Wednesday, November 20, 2013

Secular Humanists Attack Franklin Graham's Operation Christmas Child

Secular Humanists Attack Franklin Graham's Operation Christmas Child

Franklin Graham
Franklin Graham
An organization of nonbelievers is threatening legal action against public schools that participate in an evangelical Christian charity that delivers Christmas toys to poor children.
The American Humanist Association, a national advocacy organization with 20,000 members nationwide, sent letters this week to two public elementary schools after parents complained their children were being asked to collect toys and money for Operation Christmas Child.
Operation Christmas Child is a project of Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical relief organization founded by Franklin Graham, son of evangelist Billy Graham. Its stated mission is “to follow the example of Christ by helping those in need and proclaiming the hope of the Gospel.”
The toys collected by Operation Christmas Child come with an invitation for recipients to accept Christianity. Since its founding in 1993, Operation Christmas Child has sent 100 million boxes of toys to poor children.
According to the humanist association, East Point Academy in West Columbia, S.C., has organized a toy drive and raised funds for the charity for at least three years. A second school, SkyView Academy in Highlands Ranch, Colo., has participated for “several years” and has acknowledged packaging 500 toy boxes in 2012.
Both schools received letters from the AHA informing them their actions are unconstitutional. The same day it received the letter, East Point Academy said it would cut its ties with the charity out of “an abundance of caution because we do not want to expend school financial resources defending a lawsuit.”
Monica Miller, legal counsel for the AHA’s Appignani Humanist Legal Center, said the schools are violating the First Amendment’s guarantee of the separation of church and state and its ban against government endorsement of religion.
“There is also a problem of a lack of transparency,” she said. “One of the parents was not aware of the Christian nature (of Operation Christmas Child) and he let his kids participate because he assumed the school would not promote religion.”
In its letter to the schools, AHA described the toys as “bribes,” and Miller said schoolchildren were also promised incentives for participation, such as pizza parties and free dress days.
Kelly Wells, a spokeswoman for the DeMoss Group, a public relations firm that represents Samaritan’s Purse, said in an email that the organization is aware that public schools participate in its annual toy drive but does not know how many are involved.
“The project is very clear in its marketing material and website that its mission is to demonstrate God’s love in a tangible way to needy children around the world,” Wells wrote. “Therefore, Operation Christmas Child’s goal is to to generate participation in and through local churches and like-minded groups . . . Of course, any person or group is welcome to participate in packing shoebox gifts if they so choose.”
The AHA has not yet heard from the Colorado school, and Miller said the association will pursue a lawsuit if the school does not terminate its participation.

Love For His People Editor's Note: I worked for two seasons at the Samaritan's Purse Operation Christmas Child annual project in Charlotte, NC. It is a very well run organization, blessing literally millions of kids. I highly commend and support Franklin Graham for his integrity and leadership.
Steve Martin

President Obama, Are You Really a Christian?

President Obama, Are You Really a Christian?

President Obama
President Obama
Mr. President, I thank you for this opportunity to share the following with you.
 
After graduating from Cleveland State University, where I was privileged to serve as the president of our student body, I was selected for a post at the AFL-CIO headquarters across the street from the White House, your home. One day I bumped into President Nixon as he exited his limo, and I asked him this question: "Mr. President, do you read the Bible?"
 
The smile he tried to swallow surfaced on his face as he replied with a wink and a nod, "I not only read it, I even quote from it sometimes!"
 
Although Richard Nixon knew Bible verses, when I reflect on that interchange I still wonder if he was really a born-again Christian. The fruit and witness of his life are a tragedy and make it suspect, so I leave the eternal destiny of this departed leader in the hands of God. 
 
President Obama, would you allow me to share with you that I and scores of others have similar doubts about your conversion and the authenticity of your Christianity? I say up front that while I'm in disagreement with many of your policies and beliefs, I do love you and pray for you every single day. I affirm your God-given leadership gifting and your exemplary role as a husband and a father to your two lovely daughters. Yet I must be honest with you: I'm not sure you're really a Christian
 
Will you allow me to present my reasons and, if you're not, to challenge you to become a true disciple of Jesus Christ at a time when America desperately needs your moral leadership? After political leader William Wilberforce was genuinely converted, he became the leader in the abolition of the slave trade in England that reverberated later to America. He brought about a righteous transformation, but it was accomplished after a true born-again experience that catapulted him to victory because of the blessing of God on his life.
 
