Did anybody see this?

Apparently a large black X appeared on Vice President Cheney's face on CNN as he delivered a speech in Washington on Monday. Click on the title for the story (from Drudge by way of Free Republic.) Pictures are in the comments section.

---Katie

Shellfish is back!

Shellfish is a blog that did a great job of covering ELCA issues leading up to the Churchwide Assembly. It was supposed to end after the convention, but has come back in response to the action of the Metro NY Synod. Here is an excerpt of shrimp's latest post:

".....When this was reported back to me, my immediate response was to say
that there is a single defining issue of our time as Church and this synod
official is on the wrong side of that issue. Let'’s be fair, the whole
stinking synod is on the wrong side of this issue. Oh sometimes we
almost vote to be faithful, but we never pull it off. No matter how
ridiculous the resolution might be, if the homosexual advocates back it, it
passes. Due to a whole constellation of events, there is only one issue
that the ELCA in this decade must be faithful in regard to: whether the
clear word of Scripture and tradition applies to the behavior of
homosexuals and lesbians, or whether we suspend the clear word of Scripture and tradition for them and them alone (others to follow) because they are
"victims”." Because this issue involves our obedience to the moral
teachings of Scripture and Tradition, it must not be let go of. It must stick
in our craw if we are to remain part of the one holy catholic and apostolic church."



Go on over for a visit to read the rest. Click on the title!

---Katie

A quote from the "German Shepherd"

Pope Benedict XVI writes:

"Today in broad circles, even among believers, an image has prevailed of a Jesus who demands nothing, never scolds, who accepts everyone and everything, who no longer does anything but affirm us: the perfect opposite of the Church, to the extent that she still dares to make demands and regulations. F. Schulz recently found something similar in an analysis of the new prayers of the Evangelical Lutheran worship services. He encountered there a twofold 'dechristologizing' tendency: 'First the practice of naming the Person of Christ recedes or disappears. . . , then there is a shift in emphasis that consists in the fact that Christ is no longer addressed in the respectful terms reserved for royalty but that his solidarity with mankind is stressed instead.' The presence of the figure of Jesus itself is becoming diminished. . .,transformed from the "Lord" (a word that is avoided) into a man who is nothing more than the advocate of all men. The Jesus of the Gospels is quite different, demanding, bold. The Jesus who makes everything okay for everyone is a phantom, a dream, not a real figure. The Jesus of the Gospels is certainly not convenient for us. But it is precisely in this way that he answers the deepest question of our existence, which--whether we want to or not--keeps us on the lookout for God, for a gratification that is limitless, for the infinate. We must again set out on the way to this real Jesus."

It is so nice to hear some solid doctrine.

---Katie

Pagans want to ban The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

From World Magazine (Click on the title):

Ban the culture

It's the only way to protect schoolchildren from Christian lit | by Gene Edward Veith

Many public schools already use The Chronicles of Narnia in their reading curriculum. But after Florida governor Jeb Bush started promoting The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe in a statewide reading contest called "Just Read, Florida," the critics are wanting to ban that book.

C.S. Lewis' classic, set to premiere as a major motion picture Dec. 9, has a clear Christian message, culminating in the Christ-figure, Aslan the Lion, giving himself to the devil figure, the White Witch, to die in the place of the rotten little kid, Edmund. Then Aslan rises from the dead, which brings salvation to Narnia.

Such a clear gospel message, according to some civil libertarians, has no place in the public schools. Barry Lynn, director of Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, says, "This whole contest is just totally inappropriate because of the themes of The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe. It is simply a retelling of the story of Christ."

Ironically, those comments came out a week after Banned Books Week, celebrating books people have tried to censor. (According to the Banned Books Resource Guide from the American Library Association, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is on the list. So is the Bible.)

And Mr. Lynn earlier denounced an Alabama school board for choosing not to use certain textbooks because of their anti-Christian bias, considering that to be "censorship," which at that time for those books, he opposed: "We are very much concerned that this will unleash a tidal wave of new censorship efforts by a variety of religious groups seeking to impose their sectarian viewpoints on all of the students in America's public schools."

If it should be unlawful to have students read books that have a Christian theme, the problem is even worse than civil libertarians realize. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe is not the only book with a Christ figure who gives his life to save others.

We'll also need to ban Charles Dickens' A Tale of Two Cities, Herman Melville's Billy Budd, and William Faulkner's Light in August.

And we can't stop there. Nearly everything written before the 18th century has a strong Christian content. Shakespeare's comedies have some bawdy stuff that we might permit, but their plots tend to involve some sin, discord, and a death sentence resolved only with some sort of death, resurrection, and forgiveness. In the tragedies, Hamlet worries about hell, Macbeth yearns to be cleansed of guilt, and Lear—evoking the Christian Right conspiracy—resolves to be "God's spy."

