John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist Church was an Evangelical, Holiness preacher and declared that homosexuality is a depravity, as did all the great leaders of the Church for nearly 2,000 years. Condemning the sin of homosexuality, Dr. Martin Luther names it as the horrible sin that brought God’s wrath against Sodom and Gomorrah as recorded in Genesis 19:4-5: “I for my part do not enjoy dealing with this passage, because so far the ears of the Germans are innocent of and uncontaminated by this monstrous depravity; for even though disgrace, like other sins, has crept in through an ungodly soldier and a lewd merchant, still the rest of the people are unaware of what is being done in secret. “The Carthusian monks deserve to be hated because they were the first to bring this terrible pollution into Germany from the monasteries of Italy. (Luther’s Works, Vol. 3, 251-252) Luther speaks of “The heinous conduct of the people of Sodom” as “extraordinary, inasmuch as they departed from the natural passion and longing of the male for the female, which is implanted into nature by God, and desired what is altogether contrary to nature. “Whence comes this perversity? Undoubtedly from Satan, who after people have once turned away from the fear of God, so powerfully suppresses nature that he blots out the natural desire and stirs up a desire that is contrary to nature.” (Luther’s Works, Vol. 3, 255) - Pastor Max Solbrekken

United Methodists To Debate Allowing Gay Clergy And Same-Sex Marriage

http://www.religionnews.com

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As nearly 1,000 delegates from across the world gather in Tampa, Fla., for the United Methodist Church's General Conference, gay and lesbian activists have printed pamphlets promoting their cause in five languages, including Portuguese and Swahili.

The UMC's global reach, stretching from the Philippines to Philadelphia, compels the multilingual lobbying. Nearly 40 percent of the delegates, who meet through May 4, live outside the United States, according to church leaders.

“We see it as a challenge to deal with the cultural differences,” said Bishop Rosemarie Wenner of Germany, who will be installed in Tampa as president of the UMC’s Council of Bishops. “But we also see it as a gift.”

Convened every four years, General Conference legislates decisions on everything from pensions to prayer books. But few debates garner as much attention and acrimony as the role of gays and lesbians in the UMC.

The homosexuality debate dates to 1972, when a phrase calling homosexual activity “incompatible with Christian teaching” was added to the Book of Discipline, which contains the denomination's laws and doctrines. The UMC also bans noncelibate gay clergy and same-sex marriage.

The UMC's long and painful membership decline in the U.S. looms over the debate, as church leaders search for ways to reverse the decades-long drop.

Gay rights activists argue that the UMC must become more inclusive to attract young Americans who view the sexuality prohibitions as hypocritical. Conservatives counter that only churches that hold fast to traditional doctrines are growing.

United Methodists who support gay rights have proposed about 100 resolutions this year that would lift the bans and excise the “incompatible” phrase from the Book of Discipline. Leading up to General Conference, they argued that momentum is on their side.

For example, last year a UMC court barely punished a Wisconsin minister who sanctioned a same-sex marriage; more than 1,200 retired and active UMC clergy have pledged to perform gay marriages; surveys show young Christians generally support gay rights; and other mainline Protestants -- including Episcopalians, Lutherans and Presbyterians -- have adopted gay-friendly policies in recent years.

Conservatives counter that all of those churches have subsequently split, with traditionalist congregations packing up and starting new denominations.

Gay and lesbian Methodists acknowledge that their church's complexity presents unique challenges. For example, their General Conference includes delegates from states where gay marriage is legal, but also from countries like Liberia, where “voluntary sodomy” is a crime.

“Our structure is different, so that has impacted how we move on these concerns,” said Ann Craig, a United Methodist and gay activist who witnessed votes by the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and Presbyterian Church (USA) to allow partnered gay clergy.

“We’re going to move together when we move,” Craig said of her own UMC.

But others argue that trends favor traditionalists.

For example, the UMC’s membership in the United States has fallen to 7.8 million, while it has grown to 4.4 million abroad, mainly in Africa and the Philippines, where homosexuality is denounced. As those numbers shift, so does the balance of power, since delegates to General Conference -- the only church body that can change the homosexuality bans -- are apportioned based on membership.

Compared to the 2008 General Conference, this year there are 100 fewer delegates from the U.S. and 100 more from abroad, according to Mark Tooley, a United Methodist and president of the conservative Institute on Religion & Democracy. “With that lineup, a major shift would be unlikely,” said Tooley.

