#2159 (12/7) "What Trump’s Decision on Jerusalem Means for Israel and the Middle East"

"WHAT TRUMP'S DECISION ON JERUSALEM MEANS FOR ISRAEL AND THE MIDDLE EAST" - James Phillips/ December 06, 2017 / http://dailysignal.com/wp-content/uploads/TrumpJerusalemEO-385x200.jpg

President Donald Trump is handed an executive order after announcing plans to move the U.S. Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. (Photo: Oliver Contreras/Sipa USA/Newscom)

President Donald Trump on Wednesday kept his campaign promise to recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and ordered the State Department to make plans to eventually move the U.S. Embassy there from Tel Aviv.
    The long-delayed, symbolic move addressed a historic injustice: Israel is the only country in the world not allowed to choose its own capital. Trump also exercised America’s sovereign right to recognize the capital of a close ally and choose the location of its own embassy.
    In recent years, the refusal of many nations to acknowledge Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has become an integral part of the international campaign to de-legitimize Israel. By recognizing Israeli sovereignty and historic ties to its capital city, the president not only struck a dramatic blow against this campaign, but reaffirmed the importance of close Israeli-American ties.
    The president’s announcement also corrects a longtime historic anomaly: that the U.S. has a consulate general in Jerusalem to conduct diplomatic relations with the Palestinians, but no embassy in Jerusalem for engaging Israelis.

The commitment to move the embassy was already a longstanding U.S. policy. Congress voted by a bipartisan majority to pass the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995, which called for moving the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem by 1999, but allowed presidents to waive the move on national security grounds. Every president since then has signed the waiver due to fear of provoking a backlash that would threaten U.S. interests and reduce the prospects for a final settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
    But the Oslo peace process stalled anyway, primarily due to continued Palestinian terrorism that undermined Israeli willingness to make increasingly risky concessions in exchange for Palestinian promises that often were not kept.

No Good Deed Goes Unpunished in the Middle East
    The president is making a calculated gamble that Palestinian and other Arab leaders are more interested in negotiating a peace agreement, restraining extremism, and cooperating to contain Iran, than in escalating a confrontation with Israel and the United States.
    U.S. officials have clearly stated that the president’s Jerusalem statement does not foreclose on peace negotiations, negate Palestinian claims to East Jerusalem, or rule out the creation of a Palestinian state.
    Moreover, they have stressed that the Jerusalem statement does not alter U.S. policy toward the Muslim religious sites in Jerusalem, which will remain under Jordanian administrative control. This is important because control of the sites has been a highly emotional issue that anti-Israeli extremists have exploited to incite violence against Israel.
    But Iran, Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qaeda, the Islamic State, and other Islamist extremist movements are likely to seize on the Jerusalem issue to whip up opposition to the United States and Israel. There is a risk that this could distract Washington’s Arab allies and reduce their willingness to publicly cooperate with the United States to combat these forces.
    There is also a risk that the Jerusalem statement could enable troublemakers to mobilize anti-American demonstrations and possibly riots. Terrorists also might use it as a pretext for attacks on the U.S. or Israel that they were already inclined to launch in any case.

Acknowledging Reality Gives Peace a Chance
    The president has recognized a reality—that Jerusalem is Israel’s capital—without taking a position on the city’s final status that would be incompatible with a negotiated settlement. 
Nevertheless, the president’s statement could disrupt Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations in the short run. But those negotiations have been moribund for years.

Anti-Israeli and anti-Western Muslim states and movements opposed to any peace with Israel will willfully distort the implications of the move and exploit it for propaganda purposes. If the Palestinian Authority chooses to intentionally misinterpret the implications of the president’s Jerusalem statement, then it is an indication that it is more concerned with denying Israel’s rights and sovereignty than with reaching a peace agreement that could affirm its own rights and sovereignty. This would mean it is not a genuine partner for peace, but remains locked into the old zero-sum thinking that has perpetuated the conflict at great cost to the Palestinian and Israeli people.

Trump’s statement could have a positive impact in the long run if it shocks Palestinian and other Arab leaders into recognizing that the longer they wait to genuinely accept Israel’s existence and sign a peace treaty, the less they can expect to gain from such a treaty.
    The bottom line is that Trump has acted to implement a policy long mandated by law and supported by a bipartisan majority in Congress.
    While his Jerusalem statement may complicate peace negotiations and undermine cooperation with Arab allies in the short run, it reflects a realism that could benefit U.S. policy and Arab thinking in the long run.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

James Phillips is the senior research fellow for Middle Eastern affairs at the Douglas and Sarah Allison Center for Foreign Policy Studies at The Heritage Foundation. He has written extensively on Middle Eastern issues and international terrorism since 1978.

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"Trump Makes His Move on Jerusalem" - Tony Perkins, Washington Update, December 06, 2017; http://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20171206/trump-jerusalem

"Why History Says Jerusalem Belongs to the Jews" - CBN NEWS, 12-06-2017; http://www1.cbn.com/cbnnews/israel/2017/december/why-history-says-jerusalem-belongs-to-the-jews?cpid=EU_CBNNEWS

#2158 (12/6) "Jack Phillips Before the Supreme Court - “Tolerance Is a Two-Way Street"

 "JACK PHILLIPS BEFORE THE SUPREME COURT - “TOLERANCE IS A TWO-WAY STREET" - by John Stonestreet & Roberto Rivera, Breakpoint.org, Dec. 6, 2017; http://www.breakpoint.org/2017/12/breakpoint-jack-phillips-before-the-supreme-court/ [NOTE - The case is usually voted on right after it is heard and only announced months later.]

