Showing posts with label James Bond. Show all posts

Saturday, December 12, 2015

New Evidence Suggests C.S. Lewis Was a Secret Agent - TROY ANDERSON CHARISMA NEWS

C.S. Lewis (YouTube)

New Evidence Suggests C.S. Lewis Was a Secret Agent

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Long before James Bond, the popular Christian apologist C.S. Lewis undertook a wartime mission for MI6 to help the British defeat the Nazis during World War II, a professor at Union University in Tennessee says.

During the war, Lewis undertook a secret mission for the British spy agency to record a message to "win the hearts of the Icelandic people" prior to a surprise invasion of Iceland.

"In the Battle of the Atlantic, Iceland could have provided Germany with a strategic naval and air base," wrote Hal Poe, the Charles Colson professor of Faith and Culture at Union University, in an article in Christianity Today. "Instead, thanks to the British invasion, Iceland provided the ideal base for seaplanes to search for the German naval vessels that prowled the Atlantic sinking the merchant fleet with its crucial supplies."

As it turns out, the best-selling author of Mere Christianity, The Chronicles of Narniaand The Screwtape Letters was recruited by MI6's Joint Broadcasting Committee to broadcast to people in occupied territory during the war, Poe wrote.

"Perhaps one of his former pupils at Oxford recommended him for his mission," Poe wrote. "It was an unusual mission for which few people were suited. J.R.R. Tolkien had the knowledge base for the job, even beyond that of Lewis, but Tolkien lacked other skills that Lewis possessed. ... In the 1930s, Lewis was the best show in town. Somehow Lewis had developed the skill to speak to an audience and hold them in rapt attention, in spite of his academic training rather than because of it."

At the time, those working for the Joint Broadcasting Committee were a "fledgling group of amateurs desperately working to save their island home from disaster," Poe wrote.

"The Joint Broadcasting Committee recruited C. S. Lewis to record a message to the people of Iceland to be broadcast by radio within Iceland," Poe wrote. "Lewis made no record of his assignment, nor does he appear to have mentioned it to anyone. Without disclosing his involvement with military intelligence, however, Lewis did make an indiscreet disclosure to his friend Arthur Greeves in a letter dated May 25, 1941. Lewis remarked that three weeks earlier he had made a gramophone record which he heard played afterwards."

During the broadcast, Lewis spoke on "The Norse Spirit in English Literature," providing a "touchstone between the Norse people and the English."

In a blog entry titled, "Holy Screwtape! Young C.S. Lewis secretly worked with MI6," Terry Mattingly wrote he has an entire room in his house dedicated to the Oxford don's books, but was completely surprised by Poe's "news scoop."

"It argues that, while no one is claiming Lewis ever ran around with a gun and a decoder ring, the young Oxford don appears to have done some work for MI6, as in Her Majesty's Secret Service," Mattingly wrote. "Yes, you read that right. This kind of adds a new layer of meaning to discussions of an 'Inner Ring' and talk about devilish high-ranking agents working with case officers to snare souls."

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Wednesday, November 11, 2015

5 Things President Obama Has Done to Destroy America- LARRY TOMCZAK CHARISMA NEWS

Whether our next president can help dismantle some of what Barack Obama has done remains to be seen. (Reuters)

5 Things President Obama Has Done to Destroy America

"I'm the author of all your pain."

In Spectre, the 25th James Bond film currently in theaters, Oscar-winning actor and villain Christoph Waltz snidely tells Agent 007 these words. While a bit of an overstatement, the point is well taken.

As the years unfold, I am persuaded that countless millions will identify words like these with the Obama presidency. Whether our next president can help dismantle some of what Barack Obama has done remains to be seen.

Barring a spiritual awakening in America and the resulting returning to our conservative values led by a uniquely gifted commander-in-chief, the repercussions of Barack Obama's "transformation of America" will be catastrophic.

It's why seven years ago Rush Limbaugh said his desire for the Obama presidency was simple: "I hope he fails."

Scripture tells us, "When the righteous are in authority, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man beareth rule, the people sigh" (Prov. 29:2, ASV). Plainly stated, people have cause to either rejoice or mourn dependent on whether their governing authorities are God-fearing or unrighteous.

When competent and godly leaders rule, they set a tone for the society as they conduct affairs according to God's standards. The result will not be utopia but rather a general happiness, prosperity and stability in the land. President Obama does not fit this category and that is a primary reason why there is so much mourning throughout our land.

I step back knowing I prayed for this man every single day of his terms in office yet must respectfully but forthrightly assess his "fruit" as disastrous. What he has done has been unbelievably detrimental to the Judeo-Christian principles upon which our nation was founded. Are you aware of how far we've fallen under his leadership and lack thereof?

Five Major Areas of Decline

1. The Military

Besides what has been called the "gayification" of our Armed Forces, we've seen the undermining of religious expression among our military chaplains and officers. Lieutenant General (retired) William Boykin put it best, "If chaplains and other personnel are censored from offering the full solace of the gospel, there is no religious freedom in the military."

There have also been massive reductions in military personnel, leaving us dangerously vulnerable in the event of a crisis, plus military frustration at the highest level in decades. "There's a level of dissatisfaction among the uniformed military that I've never seen in my time here" said John McCain, Senate Armed Services Chairman.

For this I mourn.

