God Hears Our Prayers

Hear me when I call, O God of my righteousness: thou hast enlarged me when I was
in distress; have mercy upon me, and hear my prayer.

Psalm 4:1

 

 

We must have faith, as David did, that God hears us.  Christians depend upon God for much, mostly through our prayers we throw ourselves at His mercy.  We trust Him to answer our prayers, to give us relief from distress and to show us mercy.  It is a simple verse with simple truths with profound implications.  I think, for the most part, we have lost the sense of such dependence.

Shea--He has Jesus Now

One of the giants of American Christian music, George Beverly Shea passed into heaven this past Thursday at the age of 104. Shea, a member of the Billy Graham Evangelistic Team, has not only shared the gospel message in song all across the world, but he has helped strengthen American churches.

Many Christians may not know it, but Shea introduced "How Great Thou Art" to America.  The song was written in 1885 but remained in obscurity until Shea, having bumped into a friend on Oxford Street in London who handed him a copy, started singing the song with his rich bass voice.  The song is now a staple of American Christianity. 

I grew up hearing Shea.  Mom's old stereo console cabinet had many records, some of which where those of Shea and Cliff Barrows.
 
Shea was given a poem by his mother in 1922.  He set the words to music and gave us the following song:

I’d rather have Jesus than silver or gold;
I’d rather be His than have riches untold;
I’d rather have Jesus than houses or lands,
I’d rather be led by His nail pierced hand.

Than to be a king of a vast domain
Or be held in sin’s dread sway,
I’d rather have Jesus than anything
This world affords today.

I’d rather have Jesus than men’s applause;
I’d rather be faithful to His dear cause;
I’d rather have Jesus than world-wide fame,
I’d rather be true to His holy name.

He’s fairer than lilies of rarest bloom;
He’s sweeter than honey from out of the comb;
He’s all that my hungering spirit needs,
I’d rather have Jesus and let Him lead.


Well, Mr. Shea.  Thank you for your service to the King.  You have Jesus now in a way you've never known. 

Cotton Mather and teaching children

I don't think that Cotton Mather, a puritan preacher from the very late 1600s, had 21st century Sunday School teachers in mind when he wrote a brief article entitled "The Education of Children."  But I couldn't help thinking on the dozens upon dozens of people who have helped shape my spirituality and understanding of the Bible.  So bravo Sunday School teachers of children!  May God use you greatly tomorrow as you pour a piece of your life into children.

Here's in the ending of Mather's article.


But the Freedom with which this Address is made unto you, is not so great as the Fervour that has animated it. My Fathers and Brethren, If you have any Love to God and Christ and Posterity; let [Godly] Schools be more Encouraged.
If you would not betray your Posterity into the very Circumstances of Savages, let Schools have more Encouragement. But in the Anguish, the Despair of Success to be otherwise found by this Address, I will Turn it from you unto the Almighty Hearer of Prayer.
And, O thou Saviour, and Shepherd of Thy New-English Israel: Be Entreated Mercifully to look down upon they Flocks in the Wilderness. Oh, give us not up to the Blindness and Madness of neglecting the Lambs in the Flocks. Inspire thy People, and all Orders of men among thy People with a just care for the Education of Posterity. Let Well-Ordered and well-instructed and well-maintained Schools, be the Honour and the Defence of our Land. Let Learning, and all the Helps and Means of it, be precious in our Esteem and by Learning, let the Interests of thy Gospel so prevail, that we may be made wise unto Salvation. Save us, O our Lord JESUS CHRIST. Save us from the Mischiefs and Scandals of an Uncultivated Offspring; Let this be a Land of Light, unto Thou, O Sun of Righteousness, do Thyself arise unto the World with Healing in thy Wings. Amen.

Good Friday

Today, I praise and worship my Savior because of His sacrifice for me.  Without His love, His commitment to His Father's will in redeeming sinners, I would have remained in my sin and alienated from Him.

One hymn comes to mind.  It was written in 1945 by a man named Norman Clayton, so in terms of hymns, its pretty new.  It says powefully:




My hope is in the Lord Who gave Himself for me,
And paid the price of all my sin at Calvary.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives
.…..
No merit of my own His anger to suppress.
My only hope is found in Jesus’ righteousness.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives
.…..
And now for me He stands Before the Father’s throne.
He shows His wounded hands and names me as His own.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives
.…..
His grace has planned it all, ‘Tis mine but to believe,
And recognize His work of love and Christ receive.
For me He died, For me He lives,
And everlasting life and light He freely gives.