I was honored yesterday to rally in support of Jack Phillips on the steps outside the Supreme Court. Now I’d like to tell you what went on inside.
    Yesterday, the Supreme Court heard oral arguments in Masterpiece Cake Shop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. Eric Metaxas and I have given you the details before, of Colorado master cake designer Jack Phillips who declined to design a wedding cake for a same-sex couple. As David Brooks wrote in yesterday’s New York Times, “Phillips is not trying to restrict gay marriage or gay rights; he’s simply asking not to be forced to take part.”
    Neither the couple or the state of Colorado saw it that way. Phillips was found to have violated the state’s anti-discrimination law, and forced to choose between his convictions and losing forty percent of his business. Phillips appealed to the Supreme Court.

While Phillips’s actions were grounded in his religious beliefs, the legal argument was primarily about whether Colorado had violated his right to free speech. Unlike those commentators who disparaged the idea that creating custom cakes constitutes a form of speech, yesterday the Court took the question seriously.
    Phillips’ lawyer, Kristen Waggoner of the Alliance Defending Freedom, argued that “the first amendment protects bakers such as Mr. Phillips against being forced to express any belief, and that as a custom-cake maker, he sketches, sculpts and hand-paints—in other words, he’s an artist.”
    Waggoner had barely gotten started when the questions began. Responding to Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg, she reiterated that neither she nor her client were challenging his obligation to sell his ordinary wares to everyone. In fact, he offered to sell the couple any already-made cake in his store. Custom cakes, Waggoner told the Court, were a different matter. The use of writing and symbols convey a message in a way that a cake off the shelf does not.
    Inevitably the comparison to race came up. The best answer was given by U. S. Solicitor General Noel Francisco. Francisco, in response to several justices, argued that discrimination on the basis of race, such as refusing to serve an interracial couple, was different than refusing to participate in a ceremony. He also argued that upholding Phillips’ free speech rights would not damage civil rights protection because it would only apply to “a small group of individuals” in “narrow circumstances.” However, Justice Breyer disagreed.

But the roughest treatment was reserved for Colorado’s Solicitor General Fred Yarger because of Colorado’s treatment of Phillips throughout the whole ordeal. Justice Kennedy—likely the swing vote in this case—told him that tolerance must go both ways, adding that, “It seems to me the state has been neither tolerant nor respectful” of Jack Phillips views.
    He cited a comment by a member of the Civil Rights Commission, who called Phillips’ religious beliefs “one of the most despicable pieces of rhetoric.” He then asked Yarger to disavow the comment. After Yarger lamely replied that he wouldn’t counsel a client to say a such a thing, Kennedy pressed him, and Yarger disavowed. It’s never a good thing when a judge asks you to disavow your client’s statement.

So where are we? Justice Kennedy definitely seems troubled by the way Phillips was treated, and it’s encouraging that he insisted tolerance is a “two-way street.” Heartening as well was Justice Breyer’s asking Yarger if some kind of compromise might be possible. Whatever else Breyer is thinking, he seems to be concerned that Colorado didn’t make sufficient allowance for people with dissenting views.

I can’t tell you whether Phillips will prevail, but there’s reason to be encouraged. It’s also possible that Kennedy could side with Phillips, but in a narrow opinion that would open the floodgate for future cases. Even then, that better, far better than a Phillips loss.

So let’s continue to pray earnestly that Phillips, and [religfreedom, prevails. [Actually, the case is usually voted on right after it is heard and only announced months later.]

 [bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

RESOURCES - As both John and Eric have stated, this free speech case is extremely important. So continue to pray for the justices of our Supreme Court, that God would guide them in their deliberations and decision in this free speech and religious freedom case.

"All eyes on Kennedy" - Emily Belz | WORLD magazine | December 5, 2017; https://world.wng.org/2017/12/all_eyes_on_kennedy

"The Great Supreme Court Cake-Off: Christian Bakers vs. Gay Weddings" - Kate Shellnutt | Christianity Today | December 5, 2017; http://www.christianitytoday.com/news/2017/december/supreme-court-masterpiece-cakeshop-christians-gay-weddings.html
"Jack Phillips’s (and Our) Day in Court  Freedom of Speech, Religion, at Stake" - by: Eric Metaxas & David Carlson, Breakpoint.org, Dec. 5, 2017, http://www.breakpoint.org/2017/12/breakpoint-jack-phillipss-and-our-day-in-court/ 
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"4 Highlights From Christian Baker’s Wedding Cake Case at Supreme Court" - Emilie Kao /  December 05, 2017 / http://dailysignal.com/2017/12/05/4-highlights-christian-bakers-wedding-cake-case-supreme-court/
"Podcast: The Biggest Case Since Roe v. Wade?" - Daniel Davis / Jarrett Stepman /  December 05, 2017 / http://dailysignal.com/2017/12/05/podcast-biggest-case-since-roe-v-wade/

#2157 (12/5) "As Christian Baker Heads to Court [TODAY], Hundreds of Artists Speak Out to Defend Free Expression"

"AS CHRISTIAN BAKER HEADS TO COURT [TODAY] HUNDREDS OF ARTISTS SPEAK OUT TO DEFEND FREE EXPRESSION" - Zachary Jones / Larry Brett / Tiffany Bates / December 04, 2017 / http://dailysignal.com/2017/12/04/christian-baker-heads-court-hundreds-artists-speak-defend-free-expression [NOTE: Be sure to check out yesterday's (12/4) post to get a fuller explanation of the religious liberty implications of the Court's decision.]