2. Marriage and Family

President Obama's aggressive advocacy of the LGBTQ agenda has brought devastation to the traditional family. He endorsed gay marriage; violated young girls by forcing school districts to allow boys who identify as girls to have full access to the girl's locker room and showers; undermined the Defense of Marriage Act; celebrated the LGBTQ lifestyle by affirming people "coming out" and appointing unprecedented numbers of LGBTQ proponents to government positions; and, now endorses efforts to ban "conversion therapy" counseling for youth struggling with gay and transgender confusion.

President Obama has worked aggressively to transform marriage, sexuality and our children into considering participation in the LGBTQ lifestyle as a normal, healthy sign of liberation!

His official White House website touts efforts to stop counseling young people struggling with same-sex attraction and transgenderism as "protecting America's youth."

For this I mourn.

3. Radical Islam and Terrorism

President Obama's timid approach to dealing with the menace of ISIS and other radical, Islamic jihadists is unbelievably reckless. Believing that we can somehow diminish their strength and effectively defeat these barbarians by ignoring them or downplaying their threat, strains credulity. Their growing threat coupled with the Iranian "nuclear deal" is bringing us to an apocalypse.

The latest terror warning in Sinai with 224 passengers killed in the "downing" of a Russian plane caused the Wall Street Journal to bluntly state in a lead editorial, "The greatest folly of the administration's Mideast policy has been to imagine that an arms–length approach to the region's troubles would keep its problems away from us. But as with the refugee crisis in Europe, or ISIS inspired jihadist attacks in the US, the tragedy in Sinai is another reminder that trying to downplay the threat of terrorism only brings its risks closer to home."

For this I also mourn.

4. The Economy and National Debt

Dr. Laurence Kotlikoff, Professor of Economics at Boston University tried to wake up our leaders in testimony before the U.S. Senate. He stated emphatically that "Americas fiscal insolvency and it's generational consequences means our country is broke. It's not broke in 75 years or 50 years or 25 years or 10 years. It's broke today. Indeed, it may well be in worse shape (currently almost $19 trillion in debt) than any developed country, including Greece."

Yet our president keeps spending, raising the debt limit, promising entitlements, all the while adding almost as much debt as all previous American presidents combined. And don't forget he conveys how our economy is booming while conveniently ignoring over 90 million people not in the workforce; 50 million on food stamps; Obamacare premiums skyrocketing; and, the inevitable day of economic reckoning drawing near.

"Time is running out. Get ready for a roller coaster ride through hell!" warns economic forecaster Larry Edelson.

Forbes magazine helps us comprehend this staggering amount, which is leading us to the inevitable economic crash: "In 2015, Taylor Swift did 55 concerts and earned $80 million. She would have to perform 365 concerts a year for three years to simply pay for ONE DAY OF INTEREST accrued on our debt." Get the message?

For this I likewise mourn.

5. Illegal Immigration and Prisoner Release

President Obama refuses to enforce laws concerning the massive influx of illegal immigrants into our country, knowing these are grateful, potential Democratic voters! The majority is Hispanic but there are Muslims as well. Europe is being overrun by the immigrant crisis and what is happening there will be our lot in 10 years unless new leadership acts swiftly, legally and compassionately.

Have you noticed some signs of the times? Hamtramck Michigan City Council now has a Muslim majority. Washington, D.C. joins other locales in giving driver's licenses to illegal immigrants.

Our president also believes in leniency and amnesty for drug felons. Almost 50 percent of the inmates in federal penitentiaries serving time for drug offenses are now having their sentences automatically reduced.

"These are young people who made mistakes that aren't that different than the mistakes I made and the mistakes that a lot of you guys made," the president told journalists recently at a federal prison in Oklahoma.

The reality is 75 percent of these individuals are violent criminals. Their "mistakes" consist not merely of smoking a casual joint but distribution of hard drugs, often involving gangs and weaponry. Their felony convictions resulted in many of the 44,000 who die from drug overdoses each year. Consider also the scores of young people getting addicted, families being destroyed and children now executed in drug gang wars like the nine-year-old boy a week ago.

Are these harmless, victimless crimes and simply minor "mistakes?" Or is this an example of misguided "mercy" that likewise brings in new Democratic voters? Read "Obama's Tragic Let 'em Out Fantasy" in the Wall Street Journal on 10/25/15 to learn more.

Yes, for this I also mourn.

Here's the Deal: In 2009, President Obama declared these words regarding his Obamacare victory, "Elections have consequences. And at the end of the day, I won!"

It would do us well to remember that in the 2012 presidential election, Obama beat Romney by 5 million votes. Over 17 million evangelical Christians stayed home and did not vote. Is voting important?

For the past seven years we learned the hard way that President Obama was serious about his pledge to "fundamentally transform America." I believe without question that his lack of character and questionable commitment to his professed Christian faith have wreaked havoc on the moral landscape of the United States of America. May we redouble our efforts in prayer, fasting and civic engagement to see competent, godly leaders raised up so mourning may be silenced and some rejoicing begins afresh in our land!

Larry Tomczak is a best-selling author of eight books with 43 years of trusted ministry experience. He is a cultural commentator whose weekly articles appear on sites reaching 26 million monthly. He is a public policy advisor with Liberty Counsel. Connect and view short video commentaries at larrytomczak.com.