compromise he already had in mind -- using the existing stem-cell ``lines'' long since taken from embryos -- would probably be far less objectionable than using frozen, early-stage embryos. On the day of the speech last week, one of the White House's first ``heads up'' calls about the stem-cell decision went to Douglas Johnson of the powerful National Right to Life Committee, who was supportive. 

"Assembly calls Jesus 'unique," but does not affirm Him as Lord alone." [No link. The Presbyterian Layman, 7-2001]: "The minority report asked the General Assembly to declare that Jesus Christ 'is the singular saving Lord as understood through Scripture, our confessions and the Book of Order.' The committee majority skirted the Jesus-alone issue altogether..." Jeff Mc Donald asked, "If salvation isn't singular through Jesus Christ, does it meant that it is plural? If it is plural, who are the others?" 

       "Former General Assembly Moderator Syngman Rhee suggested a compromise.... "Couldn't there be some way that we also confess our faith... as well as ask our theological department' for a broader theology of Christ? 'It's about time for us to put Jesus Christ together?' ... Several quoted John 14:6: "I am the way, the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father but by me."

       "Former General Assembly Moderator Freda Gardner was opposed to the affirmation of Christ alone. 'Words can become stumbling blocks,' she said."

       Indeed they can. But woe to those who compromise the gospel and remove Jesus Christ, the main stumbling block, in order to please the community. See Luke 20:16-18, Matthew 21:44 and  Romans 9:32: "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame." 

Are we listening to the Hip-Hop Generation? "Without question, many church going youth contribute to the wealth and popularity of these rap artists, though some argue that the very life-blood of rap music thrives on negativity. That is, some say, if you remove the exploitation of women, machismo violence, and materialist yearnings from rap music, the art will die. Others say, to remove the harsh lyrics would be an infringement on artist freedom, suggesting that rappers are only reflecting in rap what they experience in life -- it's their story and they should have the right to tell it.  ...it's important for Christians to engage in these cultural discussions. When you bring together wealthy youth, media exposure, social, economic, political power and influence, we all should be paying attention to such an enormous captivator of youth culture." No, we shouldn't. See Rom 12:2-9 

Posted in May

Boy Scouts, gay activists reach agreement in Miami-Dade: "...local Boy Scout officials and gay activists announced an agreement Tuesday after year-long discussions that both sides say will lead to better understanding and respect. Without making any concession to the national policy of excluding gays, the Boy Scouts of America's South Florida Council said it will work with gay and lesbian organizations to educate Scout leaders on ways to deal more sensitively with members who identify themselves as homosexuals." This is essentially an unofficial surrender via compromise in the name of tolerance. In this context, to "educate" people really means to EXPOSE PEOPLE -- more specifically the young -- to the homosexual lifestyle, until all are comfortable with it -- and some are seduced by it. Col 2:8

Are we listening to the Hip-Hop Generation? "Without question, many church going youth contribute to the wealth and popularity of these rap artists, though some argue that the very life-blood of rap music thrives on negativity. That is, some say, if you remove the exploitation of women, machismo violence, and materialist yearnings from rap music, the art will die. Others say, to remove the harsh lyrics would be an infringement on artist freedom, suggesting that rappers are only reflecting in rap what they experience in life -- it's their story and they should have the right to tell it.  ...it's important for Christians to engage in these cultural discussions. When you bring together wealthy youth, media exposure, social, economic, political power and influence, we all should be paying attention to such an enormous captivator of youth culture." No, we shouldn't. See Rom 12:2-9 

Private donors fund students' Portland trip: High school students from around Vancouver, WA, "will pile onto school buses today and travel to Portland to see the Dalai Lama.... The students are participating in a youth summit, part of a three-day festival in Portland called Pathways to Peace.... The 250 students...  are in a contemporary world problems class that discusses both comparative religions and political systems...." Buddhism is among the preferred models for the new global spirituality. Read about the Dalai Lama in A Twist of Faith, chapter 7

Socialist armbands OK'd after student protest: "Two students were asked to remove the armbands April 26 because a bus driver complained about the symbols. Students -- hundreds of whom wore paper stars with the words "Free Speech" last week to protest that decision -- called Monday's announcement a triumph for free-speech rights at high schools." But when the tables are turned and the issue is less politically correct, there is little appreciation for free speech. See  Student Sues School Over Ban on "Straight Pride" Sweatshirt. Proverb 17:15

Posted in April 

News Briefs from AgapePress: "At the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, students will examine depictions of Hades and hell in literature, art and music. And at New York University, a three-week course will combine technology and theology, and ask students to design their own image of hell. The newspaper report does not say why the universities felt their was a demand for such courses." (4-24-01) Whether students know the Bible or not, they will be tempted to define "hell" based on popular images and entertainment, then adapt its meaning to contemporary thinking -- an effective means of inoculating people against the Biblical truth and its sober warnings. 2 Tim 4-3-4 See also The Nature and Tactics of Satan.

... in the church. Scholars call for recovery of meaning of 'tolerance': "Tolerance has been given a bad name, according to a panel of scholars urging Christians to recover the word's original meaning...." Rom 12:2.  See also Conforming the Church to the New Millennium and Mind Control

 

 


| Home | Armor of God | Persecution | His Word | Articles | Books | Links |