Mr. President, as multitudes observe you lately, you seem to be under a heavy burden and striving to make things happen through the power of your own will, through clever obfuscation and through manipulation of the masses. Your signature issue of Obamacare is imploding. The promises you made to the American people regarding keeping our health plans, keeping our doctors, saving us money and insuring more than 30 million people with free medical care without adding "one dime to the federal deficit" appear to be lies and deception to informed and perceptive Americans. 
 
You told us this would be the most transparent administration ever. Is it? More than a year has elapsed, and you have yet to deliver the promised answers on the four Americans left to die in Benghazi. You assured us you would restore civility to political discourse. You talked of economic growth and recovery and stimulus packages that have delivered a paltry return on all our tax money.
 
One senior commentator stated, "Obama has told more whoppers than Burger King has sold!" Maybe this produces a laugh, but the tragedy is watching your credibility disintegrate daily while watching you squirm uncomfortably behind your podium. The majority don't see you as trustworthy anymore, and this is a terrible reflection on your so-called Christian testimony. 
 
But then again, maybe the label has been applied prematurely and God is using these events to bring you providentially to a place of desperation. Could the God who created you and gifted you in such incredible ways be orchestrating things to bring you to a newfound relationship with Himself?
 
On Tuesday your former nemesis, President George W. Bush, will make a rare TV appearance on the Tonight Show. Having a brush with death recently due to a heart problem, Jay Leno may interject something spiritual into the interview. If so, "W" may repeat something he's said previously regarding hisChristian faith and the confidence it gives him. He has been exemplary in his attitude toward you since leaving the White House, and maybe this statement gives us a clue into his excellent character. He has said, "When you turn your heart and your life over to Christ, when you accept Christ as the Savior, it changes your heart." This he learned after a soul-searching conversation with Billy Graham that led him to his born-again experience.
 
A changed life is at the core of a genuine conversion experience. This is what separates the authentic from the counterfeit when so many Americans—some polls say 80 percent—profess to be Christian, yet something seems terribly amiss as we survey our society today. And with all due respect, that's where I and countless others find ourselves sincerely questioning your stated spiritual identity of "I'm aChristian."
 
Are you?
 
Not that long ago, another former president, Jimmy Carter, shared that his conversion to Christ came when confronted by this challenging inquiry: "If you were arrested for being a Christian today, would there be enough evidence to convict you?" Convicted of his religious hypocrisy and self-righteousness, the peanut farmer from Plains, Ga., repented and was genuinely born again, as Jesus stated each person must be in order to become a child of God. Admittedly, where he's at today is another story!
 
Immediately this poses a problem with your expressed theology. Scripture clearly teaches that while all people are loved by God, created in God's image and are to be treated with dignity as God's creation, only those who repent and put their total trust in God's only begotten Son are designated children of God. (See John 1:12.) That may not be popular or politically correct, but it's fact according to divinerevelation.
 
Yet you say what scores of people mistakenly or ignorantly embrace: "I believe that there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power, a belief that we are connected as a people. We are all children of God."
 
Being incorrect on this fundamental of the faith is but one of many areas that cause many to sincerely question your understanding of the true nature of Christianity as well as the legitimacy of your conversion. And if you hold that we all are God's children, why won't you defend the least of these and most vulnerable—the unborn? Your 100-percent NARAL pro-abortion rating, your endorsement of taxpayer dollars for Plan B contraception, your support of partial-birth abortion, your opposition to the Born-Alive Infants Protection Act and your speech to Planned Parenthood that ended with "God bless you!" leaves us dumbfounded.
 
Lest you and others stiffen at this point and say, "Hold it! Religion is personal. That's disrespectful. Doesn't the Bible state, 'Judge not'?" let's  be clear here on what Jesus actually said. He stated, "Judge with righteous judgment" (John 7:24) while cautioning us to avoid anything hypocritical, mean-spirited or unredemptive.
 
When it comes to leaders, righteous judgment is not an elective but a directive so we'll know their character and the values that shape their positions on critical issues affecting our lives. Also, we must examine their fruit (what they're producing), which takes time, something I and millions have afforded you. To simply give you a pass here because of the historic nature of your election or because of your race is idolatry and must be categorically rejected once and for all. America is imploding rapidly, and we cannot afford to remain ignorant or complacent or to retreat at this watershed moment.
 