In addition, UMC growth is stronger in the Bible Belt than in the relatively liberal West and Northeast, said Russell Richey, co-author of a two-volume history of Methodism in the United States and former dean of the Candler School of Theology at Emory University in Atlanta.

Some United Methodists argue that policy should be set by regional conferences and reflect local mores.

For example, pastors who live where gay marriage is legal should be permitted to wed same-sex couples in their congregations, said the Rev. Dean Snyder, senior pastor of Washington's Foundry United Methodist Church.

Foundry proposed a resolution that would allow churches in six states and the District of Columbia to celebrate same-sex marriage, and sent 50 volunteers to Tampa to lobby for it.

Snyder said his church has celebrated about 10 same-sex weddings since 2010, when D.C. legalized gay marriage. That admission could place the longtime pastor’s career in jeopardy if UMC policy is not changed at General Conference.

“We are really praying that General Conference makes some movement,” Snyder said. “It’s going to be very disappointing if there is no movement at all.”

Are the homosexuals destined to overtake America? It appears that they have taken over the Democratic Party and the Left Wing Media. Their aggressiveness and violence is history repeating itself. The Sodomites actually threatened LOT if he would not turn over the strangers - two young men - so they could gang rape them. They had the law on their side. The two young men were angels who were sent to rescue Lot and his family and to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah (Genesis 19: 4-11). Will God judge the USA by allowing brutal Muslim Terrorists to occupy that country so that the land will be cleansed? I certainly hope and pray that will not be necessary. Even though President Barack Obama is expertly trained in taking off his shoes before entering a mosque and in perfectly bowing before a Saudi King, I do not believe that the majority of Americans would want that to happen. Let us all pray for a genuine Revival of Evangelical Christianity will again save America from her enemies. - Pastor Max Solbrekk

Anti-Bulling Bully Bullies Christians and the Anti-Bullying Community Remains Silent

April 30, 2012 by Gary DeMar

Anti-bulling ads and proclamations are everywhere. Harvey Weinstein, one of Hollywood’s biggest bullies, even made a movie about it titled Bully. Now we have Dan Savage, the biggest homosexual bully there is, bullying a group of young people at a journalism conference to accept homosexuality as normal and moral or be bullied for the rest of their lives until they accept the perversion.

The tolerant Savage said of Republicans, “I wish they were all f***king dead.” You can read more of Savage’s bullying technique here. I’m warning you — it’s disgusting. Did I mention that he’s supported by President Obama? Like all bullies, Savage is a coward.

The biggest bullies are those who claim bullying is wrong. Bullies don’t want to be bullied. Once they get everybody to agree that bullying is wrong, they become the new bullies.

Anybody who disagrees with their worldview is a “hater.” If you question their “lifestyle” choice, you are all about “hate.” If you support traditional marriage – that’s a God-ordained marriage between a man and a woman – then you’re a religious bigot.

Homosexuals are the biggest bullies around. They play a “sweet and nice” role on TV and films, but when it comes to social discourse, they are the real haters.

Consider what they did when they found out who voted for traditional marriage in the Proposition 8 referendum in California. When a group of traditional marriage activists peacefully expressed their displeasure when a court overruled their vote on the marriage issue, homosexuals took to the streets to harass and assault them:

A group of homosexual tyrants surrounded and physically assaulted a 69-year-old grandmother in Palm Springs earlier this week, after yanking a cross out of her hands and stomping on it while it lay on the ground.

She can be seen mouthing the words “I love you” to protestors, who in response threaten her, and call her “stupid” and a “Nazi” while shaking their fists in her face with their own faces contorted with rage.

Said the woman, “They began grabbing me. It was like a dog pack, actually.”

Another beat down comes from the wide world of sports. Peter Vidmar, who was named to head the 2012 United States Olympic team in London, was forced to resign after homosexual Olympians, in particular figure skater Johnny Weir and softball player Jessica Mendoza, protested because he opposes homosexual marriage, something that’s still illegal in most states and President Obama does not support!

Vidmar actively supported the 2008 California Proposition 8 campaign which a majority of California voters voted for.

Frank Turek is a Christian author and speaker. He also conducts leadership and teambuilding seminars for large companies. Since 2008, he had been a consultant for the California-based software company Cisco Systems. By all accounts, his training programs have been reported to be “excellent.” Then it happened:

[O]ne of the managers in Turek’s session “googled” his name and found out that his trainer [Turek] is also the author of a book entitled Correct, Not Politically Correct: How Same-Sex Marriage Hurts Everyone.