Hymn by Norman Clayton (1945)

Two of the greatest pastors from church history speak to the death of Jesus, commemorated today by many Christians.

Augustine
for us he was unto thee both the Victor and the Victim,
and therefore Victor, because he was the Victim
for us he was unto thee both the Priest and the Sacrifice,
and therefore the Priest, because he was the Sacrifice
...I meditate upon the price of my redemption

Confessions X, xliii

Charles Spurgeon
The Lord of life and glory was nailed to the accursed tree. He died by the act of guilty men. We, by our sins, crucified the Son of God. We might have expected that, in remembrance of his death, we should have been called to a long, sad, rigorous fast. Do not many men think so even today? See how they observe Good Friday, a sad, sad day to many; yet our Lord has never enjoined our keeping such a day, or bidden us to look back upon his death under such a melancholy aspect.

Instead of that, having passed out from under the old covenant into the new, and resting in our risen Lord, who once was slain, we commemorate his death by a festival most joyous. It came over the Passover, which was a feast of the Jews; but unlike that feast, which was kept by unleavened bread, this feast is brimful of joy and gladness. It is composed of bread and of wine, without a trace of bitter herbs, or anything that suggests sorrow and grief. …

The memorial of Christ’s death is a festival, not a funeral; and we are to come to the table with gladsome hearts and go away from it with praises, for "after supper they sang a hymn"


　

John Bunyan on the Lord's Day

 
"Have a special care to sanctify the Lord's Day; for as thou keepest it, so it will be with thee all the weeklong. Make the Lord s day the market for thy soul; let the whole day be spent in prayer, repetitions, or meditations; lay aside the affairs of the other part of the week; let thy sermon thou hast heard be converted into prayer. Shall God allow thee six days, and wilt thou not afford him one? In the church be careful to serve God, for thou art in his eyes, and not in man's."


Psalm 95


1 O come, let us sing unto the Lord: let us make a joyful noise to the rock of our salvation.

2 Let us come before his presence with thanksgiving, and make a joyful noise unto him with psalms.

3 For the Lord is a great God, and a great King above all gods.

4 In his hand are the deep places of the earth: the strength of the hills is his also.

5 The sea is his, and he made it: and his hands formed the dry land.

6 O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker.

7 For he is our God; and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.

Boy Scouts Cater to America's Homosexual Culture

Later today, the governing board of the Boy Scouts of America will vote whether to include homosexuals in their scouting program.  The past decade BSA has been stalwart in their repudiation of the Gay Agenda.  They have faced criticism, defunding and many court battles.

Now, they are poised to surrender.  The path they are taking sounds very American.  They are thinking about rescinding their "national" policy and leaving the decisions whether to include homosexuals to the "local" level.  But the reality is that local chapters will be unable to fund lawsuits that will inevitably flood the courts, alleging discrimination.  Gays want access to young men and any local chapter denying them will be hit with well-funded pro-homosexuals.  A decsion by the board to change its national policy will have the effect of changing the entire program.

Please pray that the leaders will not change their position and that they will retain a national policy reflecting their traditional, God-based values that have been at the heart of the scouting program for over 100 years.

And pray for America.  Pray for our repentance over this national sin.

Jesus our Mediator

Hebrews 9:15

And for this cause He [Jesus] is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.

Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior is our mediator. Not Mary His mother, or any early priest or prelate. Only Jesus can bridge the gap between you and God...a gap that your sin has caused. A gap that will remain constant and eternal unless you put your faith in Him. Often, we read about 'mediation' in the sporting world when the players union is threatening a strike. But spiritual, we have sinned against God and have alienated Him from us. We've created a rift by not following our contract.

We can rely on our own defense whatever it may be. We can rely on our church membership or on a religious family member and a philanthropic affiliation. But the Bible says that Jesus, not those things previously mentioned, is the mediator.

And He mediates by means of death. His death. His blood. His sacrifice. That is the way of redemption. Not through His healing, or His teaching or His moral life. Only through His death are we redeemed and forgiven.

