#1755 (10/31) "Honoring the Witnesses - ALL SAINTS DAY"

"Honoring the Witnesses - ALL SAINTS DAY" - By: Chuck Colson|Breakpoint.org: October 28, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/30041

For Christians, there’s no more controversial day on the calendar than Halloween. So what did Chuck Colson have to say about it? This is Eric Metaxas. What’s the Halloween equivalent of a “scrooge?” While I wouldn’t quite put myself in that category, I’ve gotta admit I’ve never been a huge fan of trick or treating. Especially nowadays, with most kids dressing up as ghouls, goblins, demons, witches and what not. In any case, it’s safe to say that what began as a night to mark the eve of All Saint’s day has turned into a commercialized celebration of, well, darkness. Back in 2007 on this program, Chuck Colson took us back to the profoundly Christian roots of this holiday [in a broadcast entitled] “Honoring the Witnesses.” Here it is:

      It is Halloween again, and to be frank, I really don’t look forward to talking about it on “BreakPoint” every year. At best, Halloween has become an excuse to ask total strangers for candy. At worst, it's a celebration of the mindless paganism our ancestors wisely turned their backs on. So this year, I'd like to turn your attention to the often-overlooked celebration that Halloween calls to mind. In case you've missed it before, the name Halloween is a shortening of All Hallow’s Eve and signifies the night before All Saints’ Day.

For centuries on All Saints’ Day the Church celebrated the lives of Christians who went before us. And rightly so: We can learn so much from those whom the author of Hebrews calls that great cloud of witnesses. The tradition of remembering the Church triumphant dates back to the time of the first Christian martyrs. When soldiers of Marcus Aurelius Verus came to arrest Polycarp, a beloved church leader, Polycarp greeted them kindly. According to the third century historian Eusebius, Polycarp “ordered a table to be laid for them immediately, invited them to eat as much as they liked, asking in return a single hour in which he could pray.”

When Polycarp later stood in the coliseum, accused and surrounded by the jeering crowds, the governor pressed him to recant his faith. Instead, this man, who himself had been discipled by the Apostle John, said this: “For eighty-six years, I have been [Christ’s] servant, and He has never done me wrong: How can I blaspheme my King who saved me?” As they were preparing to burn him alive, Polycarp offered up prayers of faith and praise.

In the years following Polycarp’s death, Christians would gather annually to take communion beside his grave. There they would remember his brave witness and take courage from his example. As the years passed, the day shifted in focusing from remembering Polycarp to honoring all martyrs. By the seventh century, the Church created a holiday to honor all of God’s saints—heroes of the faith.

One of my favorite heroes was a woman named Monica, who lived during the fourth century. She would never face flames or jeering crowds, as did Polycarp, but she did face testing. That testing came in the form of her own longing for the return of her prodigal son, Augustine. His licentious lifestyle made this Christian mother weep. Later, when Augustine, who is now known as one of the foremost theologians of Christianity and scholars of Western civilization, did come to Christ, he wrote this prayer: “My mother, Your faithful servant, wept to You for me, shedding more tears for my spiritual death than others shed for the bodily death of a son. You heard her.”

I could tell you story after story like this, from Justin Martyr to Martin Luther to Amy Carmichael. But let me encourage you to do something this All Saints’ Day. Take the lead in your church to honor the great saints who set examples for us. Reacquaint your children with Halloween’s Christian origins. Research together and talk about the lives of Christian heroes.

Sure, go ahead and let the kids dress up like Batman and hit up your neighbors for candy. But when the hoopla of modern Halloween is over, encourage your kids to imitate some real heroes—not in what they put on, but in how they live their lives.(This commentary originally aired October 31, 2007.)

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FURTHER READING AND INFORMATION - Chuck provides a great idea for this particular calendar date. Why not celebrate the saints of the Christian faith? Click on the link below to read the fascinating stories included in Glenn Sunshine's series on "Christians Who Changed Their World."
RESOURCES
"Christians Who Changed Their World, series" - Glenn Sunshine | BreakPoint.org;http://www.breakpoint.org/the-center/columns/changed/

"The Christian Lessons of Halloween" - Beliefnet.com | November 2005; http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/2005/11/the-christian-lessons-of-halloween.aspx

"Happy Hallelujah Night!" - Beliefnet.com | December 2006; 
http://www.beliefnet.com/faiths/christianity/2006/10/happy-hallelujah-night.aspx

A Chance to Die: The Life and Legacy of Amy Carmichael- Elisabeth Elliot | Revell Publishers | May 2005; http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/product.asp?sku=0800730895
- Elisabeth Elliot | Revell Publishers | May 2005; http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/product.asp?sku=0800730895

The Writings of Justin Martyr - Karen O. Bullock, Justin Martyr | B&H Publishing Group; http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/product.asp?sku=0805492208

Rediscovering the Church Fathers: Who They Were and How They Shaped the Church - Crossway Books | March 2011; http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/product.asp?sku=9781433510434

#1754 (10/30) SUNDAY SPECIAL: "Call to Church Discipline - THE COURAGE OF WATERMARK CHURCH"

"Call to Church Discipline - THE COURAGE OF WATERMARK CHURCH" - By: John Stonestreet| Breakpoint.org: October 26, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/30030

Courageously doing the right thing these days, like practicing church discipline, is going to exact a cost.

What’s courageous church leadership look like these days? It looks like Todd Wagner, pastor of Watermark Community Church in Dallas, Texas. Recently, Watermark removed a man caught in sexual sin from its membership rolls. Watermark is one of those rare churches these days that practices church discipline. After the man’s Facebook post titled, “Watermark Church Dismissed Me for Being Gay,” was picked up by the Dallas Morning News, the church is, no surprise, being accused of religious intolerance. A Morning News columnist wrote an opinion piece titled “Watermark megachurch banned a gay man that it didn’t deserve to have as a member.”

What most of the media coverage neglects to tell is that the decision to remove the man was neither arbitrary nor sudden. After the man decided to actively pursue a homosexual relationship over a year ago, friends and church leaders began meeting with him to understand how to better love and help him.

But, as Pastor Wagner wrote, “this friend made clear to us that he no longer believed same-sex sexual activity was inappropriate for a follower of Jesus Christ and no longer desired to turn from it. Like any member whose beliefs move away from the core commitments, biblical convictions, and values of Watermark, it became appropriate to formally acknowledge his desire to not pursue faithfulness to Christ with us.”

And so the church did the only logical thing—it removed him from its membership rolls. But now, they are made the villain of the story for holding members accountable to live by Christian teaching on human sexuality. At the risk of repeating what I said about the recent story about InterVarsity, “News Flash: evangelicals have evangelical beliefs.”

But I also want to say this: the Church needs this kind of countercultural courage that Watermark leadership is demonstrating—not only by this story, but by practicing church discipline in the first place! That’s so rare.