The manager, a homosexual, took offense at the book that critiqued same-sex marriages and phoned in a complaint to Marilyn Nagel, senior director of inclusion and diversity for Cisco. Turek was fired soon after.

Nagel later apologized for his firing but apparently did not see the irony in that she is the director of inclusion and diversity. “She refused to admit there was a culture that punished views that were not politically correct.”

It’s going to be interesting to see what happens to Savage. Will he apologize? Don’t count on it. Will he go into hiding? Bullies seldom do. Will the Democrats distance themselves from him? I haven’t seen much of it yet. The Democrats have made their bed with the homosexual. To attack Savage will mean a loss of financial support and voter enthusiasm. Even adults can be bullied.

CON--MEN like James Lovelock and AL GORE are not stupid. They are ignorant but NOT stupid. They did not make a mistake. They knew what they were doing! They were either driven by lying demons whom they believed or they are out-right Con-Men. Leftist liars and speculators are more than "alarmists". They are 'Con-Men' who fill their pockets with gold, and a gullible public will shell out again for their New Project of gaining new converts, sell new books and make more money, receive more awards and power by spreading their unfounded fears - Pastor Max Solbrekken

Climate Change Alarmist Recants: ‘I Made a Mistake’

British environmental expert James Lovelock now admits he was an “alarmist” regarding global warming — and says Al Gore was too.

Lovelock previously worked for NASA and became a guru to the environmental movement with his “Gaia” theory of the Earth as a single organism. In 2007 Time magazine named Lovelock one of its “Heroes of the Environment,” and he won the Geological Society of London’s Wollaston Medal in 2006 for his writings on the Gaia theory.

That year he wrote an article in a British newspaper asserting that “before this century is over billions of us will die and the few breeding pairs of people that survive will be in the Arctic where the climate remains tolerable.”

But in an interview this week with MSNBC, Lovelock said a book he is now writing will reflect his new opinion that global warming has not occurred as he had expected.

“The problem is we don’t know what the climate is doing,” he said. “We thought we knew 20 years ago. That led to some alarmist books — mine included — because it looked clear-cut, but it hasn’t happened.

“The climate is doing its usual tricks. There’s nothing much really happening yet. We were supposed to be halfway toward a frying world now.

“The world has not warmed up very much since the millennium. Twelve years is a reasonable time. [The temperature] has stayed almost constant, whereas it should have been rising. Carbon dioxide is rising, no question about that.

“We will have global warming, but it’s been deferred a bit.”

MSNBC reported: “He pointed to Gore’s ‘An Inconvenient Truth’ and Tim Flannery’s ‘The Weather Makers’ as other examples of ‘alarmist’ forecasts of the future.”

Lovelock also declared in the interview that “as an independent and a loner,” he did not mind saying, “All right, I made a mistake,” adding that university or government scientists might fear that admission of such a mistake could jeopardize their funding.

In response to Lovelock’s interview, the Climate Depot website stated: “MSNBC, perhaps the most unlikely of news sources, reports on what may be seen as the official end of the manmade global warming fear movement.”

Personal greetings from Max Solbrekken April 27, 2012

Hello Everyone:

We have been busy taping testimonies for our New TV Ministry and will SOON be on CHANNEL 10 in CAMROSE with LIVE streaming Video on the internet. Later this year, God willing,  we will expand across the Nation on various TV Stations!

NEWS!!! NEWS!!!! I made history last Wednesday. Johnny Okemow and I made it through (4 wheel drive)20 miles of mud on a new road leading to Chipewan Lakes where he was born for a powerful service. He was the singer and I was the preacher. And even though it was snowing we pushed through from Wabasca 135 kil into the bush. Beginning in 1972, many families used to fly (with a local bush  pilot) to Slave Lake and on to Sandy Lake every summer for three weeks at our Bible Camp. The elders  prophesied that Brother Max would one day visit their village. Most of them have passed on into eternity but last Wednesday their prophecies came to pass!

GATHERING PLACE - SLAVE LAKE !!!

On our way to Chipewyan Lakes Johnny had arranged for me  to preach at the Gathering Place in Slave Lake (Tuesday April 24). The atmosphere was electric with the Holy Spirit's presence and it was a pleasure to preach and minister to so many hungry hearts and needy souls! Our fellowship with the founders Bob and Karen Vanderwell and Pastor Harry Pretty was precious!