John Gill wrote “What he bore were 'sins'; all kind of sin, every act of sin, and all that belongs to it; its filth, guilt, and punishment, even the iniquity of all his people; which must be a prodigious weight, and than which nothing could be more nauseous: his bearing them supposes they were upon him, though not in him, imputed, though not inherent; that he did not sink under them; that he made an entire satisfaction for them, and bore them wholly away, both from the persons of his people, and from the sight of justice.”

Trust in Jesus, dear friend. He is the only way you can be reconciled to God.

America and 40 years of Abortion

Our nation has observed yet another anniversary (the 40th) of the notorious Roe v. Wade, Doe v. Bolton United States Supreme Court decisions.  Abortion is barely on the nation's radar, proving the old adage of Christians--more thermometer (measuring the climate) than thermostat (determining the climate). 

Tragically, we (the church) are not setting the agenda.  There are far too few prophetic voices reminding this nation of its sins and its most notable sin--the legal killing of developing babies within the womb of their mothers.

This horror must end.  It will end when King Jesus returns.  It may end by prayer, fasting, and determined advocacy of His bride.

As long as it doesn't end, America will forfeit God's blessings of peace, protection and prosperity.

Billy Graham Calls Christians to Act

Billy Graham is far from perfect.  But his long-time involvement in America’s political scene is seen once again, perhaps for the very last.  This soldier of Christ ran the following ad in today’s Wall Street Journal.

The legacy we leave behind for our children, grandchildren, and this great nation is crucial. As I approach my 94th birthday, I realize this election could be my last. I believe it is vitally important that we cast our ballots for candidates who base their decisions on biblical principles and support the nation of Israel. I urge you to vote for those who protect the biblical definition of marriage between a man and a woman. Vote for biblical values this November 6, and pray with me that America will remain one nation under God.

Good words from a good man.  While he may no longer be able to eloquently articulate to Americans their great need of Jesus Christ, he can still point Christians in a direction of honoring the Lord with our citizenship.

Joe's Laughing...But America Isn't

I know virtually everyone in America has commented on the Vice President Joe Biden's debate performance last night. You can read one of my favorite stories here.

I really was starting to wonder if the Joker had pulled this trick on Biden in the green room.

But in all seriousness, nothing was funny about last night's debate.

It isn't funny that Iran is in the process of acquiring nuclear capability. Nor is the Vice President's ostrichian approach that "they [Iranian leaders] have to take this highly enriched uranium, get it from 20 percent up. Then they have to be able to have something to put it in. There is no weapon that the Iranians have at this point."


"AT THIS POINT", Mr. Vice President?  Just what do you think they are doing with the uranium they have acquired? And just how many Israeli parents put their children to bed each night with a great heaviness toward their future welfare?

And it is far from humorous that four American diplomats serving their country in Libya are dead; that four wives had to watch you snicker and that orphaned children and heart-sick parents and siblings of these men along with every other patriotic American had to listen to your semantic dance of refusing responsibility.  The present administration sought to cover up this assassination because of their horrendous foreign policy and cozy relationship with Muslim, American-hating governments of the Middle East.  It isn't funny that President Obama invited Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian President Mohammad Morsi to meet with him in New York but refused to meet with America's long time ally, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

And there is no humor in America's jobless rate, President Obama adding $5 trillion in new debt, giving kickbacks to his friends in Solar Energy, and dozens of other things.

And certainly, Christian organizations are not laughing about Obamacare's requirement that they provide contraception, in spite of their religious convictions to the contrary.  In spite of your lie during the debate:

With regard to the assault on the Catholic Church, let me make it absolutely clear. No religious institution, Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic Social Services, Georgetown Hospital, Mercy -- any hospital -- none has to either refer contraception. None has to pay for contraception. None has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact. That is a fact.

Christian organizations are not laughing, sir.  They are suing!  They are suing to preserve their constituional rights and their God given rights against an Obama administration bent on crushing those rights.

And I assure you that I am not laughing when in the name of Christ and His church you say:

I -- I do not believe that -- that we have a right to tell other people that women, they -- they can’t control their body. It’s a decision between them and their doctor, in my view.