On Tuesday, the Supreme Court is slated to hear oral arguments in a case that could have wide-ranging implications for free speech and artistic expression. (Photo: iStock Photos)

The Supreme Court [will hear TODAY] one of the most important cases of the 2017 term. In Masterpiece Cakeshop v. Colorado Civil Rights Commission, the court will consider whether the state of Colorado may compel cake artist Jack Phillips to create custom wedding cakes for same-sex weddings in violation of his religious beliefs.

The court’s decision in this case won’t just affect Phillips. It will affect other artists who may want to decline to use their creative talents on projects that violate their own consciences. To highlight just how broadly this decision will be felt, 11 cake artists and 479 other creative professionals filed amicus briefs at the Supreme Court. Here’s what these groups said in the briefs.

Cake Artists - The 11 cake artists who came together for this amicus brief note that cake design is a form of art. They explained to the court that they “create images of beauty that evoke ideas and emotions in deliciously edible form.” And if you don’t believe them, they included plenty of pictures in the brief.
    While these artists did not write for or against any party in their brief, they explain that the creative process involved in making cakes is just as intricate and expressive as songwriting, painting, or web design. Cake artists must use visual-art skills such as painting, drawing, and sculpting, and they must be able to create a unified whole from a series of individual artistic elements, such as textures, photographs, three-dimensional objects, and color.
    In fact, custom cake design is so artistic that artists’ designs can be protected under federal intellectual property law. As the brief points out, the Library of Congress has thousands of custom cake designs in its copyright record.
   The cake artists also explain why wedding cakes are unique and are often “the most iconic examples of the artists’ craft.” Unlike birthday cakes or “get well soon” cakes, wedding cakes often incorporate elements that reflect the couple’s personality. These cakes are often themed, matching the pattern of the invitations or the couple’s fine china. Or they can feature hand-drawn characters from “Alice in Wonderland,” paying tribute to the bride’s favorite childhood story. Wedding cakes can also reflect the ethnic heritage of the couple, incorporating colors and shapes from a shared cultural background.
    The cake artists also point out that same-sex wedding cakes “can be especially artistic.” They often utilize rainbows both on the exterior and interior of a cake, and the cake artists have “found that cakes for same-sex weddings are frequently far more open to displays of personality and vivid expression, allowing the cake artist a decidedly freer hand in creation.”
   The cake artists emphasize that they “merit as much protection for their expressive work as artists using other mediums,” and they note that the court’s existing free speech framework already includes symbolic nonverbal expression. In two famous cases, Texas v. Johnson (which recognized burning of the American flag as expressive conduct) and West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette (which recognized the right not to salute the American flag), the court recognized that the First Amendment protects symbolic expression, not just verbal or written communication. Wedding cakes, these artists say, should qualify, too.

Other Creative Professionals - In another amicus brief specifically supporting Phillips, 479 creative professionals from all 50 states, D.C., and Puerto Rico highlight their concern that a ruling against Phillips will threaten their expressive freedom in the workplace.
    These cake designers, musicians, florists, photographers, journalists, videographers, poets, songwriters, calligraphers, graphic designers, cartoonists, bloggers, website designers, authors, actors, writers, sculptors, and painters have differing views on gay marriage. But they come together here for one purpose: “They do not want the state forcing them to convey objectionable messages through their art.”
    They tell the stories of creative professionals in the wedding industry—other cake-makers, filmmakers, custom website designers, creators of printing and marketing material, and photographers—who “face crippling fines, loss of business, government re-education, and even jail time” for declining to participate in a same-sex wedding. They highlight this dangerous trend in state court and urge the Supreme Court to reverse course and protect each of their rights to “create freely.” “It is difficult to imagine,” they write, “a more onerous and effectual compulsion to speak.”
    
    Finally, the creative professionals propose that while this case is limited to the same-sex wedding context, “creative professionals of all stripes stand to suffer from undue compulsion” in other areas, should the court rule against Phillips.
   They ask: Should an African-American supporter of ‘Black Lives Matter’ be required to make and design a cake for white nationalist function? Must a graphic designer who supports gun control create advocacy literature for the National Rifle Association? Is an atheist photographer obliged to take and publish pictures of a Christian baptism?
    These creative professionals believe that under the First Amendment, the answer clearly is no. They hope the government will not compel them or anyone else “to utter messages—through art of their own making—that betrays their values, wills, and consciences, as well as their tongues.”

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

Zachary Jones is a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. Larry Brett is a member of the Young Leaders Program at The Heritage Foundation. Tiffany Bates serves as legal policy analyst in the Meese Center for Legal and Judicial Studies at The Heritage Foundation.

"After Declining to Make a Wedding Cake, He’s Going to the Supreme Court. Here’s How That Journey Challenged His Faith." - Kelsey Harkness / November 29, 2017; http://dailysignal.com/2017/11/29/after-declining-to-make-a-wedding-cake-hes-going-to-the-supreme-court-heres-how-that-journey-challenged-his-faith
"Watch Ryan Anderson Spar With LGBT Rights Advocate on Christian Baker Case" - Video Team / December 04, 2017; http://dailysignal.com/2017/12/04/watch-ryan-anderson-spar-with-lgbt-rights-advocate-on-christian-baker-case/
"Will the Supreme Court Recognize Consumable Beauty in Wedding Cake Case?" - by Peter Sprigg, Washington Update, Dec. 4, 2017; http://www.frcblog.com/2017/12/will-supreme-court-recognize-consumable-beauty-wedding-cake-case/
"SCOTUS Arguments Take the Cake" - Tony Perkins, Washington Update, December 04, 2017; http://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20171204/scotus-arguments-take-cake

#2156 (12/4) "If a Christian Baker’s Rights Are Violated, We All Lose. Here’s Why."