SASKATOON SERVICES: 

SAT 7:00 pm - Victor Temple from Newfoundland gives his awesome testimony of being delivered from demons in the 1988 Pentecostal Conference. He had just gotten out of jail and was full of the devil when a friend invited him to the Convention. He is a respected Tradesman, Lay Preacher and Soul Winner. 

Last week-end was AWESOME: Darren Kaytor whom I had tried to reach for many years, gave his life to Jesus Christ and is bringing his family this week-end.  

CLARK STEVENSON who was delivered from a horrible life of sin in 1970 in our Church in Edmonton preached Sunday evening. His message was POWERFUL and ALLAN BEAVER'S

Ministry was wonderful. He plans to be back with us in Saskatoon next week-end.

SUN 10:30 & 6:30 PM - I will be preaching on 'The Mighty Workings of the Holy Spirit'. Victor will be with us all week-end.

NEW SAREPTA SERVICES:

*** SUN. April 29 - 11:00 AM - Ed Bortnick is preaching

Music Team: Ed & Glenda Bortnick, Jay & Nancy Compton, Allan Beaver 

SEE www.mswm.org ... Go to House of Prayer for directions and news re MAY 25, 26, 27 LONG WEEK-END in New Sarepta.

Love & Prayers,

Pastor Max Solbrekken

Dan Savage calls Christian Teens "pansy asses". It seems that most 'fruitcake talk' revolves around the human anatomy referred to as "asses" or rectums. In other words, they seem to have a one-track mind. Thank God that intelligent teenagers made their statement by refusing to listen to a very bigoted and stupid individual. - Pastor Max Solbrekken

Anti-Bullying Speaker Curses Christian Teens

Posted in Top Stories 

Apr 27, 2012

By Todd Starnes

As many as 100 high school students walked out of a national journalism conference after an anti-bullying speaker began cursing, attacked the Bible and reportedly called those who refused to listen to his rant “pansy asses.”

The speaker was Dan Savage, founder of the “It Gets Better” project, an anti-bullying campaign that has reached more than 40 million viewers with contributors ranging from President Obama to Hollywood stars. Savage also writes a sex advice column called “Savage Love.”

Savage, and his husband, were also guests at the White House for President Obama’s 2011 LGBT Pride Month reception. He was also invited to a 

White House anti-bullying conference.

Savage was supposed to be delivering a speech about anti-bullying at the National High School Journalism Conference sponsored by the Journalism Education Association and the National Scholastic Press Association. But it turned into an episode of Christian-bashing.

Rick Tuttle, the journalism advisor for Sutter Union High School in California, was among several thousand people in the audience. He said they thought the speech was one thing – but it turned into something else.

“I thought this would be about anti-bullying,” Tuttle told Fox news. “It turned into a pointed attack on Christian beliefs.”

Tuttle said a number of his students were offended by Savage’s remarks – and some decided to leave the auditorium.

“It became hostile,” he said. “It felt hostile as we were sitting in the audience – especially towards Christians who espouse beliefs that he was literally taking on.”

Tuttle said the speech was laced with vulgarities and “sexual innuendo not appropriate for this age group.” At one point, he said Savage told the teenagers about how good his partner looked in a speedo.

“The first thing he told the audience was, ‘I hope you’re all using birth control,’” she told CitizenLink. “he said there are people using the Bible as an excuse for gay bullying, because it says in Leviticus and Romans that being gay is wrong. Right after that, he said we can ignore all the (expletive deleted) in the Bible.”

As the teenagers were walking out, Tuttle said that Savage heckled them and called them “pansy asses.”

SARAH PALIN LOVES TODD’S NEW BOOK

The executive director of the National Scholastic Press Association provided Fox News with joint statement from the Journalism Education Association that was sent to members – after a number of people complained about Savage’s remarks

As for Savage’s attack on people of faith? ... However, not once did the NSPA or the JEA offer any apologies to the students or faculty advisors or anyone else in attendance.

Candi Cushman, who writes a blog on CitizenLink, noted the irony.

“Using profanity to deride the bible – and then mocking the Christian students after they left the room — is obviously a form of bullying and name-calling,” she wrote. “This illustrates perfectly what we’ve been saying all along: Too many times in the name of ‘tolerance,’ Christian students find their faith being openly mocked and belittled in educational environments.”

Tuttle said that he “felt duped” by the event. “There were Christian schools who went to the conference. To have this happen was disappointing and shocking.”

And for some of his students – they felt like the anti-bullying activist was in fact – the bully.