You forgot, Mr. Biden, that third person which you liberals love to ignore.  That person which faith, AS WELL AS SCIENCE, tells us is a living, growing, developing baby.  A human being who proably has as big a grin on their face as you did throughout most of last night's debate.  At least until a death-dealing abortionist invades their life and starts hacking away at their limbs with a scapel or crushing their small, fragile bones with forceps. You are a part of all that is wrong with America, and not many Americans are laughing.

 

Angela McCaskill and Religious Discrimination

Angela McCaskill, a Christian who regularly attends church, heard her pastor preach the biblical view of marriage (which excludes homosexual marriage). As she and her husband were leaving, he pointed to a petition on the table which would place Question 6 before Maryland Voters. Question 6 would repeal the State Legislature’s passage of Maryland’s Civil Marriage Protection Act. Angela McCaskill exercised her faith and constitutional rights and signed the petition.

Now, she has been suspended from her job.

Angela McCaskill, or Dr. Angela McCaskill as she is better known, has served in various capacities at Gallaudet University for the past 23 years. Dr. McCaskill became a Deputy to the President and the Associate Provost of Diversity and Inclusion in January 2011. She was also the first deaf African American female to earn a Ph.D. from Gallaudet University.

Evidently, some faculty member saw her name on the petition and asked her about it. Once she confirmed that she signed the petition, the other faculty member lodged an official complaint, the issue got picked up by pro-gay, sodomite groups who spread their hatred and intolerance and launched a campaign to have her fired on the basis of her faith and for having exercised her constitutional rights.

Yesterday, President T. Alan Hurwitz, succombing to illogical pressure and anti-American ideals, released the following statement to students, faculty and staff:

"I want to inform the community that I have placed Dr. Angela McCaskill on paid administrative leave effective immediately. It recently came to my attention that Dr. McCaskill has participated in a legislative initiative that some feel is inappropriate for an individual serving as Chief Diversity Officer; however, other individuals feel differently. I will use the extended time while she is on administrative leave to determine the appropriate next steps taking into consideration the duties of this position at the university. In the meantime an interim Chief Diversity Officer will be announced in the near future."

You can sign a petition by Family Research Council to President Hurwitz urging Dr. McCaskill’s reinstatement here.

This is just the latest among so many contemporary examples of religious discrimination a clear shift from the vision of our nation's founders. Consider, for instance, the words of President George Washington:

“If freedom of speech is taken away, then dumb and silent we may be led, like sheep to the slaughter.”

There is no evidence that Dr. McCaskill ever abused her official university position. Rather, she seems to be exemplary in her conduct. The university, its president and others are free to examine Dr. McCaskill's execution of her official duties. But to reprimand her and suspend her for activities in her private life is unconsciable. But in modern America, no divergent opinion on the issue of homosexuality is to be tolerated in the public sphere, save that of acceptance and advancement of a lifestyle moral choice that leads to death.

McCaskill's Nepotism

Nepotism is typically defined as "favoritism given to a relative regardless of merit."

Claire McCaskill wouldn't be the first politician to exercise nepotism. For instance, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has a son and a son-in-law who lobby Congress for various special interests. Reid and Reid have an especially troubling China connection. It's worth a blog post of its own merits.

But Harry Reid isn't up for re-election in Missouri. Claire McCaskill is, and she has taken nepotism to a new low. According to this story from the Associated Press, Claire McCaskill voted repeatedly for various bills that benefited her husband to the tune of $40 million.

While Missourians struggle with deficit spending and high unemployment, McCaskill makes sure the money keeps on rolling to her husband. I can expect a little fluff going to relatives. But $40 million?

There is a better choice.

Todd Akin for U.S. Senate.

Americans Grow Less Religious

Pew Research Institute just release a bittersweet report today on the rise of America's irreligious. One in five Americans now claim no religious identity. That's up 5% from just five years ago.

The bitter is that this number is swelling quickly. Basically, this group is averaging a 1% growth per year. This would be alarming enough, but usually such increases rise exponentially. At best, if this trend continues, 30 years from today our country will have an irreligious majority.

The sweet is that the atheists, agnostics and folks who don't share a religious affiliation can now own a greater share of the spiritual and moral chaos our country is experiencing. To put it another way, religious persons are less responsible for America's spiritual rebellion against God.