Jesus Christ stated, "Every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit" (Matt. 7:17). While I want to honor you in your position as our commander in chief, I respectfully submit that we are seeing lots of "bad fruit" coming from a tree most likely in need of real redemption. The Good News of the gospel begins with this recognition!
 
Mr. President, examining your beliefs, policies, social leanings and character lead us to this reasonable conclusion. Much of them are inconsistent with living out the biblical worldview that is to characterize an authentic, obedient Christian. It also encourages other high-profile Catholic Christians like Kathleen Sebelius, Nancy Pelosi and Caroline Kennedy to continue in their wayward paths. 
 
We all know you went to a Catholic school in a Muslim country. I, too, had 12 years of parochial school upbringing but wasn't truly born again till the age of 20. Later, after an admitted lifestyle of drug usage and fornication (cohabitation), you straightened out somewhat in Chicago and joined Trinity United Church of Christ, pastored by Jeremiah Wright.
 
You spent 20 years there but later disassociated yourself as public scrutiny of the reverend and his teachings became uncomfortable for you. As I proceed, know that I definitely cut you some slack here because this represents your formative years in the Christian faith. We know that the content of a church's message determines the authenticity of its converts. 
 
My question to you is this: Have you ever received correct instruction in the Christian faith? 
 
It's probably uncomfortable to hear this forthright and honest inquiry into your spiritual life, but we all need people in our lives who will tell us not what we want to hear but what we need to hear. You are surrounded by many who receive their direction from you and desire to please you (and keep their jobs!). Yet what is at stake is your eternal destiny. 
 
As we commemorate the 50th anniversary of the assassination of John F. Kennedy, remember he was only 46 when he met his untimely death. You're 52. "No one knows the day nor the hour."  The very shoes we tie in the morning can be untied by a funeral director that night.
 
Franklin Graham was asked not long ago about your faith. He's an honest man who pulls no punches. "I don't know if he's a Christian," he said.
 
On the other hand, your former religious adviser Joshua Dubois appears on national TV promoting his new book, The President's Devotional. He testified to your faith in glowing terms: "The President is a committed Christian. ... He practices his faith spending time in the Oval Office with pastors praying for him. ... He went up the side of a mountain to visit Billy Graham. ... He has a yearly prayer call with pastors on his birthday. ... He really lives it out. ... I'd rather have a leader who lives a sermon than preaches one!"
 
Mr. President, these are all commendable activities, but most of us know atheists, Buddhists, Muslims, Hindus and humanitarians who also are good husbands and fathers, who pray with others, who do good deeds and visit the sick. What really matters is this: Are they—and are you—born again?
 
Jesus told a learned, very religious man, "Unless one is born again, he cannot see [or enter] the kingdom of God" (John 3:3, 5). How's that for straight talk?
 
Years ago, Charles Colson, White House special counsel and "hatchet man" for President Nixon, was radically transformed when he repented and yielded his life to Jesus Christ. He penned a bestseller entitled Born Again to share his journey. May I suggest it for your next reading?
 
Jesus said, "Not everyone who says to Me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven" (Matt. 7:21). The key here is not merely a declaration but a demonstration—obedience to God's Son and His Words as revealed in sacred Scripture.
 
Years ago, at Moody Church in your hometown of Chicago, a famous pastor spoke with an elderly man who confessed to the pastor his uncertainty about his conversion experience. He told the pastor how he longed for some definite witness that he could not mistake.
 
"Suppose," said the pastor, "that you had a vision of an angel who told you your sins were forgiven and you were genuinely converted. Would that be enough to rest on?"
 
"Yes," the man replied. "I think it would. An angel would be great!"
 
The pastor continued, "Suppose on your deathbed Satan came and said, 'I was that angel, transformed to deceive you.' What would you say then?"
 
The gentleman was speechless.
 
The pastor smiled and put his arm around the shoulder of the older gentleman and said the following: "God has given us something much more trustworthy and authoritative than the voice of an angel. Consider an angel supposedly launched the Mormon faith and Islam! God has given us His Son and His authoritative Word."
 
That is enough to rest on—if we will humble ourselves and follow in obedience. 
 