This is an awesome picture. The gentleman who drew this is Joe Castillo. He went to Asbury Theological Seminary. He did this during a chapel service.  It was fascinating - he told the Gospel story - each part of Jesus' life – and he was drawing the story as he told the story. The 'longer' you look at this picture, the 'more' you see.

As a Canadian I have often wondered why Left-wing Liberals and spokespersons articulating their philosophy are very often hostile, rude and menacing toward people of other persuasions. A question I have wanted an answer to is: "Why are Left wing commentators often quite hyper, irrational and almost spastic in their discussions with the more polite, rational, even headed conservative opponents?" About 20 years ago a conservative News Magazine in Canada wrote several articles on the exploding AIDS epidemic and warning of the unhealthy lifestyles of homosexuals and the Bath Houses that they frequented. Shortly thereafter, that Magazine's Offices began receiving by postal service numerous plastic bags of human excrement. Only demented people would commit such a filthy, lewd act. That proves where their thoughts and sensitivities revolve. How sick and sad that the Human Race has fallen so low. - Pastor Max Solbrekken

Leftists Show Their Tolerance, Try to Give Pat Boone the Boot

April 23, 2012 byTad Cronn

Adrian College faculty and students in Adrian, Mich., are working to “disinvite” singer Pat Boone as the college’s commencement speaker because of his writings for World Net Daily.

Boone, who is a well-known Christian speaker, has drawn the ire of the college’s liberals, who can’t stand that he has dared to question President Obama’s birth certificate, which is downloadable at the White House website.

A Facebook page organized by student Chelsea Blankinship claims, with no apparent awareness of irony, that Boone’s columns on the WND site promote “racism, sexism, homophobia and religious intolerance” and therefore he deserves to be banned from Adrian College.

The school’s faculty association has voted to condemn the selection of Boone as speaker and demand that the college withdraw his invitation. The faculty, also apparently with a sense of irony, condemned Boone’s “inflammatory kinds of rhetoric.”

Blankinship cites a 2008 article by Boone that she characterizes as “outside the bounds of decency and morality” by comparing gays to terrorists.

What Boone actually said was that while there have been no gay-rights bombings, the level of anger demonstrated by gay activists is comparable to that among terrorist groups.

It’s a valid comparison. Gay activist groups have proven time and again to be disruptive, disrespectful and destructive in their methods of protest. They share with terrorist groups a desire to tear down existing societal norms and replace them with their own twisted vision. Toward that end, both gay activist groups and terrorist groups employ propaganda campaigns that target all age groups and promote re-education (mandatory brainwashing) or punishment of those who disagree.

“Hate, unbridled, will eventually and inevitably boil into violence,” Boone writes in the column that has so offended Blankinship. “How crazily ironic that the homosexual activists and sympathizers cry for ‘tolerance’ and ‘equal rights’ and understanding – while they spew vitriol and threats and hate at those who disagree with them on moral and societal grounds.”

Blankinship says, “When someone makes their living declaring hate and intolerance, he has no place on a college campus that was founded as a campus that accepts diversity.”

Preparations underway for the coming Battle of Gog and Magog starting to shape up. Be prepared, anything could happen involving Muslim Nations eager to destroy tiny democratic Israel. The false and evil Mahdi Scenario has overtaken Ahmadinejad and other crazies in Iran. It is time to pray for God's Chosen people the Jew and the Holy City of David. Pray for peace and an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Jerusalem as happened on the Day of Pentecost! - Pastor Max Solbrekken

Israel’s IDF Chief: We Are Ready to Strike Iran

Sunday, 22 Apr 2012 12:01 PM

By Dave Eberhart



The Israeli Defense Forces [IDF] are prepared and ready to strike Iran’s nuclear facilities, Chief of Staff Benny Gantz told the Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper in an interview published Sunday.

“In principle, we are ready to act,” the army chief revealed just ahead of Israel’s upcoming Independence Day, reports Ynet.com.

This year, Israel’s Independence Day is celebrated on April 26. The Declaration of the Establishment of State of Israel was made on May 14, 1948, expressing the declaration to be “by virtue of our natural and historic right and on the strength of the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly.” The new state was quickly recognized by the Soviet Union and the United States, as well as other countries, but not by the surrounding Arab states, which quickly declared war.

In the special pre-holiday interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, Gantz emphasized that 2012 was going to be “a critical year” in the heated Israel-Iran crisis.

“The State of Israel believes that nuclear arms in Iran’s possession are a very bad thing, which the world should stop and Israel should stop. We are preparing our plan accordingly.”