Obviously, simply naming a religious affiliation is a far cry from living a holy life. Still, the research is alarming.

Presidential Debate--2012

I’m far from a professional debater. In fact, my own last formal debate was just a tad over 20 years ago when I debated on the KU campus whether the Gulf War was a “just war”. But as a public speaker, I know what works when I hear it. And while others have given their editorials on last night’s presidential debate between Barak Obama and Mitt Romney, I have yet to hear anyone comment on what I believe to be the most poignant moment of the debate.

It was during the health care section and moderator Jim Lehrer asked Governor Romney to “tell the president directly why you think what he just said is wrong about Obamacare?”

Then Romney began thundering away:

First of all, I like the way we did it in Massachusetts. I like the fact that in my state, we had Republicans and Democrats come together and work together. What you did instead was to push through a plan without a single Republican vote. As a matter of fact, when Massachusetts did something quite extraordinary -- elected a Republican senator to stop Obamacare, you pushed it through anyway.

So entirely on a partisan basis, instead of bringing America together and having a discussion on this important topic, you pushed through something that you and Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid thought was the best answer and drove it through.
What we did in a legislature 87 percent Democrat, we worked together; 200 legislators in my legislature, only two voted against the plan by the time we were finished. What were some differences? We didn’t raise taxes. You’ve raised them by $1 trillion under Obamacare. We didn’t cut Medicare. Of course, we don’t have Medicare, but we didn’t cut Medicare by $716 billion.

We didn’t put in place a board that can tell people ultimately what treatments they’re going to receive. We didn’t also do something that I think a number of people across this country recognize, which is put -- put people in a position where they’re going to lose the insurance they had and they wanted.

This, of course, is the great weakness of Obamacare. Whether you like it or not, whether you think it helps Americas or will bankrupt America, Romney was dead on with the truth. It was RAMMED through by Democrats with absolutely no...zero...nada...Republican support.

Now, a smart debater would have directed attention away from this point. The point in the debate has now narrowed to being about bi-partisan support of a national health-care proposal. I was sure the President would redirect attention away from this losing point and begin blabbering about how this system will help Americans, save us from the evil insurance companies, etc, etc. But that is not what the President did.

Amazingly, he tried to advance another piece of Obama fiction:

Governor Romney said this has to be done on a bipartisan basis. This was a bipartisan idea. In fact, it was a Republican idea. And Governor Romney at the beginning of this debate wrote and said what we did in Massachusetts could be a model for the nation.
And I agree that the Democratic legislators in Massachusetts might have given some advice to Republicans in Congress about how to cooperate, but the fact of the matter is, we used the same advisers, and they say it’s the same plan.

The president actually had a strong debate line…about Congressional Republicans taking advice from Democratic legislators in Massachusetts. It was actually a fairly strong comeback had it been delivered as a ‘zinger’. It should have been delivered by itself. Instead, it got lost in the ludicrously laughable line that Obamacare was “a bipartisan idea”. That's right. Obamacare was bipartisan. Not a single Republican vote. Not even a RINO warming up to it. But lo, and behold, it was bipartisan! Midnight meetings. Locked doors. No Republican consultations. But bipartisan...YES! President Obama is the only American I know of that thinks Obamacare was anything close to bipartisan.

The president was clearly on the defensive, trying his semantical hocus-pocus. This exchange showed it clearly. He cannot win on merits or ideas. He can only win on his charisma. And history scarily reminds us of charismatic leaders void of good ideas who get elected.

Akin Needs Our Help

Todd Akin has been abandoned by the Republican party leadership in his quest to become the next Senator of Missouri, replacing the ultra-liberal, Obama supporting Claire McCaskill.

So, the burden falls to folks like us. Commoners. Normal, average, run-of-mill conservative minded Missourians. Most of us just show up to vote. Some will enter into political arguments with their friends, neighbors, co-workers and extended family members. A few might put on a bumper sticker or put up a yard sign. Most of us, though, never contribute financially.

Personally, I've been involved in Missouri politics for almost 25 years...calling campaigns, neighborhood walks, parades, etc. But contributing $$ is something I rarely do. I suppose I usually have more time than money.

Frankly, that MUST change if Todd Akin is to have a chance at winning. You must give some money. Claire McCaskill is well funded. The Republican establishment refuses to spend any money in this race.