The 7 Biblical Marks of an Authentic Christian
 
Mr. President, the words of the Lord Jesus Christ are clear on what it really means to be His disciple, aChristian. There is scarcely any room for misunderstanding if we will accept what He says at face value. Here are the terms as communicated by the Savior Himself:
 
1. A supreme love for Jesus Christ (Luke 14:26).
2. A denial of self (Matt. 16:24).
3. A deliberate choosing of the cross (Matt. 16:24).
4. A life spent following Christ (Matt. 16:24).
5. A fervent love for all who belong to Christ (John 13:35).
6. And unswerving continuance in His Word (John 8:31).
7. A forsaking of all to follow Him (Luke 14:33).
 
I must alert you, as Jesus did those to whom He preached, that it is wise to first "count the cost." There are many positions you hold that are totally incompatible with biblical teaching, no matter how many liberal Bible scholars have told you otherwise. These positions will have to change if you follow Jesus and obey His Word. 
 
For instance:
  • "Jesus is a historical figure for me, and he's also a bridge between God and man ... and he's also a wonderful teacher." Jesus Christ is fully God and fully man. 
  • "I believe there are many paths to the same place, and that is a belief that there is a higher power." There is salvation in no one else except through Jesus Christ, God's only begotten Son. 
  • "I'm a big believer in tolerance. I'm a progressive Christian." While we should respect everyone's beliefs, we can't respect everyone's conduct. 
  • "I find it hard to believe that my God would consign four-fifths of the world to hell." The path to salvation is open to all, but it is narrow, excluding all who reject God's free gift of eternal life in Jesus Christ. 
  • "Parts of the Bible may be modified to accommodate modern life." Extreme caution is needed here, as we have a mandate to "rightly divide the Word of truth."
  • "What I believe in is that if I live my life as well as I can, I will be rewarded. I don't presume to have knowledge of what happens after I die." Salvation comes as a result not of good deeds we do but totally as a gift of God received by faith and with a certainty of heaven upon one's death. 
  • "Those opposed to abortion cannot simply invoke God's will—they have to explain why abortion violates some principle that is accessible to people of all faiths." At conception, a separate human being is created in God's image and deserves full protection and care until the child is born.
  • Regarding homosexuality and gay marriage, "I am not willing to accept a reading of the Bible that consists of an obscure line from Romans to be more defining of Christianity than the Sermon on the Mount." Throughout the entire Bible, the practice of homosexuality is declared as sinful and contradicting of God's design for human relationships, marriage and family. 
Thank you for listening, Mr. President! If what I have communicated resonates with you, I'd suggest you give a call to the Rev. Billy Graham and let him pray with you, as he has other presidents for decades. What a phenomenal gift it would be to this man who just celebrated his 95th birthday and has spent his lifetime introducing people to an authentic relationship with God's only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
 
Respectfully, I am
Larry Tomczak
 
Larry Tomczak is a best-selling author and cultural commentator with over 40 years of trusted ministry experience. His passion is to bring perspective, analysis and insight from a biblical worldview. He loves people and loves awakening them to today's cultural realities and the responses needed for the bride of Christ—His church—to become influential in all spheres of life once again.

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Another Photographic Treasure Trove Discovered: 120-Year-Old Colored Slides from Chatham University, Part 1

Israel's History - a Picture a Day (Beta)


Posted: 19 Nov 2013 02:21 PM PST
The Western Wall in Jerusalem (hand-colored, Chatham University Archives, circa 1890) The photo's caption reads "Jesus' Waiting Place." A case of bad handwriting? Other photographers of the time captioned their pictures, "Jews' Wailing Place."

In the need for library and archival preservation, modern technology is certainly a friend of antiquity.  Vintage photographs, some stored for over a century in old libraries, are now being digitized and often posted Online.  Such is the case with this treasure of "Holy Land Lantern Slides" we found in Chatham University's archives.

Chatham University, a 150-year-old women's undergraduate school in Pittsburgh, digitized their slides in 2009.  According to Rachel M. Grove Rohrbaugh, the school's archivist and public service librarian, "most of the slides roughly date to circa 1880-1900.  We don’t have specific information on the photographer(s) or how they were used here at Chatham, but they were likely used for instruction in world history or cultural studies."


View of Hinom Valley in Jerusalem (Chatham University Archives, circa 1880). The photo, probably taken from near the Jaffa Gate, shows the Montefiore windmill, built in 1858, and the Mishkenot Sha'anaim homes beneath it. Are the blades of the windmill blurry because they were moving? That could provide a date for the photo: The mill stopped turning in 1876.