The Protestant Reformers listed three marks of a true church—preaching the gospel, administering the sacraments rightly, and church discipline. Back in the 1800s, according to Jonathan Leeman, author of “Church Discipline: How the Church Protects the Name of Jesus,” Baptist churches in America removed about 2 percent of their members per year—and yet they grew faster than the overall growth in the population.

But somewhere along the way, many churches abandoned church discipline. Perhaps it was the growing trend of seeing churchgoers as consumers rather than as fellow sinners who need to be gently led to live the faith they profess. Or maybe it was the rise of a relativistic worldview, which made it hard for any of us to call sin, sin. No one likes being called judgmental or intolerant, which is exactly what Todd Wagner and Watermark Church are now facing.

The neglected art of church discipline needs to be recovered, and not just in order to target those who struggle with particular sins. As Pastor Wagner says, we all struggle with something. No, we do it because Scripture commands it, for the good of the Church, and by extension, the good of the world. Come to BreakPoint.org for some helpful resources on the subject, including some from Watermark Church itself.

But make no mistake—any firm stand for Christian morality, even within the walls of the church, is hard these days. Those who violate church discipline—especially when it has to do with sexual freedom—will be hailed as the good guys of the story.

Which makes the faithful the bad guys. As George Orwell once wrote, “The further a society drifts from the truth, the more it will hate those who speak it.” It’s not hard to imagine that lawsuits will likely accompany the bad press in the near future.

But as Todd Wagner and Watermark have shown us, being faithful to God’s Truth is our highest calling.

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RESOURCES - Discipline is a part of life, and church life is no exception. Practicing loving correction, and accepting that correction, contributes to maturity in the faith. Check out the links below for articles on church discipline, as well as biblical references on this subject.

"Watermark church's 'loving correction' helps members deal with sin" - Todd Wagner | Dallasnews.com | October 16, 2016; http://www.dallasnews.com/opinion/commentary/2016/10/16/watermark-churchs-loving-correction-helps-members-deal-sin
"What Is The Purpose Of Church Discipline" - Todd Wagner | wordsfromwags.com | October 22, 2016; http://wordsfromwags.com/purpose-of-church-discipline/
"Is a church anti-gay for practicing church discipline?" -Denny Burke | dennyburk.com | October 17, 2016; http://www.dennyburk.com/what-happens-when-a-church-practices-church-discipline/
"Our Uniquely Undisciplined Moment (limited access)" - Tom Oden | Christianity Today | October 15, 2007; http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2005/augustweb-only/130-54.0.html
"10 Things You Should Know about Church Discipline" - Jonathan Leeman | Crossway.org | October 3, 2016; https://www.crossway.org/blog/2016/03/10-things-you-should-know-about-church-discipline/

CHURCH DISCIPLINE REFERENCES, NEW TESTAMENT
1 Corinthians 5:1-5 - "It is actually reported that there is sexual immorality among you, and of a kind that even pagans do not tolerate: A man is sleeping with his father’s wife. 2 And you are proud! Shouldn’t you rather have gone into mourning and have put out of your fellowship the man who has been doing this? 3 For my part, even though I am not physically present, I am with you in spirit. As one who is present with you in this way, I have already passed judgment in the name of our Lord Jesus on the one who has been doing this. 4 So when you are assembled and I am with you in spirit, and the power of our Lord Jesus is present, 5 hand this man over to Satan for the destruction of the flesh,[a][b] so that his spirit may be saved on the day of the Lord."
Galatians 6:1 - "Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted."
Matthew 18:15-17 - “If your brother or sister[a] sins,[b] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[c] 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector."
2 Corinthians 3:14-15 - "Take special note of anyone who does not obey our instruction in this letter. Do not associate with them, in order that they may feel ashamed. 15 Yet do not regard them as an enemy, but warn them as you would a fellow believer."

#1753 (10/29) PRO-LIFE SAT: "Hillary Clinton is Wrong: Research Shows Abortion is Never Necessary to Save the Life of the Mother"

"HILLARY CLINTON IS WRONG: RESEARCH SHOWS ABORTION IS NEVER NECESSARY TO SAVE THE LIFE OF A MOTHER"- David Reardon, PH.D., OCT 26, 2016 | http://www.lifenews.com/2016/10/26/hillary-clinton-is-wrong-research-shows-abortion-is-never-necessary-to-save-the-life-of-the-mother/

                  In the most recent presidential debate, Hillary Clinton claimed late-term abortions are sometimes necessary to save women’s lives. That’s great rhetoric, but it is not supported by even a single medical study.

Before examining the “abortion to save women’s lives” question, it is first important to note that only about 1.2 percent of abortions (about 15,000 per year) take place after 20 weeks of gestation. Of these, a good portion are due to partner abandonment or parental pressure. Another chunk are due to an adverse diagnosis of fetal development or simply fear of a fetal defect after exposure to some drug, for example. So only a small percentage of late-term abortions are done with the sole intent of saving the mother from complications with pregnancy.

But even that small number of “lifesaving” abortions is questionable, because the best medical evidence reveals that of the few women who die of disease while pregnant it appears there’s not even one cause of death abortion can prevent (see “Therapeutic Abortion: The Medical Argument,” in the Irish Medical Journal).

Abortion Is Never a Lifesaving Procedure
       Here’s a quick example. Abortion is often recommended for pregnant women who are diagnosed with cancer. But there is zero evidence that those who have abortions are more likely to beat cancer or survive compared to those who refuse abortion. Similarly, the researchers found, there was not a single death among the women who died that an induced abortion could have predicted or prevented.

Now, skeptics may rightly wonder if they should trust my reliance on a single study. In response, I’ll note this study has been around for more than 20 years and no one advocating an abortion has published a study to dispute these findings—despite the abortion industry’s access to hundreds of millions of abortion records worldwide. If they had data to support the myth that abortion saves lives, they would have published it. Absent any evidence, they simply ignore contrary evidence and continue to appeal to the “common sense” myth that abortion is necessary, at least in some hard cases, to save women’s lives.

The lack of medical evidence for any benefit from abortion (in saving women’s lives) is further magnified by the fact that record linkage studies have proven that abortion is associated with a decline in overall health and increase in short- and longer-term mortality rates among women exposed to abortion. There is even a dose effect, with the negative effects on longevity multiplied with each exposure to abortion. So not only does abortion fail to reduce mortality rates among women, it actually contributes to higher mortality rates (most notably in a three-fold increased risk of suicide compared to women not pregnant and a six-fold increased risk compared to those who carry to term), but also due to other negative impacts on women’s health.

Doctors Want Abortion to Save Themselves Trouble
     The real reason doctors recommend abortion for pregnant women facing a disease is that abortion makes it easier for the doctor to focus on just her disease. Abortion instantly reduces the number of patients doctors have to worry about by half. After an abortion, doctors no longer have to avoid treatments that may hurt the baby. Plus, they no longer have to worry about lawsuits in the unlikely event the baby will be born with any birth defects, which may or may not be associated with the doctors’ treatment decisions. In short, many, if not most, “therapeutic” abortions are of more benefit to the doctor’s interests than the woman’s interests.