"IF A CHRISTIAN BAKER'S RIGHTS ARE VIOLATED, WE ALL LOSE. HERE'S WHY." - Monica Burke / December 01, 2017 / http://dailysignal.com/2017/12/01/if-a-christian-bakers-rights-are-violated-we-all-lose-heres-why [NOTE: This case is scheduled to be heard TOMORROW, 12/5. PLEASE be in prayer throughout the day as the  justices hear the arguments and deliberate on a final decision to be announced sometime next year.]

An upcoming Supreme Court case [scheduled for TOMORROW, 12/5] will consider whether a state government can force a baker to bake a custom cake that violates his religious beliefs. (Photo: Rick Wilking/Reuters/Newscom)

Religious freedom has set our nation apart from the very beginning. Among its many benefits, religious freedom allows religious individuals and groups to make unique contributions to the public good. And those contributions are massive—from founding countless universities and hospitals to funding charities and the arts.
     The economic byproduct of religious liberty is also noteworthy. Religious groups and religiously motivated businesses like Masterpiece Cakeshop contribute $1.2 trillion to the U.S. economy each year.

It is deeply concerning, then, that religious freedom in the marketplace is coming under threat.
     That’s the subject of an upcoming Supreme Court case, Masterpiece Cakeshop, Ltd. V. Colorado Civil Rights Commission. [This case is scheduled to be heard TOMORROW, 12/5.] In this case, the court will consider whether a state can force a Christian cake baker to bake a custom cake for a same-sex wedding in violation of his deeply held religious beliefs.

Jack Phillips, the cake baker and petitioner in this case, has received support from a host of groups and individuals, including a large group of Catholic organizations that filed an amicus brief in support of his case.
     That group included the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the Colorado Catholic Conference, the Catholic Bar Association, the Catholic Medical Association, the National Association of Catholic Nurses-U.S.A, and the National Catholic Bioethics Center.
     In their brief, they defend the right of religious institutions to operate in a manner that is consistent with their beliefs. They warn of the social costs to all Americans, not just religious Americans, when religious institutions are forced to choose between following their beliefs and providing benefits to the public.

Intolerance toward religion—as reflected in Colorado’s hostile action against Phillips—does not merely threaten religious individuals and institutions. It threatens all those who receive public benefits from those individuals and institutions.
     The Catholic groups also argue that in a pluralistic society like the United States, robust protection of the First Amendment is an absolute necessity. They urge the court to uphold the right to free speech and religious freedom in this case, so that Phillips and others like him can continue to live out their vocations and contribute to society—whether by providing the public with delicious baked goods or desperately needed social services.
     The Catholic groups also point out that free speech is not simply the right to speak, but the right not to be forced by the government to speak a message that violates one’s conscience.

The Supreme Court established in the landmark case West Virginia Board of Education v. Barnette that “[t]he ‘right’ to speak and the right to refrain from speaking are complementary components of the broader concept of ‘individual freedom of mind.’”
    Phillips has the right not to speak by not creating a custom wedding cake for a same-sex ceremony. In forcing Phillips to bake the cake or pay excessive fines, Colorado is trying to force him to communicate a message about marriage that violates his religious beliefs.
    The brief explains why this action on the part of Colorado is completely unnecessary. Phillips does not discriminate against anyone because of who they are. He serves all customers—he just doesn’t communicate all messages, namely those that violate his conscience. And the government should not force him to do so.
    Also at stake here is Phillips’ right to associate or not to associate himself with an event, like a same-sex wedding that would violate his beliefs. In his case, crafting a custom wedding cake would include delivering the cake to the wedding ceremony and mingling with the couple and their guests, which may be interpreted as endorsing or cooperating in the marriage. Phillips also has the right not to associate with an occasion that would violate his conscience.

The groups clarify that these freedoms extend to institutions as well. A ruling against Phillips would force other faith-based organizations—from hospitals to adoption agencies to charities—to choose between their beliefs or shutting down their businesses.
    Catholic Charities and other faith-based adoption services in Illinois, Massachusetts, and the District of Columbia were forced to close their doors because they believe that every child deserves both a mom and a dad. As a result, children were displaced from Catholic Charities to other agencies. The Catholic groups contend that unless the court defends the First Amendment, these groups will no longer be able to care for the most vulnerable in our society. The neediest in our society will suffer most if they lose the public goods that people and organizations of faith provide.

Freedom of religion guarantees that individuals and institutions may not only seek the truth, but live it out—in private and in public. When individuals and institutions are free to live out their religious and moral beliefs, society flourishes. But if violating one’s conscience becomes the cost of doing business, everyone suffers.
    These Catholic organizations propose conscience protections as a tried-and-true solution to disagreements over serious issues, like how to think about marriage. After Roe v. Wade, pro-life conscience protections ensured that people of good will on both sides of the abortion issue could live together and discuss the topic.
     Similarly after Obergefell v. Hodges, the Supreme Court should protect the consciences of people on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate. By protecting freedom of religion, speech, and association for people like Phillips, everyone wins. Safeguarding these freedoms will enable religion to flourish, and religious people and organizations to continue offering public goods for everyone’s benefit.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

Monica Burke is a research assistant in the DeVos Center for Religion and Civil Society at The Heritage Foundation.