Would you consider giving $10? Just $10. That shouldn't cut into your budget too much (if you can afford more, then by all means contribute more). And then, here's the key, encourage others on your Facebook, email, blog, etc to give as well.

You can donate here.

I gave $20, but if ten other people respond to my posting and give $10, then my efforts have generated another $100 for the Akin campaign. And if 5 friends of each of those 10 people give $10, then I've grandfathered another $500. I couldn't afford to give the Akin campaign $620 but if every lover of liberty in Missouri will do a bit AND encourage others to do just a little, we'll help a very good man win an election.

Will you contribute? Do it now! Do it here.

Republican Establishment Turns on Akin

Just in case you’ve missed the wall to wall coverage of Todd Akin’s political plight, here’s a brief recap.

He is currently a U.S. Congressman representing Missouri’s 2nd district. He recently won the Republican primary to run for U.S. Senate against incumbent Claire McCaskill.

On Sunday, he gave an interview with St. Louis television station KTVI in which he said in a question about abortion and rape:

“It seems to be, first of all, from what I understand from doctors, it’s really rare. If it’s a legitimate rape, the female body has ways to try to shut the whole thing down.”

Later that day, the McCaskill campaign, seeing an opportunity released a statement saying:

“As a former prosecutor, Claire McCaskill has worked closely with hundreds of rape victims and intimately understands their trauma and pain. It is that experience that makes Akin’s statements so outrageous.”

Minutes later, perhaps oblivious to the McCaskill statement, Akin released his own statement and in a small excerpt said:

In reviewing my off-the-cuff remarks, it's clear that I misspoke in this interview and it does not reflect the deep empathy I hold for the thousands of women who are raped and abused every year.

By Monday, the Democratic party machine (including the President) and their cohorts in the national media and surprisingly the Republican establishment, were all calling for Akin to step down. He has until 5 p.m. Tuesday, August 21 to resign the nomination for the Republican Party to replace him. Afterwards, it will require a court order for a replacement nominee.

Later on Monday, Congressman Akin issued an apology.

"Rape is an evil act. I used the wrong words in the wrong way and for that I apologize. As the father of two daughters, I want tough justice for predators. I have a compassionate heart for the victims of sexual assault. I pray for them. The fact is, rape can lead to pregnancy. The truth is, rape has many victims. The mistake I made was in the words I said, not in the heart I hold. I ask for your forgiveness."

First, I was embarrassed by Akin’s comments. They were wrong. He is a little backward. But this misspeak is no cause for his resignation. The fact is, there are illegitimate claims of rape. Probably not many, but they do exist. We need only look as far as Norma McCorvey, the Jane Roe of Roe v. Wade. Her case falsely claimed that she was raped and was prevented from having an abortion.
But that is hardly the essential point of the Akin plight. The question is, is this comment a part of the character of Todd Akin. Is he an uncaring chauvinist who is hardened to the crisis of women who are raped, especially if that rape results in pregnancy. He is not.

Second, the really unbelievable drama of this story is that of the Republican establishment. I understand the McCaskill/Obama/DNC response. But Republicans?
What I’m been incensed at is the RNC and all its tentacles interfering with Missouri. Mitt Romney issued two comments on Monday against Akin; Karl Rove said his fundraising PAC won’t give money, the RNC is yanking advertising for Akin, etc, etc, etc. Many politicians have issued public statements, telling Akin to back out.

Why?

Why is the Republican establishment telling this Missourian-Republican-leaning voter that I cannot have the senatorial candidate for whom I voted? He did nothing immoral or unethical. He misspoke. He even apologized AND even asked for forgiveness. Yet this is not enough. They want him out. Why? Because unthinking, emotional, manipulating people are causing a raucous.

I want evaluation. This was an unfortunate mis-speak. Akin has apologized for his mistake. Let’s move on. A Republican establishment that adds fuel to the fire, shows that it is part of America’s problem, not its solution. And it shows itself unworthy of the support of people with brains who don’t go off half-cocked on an emotive crusade. I don’t want perfection. I want character. And that is one thing of which Todd Akin has plenty (take note Karl Rove, it’s character that counts, not dollars).