It is also very clear in the medical literature that women who undergo a “therapeutic” abortion experience the highest rates of depression, grief, guilt, divorces, and other psychological problems. The negative psychological effects of late-term pregnancy are undisputed, even by pro-abortion experts. It’s doubtful parents considering a late-term abortion are informed of this, however, especially when there is any indication of fetal anomaly.

In these cases, those advising abortion are often operating from a eugenic mindset. They are ideologically biased to encourage abortion of the “unfit” and to exaggerate the negatives of carrying to term while underestimating the psychological, physical, familial, and spiritual costs of inducing an abortion.

As can be easily imagined, the psychological costs for women (and their families) who originally intended to carry to term are magnified by the fact that they were originally excited about having a child, have been bonding with their babies for many months, and only after this bonding have felt “obligated” to abort for therapeutic reasons.

Here’s the bottom line: even if a doctor is convinced abortion is necessary to save a woman’s life, he or she should disclose to the patient and her family that a “therapeutic” abortion poses its own risks to her future physical and mental health. The doctor should also admit that the recommendation to abort can only be justified by appeals to the “art of medicine,” not any actual statistically validated studies.

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LifeNews Note: David C. Reardon, PhD, is the director of the Elliot Institute and one of the world’s most published experts on the aftereffects of abortion on women.

#1752 (10/28) "Student Loan Forgiveness Won’t Solve the $1.3 Trillion Problem"

"STUDENT LOAN FORGIVENESS WON'T SOLVE THE $1.3 TRILLION PROBLEM" - Mary Clare Reim / October 21, 2016 / http://dailysignal.com/2016/10/21/student-loan-forgiveness-wont-solve-the-1-3-trillion-problem/[NOTE: As noted in this article, this non-solution to the crisis of student loan debt was pursued by President Obama and is now proposed by Clinton (and previously Bernie Sanders). It's such a ploy to get the votes of Millennials that it's sad it's not seen by more for what it is.- Stan]

College tuition has gotten a lot of attention in 2016, but some plans to to improve it could be disastrous for students and the country. (Photo: Richard B. Levine/Newscom)

With outstanding student loan debt now exceeding $1.3 trillion, it is no wonder that the sticker price of college tuition has gotten a lot of attention in 2016. Yet few proposals have gotten to the root of the college cost problem.

Despite overwhelming evidence that more federal subsidies for higher education increase tuition prices, policies such as “tuition-free” or “debt-free” public college are attracting attention. But such plans do nothing to address price increases and shift more of the financial burden onto taxpayers.

Unfortunately, discussions of higher education policy have increasingly fixated on proposals that would fail to address college costs, and would instead exacerbate prices by creating the wrong incentives for both universities and students.

Income-based repayment, which caps loan repayments at a percentage of a student’s discretionary income, became more generous under the Obama administration. When the program was instituted in 2007, repayments were capped at 15 percent of discretionary income. That amount fell to just 10 percent of discretionary income under President Barack Obama, and, as George Leef, of the John William Pope Center for Higher Education Policy, notes, included “zero measures intended to prevent students from binging on foolhardy borrowing.” The Pope Center is a nonprofit that advocates improving higher education.

In addition to more generous income-based repayment terms, loans are now forgiven after 20 years of payments—or just 10 years if a graduate takes a public sector job. The George W. Bush administration had previously set loan forgiveness at 25 years. Some have suggested even shortening those terms further.

Encouraging more students to borrow to attend college with the knowledge that their loans will eventually be forgiven will worsen current higher education costs.Removing the bulk of a student’s financial responsibility from repaying a loan he or she has agreed to take out will encourage more students to borrow to attend college regardless of whether or not this is a smart financial decision for them.

Meanwhile, colleges and universities will continue to take advantage of ever-increasing federal subsidies and—if history is any guide—continue to raise their tuition prices. Furthermore, American taxpayers, many of whom do not hold bachelor’s degrees themselves, will then be asked to pick up the tab for loan forgiveness.

As more students take out federal loans to finance college, and as federal subsidies continue to crowd out the private loan market, policymakers must begin to address the actual drivers of college costs. In order to reduce college costs, federal subsidies should be limited to make way for a restoration of private lending in the marketplace.

The federal government, as an originator and servicer of student loans, is not and should not be in the position of determining loan terms based on the perceived value of the education students are getting. By contrast, private lenders are in a better position to set loan terms based on student factors such as likelihood to repay, co-signer credit worthiness, school type, and major.

In a paper written by Andrew Kelly and Kevin James, the authors explain that private lenders can take into account “backward-looking” measures, such as a parent’s FICO mortgage score, or “forward-looking” factors such as the likelihood of completing a program and average starting salaries. They note that “by including factors beyond traditional credit measures, these lenders can identify prospects who may lack a credit history but would likely be able to repay a loan after school.”

Unfortunately, as Leef notes, “the deck is stacked against private lenders growing very much.” He said:" One reason the authors point out is that federal law requires financial aid officers to encourage students to exhaust their government borrowing before they go into the private market. There is an obstacle to sensible higher ed financing that ought to be eliminated." 

But even if we could get rid of that rule, the problem remains that federal loans are so easy and attractive (low interest rates and the prospect of partial forgiveness of the debt) that few students will even think about going into the private market.

Loan forgiveness, much like proposals for “free” public college, is misguided policy that ignores the $1.3 trillion problem. More big government solutions are not the answer. A better option is to bring down college costs competitively so that students can finance their education in a reasonable manner.To do this, policymakers should reform the existing accreditation system so that the market can offer new innovative higher education models, restructure federal aid to better direct it to those who need it, and limit federal subsidies to make way for a restoration of private lending models.

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Mary Clare Reim is a Research Associate in Education Policy at The Heritage Foundation.

"The Astonishing Ignorance of Young Adults" - Walter E. Williams / October 26, 2016; http://dailysignal.com/2016/10/26/the-astonishing-ignorance-of-young-adults/

#1751 (10/27) "Chinese Government Urges People to Make Babies - CHINESE PEOPLE TELL GOVERNMENT TO MIND ITS OWN BUSINESS"

"Chinese Government Urges People to Make Babies - CHINESE PEOPLE TELL GOVERNMENT TO MIND ITS OWN BUSINESS" - By: Eric Metaxas| Breakpoint.org: Oct. 20, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/30008

The Chinese government wants to stave off demographic catastrophe. Problem is, the Chinese people don't care what the government thinks.

Over the past decade or more, we've talked on BreakPoint about China's looming fertility crisis. This, of course, is the result of the Communist Party instituting what became known as the "one-child policy" back in 1979. With very few exceptions, Chinese couples were permitted to have only one child. The policy, in the words of the Washington Post, “led to untold millions of forced abortions, sterilizations and horrific abuses of power.”