#2155 (12/3) "Advent: JESUS IS COMING, AND THIS TIME IT’S DIFFERENT"

"ADVENT: JESUS IS COMING, AND THIS TIME IT’S DIFFERENT" - John Stonestreet with Roberto Rivera, Breakpoint.org, Dec.1, 2017; http://www.breakpoint.org/2017/12/breakpoint-advent/ 

TV commercials, radio stations, and shopping malls are all proclaiming that it’s the Christmas season! But actually, it isn’t.

Last Sunday, the Sunday after Thanksgiving, in churches all around the world, the Gospel reading was Matthew 25: 31-46.
    The passage opens with words that should make our hearts soar, or, perhaps, shiver with dread: “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.”
    As the passage makes clear, Christ’s second coming will be very different from his first. He will return in glory, not obscurity. He will return as the King of the Universe, not as a nobody in an obscure corner of the Roman Empire. And this time, He will do the judging.

This, and not shopping, or who saw whom kissing Santa Claus underneath the mistletoe, is what we’re supposed to be thinking about these next four weeks, the season known as Advent.

Now if you’re wondering, “Wait, isn’t this the Christmas season?” the answer is, well, “no.” Of course, we wouldn’t know that from watching television, where some networks have been running “Christmas” movies—none of which ever mention Jesus—since late October.

Beginning this Sunday, December 3rd through Christmas Eve, we’re in the season of Advent, according to the Church calendar. The word “Advent” comes from the Latin word adventus meaning “come to.” Thus, Advent is the season Christians anticipate the celebration of God’s coming to live and die as one of us. And to better appreciate the immensity of that gift, we are to put ourselves in the place of ancient Israel which yearned for the promised Messiah who would set things right.

One of the ways to do this is through hymns. The ancient Advent carol “Creator of the Stars of Night,” which dates from the 7th century, expresses this Old Testament yearning in a way that has literally stood the test of time.
    “Thou, grieving that the ancient curse/ Should doom to death a universe/ Hast found the medicine, full of grace/ To save and heal a ruined race,” the hymn reads. The “medicine” required to “save and heal a ruined race” was Jesus, as Paul told the Philippians, emptying himself and becoming obedient to death.
    But that’s not the entire story. We also sing “At Whose dread Name, majestic now/ All knees must bend, all hearts must bow/ And things celestial Thee shall own/ And things terrestrial, Lord alone.” 
    That’s because Advent is not only a time of anticipating Christ’s first coming but also anticipating the next and final time Jesus comes to Earth. And, I repeat, this coming will be very different from the first: The same Jesus who was born in Bethlehem during the reign of Caesar Augustus will return as the “judge of the living and the dead,” and “his kingdom will have no end.”

This makes Advent not only a time of reflection, but also a time of repentance. This season is a time to examine our lives and ask ourselves whether we are sheep or goats. Are we living, as Paul wrote to the Corinthians, for ourselves or for Him who died for us and rose again?

Unfortunately, very little in contemporary culture, including both inside as well outside our churches, inclines us towards a proper observance of Advent. Thus, we have to be intentionally counter-cultural about it, and we must teach our children what the days between Thanksgiving and Christmas are supposed to be about.

A good place to start is “The Advent Project” from Biola University. I also love Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s “God is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas,” which is available at the Colson Center online bookstore. And if you click on this commentary at BreakPoint.org, I’ll link you to other resources for Advent that will help keep focus where it needs to be this time of year: on Jesus’ two different, yet equally glorious, comings.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

RESOURCES - Be joyful, reverent—and intentional–as you and your family prepare to commemorate the incarnation of the  Son of God and His return in glory during this season of Advent.
"The Advent Project 2017 - Online Devotional Series "| Biola University - https://www.biola.edu/events/2017/the-advent-project-2017
 God Is in the Manger: Reflections on Advent and Christmas - Dietrich Bonhoeffer | Westminster John Knox Press - http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/Product.asp
 "Too Much Christmas, too Little Advent?: The Joy of Anticipation"- Eric Metaxas | BreakPoint.org | December 7, 2016; http://www.breakpoint.org/2016/12/too-much-christmas-too-little-advent
 The Dawning of Indestructible Joy: Daily Readings for Advent - John Piper | Crossway Publishers | August 2014 - http://www.colsoncenterstore.org/Product.asp?sku=9781433542367&;utm_source=Colson+Center+Master+List&;utm_campaign=c0e83802d3-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_BP+Daily&;utm

#2154 (12/2) PRO-LIFE SAT: "Why are Most People Uncomfortable With Abortion Yet We’ve Aborted 60 Million Babies?"

"WHY ARE MOST PEOPLE UNCOMFORTABLE WITH  ABORTION YET WE'VE ABORTED 60 MILLION BABIES?" - Carol Tobias, NOV 21, 2017; http://www.lifenews.com/2017/11/21/why-are-most-people-uncomfortable-with-abortion-yet-weve-aborted-60-million-babies/

The debate over abortion has been raging since at least 1967, when Colorado became the first state to expand legalization of abortion. 

And yet, after 50 years and more than 60 million dead babies, this country is still not comfortable talking about abortion. It’s not a topic at the family dinner table. “Well, Susie, what did you do today?” “Oh, I went to Planned Parenthood and got an abortion.” Or “I took my friend to the abortion clinic.” Any woman who is considering abortion knows that someone– a family member, a friend, co-worker, or neighbor–would tell her not to do it.

Why is that? Why do we have that deep-seated discomfort about abortion? Because everyone has that still small voice telling us that we’re talking about the life of a small, innocent human being.

For many years, political leaders who supported abortion would say they were “personally opposed” to abortion, which was code for “but I’m not going to do anything to stop it.” Then Bill Clinton came along and said abortion should be “safe, legal, and rare.” To show you his sincerity as President, he did everything he could to expand the abortion death toll, both in this country and overseas.