In the second tier of the greatest English authors, we have Milton, with his epic poem on Adam, Eve, and the Fall (explicitly biblical and creationist); Spenser, with his combination of fantasy and Christian allegory (that influenced the banned Lewis); and Chaucer, whose Canterbury Tales include some dirty ones we could use, but what if students read the tales of the Pardoner, the Franklin, or the Parson?

We'll need to ban metaphysical poetry, in which John Donne, George Herbert, and the others write explicitly about their relationship with Christ. Even post-Enlightenment, we've got problems. Jonathan Swift was a minister, whose Gulliver's Travels ridicules human depravity. Hawthorne too writes about original sin, a Christian belief that might interfere with children's self-esteem.

We could do as the colleges are doing, change the canon of books considered great. But when we replace the white males with women writers, it gets even worse! Anne Bradstreet, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Christina Rossetti, and Flannery O'Connor are even more explicitly Christian. So are many of the classic black authors, such as Phillis Wheatley and Frederick Douglass.

Erasing Christianity from the culture that it shaped will leave nothing left. We had better ban all literature, along with our whole contaminated culture.

Oh, never mind. We are already doing that.

---Katie

WFTV Orlando "Outs" CCW Permit Holders

Ok, I admit it. I am a gun nut. I like to shoot and I am a responsible gun owner. I took the time to get a permit so I can carry legally. I am trained and I am excruciatingly careful. I guess that is not enough for WFTV Orlando. They want to make sure my neighbors know that I am one of those eeeevil gun carrying wackos...

Here is the article I posted on FreeRepublic:

I am sorry I don't have the original article, but it has been removed from the WFTV web site. They did a big expose this week on the proliferation of concealed carry permit holders in Central Florida. On their web site they had links to excel files containing lists of permit holders by county including names, addresses, birth dates and permit numbers. Of course, that is all a matter of public record, but they made it easy to access and, from what I have been told by those who heard their promos on the TV and radio, they told people to go to their web site to find out which of their neighbors might be carrying. Here is the e-mail I sent to the station:

I would like to know for what purpose your station put links to the CCW permit lists on your website. Were you interested in letting criminals know where they could go to steal guns?

I hope you will be as quick to expose criminals' names and addresses as you are to "out" those law-abiding citizens who just want to be able to protect themselves legally.

And here is the reply I received:

Ms. Aberaussie, thank you for taking the time to share your opinion with us. We take your concerns very seriously, and we understand that you strongly disagree with the station's decision to publish state records identifying concealed weapon permit holders in Central Florida.

While we very much respect your viewpoint, we believe that our story regarding concealed weapon permits, as well as the identities of those who have elected to obtain those permits, is newsworthy and of legitimate concern to the public. The Florida legislature has deemed that the identity of permit holders, including their names, addresses, dates of birth and permit numbers, is public information. While the legislature has determined that law abiding citizens have the right to carry a concealed weapon, it also has determined that their fellow citizens have a right to know who has been granted such a permit.

However, to the extent that you have any continuing concerns about the publication on the station's website of the state's list of permit holders, you should be reassured by the fact that this information is no longer available on the website as a result of the station's normal process of removing dated materials. We hope this will ease any concerns you may have.

Again, we thank you for taking the time to contact us. Please know that we hear you, and we understand your concerns. Hopefully, we can move forward from here with mutual respect and a better understanding of each other's viewpoint on this matter.

Naughtin, Linda (CBI-Orlando TV) [Linda.Naughtin@wftv.com]

Now, I have trouble believing that they removed the links as part of their regular updating process. I checked the site several times during the day on Tuesday, and about mid-afternoon the links to the lists disappeared, but the article was still there. I do know that one person I know who was calling WFTV and Tallahassee regarding the article and the links was told that both the station and the Department of Licensing were flooded with calls. So I did reply to Ms. Naughtin's e-mail suggesting that not only did they have shockingly bad judgment, they also had a tenuous hold on the truth. ;-)

---Katie

Pray for the Conservative Lutherans

I found this article over on Pietist:

Conservative Lutherans Prepare Large-Scale 'Coalition for Reform'

Conservative Lutherans Prepare Large-Scale 'Coalition for Reform'

Friday, Nov. 4, 2005

WASHINGTON – Conservatives in the nation'’s largest Lutheran denomination may set aside minor doctrinal differences and form a coalition for large-scale reform within a church they say has lost sound theological understanding.

The Word Alone Network, a grouping of more than 200 Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) congregations and 70 regional chapters, will be meeting with other orthodox fellowships next week to "“come to an understanding on working together for the common good."

“We'’re going to see if we'’re able to work together to change the denomination and turn it around,"” said Jaynan Clark Egland, president of Word Alone.