It also led to a huge demographic problem. As birthrates plummeted, there were fewer and fewer workers, and China’s overall population aged rapidly. China, instead of growing rich and then getting old, like European nations and Japan, will grow old long before it has a chance to get rich.

This has the Communist Party very worried. So worried that they’ve done an about face. They not only dropped the “one-child policy,” they’ve tried to convince Chinese couples that having two kids is their patriotic and political duty. Clumsy party propaganda is telling people to “Train your body, build up strength, get ready for the second baby!” Another slogan read “Get to sleep early, stop playing cards, work hard to produce a child!”

The response? Yawns and outrage. You see, after 35 years of being told “one child is enough,” people have come to believe it. As a recent article in the Washington Post put it, “Having only one has become ingrained in Chinese culture and society, and people no longer believe the party should be telling them what to do in the bedroom.” Actually, that’s an understatement. When officials in Hubei province, east of Shanghai, sent a letter to party members urging them to implement the new “two-child policy,” the result was “outrage” on Chinese social media. One person wrote “You can’t just make people have kids when you want them to, or stop when you tell them, we are humans not pigs!” Even state-run media called the letter “ridiculous and illegal.”

The Chinese people’s response, or lack of it, has put the Party’s plans to arrest the demographic decline in doubt. Its goals were 2.5 million births this year. That is not going to happen. Even with the new policy, “in the long run it is very unlikely that fertility will go above 1.5 children per couple” according to Wang Feng of UC-Irvine. That’s even lower than it is today!

This past summer, I called the “one-child policy” a “self-inflicted” wound. I said that China’s demographic crisis is ultimately a worldview problem. Quoting my friend John Stonestreet, I pointed out that “The secular and certainly communist worldviews see children as commodities: subject either to parents’ desires and ‘lifestyle choices’ or to a government’s economic and political goals.”
In contrast, “Christianity sees children as gifts of God:  the natural, desirable result of the loving, lifelong commitment and physical union of husband and wife.”

That is why the efforts of the Communist Party are doomed to fail: They don’t understand the problem. What’s more, as we talked about yesterday on BreakPoint, the party is bent on persecuting Christians, the very people who could help them and the Chinese people make sense of what’s going on. So the Chinese government is doomed to exhort and cajole and, in turn, to be ignored and even criticized.

As the saying goes “ideas have consequences,” to which I would like to add, “and really disastrous ideas have consequences that endure long after the disaster has become obvious to everyone involved.”

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RESOURCES - Children are a gift from God, not a result of a government's policy edict. Learn more about the spiritual as well as demographic significance of China's problem by clicking on the resources listed below.
"Guns or Canes?: China’s Self-Inflicted Wound" - Eric Metaxas | BreakPoint.org | July 5, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-search/entry/13/29479 
"China's Two-Child Policy: New Number, Same Disaster" - John Stonestreet | BreakPoint.org | Nov. 9, 2015; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-search/entry/13/28425
"China’s Twilight Years" - Howard W. French | The Atlantic | June 2016; http://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2016/06/chinas-twilight-years/480768/
"‘China’s Worst Policy Mistake’?" - Nicolas Kristof | New York Review of Books | April 7, 2016; http://www.nybooks.com/articles/2016/04/07/chinas-worst-policy-mistake/
God's Double Agent: The True Story of a Chinese Christian's Fight for Freedom- Bob Fu, Nancy French | Baker Books | September 2014;
http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/product.asp?sku=9780801017063

#1750 (10/26) "Time for Conservative Intellectuals to Get Comfortable With the Right to Bear Arms"

"TIME FOR CONSERVATIVE INTELLECTUALS TO GET COMFORTABLE WITH THE RIGHT TO BEAR ARMS" - Nelson Lund / October 17, 2016 / http://dailysignal.com/2016/10/17/time-for-conservative-intellectuals-to-get-comfortable-with-the-right-to-bear-arms/

The principal sources of discomfort with the Second Amendment are the authoritarian impulse of those who wield political power and the cowardice they seek to instill in those they rule. (Photo: iStock Photos)

The right to keep and bear arms is a vital element of the liberal order that our Founding Fathers handed down to us. 

As I argue in a new essay for The Heritage Foundation, the founders understood that those who hold political power almost always will strive to reduce the freedom of those they rule and that many of the ruled always will be tempted to trade their liberty for empty promises of security. The causes of these political phenomena are sown in the nature of man.

The Constitution, including the Second Amendment, is a device designed to frustrate the domineering tendencies of the politically ambitious. The Second Amendment also plays an important role in fostering the kind of civic virtue that resists the cowardly urge to trade liberty for an illusion of safety. Armed citizens take responsibility for their own security, thereby exhibiting and cultivating the self-reliance and vigorous spirit that ultimately are indispensable for genuine self-government.

While much has changed since the 18th century, for better and for worse, human nature has not changed. The fundamental principles of our regime and the understanding of human nature on which those principles are based can still be grasped today. Once grasped, they can be defended. Such a defense, however, demands an appreciation of the right to arms that goes beyond the legalistic and narrowly political considerations that drive contemporary gun-control debates.

Regrettably, too many American opinion leaders, forgetting or rejecting the reasons that justify this right, have been extremely uncomfortable with the Second Amendment. The progressive left, for example, largely has been united in promoting restrictions on civilian access to firearms. Lawyers as well, who Tocqueville famously thought could serve America as a kind of democratic aristocracy, have been hostile to gun rights. Until 2008, federal judges—our most elite corps of attorneys—never once had sustained a Second Amendment challenge to a government regulation. State courts, for their part, generally had upheld gun regulations under legal tests that practically gave legislatures a blank check. And the organized bar has lobbied for decades in favor of more restrictive controls on firearms.

Although the U.S. Supreme Court finally rediscovered the Second Amendment, it so far has protected only a narrow right to keep a handgun in one’s home, and it did that much only by a narrow 5-4 vote. Especially after the death of Justice Antonin Scalia, there is little reason to expect that the court will adopt doctrines that offer robust protection for the right to keep and bear arms.

Conservative intellectuals have offered little resistance to conventional elite opinion. Few of these pundits raise their voices against infringements of the right of self-defense, which is the core principle on which our liberal republic was founded. Some, including George Will and Charles Krauthammer, even advocate repeal of the Second Amendment so that the citizenry can be disarmed.

The principal sources of discomfort with the Second Amendment are the authoritarian impulse that comes so naturally to those who wield political power (either directly or through their influence over officeholders) and the cowardice that such people seek to instill in those they rule.

As a crime-control measure, restricting access to weapons by law-abiding citizens has been a proven failure, for reasons with which our Founders were quite familiar. Support for such policies is a sign either of ignorance about their effects or of disregard for the principles on which our republic was founded.

Conservatives constantly and rightly complain about the erosion of individual liberty by bureaucratic government, about the enervating effects of the nanny state, and about the suffocating atmosphere of euphemisms and repressed resentment imposed by the political correctness police. Whatever else has contributed to the decay of America’s republican spirit, forgetfulness or ignorance about the philosophy underlying our free institutions is among the least excusable failings that public intellectuals can display.