But that raised the question– if there is nothing wrong with abortion and it should be legal for anyone who wants one, why should it be rare?
     That kind of thinking, that type of reluctance hurts the pro-abortion cause. So groups like Planned Parenthood and NARAL needed to challenge the idea that abortion is bad; they needed to “remove the stigma.” Thus came various campaigns like “Shout Your Abortion,” encouraging women to brag about their abortion, and, of course, the so-called “war on women.” If you think unborn children should be protected, if you think there should be any limits on abortion, you are (supposedly) anti-woman.

Why won’t the abortion industry acknowledge that there are complications and side-effects from abortion; that women have psychological and emotional problems after the abortion; that her risk of breast cancer increases after having an induced abortion?

Why do they not want to recognize the wisdom in bringing parents into the decision-making process when a minor girl is pregnant and considering abortion?

Why are ultrasounds and pregnancy resource centers such a threat to their industry?

Because every time a woman chooses life rather than abortion, every time there are limits placed on abortion, it implicitly or explicitly signals there is something wrong with the procedure.

During the 2016 presidential campaign, it was not until the last debate between Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump that there finally was a discussion about the candidates’ positions on abortion. The moderator pointed out that Clinton had voted to keep partial-birth abortion legal. She defended her position, saying the decision belongs to the woman.
    In response, Trump stated, “Well, I think it’s terrible. If you go with what Hillary is saying, in the ninth month, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb of the mother just prior to the birth of the baby. Now, you can say that that’s OK and Hillary can say that that’s OK. But it’s not OK with me, because based on what she’s saying, and based on where she’s going, and where she’s been, you can take the baby and rip the baby out of the womb in the ninth month on the final day. And that’s not acceptable.”

Clinton supporters went berserk. They were practically screaming, “That doesn’t happen! Abortions don’t happen that late in pregnancy.” They couldn’t deny that Clinton actually does support abortion throughout all nine months because she does. And if they admitted that abortion shouldn’t be legal, even late in pregnancy, their argument fails. If it’s okay and necessary to protect an unborn child at any time (even very late in pregnancy), then abortion is not the simple risk-free expulsion of “fetal matter.” If there is one tiny crack in that position, if the unborn child is given any credibility, any humanity at all, their position falls apart.

Many know the story about the little Dutch boy who saw a crack in the dike that, if unchecked, could weaken the entire wall and a flood of water would destroy his town. He spent the night in a cold rain, holding his finger in that crack and was hailed the next morning as a hero for saving the town.
    In the case of abortion, we want cracks, the more, the better. Think of abortion as the dike and opposition to legal abortion as the water seeking to overwhelm it. Planned Parenthood, NARAL, EMILY’s List, and the entire abortion industry like to think they are the heroes holding their finger in the dike, trying to hold back the flood of pro-life activism that threatens to overwhelm them.
    (However, according to www.dutchgenealogy.nl, the story is fiction and most Dutch people have never heard it. But as the website says, “…there’s another twist to the story. Not even the Little Dutch Boy could have saved the town. You see, when a dike is about to break, a finger just does not cut it. Dikes don’t typically leak—they weaken until whole sections are washed away. No finger will help when that happens.”)

Try as they might to buttress a firm wall of unlimited abortion on demand, the abortion industry will not succeed. Whole sections of that wall are washing away as pro-lifers elect candidates, enact laws, educate fellow citizens, and give pregnant women alternatives to abortion. The babies will win!

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

LifeNews Note: Carol Tobias is the president of the National Right to Life Committee.

#2153 (12/1) "Trumps Give Visitors a Crèche Course in Christmas"

ATTENTION:  SCROLL DOWN  to get TODAY'S article entitled in ALL CAPITAL LETTERS. And PLEASE be sure to note the various PRAYER REQUESTS listed BEFORE and AFTER the posted article. (NOTE the list of DAILY prayer requests for the persecuted church.)  They ALL deserve  your intercession. 

THANK YOU.

1) 12/1 - (from Intercessors For America) Pray for the President and others in leadership (I Tim. 2:1-3) - As the Lord Leads, please pray:

*For discernment in the Senate and unity in our government as they will need to work closely together to finally accomplish tax reform VERY soon.
*For the president to have wisdom as he makes decisions to help strengthen American security, esp. in light of N. Korea's latest missile launch.

2) LET'S BE IN CONTINUED PRAYER for the many who were impacted by the horrific shootings in Las Vegas and Texas.

3) Let's  CONTINUE PRAYING for the people of Southeast Texas and  the entire region suffering from HURICANE HARVEY, IRMA, AND MARIA A esp. those in Puerto Rico and throughout the Caribbean. Many have lost loved ones and suffered great damage to their homes and many millions are still dealing with power outages and clean-ups. Let's also be praying for the many thousands who are suffering through the OUT OF CONTROL WILDFIRES IN CALIFORNIA. 

ALSO BE IN PRAYER FOR: 

The Supreme Court - when it hears the major religious liberty case on DEC 5th. (See my comments on today's (11/7) article.)

BE Prepared TO SPEAK OUT AGAINST ABORTION 

(...because ALL Babies Matter! - http://www.lifenews.com/2017/03/01/why-do-unborn-babies-matter-just-because-they-are/ : 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
"Don't Argue the Exceptions - Beating Bad Arguments For Abortion and Transgenderism" - by John Stonestreet, Breakpoint.org, May 25, 2017; http://breakpoint.org/2017/05/breakpoint-dont-argue-exceptions/

Oct. 2nd - U.S. SUPREME COURT: The Court reconvenes today to make decisions on some very crucial issues. As the Lord Leads, please pray:

*For the Supreme Court as they hear arguments from each side and make judgements that have massive consequences for the future of the nation. Remember esp. the case involving religious freedom that could have major consequences. 