Silversun Pickups Pick on Romney

OK, I’ll admit that until today I had never heard of the Silversun Pickups. But they had their attorney issue the Mitt Romney Presidential Campaign a “cease and desist” letter. Evidently, the campaign plays their music, or at least their popular song “Panic Switch” at certain events.

I’ll also admit that my curiosity got the best of me, so off to YouTube I went to educate myself on Silversun Pickups. That education lasted about 90 seconds. If I have any reason to question Romney’s fitness to serve as President of the United States, this choice of music would be it. “Yuck” is an understatement, but I couldn’t understand a word of the song. A search to the lyrics was even worse. What’s this about “do your fingers itch” and “are you pistol-whipped”?? Weird, Mitt. Really weird. I can understand it coming from a Los Angeles rock band, but it doesn’t need to be parroted by your campaign. Fire your sound guy!

But, that point notwithstanding, I don’t think the campaign has done anything illegal. Drawing from my radio experience, most venues have licensing agreements (making it legal to play licensed music at those facilities). Like if you go to Royals Stadium, they can legally play lots of music (assuming they have this license). They don’t have to call the artist up and ask for permission. And I know organizations can buy licenses with the major music labels. Churches buy a CCLI license so they can play all the licensed music. Secular venues would buy a BMI license of one similar.

I doubt the Silverspoon Dropouts (or was it the GoldenSun Chevy Trucks? ….urghhhh!) have their music privately copyrighted. The music industry licenses the music broadly. Otherwise every radio station in the country would have to call up the artist and ask if they can play their song. Program directors will not do that, thus the song won’t get played, thus people won’t know about, thus no one will buy the CD, thus your band will quickly be OBSCURE.

These folks are trying to make a political point. And it’s a stupid one. They don’t want to be associated with the Romney Campaign? How about Romney supporters buying their albums? Would they like to issue a “cease and desist” letter to all Republicans, or Romney-leaning Independents buying their product?

Though I wouldn’t touch their music (wrong simile, I know), the Romney campaign using Silversun Pickups’ music shows the best of America. In music, your politics do not matter. Art transcends party boundaries. Their music was appreciated by both Republicans and Democrats. Rather than celebrating that fact and the role they play as musicians in uniting Americans, the Silversun Pickups unforturnately chose to be as divisive as the President they support.

Lessons from 1850

America’s Great Debate: Henry Clay, Stephen Douglas, and the Compromise That Preserved the Union
by Fergus M. Bordewich

This was a very good book on several points.

First, on the level of history it was excellent at bringing together the threads and issues that ravaged the political landscape of the mid 1800s; namely, the slavery/free state debate that affected California’s petition for statehood; Texas’ claim on land in New Mexico; the fugitive slave laws and the slave trade in the District of Columbia. This book excelled in accentuating the significant personalities of the period and especially gave me exposure to the role of my native Missouri, via the unyielding personality of Thomas Benton.

Second, it spoke to me on the level of compromise itself. The Kentucky senator Henry Clay was desperate to finesse a compromise and gave his aging and ending life to a cause that would ultimately fail. While he lived to see the Union preserved and did not personally witness its demise, Southern Rebellion was only delayed, not thwarted. Henry Clay, while extolled for his role in this part of American history, is all but a footnote to our nation’s history. His work would be eclipsed by bloodshed ten years later.

Compromise, by its very nature, is a delay only. The book itself referred to the Missouri Compromise of 1820, which was totally inadequate to address hostile opinions of 1850. While I can’t immediately recall great political compromise bills, I would posit they are almost universally short lived and short sighted.
More interesting than Clay’s commitment to compromise was, shockingly, the stalwart abolitionist Daniel Webster’s tragic reversal of his convictions in favor of compromise. Webster might have gone down in the annuals of American history as prophetic and stubbornly conviction driven. Instead, he opted for a supporting role in a drama that would foster no statesmen, only sectional politicians who averted a crisis only temporarily.

Third, I sensed, once again, God’s sovereign hand in history. Had the South seceded in 1850, it seems that the North would have adapted to some form of mutual, co-existing government. It is difficult to imagine that, but what is not difficult to imagine is the North in 1850 was not yet disgusted with slavery and not yet ready to fight to preserve the Union. The Fugitive Slave laws reaffirmed by the Compromise of 1850 would give the North a nauseating dose of anti-liberty. Southern rights of slavery would be enforced in both North and South. Northern convictions of liberty would be negated in both South and North. By 1860, the North had had enough.