That philosophy was articulated by John Locke, William Blackstone, and every one of our Founding Fathers. If more pundits paid more attention to their views, fewer people would think that the right to arms is a product of romanticism about guns or an outmoded 18th-century mentality.

The American right to keep and bear arms, and its continuing value, reflect the reality of human nature and a reasoned response to that reality. The same cannot be said for the views of conservatives who would gut or even repeal the Second Amendment.

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Nelson Lund, J.D., Ph.D., is university professor at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School.

 “The Right to Bear Arms and the American Philosophy of Freedom"- 
http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2016/10/the-right-to-arms-and-the-american-philosophy-of-freedom "Separating Fact from Fiction With the Second Amendment and the War on Guns" - John G. Malcolm /  October 18, 2016; http://dailysignal.com/2016/10/18/separating-fact-from-fiction-with-the-second-amendment-and-the-war-on-guns/

#1749 (10/24-25) "What You Need To Know About the National Debt, In 2 Charts"

"WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE NATIONAL DEBT, IN 2 CHARTS" - Lauren Bowman / Romina Boccia / October 23, 2016 / http://dailysignal.com/2016/10/23/what-you-need-to-know-about-the-national-debt-in-2-charts/ [AS I SEE IT: As significant a problem as our  growing national debt is, it's tragic that in the 3 Presidential and one Vice-Presidential debate, the subject was not even brought up let alone  were the candidates asked what specifically they would  do to reduce it. It's hard to understand how the mainstream media gets away with not acknowledging this continually growing problem that spells disaster in the years ahead for our country. - Stan]

The fact that the national debt jumped by $1.4 trillion in one short year should spur Congress to put an end to this excess.

The debt hit a record-breaking high of $19.6 trillion at the close of the federal government’s 2016 fiscal year on Sept. 30. It had totaled $18.1 trillion at the end of the previous fiscal year.

(Chart by John Fleming/The Heritage Foundation)

The gross national debt includes intragovernmental debt, or debt the federal government owes to itself—for example, to the Social Security trust fund—in addition to debt held by the public.

Federal debt held by the public, or money the government borrowed in financial markets, rose from $13.1 trillion to $14.1 trillion over fiscal 2016. That’s an increase of $1 trillion. Federal debt held by the public now exceeds 75 percent of what the economy produced, as measured by gross domestic product. To put this into perspective, debt owned by the public surpassed 70 percent of GDP during only one other time in American history—from 1944 to 1950, due to the large expenditures for World War II.

The debt not only has skyrocketed but is projected to increase as budget deficits rise due to excessive spending. Social Security, Medicare, and Medicaid—three programs affected by the aging and retirement of the baby boomers—are especially key. These three programs, along with interest on the debt and Obamacare, are projected to make up 83 percent of increased spending over the next decade. To seriously control spending and debt, Congress must alter the authorizing statutes of the programs.

Growing spending fuels the growth in debt. The Congressional Budget Office projects that the debt will rise to 86 percent of GDP by 2026, to 106 percent by 2035, and to 141 percent by 2046.

       America continues on this path of unsustainable debt, we likely will face negative consequences such as higher interest costs, slower economic growth, and a greater chance of a fiscal crisis. According to the CBO, “a large amount of federal debt will reduce the nation’s output and income below what would occur if the debt was smaller.”

We already are experiencing anemic economic growth, as illustrated by the slowest economic recovery in 50 years following the Great Recession. The debt also presents a security challenge to the United States because it reduces the flexibility of the government to address national threats and crises. Congress must begin immediately to take our debt problem seriously.

With the lame-duck session of Congress beginning after the Nov. 8 elections, however, Americans need to pay extra attention that lawmakers don’t get into budget mischief. Confronted with the expiration of a short-term spending measure funding government operations through Dec. 9, Congress may try to increase spending on defense and domestic programs. Lawmakers also are known to use such opportunities where accountability is low to move unpopular legislation, such as extending suspension of the debt limit, set to expire in March.

To control unsustainable spending and debt, Congress should reform programs that run on autopilot budgets, cut excessive domestic spending, and agree to a budget that balances. [Note: 
The Heritage Foundation’s “Blueprint for Balance”(http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2016/02/a-blueprint-for-balance-a-federal-budget-for-2017) and “Blueprint for Reform” (http://www.heritage.org/research/reports/2016/07/blueprint-for-reform) lay out that path in detail.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

Lauren Bowman is a member of The Heritage Foundation's Young Leaders Program. Romina Boccia focuses on federal spending and the national debt as the deputy director of Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies and the Grover M. Hermann fellow in federal budgetary affairs at The Heritage Foundation. Read her research.

"Within a Generation, Our National Debt Will Cost the Typical Family $12,000" - Lauren Bowman / Romina Boccia / October 20, 2016 / http://dailysignal.com/2016/10/20/within-a-generation-our-national-debt-will-cost-the-typical-family-12000/?
"The Government Just Spent $168 Billion More Than the Year Before" - Lauren Bowman / Romina Boccia / October 19, 2016 / http://dailysignal.com/2016/10/19/the-government-just-spent-168-billion-more-than-the-year-before/

#1748 (10/23) SUNDAY SPECIAL: "Christians and Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement - DEFYING TYRANNY"

"Christians and Hong Kong’s Umbrella Movement - DEFYING TYRANNY" - By: Eric Metaxas| Breakpoint.org: Oct. 19, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/30001 [AS I SEE IT: Here's the story of a courageous young Chinese Christian willing to risk imprisonment (and possibly worse) to stand up to the tyrannical government of China. His actions should embarrass we Christians in the West who - without any such threats - rarely speak out against injustice (esp. from our pulpits) and sometimes even some sins out of fear of being derided and being looked down on by the larger society. Will Christians have to continue to lose their freedoms (see post # 1728) before we demonstrate the same courage? Will the Church in the West finally BE the CHURCH? - Stan]

             Why is China trying to reign in democracy in Hong Kong? Maybe Hong Kong being a hotbed of Christianity has something to do with it.

In early October, Joshua Wong, a 20-year-old student from Hong Kong, flew to Thailand to meet with fellow students in that country. No sooner had he gotten off the plane than he was detained by Thai officials, who were eager to curry Beijing’s favor, and then deported back to Hong Kong. It’s not the first time something like this has happened to Wong. As the South China Morning Post put it, Wong “has a habit of visiting countries that deny him entry.”

What makes Wong such a persona non grata? Simply put, he’s a Christian who’s willing to stand up for freedom—and that makes the Chinese communist government in Beijing very nervous.

To understand why, a short history lesson is in order. When Great Britain ceded Hong Kong back to China in 1997, the agreement stated that the principle dubbed “One Country, Two Systems” would govern relations between Hong Kong and mainland China for the next 50 years. Under this principle, Hong Kong’s domestic affairs would be governed by the systems it inherited from Britain. This included freedom of speech, freedom of religion, and, eventually, free elections.