*For each justice as they do their best to interpret the law and use that to rule on the given cases.

*For President Trump as he interacts with the Supreme Court on these monumental issues.

American Pastor Andrew Brunson  PRAY  that the pastor will finally be released./ https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/new-false-charges-levied-at-american-pastor-andrew-brunson-as-unjust-imprisonment-in-turkey-grows-more-dangerous He still languishes in a Turkish prison [since last Oct. 7^th]. He’s one of 19 prisoners in a 10-person cell. He is the only Christian. Pastor Andrew has been falsely charged with “membership in an armed terrorist organization.” He has served and loved the people of Turkey for more than two decades. Now this U.S. citizen is in extreme danger - falsely charged for his Christian faithfor more than two decades. Now this U.S. citizen is in extreme danger – falsely charged for his Christian faith. The American Center for Law and Justice is representing his  family and have launched an agressive global campaign demanding  that Turkey - a fellow member of NATO - release him immmediately. We’re working on Capitol Hill with our nation’s leaders, through our international offices, and around the globe to secure the release of Pastor Andrew. Now, we are preparing to send a critical legal letter to Turkey’s president in the next few days. Time is of the essence. Sign our letter before we send it. Join the fight. Be Pastor Andrew’s voice. He needs it now more than ever.Sign Our Petition: Free American Pastor Andrew Brunson.https://aclj.org/persecuted-church/free-american-pastor-andrew-brunson LET’S  PLEASE PRAY FOR HIS VERY SOON RELEASE!

NORTH KOREAN THREAT: Let's be praying that our leaders will be led by Godly wisdom in responding.

LATEST PERSONAL UPDATE of  11/24: Please check the right side of this blog page for the JOURNAL section, scrolling down for any past entries you might have missed. And THANK YOU for your continued PRAYERS.

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"TRUMPS GIVE VISITORS A CRECHE COURSE IN  CHRISTMAS" - Tony Perkins, Washington Update, November 28, 2017; http://www.frc.org/updatearticle/20171128/trump-visitors [AS I SEE IT: Thanks to the mainstream media, I - and millions of other Americans - did not know about the politically-correct, "non-religious" Christmas of the last President. [I SO agree that is as nutty as a vegetarian barbeque] This is just another example of the contradictions of someone who said he is a Christian but did more to stifle expressions of Christianity or who did not uphold Christian principles. I'm so grateful that we have a President who is not willing to make "political-correctness our state religion. [ - Stan]

"

There've been a lot of wise men in the White House. But this Christmas, there are three more in the East Room, where the Trumps are highlighting a larger-than-life nativity scene. That's just one of the ways the First Family is separating itself from the Obamas, who came dangerously close to ditching the 50-year-old display in 2009. There wasn't room for Jesus at the inn -- and for eight years, there wasn't much room for him at 1600 Pennsylvania either.

The Obamas famously wanted a "non-religious Christmas" (which makes about as much sense as a vegetarian barbeque). But they were outed by their social secretary, Desiree Rogers in an eye-opening profile piece for the New York Times. "The lunch conversation inevitably turned to whether the White House would display its crèche, customarily placed in a prominent spot in the East Room. Ms. Rogers, this participant said, replied that the Obamas did not intend to put the manger scene on display -- a remark that drew an audible gasp from the tight-knit social secretary sisterhood. (A White House official confirmed that there had been internal discussions about making Christmas more inclusive and whether to display the crèche.)

Ultimately, the Obamas caved to pressure and included the nativity in its décor. For two terms, that was the extent of Christmas in the White House. There were no mentions of Christmas on official cards -- and only a smattering of references in eight years of greetings and special events. After eight years of making political correctness a state religion, it's really no wonder Americans flocked to a man who isn't afraid to call the season what it is.

"You go to stores, you don't see the word Christmas," Donald Trump argued on the campaign trail. "It says 'happy holidays' all over. I say, 'Where's Christmas? I tell my wife, 'Don't go to those stores'... I want to see Christmas." Thanks to the president and First Lady, Americans are seeing Christmas. The White House is alive with tradition, from the "Merry Christmas" on the White House card to its official hashtag #WHChristmas. To the Trumps, it's just another way of keeping their promise.

"Something I said so much during the last two years, but I'll say it again, as we approach the end of the year, you know we're getting near that beautiful Christmas season that people don't talk about anymore," the president said at last month's Values Voter Summit. "They don't use the word Christmas because it's not politically correct. You go to department stores, and they'll say 'Happy New Year,' and they'll say other things. It'll be red. They'll have it painted. Well, guess what? We're saying Merry Christmas again."

The crowd erupted in cheers -- completely baffling the media. Like most liberals, they couldn't understand why the issue resonated so much with conservatives. Other reporters almost mocked the line, latching on to it as another silly soundbite on an issue they consider so trivial. But to every Christian in that room, the president was talking about a lot more than the war on Christmas. He was speaking directly into the fight for religious liberty in America.

Maybe the mainstream media didn't notice how stifled Christians were under Barack Obama's government -- how everything they said or wore or posted was scrutinized (or worse, punished). After two terms of the most hostile administration to faith the country has ever seen, I guarantee no one takes the simplest expression -- "Merry Christmas" -- for granted. To the people who elected Donald Trump, this isn't just about putting Christ in a day. It's about putting faith back in American life.