If the book had any drawbacks, it was that Bordewich edited too much from the speeches. Several times, the reader would only encounter brief excerpts of the speeches and letters of the time which seemed to distract from the author’s well construed “you-are-there” essence. I would have preferred more lengthy passages and think, for the most part, that would have aided in re-creating the scenario. Obviously, we couldn’t read all that was said over the course of some ten months, and the author did a great job overall of telling us the story of a Compromise that held the Union together for one more decade.

Todd Akin Gets Post-Dispatch Endorsement

I came across this editorial from Saturday’s edition of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, a liberal leaning newspaper. You can read the entire article here, but this is the part that caught my eye…one of the reasons I support Todd Akin for the Republican nomination for the US Senate. (vote next Tuesday, August 7).

Which candidate should Republican primary voters support in the Senate race? We suggest Mr. Akin, because with him at least you're sure of what you're getting.

In another era, Ms. Steelman would have been the sort of independent-minded Republican who could have earned this page's support, even in a general election. But she's running a purely dishonest campaign, running away from her actual record as a state senator, pretending to endorse the most extreme positions of the day, and even endorsing the violent rhetoric of some supporters. And her inability to articulate any position beyond a consultant-driven slogan is epic. She is simply not ready for prime time.

As a member of Congress, Mr. Akin was good enough for Mr. Brunner to support financially in many election cycles. The businessman has done nothing to separate himself from the engineer-turned-politician. We disagree with Mr. Akin on almost everything, not the least of which is his support for policies that discriminate against gays, women and minorities.

But he's the most honest candidate. He isn't faking it when he endorses the worst of the GOP agenda. He actually believes it. What you see is what you get.

Chick-fil-A and free speech

Last week, Chick-fil-A's CEO Dan Cathy spoke to Baptist Press of his company's steadfast support for marriage and family:

We are very much supportive of the family--the biblical definition of the family unit. We are a family-owned business, a family-led business, and we are married to our first wives. We give God thanks for that... We know that it might not be popular with everyone, but thank the Lord, we live in a country where we can share our values and operate on biblical principles.

But Cathy was about to find out what kind of country he really does live in.

Pro-homosexual forces quickly mobilized. The very people and organizations that advocate tolerance were showing no tolerance for someone with a different viewpoint. The sodomite bullies and their politically correct machine were in full swing by the week’s end, including the mayors of Boston and San Francisco who were threatening blockades of any Chick-fil-A franchise that wanted to open in their cities. In tactics reminiscent of the Gestapo and KGB, they were going to squash any dissent from a pro-homosexual viewpoint and the Chick-fil-A empire, daring to have a different viewpoint, became their target. Their message was clear--First Amendment advocates are not welcome in their cities.

Mike Huckabee got fed up and launched a Chick-fil-A Appreciation Day for Wednesday, August 1. The idea is simply to support them in some tangible way be giving them a bit of your business. I got fed up too and joined him on his facebook page. But in a little bit, Facebook removed, uh, er, ummm, Facebook experienced a technical glitch that inadvertently disabled Huckabee’s post for the next 12 hours…until the conservative outcry became feverish and the good IT folks at Facebook were able to get Huckabee’s page restored. Evidently, Mike Huckabee’s page was the only one affected by this “accidental” fluke at Facebook.

Chick-fil-A is a Christian company with 1,608 restaurants that had sales in excess of $4 billion last year. They follow their values. They are closed on Sunday to honor the Lord’s Day. They bailed out the struggling Peach Bowl 15 years ago. Yes, they renamed it the “Chick-fil-A” bowl but they have 15 successive sellouts. It is the only college bowl game with an invocation.

Anti-Christian forces have targeted Chick-fil-A because of Mr. Cathy’s comments of this past week and the overall Christian philosophy of the company. If you care about that, you should strongly consider giving the company some of your business in the future, especially this coming Wednesday, August 1. And be advised. If as many Christians care about this homosexual persecution that I think will, you might have a long wait, so plan ahead.

P.S. You can read Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino's letter here.