This kind of autonomy made Hong Kong a free, prosperous, and democratic example for the rest of China to compare its lot to, and the Communist Party knew it. Thus, less than 20 years into the agreed-upon 50 years, China began to try and undermine Hong Kong’s autonomy by attempting to “pre-screen” candidates in Hong Kong’s upcoming elections. In response, hundreds of thousands of students, in what came to be known as the “Umbrella Movement” because of the use of umbrellas against the tear gas canisters used by police, shut down large parts of the city for the better part of three months.

And that brings me back to Joshua Wong. As the Wall Street Journal reported, while the protests were about democracy there was “an undercurrent of another, much older tension: Between Christianity and Communist China.” As the Journal pointed out, “Christianity has been a visible element of the demonstrations, with prayer groups, crosses, and protesters reading Bibles in the street.” Hong Kong’s churches played a “quiet but important role in the city’s protests, offering food and shelter to demonstrators.” And, “At least three of the founders of the main protest groups were Christians,” including the then-seventeen-year-old Joshua Wong.

Heightening the tension is Hong Kong’s role in spreading Christianity to the rest of China. As the Journal told readers, “Hong Kong churches have long tried to spread Christianity in China. Protestant pastors based in Hong Kong have helped propagate the evangelical brands of Christianity that have alarmed the Chinese leadership in Beijing with their fast growth.”

This alarm is why, as I recently explained on BreakPoint, China has been cracking down on Christians lately. The Chinese government sees subverting Hong Kong’s autonomy as yet another way of suppressing Christianity.Christianity is a rejection of, as former Cardinal Joseph Zen put it, “the whole culture which is now reigning in China, a culture of falsity, of dishonesty, a lack of spiritual values.”

Wong, a student at a Christian University in Hong Kong, is the face of that rejection. He cites the command to be salt and light and says that Christians have “a more important role in the world other than being just a normal citizen in society who wants to earn money.”

This kind of conviction in the face of tyranny is enough to make any tyrant nervous. And it’s the kind of conviction we Christians in the West may be called on to display in the years ahead.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

RESOURCES
"Hong Kong Pro-Democracy Activist Joshua Wong Denied Entry to Thailand" - Ned Levin and Nopparat Chaichalearmmongkol | Wall Street Journal |October 5, 2016; http://www.wsj.com/articles/hong-kong-pro-democracy-activist-joshua-wong-detained-in-thailand-1475631648

"Hong Kong student Joshua Wong avoids jail over pro-democracy protest" - Tom Phillips | The Guardian | August 14, 2016; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2016/aug/15/hong-kong-student-joshua-wong-avoids-jail-over-pro-democracy-protest

"Hong Kong 'umbrella movement' marks first anniversary and vows to fight on" - Tom Phillips | The Guardian | September 28, 2015; https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/sep/28/hong-kong-umbrella-movement-first-anniversary-democracy

"Unbroken in China: The Growing Chinese Church" - Eric Metaxas | BreakPoint.org | August 15, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/breakpoint-commentaries-search/entry/13/29703

Jesus in Beijing: How Christianity Is Transforming China and Changing the Global Balance of Power- David Aikman | Regnery Publishing | December 2006

#1747 (10/22) PRO-LIFE SAT: "3 Ways to Expose the Truth About Planned Parenthood"

"3 WAYS TO EXPOSE THE TRUTH ABOUT PLANNED PARENTHOOD" - Beverly Hallberg / Oct. 16, 2016 / http://dailysignal.com/2016/10/16/3-ways-to-expose-the-truth-about-planned-parenthood/

Women deserve the truth about abortion, and they deserve better. (Photo: Jeff Malet/SIPA /Newscom)


Usually the century mark for a person, place, or thing is a momentous and joyous occasion. Not so this time. [Last Sunday], Planned Parenthood turned 100. Both pro-lifers and pro-choicers are marking the organization’s birthday in hashtags: #100YearsOfAbuse and #100YearsStrong, respectively.

But the statistics that have emerged from that 100-year reign are staggering. The award for “most notable” goes to—more than 7 million abortions. And Cecile Richards has claimed: “We’ve made incredible gains during our first century and we’re just getting started. We will build on our proud legacy and launch our second century with as much passion, courage, and conviction as our first.”

Planned Parenthood is likely here to stay (at least for the foreseeable future), but that doesn’t mean we stop having conversations about the organization and the truth behind its practices.

Here are three ways to talk to someone in your life about Planned Parenthood.
     1) Common Ground - Whether pro-life or pro-choice, it’s safe to assume you want women to have access to quality health care.
     The definition of “quality health care” is where the two sides diverge. It seems reasonable to claim that quality health care should include a safe and clean environment where nurses and doctors provide all the information to a patient. And if that patient is pregnant, the information provided includes an ultrasound with a detectable heartbeat.
     But to start with common ground means to establish the low bar of quality health care as a right we can all support. Don’t wade into the bothersome details just yet.

2) Examples- Though Planned Parenthood has escaped the restriction of federal funds, the facts don’t lie and are hard to deny. It’s very important to cite the numerous other health care providers, what services they perform, and their accessibility.
     First, there are 20 times as many federally qualified health care centers that serve women as Planned Parenthoods. The argument that closing Planned Parenthood clinics or restricting their funds will inhibit access to quality health care for women is ridiculous. Don’t we want women to have access to a health care provider in their neighborhood? Doesn’t proximity matter?
    Second, The Daily Signal cited a few interesting numbers. Planned Parenthood claims about 30 percent of all abortions in the United States every year. Compare this outrageous number to the percentage of Pap tests performed (less than 1 percent) and breast exams (less than 2 percent).
     If a woman needs a mammogram (which Planned Parenthood is not licensed to perform), why not remove the middleman that Planned Parenthood has become? Don’t we want clinics that offer access to every health service instead of just a few?
     Third, we’re all aware of the horrifying videos released by David Daleiden that rasied questions about the selling of baby parts by Planned Parenthood for profit. (Planned Parenthood had denied any illegal activity.) Though the organization has avoided suffering any major consequences, the videos exist and those conversations are difficult to forget.
     If we care about women, it’s important to point out that altering abortions (therefore putting a woman’s health in danger) in order to make a profit is not only illegal, but heartbreaking. Women deserve the truth, and they deserve better.

3) Words - Words are one of the best defenses you have in this conversation. It’s “baby” vs. “fetus,” and neither side can change what terms they use because both risk losing the argument. So, stick with “unborn baby/child.” Humanize the life the other side refuses to.
     Also, talk about rights. Pro-choicers love to talk about the human right to do with your body what you want. But their opinion of when the same rights do/don’t apply to an unborn child are loose (at best), and are usually defined by convenience. So, fight back.
     Steal the word “rights” to talk about the unborn child and their right to dignity and respect. As medical advances show more clearly when life begins, the battle for the word “rights” becomes more important.
     Just make sure that when talking about Planned Parenthood and abortion you don’t demonize the women who’ve chosen this option. Many have been lied to and felt like they had no choice. To win this argument is to show compassion—for the mother and for the baby growing inside her.