The army chief also addressed the likelihood of a broader regional war breaking out in the near future: “Our intelligence assessment asserts that given the strategic reality and instability in the region, the chance of deteriorating to a war is higher than in the past. There are no indications of war, but the chances of the situation deteriorating into one are higher than in the past.”

During the interview with Yedioth Ahronoth, Gantz also revealed that IDF operations being carried out beyond Israel’s borders have been ramped up.

“I don’t think you will find a point in time where something isn’t happening somewhere in the world,” he said. “The level of risk has increased as well. This is not something invented by Benny Gantz. I’m not taking the credit here. I’m simply accelerating all those special operations.”

© 2012 Newsmax. All rights reserved.

First, some context: Boko Haram—acronym for "Western Education is a Sin", its full name in Arabic is "Sunnis for Da'wa [Islamization] and Jihad"—is a full-throated terrorist organization dedicated to the overthrow of the secular government and establishment of Sharia law.

How the Media Whitewashes Muslim Persecution of Christians

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org

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When it comes to Muslim persecution of Christians, the mainstream media (MSM) has a long paper trail of obfuscating. While they may eventually state the bare-bone facts—if they ever report on the story in the first place, which is rare—they do so after creating and sustaining an aura of moral relativism that minimizes the Muslim role.

False Moral Equivalency

As previously discussed, one of the most obvious ways is to evoke "sectarian strife" between Muslims and Christians, a phrase that conjures images of two equally matched—and equally abused, and abusive—adversaries fighting one another. This hardly suffices to describe the reality of Muslim majorities persecuting largely passive Christian minorities.

Recently, for instance, in the context of the well-documented suffering of Christians in Egypt, an NPR report declared, "In Egypt, growing tensions between Muslims and Christians have led to sporadic violence [initiated by whom?]. Many Egyptians blame the interreligious strife on hooligans [who?] taking advantage of absent or weak security forces. Others believe it's because of a deep-seated mistrust between Muslims and the minority Christian community [how did the "mistrust" originate?]."

Although the report does highlight cases in which Christians are victimized, the tone throughout—and even from the title of the report, "In Egypt, Christian-Muslim Tension is on the Rise"—suggest that examples of Muslims victimized by Christians could just as easily have been found (not true). The accompanying photo is of a group of angry Christians militantly holding a cross aloft—not Muslims destroying crosses, which is what prompts the Christians to such displays of solidarity.

Two more strategies that fall under the MSM's umbrella of obfuscating and minimizing Islam's role—strategies with which the reader should become acquainted—appeared in recent reports dealing with the jihadi group Boko Haram and its ongoing genocide of Nigeria's Christians.

First, some context: Boko Haram—acronym for "Western Education is a Sin", its full name in Arabic is "Sunnis for Da'wa [Islamization] and Jihad"—is a full-throated terrorist organization dedicated to the overthrow of the secular government and establishment of Sharia law. 

It has been slaughtering Christians for years, with an uptick since the Christmas Day church bombing in 2012, which left at least 40 Christians dead; followed by its New Year ultimatum that all Christians must evacuate the northern regions of Nigeria or die—an ultimatum Boko Haram has been living up to: hardly a day goes by without a terrorist attack on Christians or a church, most recently on Easter day, leaving 20 dead.

Blurring the Line Between Persecutor and Victim

Now consider some MSM strategies. The first one is to frame the conflict between Muslims and Christians in a way that blurs the line between persecutor and victim, as in, for example, a recent BBC report on one of Boko Haram's many church attacks that left three Christians dead, including a toddler. After stating the bare-bones facts in a couple of sentences, the report went on to describe how "the bombing sparked a riot by Christian youths, with reports that at least two Muslims were killed in the violence. 

The two men were dragged off their bikes after being stopped at a roadblock set up by the rioters, police said. A row of Muslim-owned shops was also burned…" The report goes on and on, with a special section about "very angry" Christians, until one all but confuses victims with persecutors, forgetting what the Christians are "very angry" about in the first place—unprovoked and nonstop terror attacks on their churches, and the murder of their women and children.

This broadcast is reminiscent of the Egyptian New Year's Eve church bombing that left over 20 Christians dead: the MSM reported it, but under headlines such as, "Christians clash with police in Egypt after attack on churchgoers kills 21"(Washington Post) and "Clashes grow as Egyptians remain angry after attack"(New York Times)—as if frustrated Christians lashing out against wholesale slaughter is as newsworthy or of the same value as the slaughter itself, implying that their angry reaction "evens" everything up.