Kerosene lanterns designed to 
project slides  (YouTube)
We thank Chatham University Library for permission to publish these well-preserved hand-painted lantern slides.  

In the 1880s, before movies or electricity, pictures such as these were projected in front of classes or audiences using a kerosene-lit lamp fitted with special lenses.

The slides were produced by optical manufacturers who sold the lanterns. The makers of the Chatham slides were identified by Chatham's archivist as T.H McAllister Co. and Williams, Brown, and Earle, of New York and Philadelphia respectively. 



Joseph's Tomb in Nablus (Shechem)
(Chatham University Archives, circa 1880)

Inside the Jaffa Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem. The moat on the right of the picture indicates the picture was taken prior to the 1898 arrival of the German emperor. when the moat was filled in. What does the large sign at the end of the road read? (Chatham University Archives)


An enlargement of the picture shows a sign, "Mission to the Jews," inside the Jaffa Gate of the Old City of Jerusalem.

German, Anglican, and Scottish Protestant church missionaries were very active in the Holy Land in the late 19th century. 

At the time, this intersection of the Old City was probably one of the busiest ones in Jerusalem.

Click on the pictures to enlarge.
Click on the captions to view the originals.


Next: Part 2 of the Chatham Collection

Tuesday, November 19, 2013

Camels in the desert - near Jericho, Israel


On our Love For His People Ahava Adventures trip (Nov. 2-11, 2013) we saw these camels in the desert between the Jordan River, near Jericho, and the Qumran historical site, where the Dead Sea Scrolls were found in 1948.

Photos by Steve Martin.












For more information on the 
2014 Ahava Adventures:




Qasr al Yahud Baptism Site in Israel - where Yeshua (Jesus) probably was baptized.

As part of the Love For His People Ahava Adventure trip in Nov. 2013, we went from Jerusalem to the Qasr al Yahud baptismal site, which is believed to be near the actual site where Yeshua (Jesus) would have been baptized by John the Baptist (Immerser).

The site is located near Jericho on the Jordan River, just north of the Dead Sea.

Steve Martin
Love For His People

Photos by Steve Martin Nov. 9, 2013

The baptismal site on the Jordan River

The Jordan River 
(including the "West Bank")

Looking across the Jordan River 
to the church in the country of Jordan.


Assembly hall for tourists

Seating for those awaiting baptism and viewers.

 
 


Ready for baptism - Ben Martin


Below is taken from the Israel Inside Out website.

Qasr al Yahud Baptism Site

Email
The Jordan River at Qasr al Yahud
The Jordan River at Qasr al Yahud

Qasr al Yahud
 (The Jews' Castle or Palace) is a site on the banks of the Jordan River not far from Jericho.  Christian tradition associates Qasr al Yahud with the site of Jesus' baptism by Matthew (Matthew 3) and it has been revered as such from at least the fourth century. There are many monasteries and churches in the area testifying to the long religious tradition at Qasr al Yahud. In Jewish tradition the crossing of the Jordan by the Children of Israel under Joshua (Joshua 3) must also have taken place in this general area. It is also associated with the site where Elijah handed over the prophecy to Elisha and rose to heaven on a fiery chariot (2 Kings 11)

Baptism Deck Qasr al Yahud Jordan River
Baptism Deck

Due to its location Qasr al Yahud has not been an easy place to visit, and the Yardenit Baptismal Site has been the preferred choice of pilgrims. However, Qasr al Yahud has been recently refurbished with access to the river, showers, facilities for prayer, wheelchair access and improved car parking. The site now seems to be under the administration of the Israel Parks Authority and for the first time in many years is now open daily. The water quality is regularly inspected to ensure that it is safe to enter the Jordan. Please be aware the wet decking can be very slippy!

The general area is amazingly beautiful and is a good place to understand desert landscape and see the impact of water - the trail of the Jordan is very clear with an oasis like quality.

There are many churches in use, abandoned and being constructed in the area. The Jordan River is very narrow and it is possible to carry out a normal conversation with pilgrims in Jordan! Please be aware the Jordanian authorities take a very dim view of illegal border crossings. Although this is a place of outstanding natural beauty and  religious significance it is an international border in every respect.

Getting to Qasr al Yahud 

Qasr al Yahud is located off the main north south Road 90 near Jericho.