Planned Parenthood has been around for 100 years, but that doesn’t mean the organization will celebrate another century of “success”—especially with the rise of health care technology, social media, and your willingness to have a conversation about the true nature of its practice. Gather your facts, establish common ground (remember: this is a conversation, not a shouting match), cite examples, and choose your words wisely.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

Beverly Hallberg is a contributor to The Daily Signal, a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation, and president of District Media Group.
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"Why Liberals Don’t Care If Planned Parenthood Sells Baby Parts" - By Holly Scheer, The Federalist, JULY 22, 2015; http://thefederalist.com/2015/07/22/why-liberals-dont-care-if-planned-parenthood-sells-baby-parts/

#1746 (10/21) "For 100 Years, Planned Parenthood Has Silenced Millions Of Women, Including Me"

ATTENTION: Please SCROLL DOWN this page to find the article titled on this post in LARGE BRIGHT BLUE CAPITAL LETTERS. Thank you.)

PRAYER MATTERS:"To clasp the hands in prayer is the beginning of an uprising against the disorder of the world." - Karl Barth; "Prayer is inviting God into a seemingly impossible situation and trusting/resting in His love and grace to accomplish His perfect will in His perfect time and for His greatest glory." - Stan 

PRAY FOR AMERICA: THANK GOD for His many blessings on America throughout it's history. May we then ask that AMERICA once again be a blessing TO GOD, by once again submitting to HIS will in our affairs - both personal and national - that He may truly "heal our land." (2 Chron. 7:14) Short of that, we should not be saying "God Bless America"but instead "God be merciful towards America!" Rev. Franklin Graham: "I do know that the president defends Islam and chastises Christians, rebukes our allies and befriends our enemies, and fully supports gay marriages and abortion but denies the religious freedoms of those who don't agree. Our nation is ridiculed abroad and morally crumbling within. We are in trouble. We have turned our back on God."

PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS:  Let's be praying that they might be Spirit-filled, leading us with Godly wisdom and integrity; that they will  only pass legislation and enact policies that will benefit Americans today as well as future generations and NOT do any lasting harm.
PRAY that the justices sitting on the Supreme Court will only hand down decisions that are in the best interests of our country now and for future generations. [NOTE: There are only 18 days until Election Day. Please consider praying DAILY beginning  TODAY - if you are not already -  that Americans will vote in November with wisdom and discernment, for the leaders and policies that are best for America today and for generations to come. Pray that Americans will elect leaders at the state (Governors, state legislators) and national (Congress and President) levels who have Spirit-filled wisdom, integrity, and a Biblical world-view, who will know and do what is best for us today as well as for future generations.
YOUR Vote Is Important This Coming November. Check out the following site with answers to your questions of …Why should I vote? How to register to vote? What [more] can I do?http://www.commit2vote2016.com/

 This is a photo of 3 of Asia's daughters holding a picture of their imprisoned mother.

URGENT: A Christian Mother's Mandatory Death Penalty Could Be Overturned. PRAY and Sign the Petition Now! 
- https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/save-christian-mom-asia-bibi-from-execution? - Almost 6 years ago, when Bibi defended her faith at her workplace, the workers accused her of insulting the Islamic prophet Mohmmed. She was soon arrested on blasphemy charges and sentenced to death by hanging by a local judge. She has been languishing on death row nearly 6 years - separated from her husband and five kids all because of her Christian faith. Since then lawyers and human rights activists have been working around the clock to appeal the case and give her a second chance at life.
     Now, after more than 2,100 excruciating days, Pakistan's Supreme Court has just granted her an early review of her final appeal. This is a monumental moment in her case. Pakistan's Supreme Court will hear her final appeal THIS week -  on Wed.Oct. 12 -  to decide whether she lives or dies. On that day, the court could release her or have her hanged. If executed, she would be the first woman executed under Pakistan's brutal blasphemy law. The American Center for Law and Justice has been aggressively advocating for her freedom for years - including through our office on the ground in Pakistan. But now is the time for urgent action. The ACLJ is stepping up their vigorous legal advocacy campaign across the globe for her freedom. It is imperative that each of us be heard. 
     Christian Solidarity Worldwide (CSW) is asking Christians around the world to join in a 24/7 prayer marathon the week of her appeal. CSW is asking them to pray for the following: 
That Asia would be acquitted.
For her strength and restoration during and after the hearing.
For wisdom and protection for Saiful Malook, her lawyer; and for the judges hearing her case.
For the wider Christian community who may face a backlash whatever the outcome of the appeal.
For an outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Pakistan, to maintain calm in the country.
For justice for others accused of blasphemy, and that the government would urgently amend the blasphemy laws.

Don't let them execute Christian mom Asia Bibi!; SIGN the petition and PRAY for this court decision! [I've been praying in addition that , should she be released and the situation be too tense for her and her family to remain in Pakistan, they would be able to find asylum in another country, possibly even the U.S. - Stan]

 MY PERSONAL UPDATE: Please scroll down to  JOURNAL entry on right side of this blog page for my LATEST news. 10/15 - PRAY that my recent stretch of ill health will FINALLY come to an end.

MILITARY TRANSGENDER POLICY: Contact Armed Services Chairmen McCain (committee number: 202-224-3871; office number: 202-224-2235) and  Rep. Thornberry (committee number: 202-225-4151; office number: 202-225-3706) and ask them to put the  brakes on the National Defense Authorization Act conference report until military transgenderism is addressed. America's safety depends on it."

"PROTECT LOCAL SCHOOLS from Federal Overreach into Kids' Restrooms"/ Contact your local school:  - http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=AL16H05&f=AL16H05##FORM

SIGN THE PETITION: Encourage Congress to STOP THE HARVESTING OF ABORTED BABIES (see story in post ##1581) - http://aclj.org/pro-life/stop-planned-parenthood-from-harvesting-and-selling-babies-organs?

Coming In October: "Voiceless." Talk to your pastor about this movie that challenges those who consider themselves pro-life Christians to be more involved more in the effort to rescue the unborn. Go to http://joinvoiceless.com and share it with others. 

BE Prepared TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ABORTION (...because ALL Babies Matter!): Go to: LIFE Training Institute - http://prolifetraining.com/resources/five-minute-11/  
Be Prepared TO ENGAGE WITH THE PC CULTURE: Go to:"Tactics" -
http://townhall.com/columnists/mikeadams/2016/04/29/tactics-n2154983;"Asking Questions"- 
http://www.breakpoint.org/bpcommentaries/entry/13/29295

 MY PERSONAL UPDATE: Please scroll down to  JOURNAL entry on right side of this blog page for my LATEST news. 10/15 - PRAY that the recent stretch of ill health I've struggled with for several weeks now will FINALLY come to an end. Thank you for your prayers.

