Another Gospel Singer Comes Out Of The Closet

Well, here we go again. Another gospel singer has come out as being gay. In this case, DeJuaii Pace, member of the award winning gospel group The Anointed Pace Sisters, has come out as a lesbian.

Article from TheRoot.com:

Coming out isn't the easiest process. So imagine how challenging it would be if you grew up in a Pentecostal Holiness church, were a preacher's kid and belonged to an award-winning gospel group with your siblings.

This was DeJuaii Pace's reality and factored into why she ignored her same-sex attraction for so long. In fact, the 45-year-old, who's also a virgin, never discussed her lesbianism with her family, including her eight sisters -- seven of whom, along with her, make up gospel's the Anointed Pace Sisters. That changed during a taping of the new OWN: The Oprah Winfrey Network show Addicted to Food, which premieres Tuesday night.

Pace, a compulsive overeater, is one of eight eating disorder patients (both over- and under-eaters) at treatment facility Shades of Hope in Buffalo Gap, Texas. With the help of therapists, the patients try to find the root of their food addiction, heal it and become mentally and physically healthier.

Pace, who started gaining extra weight when she was 21, says that her big secret contributed to her overeating and that food was a substitute for intimacy. The gospel singer talks to The Root about her weight-loss journey, her virginity and homosexuality in the black church.

 Full article HERE.

This is starting to occur with regularity now. First it was award winning gospel singer Ray Boltz, then Jennifer Knapp, then Tonex, and now DeJuaii Pace being the notable gospel personalities who have come out of the closet. We know there will be more who come forward. After all, it's not a big secret that the gospel music scene is littered with undercover gay men and lesbians. And as more high-profile singers feel bold enough to reveal themselves, it'll certainly embolden others to decide to "be honest" with the public about who they are. Only God knows the effect this is having, and will have, on the audiences that listen to these people... especially impressionable youth who may well be influenced to one day follow a similar path.  

Gay civil unions... Gay (or "gay-accepting") churches... Gay gospel singers... Gay marriages. In the past decade or so we've seen that which is abominable to God become more and more commonplace in our society, receiving wider and wider acceptance. No, homosexuality isn't necessarily the worst sin in the world-- as many gays and their supporters like to tell us -- but acceptance of homosexuality is very much a barometer of the moral state (or moral decay) of a society. And when we see so many professing "Christians" shrug like its not a big deal that a particular gospel singer has come out, and more and more churches open their doors for gay gospel artists to perform (or "minister") to their congregations, it tells you how many "Christians" and churches have totally lost their moral compass, going through the motions of something that has a resemblance to Christianity, but is not Biblical Christianity at all.

There's no doubt that the day will come when those of us who insist on maintaining the biblical standard for moral and sexual purity (which, of course, excludes homosexual behavior) will find ourselves ostracized, marginalized, and worse... not just by the secular society, but by many in the church world. Slowly, gradually, that which was considered abominable is becoming acceptable in the eyes of many who claim to know Christ. But frankly, it will never be acceptable in the eyes of God, or his true followers.

No matter how much these gay apologists try to twist God's word to suit their own views and desires, the Word of God makes it clear that the sexually immoral will NOT inherit the kingdom of God.  It doesn't matter how big their churches are, how well  they preach, how sweetly they sing, how much they speak in tongues (or claim to speak in tongues); if they continue to live in defiance to the Word of God, these people are going to find themselves shut out of the Kingdom on that great day.

God bless all those brave pastors, preachers, and saints of God who will continue to maintain the biblical standard, and stand against the tide of moral decay that is in the process of infiltrating so many in the church world today.

Ted Haggard Comes Out In favor of Gay Marriage

Well, here we go again. Another one bites the dust.

Another well-known “leader” within Christendom has given his stamp of approval to homosexual marriage. This time, it’s Ted Haggard. Haggard was former head of the National Association of Evangelicals, and former pastor of  the 10,000+ member New Life church in Colorado Springs, CO before being forced out in a sex scandal. After going through a period of “reparative therapy”, he started another church, known as St James Church not too far from New Life. This new church has apparently been seeing steady growth, and has gone from a few dozen to a few hundred members. Now the Ted Haggard story has taken another twist; he’s now come out in favor of homosexual unions.