The "“Coalition for Reform,"” as it is unofficially called, will be meeting in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota from Nov. 6-8, and will draw representatives from organizations such as Solid Rock Lutherans and Lutherans Reform!, a regional group based in Pennsylvania.

This will not be the first time confessing Lutherans would be working together for a common goal. Solid Rock Lutherans, for example, was specifically created by various groups and individuals who sought to prevent changes to the current standards on sexuality and ordination in the ELCA; the church prohibits the ordination of active homosexuals and forbids the blessing of same-sex marriages.

However, it may mark the first time the groups agree on adopting an official statement of creed and faith.

"This will be a prototype breaching across different groups on the basis of a common confession of the Word Alone Network,"” Egland said. "These are the main points of orthodox Lutheran Christian belief."”

In the past century, liberal and moderate leaders have piloted America'’s historic mainline denominations, leading everything from mission agencies to theological seminaries. Pockets of conservative believers have always existed within these churches, but it wasn'’t until about 30 years ago that official renewal groups began taking form.

Conservative Coup d'etat

In some instances, such as the "“conservative resurgence"” of the Southern Baptist Convention 25 years ago, these confessing Christians succeeded in launching a coup d'etat that overthrew liberal leadership in nearly all branches of ministry.

Still, others have not been as successful.

"“It'’s not possible to generalize all mainline churches,"” explained Mark Tooley, a director at the Institute for Religion and Democracy and vocal critic of liberalism. "“If you look at the Episcopal Church, for example, conservatives obviously lost and they are now trying to formulate a new communion."

However, Tooley said there is one thing that can be generalized: "“liberalism within mainline churches has been declining in influence and authority for the last 40 years."”

This may be true at least in Tooley'’s denomination, the United Methodist Church (UMC). The top court of the UMC, – which trails the Southern Baptists as the second largest US-based denomination, just last week handed down a series of verdicts related to homosexuality and the rights of gays and lesbians in the church.

The Council members sided with conservatives in all these cases, including a case involving a Virginia pastor who was forced to take a leave of absence for refusing membership to a homosexual man. The court reinstated the pastor, Ed Johnson, on the basis that pastors do have the right to choose who can be a member of the local church.

Down the Wrong Road?

According to Jim Winkler, the General Secretary of the UMC General Board of Church and Society, this ruling sends the denomination "down the wrong road."”

"“We will be on the road down to the take-over of our denomination similar to that of the Southern Baptist Convention 30 years ago,"” said Winkler, whose group advocates for the full inclusion of gays and lesbians into the UMC.

Tooley does not believe such a sudden "“take-over"” will occur in his church. However, he said, "“In another 20 years or so, it may be realized."”

Overcoming Internal Differences

As for the ELCA, renewal groups still have some bumps to work out before seeing significant changes. According to Egland, there are still many disagreements among conservatives over the understanding of ecclesiology (the make-up of the church), the role of bishops, and the importance of ecumenical relations.

"These are all differences that existed within Lutheranism for quite some time,"” said Egland. "“We have our disagreements, but itÂ’s a matter of coming to understand that we actually have more in common with each other than those differences."”

The main commonalities are a high regard for the Bible and a desire to maintain Scriptural authority -- points, they agree, that are currently missing in the ELCA leadership.

"“There is a line that connects all the problems the church has," said Egland. "“Once you start going lukewarm and selling out on Jesus, it changes everything."”

Such changes range from "“the way you worship"” to the "way you understand marriage and homosexuality,"” she said. "“It even affects the way you make your decisions on a day-to-day basis."

Ultimately, Egland said, the goal of the proposed "Coalition for Reform"” is to change the church from its leadership and bring it "“back to its roots.”

"“Do I think it'’s possible?"” she asked. "“Yes, I'’m hopeful.

"“I think if we can just decide to join in what we have in common instead of nipping over our differences, we can get the ELCA back on track to being faithful."”


Pauline J. Chang
pauline@christianpost.com

---Katie

Ceasefire in the ELCA is over.

Well, Goodsoil is back. Click on the title to see what they recommend for changing the ELCA.

Couldn't even wait for the next Churchwide Assembly.

---Katie

No tolerance for ex-gays?

I guess ex-gays don't deserve to be heard. Click on the title for the entire article.

Ex-Gay Conference Meets with Massive Protest

by Stuart Shepard, managing editor

Homosexual activists and anti-war protesters join forces against a Boston Love Won Out event, completely mischaracterizing the message being presented inside.

More than 1,000 gay activists and protesters jammed the street in front of the historic Tremont Temple Baptist Church on Saturday, shouting "Get the f--- out of Boston!" during Focus on the Family's Love Won Out conference.

Why do we want to deny people the message that they don't have to remain in the "lifestyle" if they don't want to? That there is hope if they want to change? Isn't that what Christianity is about - hope?

---Katie