World-Wide Prayer Requests:

Learn about Christian Persecution; Check out the World Watch List:
http://live.opendoorsusa.org/wwl/?utm_source=action&utm_medium=email&utm_content=content-banner&utm_campaign=may-2016
PRAY for the ON-GOING crisis now happening in IRAQ/SYRIA.  Pray that coalition forces will be able to destroy the leadership and infrastructure of ISIS.
"Why It's Becoming More Difficult to Be a Christian in INDIA" - 03-03-2016;
http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2016/March/Why-Its-Becoming-More-Difficult-to-Be-a-Christian-in-India

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"FOR 100 YEARS, PLANNED PARENTHOOD HAS SILENCED MILLIONS OF WOMEN, INCLUDING ME" - By Abby Johnson, Oct. 19, 2016; http://thefederalist.com/2016/10/19/100-years-planned-parenthood-silenced-millions-women-including/?

Planned Parenthood has consistently claimed to ‘care’ for women and champion ‘women’s rights’—yet they silence any woman who thinks women deserve better than Planned Parenthood.

Following Planned Parenthood’s celebration of their 100th anniversary over the weekend, where PP and allies proclaimed “100 years strong” a chorus of women are telling a different story.

Planned Parenthood CEO Cecile Richards said in a recent interview that she finds it “exciting” to hear women tell their abortion stories. Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton and her running mate Tim Kaine also recently said they “trust women,” and that’s why they support abortion on demand and funded by taxpayers.

Why do Planned Parenthood and their allies only “trust women” and only want to hear women’s stories when they agree with Planned Parenthood? Why do they work to silence any women who disagree with them? Don’t our stories matter?

Throughout history, women have often been treated as second-class citizens and their voices silenced. But this is 2016, and all women deserve to be heard. Planned Parenthood has consistently claimed to “care” for women “no matter what” and champion “women’s rights”—yet they frantically silence any woman who thinks women deserve better than Planned Parenthood.

I Know Planned Parenthood Really Well
     At Planned Parenthood’s 100th anniversary, I find it important to tell my story, too. I worked for Planned Parenthood for eight years and was director of one of their abortion facilities in Texas. I got involved with their organization because I fell for their talking points and believed we were helping women and that Planned Parenthood wanted to reduce the number of abortions in America. I was wrong.
     In August 2009, and much to my surprise, I was told to double our abortion quota to increase our facility’s income. A month later, I saw a 13-week-old baby fight for his life against the abortion instruments. In that moment it became clear that Planned Parenthood doesn’t want to reduce the number of abortions and that women’s lives aren’t really their priority. This was the exact moment when I realized I could no longer stay at Planned Parenthood. Abortion wasn’t an unfortunate solution to the problem of an unplanned pregnancy. Abortion was a product Planned Parenthood was selling, and at an astronomical rate.
     I left Planned Parenthood and the abortion industry in 2009, and I now stand together with more than 300 former abortion clinic workers in an organization called “And Then There Were None.” “And Then There Were None” is a network of former abortion clinic workers who are stepping forward to tell our stories about what really happens behind the closed doors of Planned Parenthood and abortion facilities across America. We are stepping forward because our voices deserve to be heard, and America deserves to know the truth. We are not the only ones who deserve to be heard. ATTWN is 300 strong, but we’re only one side of the story.

Planned Parenthood Has Silenced Millions of Women
     What about the women who mourn the loss of their child after an abortion? What about the women who regret their abortions? And what about the women, like Tonya Reeves, who lost their lives after undergoing an abortion at a Planned Parenthood facility [htmlttp://abcnews.go.com/US/chicago-womans-family-lawyers-abortion-related-death/story?id=16845276]? Will Planned Parenthood allow their stories to be heard?
     What about the beautiful stories of true female empowerment and motherhood, like Britney Spears’ little sister Jamie Lynn Spears [hhttp://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-3655234/The-world-came-crashin-Jamie-Lynn-Spears-opens-finding-pregnant-16-praises-bada-sister-Britney-ahead-TLC-movie.] or “16 and Pregnant” star Catelynn Lowell? Don’t their stories deserve to be heard? 
     What about the women like Claire Culwell, who survived abortion and now speaks publicly on the topic? Doesn’t Claire deserve to tell her story? At 13 years old, Claire’s mother had an abortion. A few weeks later, Claire’s mom went back to the doctor and was shocked to hear she’d been pregnant with twins. Only one of the two babies had been aborted. Claire was born several weeks early, with dislocated hips, was adopted by a beautiful family, and now is married with a child of her own. Will Planned Parenthood continue to silence Claire and her abortion story?
     Then there are the more than 7 million children Planned Parenthood has aborted. What about all of the baby girls who have been aborted in Planned Parenthood clinics, who are unable to speak for themselves?

Planned Parenthood Cares, All Right—About Money
    Planned Parenthood has spent the past 100 years covering up the truth with creative rhetoric, political games like spending $30 million ahead of November’s election, and constantly referring back to their slogan: “Care, no matter what.” The American people are smarter than that, and we know America deserves better than anything Planned Parenthood offers.

For 100 years, Planned Parenthood has told women they don’t have a voice unless they agree with Planned Parenthood. For 100 years, Planned Parenthood has pressured women into buying their rhetoric and joining their cause. For 100 years, Planned Parenthood has told women that they aren’t strong enough to be mothers and they can’t achieve their goals without abortion and birth control. For 100 years, Planned Parenthood has treated women as commodities. For 100 years, Planned Parenthood has exploited women to increase business revenue. For 100 years, Planned Parenthood has treated the children of the women they claim to serve as garbage—often literally throwing their bodies out with the trash.

I am saddened that for eight years of my life I worked for Planned Parenthood and played a role in their deceit. Now I stand with the countless women of this great nation who proclaim Planned Parenthood isn’t 100 years strong, but rather 100 years wrong.

Women deserve better than Planned Parenthood. Every woman deserves to be heard. Every woman deserves to feel truly empowered—and that’s something Planned Parenthood doesn’t offer.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

"15 States Have Moved to Defund Planned Parenthood Since Undercover Videos Were Released" - Leah Jessen / October 18, 2016; http://dailysignal.com/2016/10/18/15-states-have-moved-to-defund-planned-parenthood-funding-since-undercover-videos-were-released/
"Planned Parenthood Is No Friend To Women" - By Bre Payton, The Federalist, SEPT. 4, 2015; http://thefederalist.com/2015/09/04/planned-parenthood-is-no-friend-to-women/
"The Real Reason Planned Parenthood Trashes OTC Birth Control" - By Willis L. Krumholz, The Federalist, JUNE 10, 2015; http://thefederalist.com/2015/06/10/the-real-reason-planned-parenthood-trashes-otc-birth-control/