Dissembling the Perpetrators' Motivation

The second MSM strategy involves dissembling over the jihadis' motivation. An AFP report describing a different Boko Haram church attack—another one, which also killed three Christians during Sunday service—does a fair job reporting the facts. But then it concludes: "Violence blamed on Boko Haram, whose goals remain largely unclear, has since 2009 claimed more than 1,000 lives, including more than 300 this year, according to figures tallied by AFP and rights groups."

Although Boko Haram has been howling its straightforward goals for a decade—enforcing Sharia law and subjugating, if not eliminating, Nigeria's Christians—the media with a straight face is claiming ignorance about these goals (similarly, the New York Times described Boko Haram's goals as "senseless"—even as the group continues justifying them on Islamic doctrinal grounds).

One would have thought that a decade after the jihadi attacks of 9/11—in light if all the subsequent images of Muslims in militant attire shouting distinctly Islamic slogans such as "Allahu Akbar!" ["Allah is the Greatest!"] and calling for Sharia law and the subjugation of "infidels"—reporters would by now know what their goals are.
Of course, the media's obfuscation of jihadi goals serves a purpose: it leaves the way open for the politically correct, MSM-approved motivations for Muslim violence: "political oppression," "poverty," "frustration," and so on. From here, one can see why politicians such as former U.S. president Bill Clinton cite "poverty" as "what's fueling all this stuff" (a reference to Boko Haram's slaughter of Christians).

In short, while the MSM may report the most frugal facts concerning Christian persecution, they utilize their entire arsenal of semantic games, catch phrases, and convenient omissions that uphold the traditional narrative—that Muslim violence is anything but a byproduct of the Islamic indoctrination of intolerance.

"Unfortunately, not since the release of the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation of the Greek Scriptures in 1950 has there been a bible published that so blatantly mangles and distorts God's Word in order to support a peculiar and aberrant theological agenda," reads a review on ET's site. I agree with that assessment of this dangerous departure from the purity of the Original texts of Holy Scripture. Unfortunately, it appears that more and more of the Bible Houses are tampering with the Word of God to fill their coffers with revenue by offering something NEW, and catering to the carnal spirit of man at the expense of the Truth. - Pastor Max Solbrekken

New English Translation of Bible Omits 'Jesus Christ,' 'Angel'

http://www.christianpost.com

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A new translation of the Bible into English does not contain the name "Jesus Christ" nor the word "angel." It also prefers the word "emissary" over "apostle."

The Voice, a Bible that replaces "Jesus Christ" with terms like "Jesus the Anointed One," had its complete edition released by Thomas Nelson Publishing last month.

Frank Couch, Thomas Nelson's lead editor on the project, told The Christian Post that the purpose of The Voice was to make the Gospel message easier to understand for modern audiences.

"The Voice has not claimed to be more accurate than any other translation, rather it is more easily understood than any other translation," said Couch.

"When translators are limiting themselves to conveying the complete essence of a word from the Hebrew or the Greek with one English word they have difficulty bringing in the nuances held in the original language."

Because other translations have more literal renderings, Couch believed they are "why it has been necessary for commentators and preachers to spend so much time explaining what the words in the original language mean before the lay reader can understand fully a text of Scripture."

"Because we have a more expansive translating technique we can more fully develop the English translation and thus bringout the more difficult nuances found in the original language," he explained.

The scholars and authors who collaborated on the translation say their intention was to help readers "hear God speaking."

"One of the byproducts of the information age in the church has been its focus on biblical knowledge. Many Bibles reflect this, packed with informative notes, charts, and graphs. While there's nothing wrong with having a deep knowledge; a personal connection and deep relationship are far better," according to hearthevoice.com. "The Voice is focused on helping readers find (or rediscover) this connection with Him. Scripture is presented not as an academic document, but as an engaging story."

The idea for The Voice came in January 2004, when Thomas Nelson Publishing met with the Ecclesia Bible Society, whose leadership includes pastor Chris Seay of the Ecclesia Church in Houston, Texas. The project came in portions, with the complete New Testament according to The Voice being released in 2009.

The name comes from the Bible translation's rendering of the Greek Word logos in John 1:1. Although the typical English Bible translates logos to "Word," in this translation it is rendered "Voice." The first verse of John, which in the NIV reads "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" becomes "Before time itself was measured, the Voice was speaking. The Voice was and is God."

