Weekly Updates From Headquarters

Does our Christian faith demand that we support something roundly condemned in the Old Testament and New?  Nobody has escaped hearing how the president completed “his evolution” on the subject described in politically correct jargon as “gay marriage.”  Unbelievably, the sacrifice of Christ was invoked in justification of his “historic announcement,” as was the golden rule, “do unto others...”  How either of those references justify actions and behavior God inspired His instruments on Earth to describe as abhorrent is completely lost and overlooked in the whirlwind of rhetoric about “discrimination.”

News anchors tripped all over each other, praising the “evolved” position as “historic,” and “on the right side of history.”  But when in all of human history has “marriage” meant anything other than a union of a man and a woman, sanctified by God, in harmony with the laws of nature?  What about God's reaction to the activities that defined Sodom and Gomorrah?  Quoting actual chapter and verse on the subject can get you killed, so directly demeaning are those words to anyone who would practice the condemned behavior, or for that matter defend it. 

It is difficult to know exactly when the term “discrimination” began to be defined as the most heinous of sins.  In reality, discrimination is required to discern good from evil!  Maybe that's why the definition of the word was altered to indicate poor treatment of some class or race other than one's own.  But modern conventional wisdom would have us believe that no one is really qualified to discern good from evil anyway, with the possible exception of mainstream scribes. 

So now what?  Will the nation actually suffer the consequences of having embraced a despicable sin as a national attribute?  Maybe not.

Although they're quick to inform us that the nation is “evenly split” in opinion polls on the subject, the issue has been rejected in every state that has brought it to a referendum vote, including California.  It seems that we're being mislead once again by the ongoing re-defining of words.  When people are asked whether they are in favor of “discrimination against gays” many say no.  After all, we've been conditioned to believe that to “discriminate” is among the greatest of evils.  So the logic goes, if the public isn't in favor of “discrimination” they must automatically be OK with changing the definition of “marriage” too.  But as the results of every state referendum held to date illustrate, that is just not the case. 

To have our highest official claiming that Christian belief somehow demands that we embrace something so specifically reviled in God's word certainly is historic.  It has never happened before, and hopefully won't start a trend.  But regardless of the utterances of politicians, my sense is that the vast majority of adult citizens in the United States are not prepared to “sanctify” something so sickeningly bizarre as “holy matrimony,” regardless of Hollywood morality or political fund raising goals.  

The fact that major changes are in the offing in Europe was highlighted this week in French presidential elections.  Sarkozy has been defeated, and the French have elected  a full blown Socialist as their new president.  What this may mean for the economic crisis remains to be seen, but the upshot is that the French have rejected the premise of “austerity,” and presumably will continue further down the road of  wealth redistribution, deficit spending and radical environmentalism.   Those are, after all some of the bedrock doctrines of socialism.

There is also talk now of Greece returning to the drachma as their economic unit.  Whether this means that the eurozone will never be repaid the bailout loans that were previously accepted alongside pledges of fiscal restraint and austerity is now an open question.  Surely, none of this news bodes well for the survival of the euro. 

Several other trends have emerged in German state elections that may spell the eventual end of the pragmatically conservative policies pursued by Angela Merckel.  Additionally, there are reports of an increase in clashes between immigrants and Germans who resent their presence and their practices.  It is a prelude to the future.

We've already sent out two batches of the invitation cards.  The exercise has not been without its frustrations, and is not as inexpensive as we were originally led to believe.  But the hurdles seem to have been cleared, and contrary to what I stated previously our local representatives will not be required to take boxes of cards to the Post Office.  All that is required is that you let us know what neighborhoods you want us to mail them to.  We can ship directly to your local Post Office, with the postage already paid, and they'll take care of delivering them. 

Despite the bad news, the challenges, the outrages being perpetrated in our culture, we are still blessed beyond belief to live in relative freedom and prosperity.  We certainly have much for which to be thankful, and we know where those blessings come from, and why they have been afforded in the first place.  Thank you all for your part in God's Works. 

Have a great Sabbath day. 

Mark Armstrong