[bold, italics, and colored emphasis mine]

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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 

“INTERCESSORS ARE THE RUDDER” – A WORD OF ENCOURAGEMENT - Wanda Alger, June 28th, 2017; https://www.getamericapraying.com/blog/

I was recently given a word by my good friend, Bill Yount. His word greatly encouraged me as an intercessor. Working for Intercessors for America, I soon realized it was not just a word for me, but for all who have been praying for our nation, wondering if their prayers are truly making any difference. Bill told me, “I kept seeing you as a small rudder on a huge ship. Hidden, but giving guidance. Although it seemed slow it was turning the whole ship. Patience was needed to see the impact of your…ministry. I sense the Lord saying, ‘Don’t jump ship! I’ve made you the rudder!’ ” I was immediately touched in my spirit by this encouragement, knowing that our seemingly small place in prayer was having a great impact.

James 3:4 talks about the power of a small rudder to steer a large ship. In this scripture about the power of our tongue, consider the power of prophetic intercession! In the Forerunner Commentary on this verse we read, “…rudders manipulate the course of immense ocean vessels with a slight movement of a pilot’s hand. Since it is underwater and aft, the rudder of a ship does its work UNSEEN. A passenger is ignorant of its movements most of the time. Yet, when it is in proper working order, the rudder holds more power over the ship than the wind. The wind will blow, toss, even destroy the ship’s rigging, but the rudder guides the ship exactly where it directs.”

This is God’s promise to the intercessors in this hour of national turbulence. Don’t stop praying! Your prayers have great power to turn the ship! Continue praying, interceding, and discerning the workings and movements of the Holy Spirit, being faithful to God’s commands. As we come together to declare God’s faithfulness, this nation will, once again, head in the direction that God intends. Don’t give up and don’t give in. Regardless of the winds of adversity and the fires of the enemy, God’s people have a power that cannot be matched. Let us join in faith and continue to pray and speak of God’s faithfulness in order to bring God’s people and this nation into the fullness of God’s plans. Note this additional encouragement from God’s word:

Colossians 2:15 – “He disarmed the rulers and authorities and put them to open shame, by triumphing over them in him” (ESV). 

Psalm 33:8-11 – “Let all the earth fear the Lord; let all the people of the world revere him. For he spoke, and it came to be; he commanded, and it stood firm. The Lord foils the plans of the nations; He thwarts the purposes of the peoples. But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever, the purposes of his heart through all generations.” 

Wanda Alger, IFA Field Correspondent

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!"

PRAY FOR OUR LEADERS:  1) Pray for President Trump and his advisers, that they would select Godly leaders at the federal level who will be accountable to do an excellent job (or be fired!) ; that he would seek God's wisdom and be enabled to lead our country effectively in the years ahead; and 2) Pray our leaders at every level of government will 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.

SUPREME COURT: PRAY that the justices will only hand down decisions that are Constitutionally sound and in the best interests of our country now and for future generations.

World-Wide Prayer Requests:

Praying Through the Open Doors World Watch List:  - https://www.opendoorsusa.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/09/28385-PFA.pdf; To learn more, please go to -  

https://www.opendoorsusa.org/christian-persecution/ - to learn more.

 December 1 - 7: Mauritania #47 - Since there are so few believers, Christians often feel isolated. Pray for their strength. 
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December 1 | VENEZUELA -  Ask God to bring critical encouragement to pastors and ministry leaders in Venezuela during this tumultuous time in their country.

*Names changed for security reasons.

STANDING STRONG THROUGH THE STORM - OpenDoorsUSA.org

At my first defense, no one came to my support, but everyone deserted me. May it not be held against them.  2 Tim.y 4:16                                                 

SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THOSE WHO SUFFER

    

The Apostle Paul knew exactly what it was like to be alone, to be deserted by all who called themselves “brothers” and “sisters.” A former colleague who has done considerable travel among the persecuted says, “It is hard to believe that Christians are the largest persecuted group in the world today. But it is even more difficult to believe that this is so seldom mentioned in our gatherings and church services. More Christians know the names of their favorite actors than their fellow believers who are in prison.”

He continues, “With every trip something in my heart breaks as I hear the echoes of suffering:

I remember the echoes of an Egyptian mother as she shared how her young boy was stuck in a haystack because she refused to deny Jesus.

I remember the sounds of weeping as fellow students in Indonesia shared how Sariman, their co-student, was hacked to death.

I remember the cries of anguish as we walked from church to church that was burned to the ground on the island of Lombok.

I remember the tears of Rebecca in Iran as she showed the picture of her father who was stabbed to death for sharing the gospel.

I remember the voice of Pastor Daniel in Vietnam as he shared how he was chained to the ground for six months.

I remember the fear of Grace from Sudan as she shared how her church was attacked and her friend was shot through the head.

Oh, I remember the cries of Caleb in Eritrea as he shared with tears how two dear friends were executed in front of him because of their faith.

And I remember the tears of Joy in the southern Philippines as she shared how her fiancé was shot to death in their church in Mindanao.

But, most all, I remember the deafening sounds of silence every time I return home.

RESPONSE

How can I be silent today? How can I not speak on behalf of those who suffer? How can I desert those that belong to the same body that I belong to and who desperately need the encouragement of my intervention on their behalf?

PRAYER

Lord, broaden my awareness of the needs of my suffering brothers and sisters. May I not be known for my silence.

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.*For believers in Syria and in this region as they navigate so much uncertainty. May they remain faithful to God through these most difficult times as He sustains them with peace and endurance.