A new video posted on the translation's Facebook further highlights that "The Voice offers an opportunity to hear afresh by telling the stories that have always been in the Bible in a beautiful and poetic way." It is written in screenplay format "so it's easy to follow or act out in a group."

Despite the approval of a major publisher like Thomas Nelson, which also sells other more established translations of the Bible, The Voice is not without its opponents, including many critical online reviews.

On the website "Life More Abundant," poster "Coralie" commented that the format of The Voice, which includes commentary in the body of the text, was a concern.

"The … effect of the inclusion of midstream commentary is the blurring of the line between inspired word and human opinion," wrote Coralie.

"My fear in our postmodern world is not that a new reader would take the commentary as the very word of God, but that he would read the words of God with the casual ease of another form of commentary."

The blog "Extreme Theology," an apologetics website, declared that The Voice was a "distorted version of the Bible."

"Unfortunately, not since the release of the Jehovah's Witnesses' New World Translation of the Greek Scriptures in 1950 has there been a bible published that so blatantly mangles and distorts God's Word in order to support a peculiar and aberrant theological agenda," reads a review on ET's site.

Could the Twelfth Imam - if he ever appears - be the Evil Little Horn, Vile Person, Man of Sin and Antichrist which is spoken of by Daniel the prophet, St. Paul in 2 Th. 2: 3-10 and St.John in the Revelation? Only God knows. - Pastor Max Solbrekken

Waging War To Prepare The Way For The Mahdi

http://www2.starexponent.com

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The 15% of Muslims who are Shiites are preparing for the return of “the Mahdi”. To the Shiites, the Mahdi is the last Imam, the twelfth Imam, and though he has been hidden for the past twelve centuries, they believe his return is imminent.

When he was asked what the Mahdi will do upon his return, the Ayatollah Hadavi Tehrani quoted the ancient text of Imam Ali al-Baqir, stating, “For a full eight months, he will have his sword unsheathed and will kill the enemies of God until God is satisfied.”

After becoming Iran’s President, Ahmadinejad said that he believed his main mission as Iran’s leader is to “pave the path for the glorious reappearance of Imam Mahdi, may Allah hasten his reappearance.”

Ahmadinejad’s views are said to be shaped by a group known as the Hojjatieh, currently led by Ayatollah Mohammad Taqi Mesbah-Yazdi.

In an article written by Mohebat Ahdiyyih in the Middle East Quarterly, Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi states frankly that the concept behind the Twelvers’ end-times theology is that the “superiority of Islam over other religions is stressed in Qur'an, which calls on believers to wage war against unbelievers and prepare the way for the advent of the Mahdi and conquering the world.”

To the Twelver Shiittes like President Ahmadinejad and the Shiite ayatollahs, waging war, is therefore, not an unfortunate side effect of differing beliefs, but rather is a requirement which they must follow in order to “prepare the way for the advent of the Mahdi and conquering the world.”

The goal of the Twelver Shiittes is to rid the world of “Kufr”, which means a rejection of Islam, or the Quran, or the Mahdi. “Taghut” means rebellion to Allah, idolatry.

The Ayatollah Rudollah Khomeini, whose Madhist ideas led Iran through its Revolution and up until his death in 2008, has stated, “First, the existence of a non-Islamic political order necessarily results in the non-implementation of the Islamic political order. Then, all non-Islamic systems of government are the systems of kufrsince the ruler in each case is an instance of taghut,and it is our duty to remove from the life of Muslim society all traces of kufr and destroy them. … This is a duty all Muslims must fulfill in every one of the Muslim countries, in order to achieve the triumphant political revolution of Islam.”

Iran actively supports and exports Khomeini’s view of the universal duty of all Muslims to destroy all traces of any non-Islamic life.

Hezbollah is Arabic for “party of God”. That Lebanese group was created by the Iranian Revolutionary Guard. In fact, the children in the Mahdi Scouts of Lebanon each wear a small picture of the Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini on his chest.

Hezbollah’s former director of Mahdi Scouts, Bilal Naim, said, “After age 16, the boys mostly go to resistance or military activities.” That outcome is not surprising since Mahdi Scout leaders must adhere strictly to the pre-printed lessons for each age group. The chapter titles for the 12- to 14-year-old age group, include “Know Your Enemy,” “Loyalty to the Leader” and “Facts about Jews.” In those chapters, Jews are described as cruel, corrupt, cowardly, deceitful, and the killers of Islamic holy men.

These are all items we will want to keep in mind as we negotiate and discuss methods for deterring Iran from completing its nuclear weapons program.