In cover story article with gay magazine The Advocate, we read:

Many people remember Haggard’s cameo in the 2006 documentary Jesus Camp, where he said, “We don’t have to debate about what we should think about homosexual activity. It’s written in the Bible.” Today, he says his words were taken out of context, that he was speaking to a group of believers about Scripture, not making a statement on what should or should not be inculcated into law. In 2006 he supported Colorado’s Amendment 43, which banned gay marriage under the state constitution, though he also supported a failed proposition that would have granted domestic-partnership rights to gays and lesbians.

Now Haggard wants to be clear: He supports civil marriage rights for gay couples. “The word marriage is a big deal to people of faith,” he says. “We’ve made it sacred. That’s why I believe that churches, synagogues, mosques, and temples should have total freedom to have whatever types of unions they believe as godly. But I think that we as a democratic society, as a constitutional republic — if we don’t respect individual civil liberties, then we’re making a horrific mistake. The church is in the early stages of another ‘the earth is flat’ crisis. I say to all religious people that we should be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry on the subject. Or we’re going to be embarrassed in another 10 or 20 years.”

(Full article online here.)

Is this man serious? Why would the true church be “embarrassed” about standing up for biblical truth? This man is a joke – and that’s putting it nicely. Rather than standing up for biblical truth on this important issue, he has chosen the path of doctrinal and spiritual compromise. Simply shameful.

I was a bit surprised when I first saw this report, but then again, I guess nothing should really surprise me anymore when it comes to this topic. By now it’s abundantly clear that this gay marriage thing is going to be a defining issue (and a dividing issue) in the church world in the years and decades to come. One only wonders who will be the next domino to fall prey to this doctrine which originates from the pits of hell.  

Anne Rice Breaks Up With Christianity via Facebook

In a turn of events that's both absurd and sad at the same time, writer Anne Rice a former queen of occult and vampire writings who ostensibly turned to God in 2005 has chosen to reject Christianity, and has chosen to make quite a show of it by using Facebook to announce it.  In  her own words:

"I quit being a Christian. I'm out. In the name of Christ, I refuse to be anti-gay. I refuse to be anti-feminist. I refuse to be anti-artificial birth control. I refuse to be anti-Democrat. I refuse to be anti-secular humanism. I refuse to be anti-science. I refuse to be anti-life. In the name of ...Christ, I quit Christianity and being Christian. Amen."

[I do wonder: is she refusing to be "anti-gay" (whatever that might mean) because her son Christopher Rice is openly homosexual... and thus she doesn't want to deal with the issue from a biblical perspective?]


Sadly, it is failry apparent that Anne Rice, a Roman Catholic, never really knew biblical Christianity, and didn't have a true born again experience through Jesus Christ. Lets face it -- few people, if any, are led into a true relationship with Jesus through that Mary-worshiping, idol-glorifying, pedophile-priest-protecting, Pope-exalting, Bible-violating abomination of a "church" known as Roman Catholicism.  And for her to even describe "Christianity" in such harsh and stereotypical terms shows how little she really knows of true biblical Christianity, and brings to mind the words of the apostle John in 1 John 2:19 :

They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would have continued with us. But they went out, that it might become plain that they all are not of us.

Truly an unfortunate turn of events. May the Lord have mercy on this woman's soul before she departs this life.

Full article from Beliefnet here.

Obama Administration Shifting from Freedom of Religion to "Freedom of Worship"

Words do matter. We should never forget that.

The terms "freedom of religion" and "freedom of worship" might sound very similar, but the underlying meanings are actually quite different. It seems like the Obama administration is making a shift from the concept of "freedom of religion" to the softer "freedom of worship" position.And frankly, this is a very big deal. If this idea catches on, the implications for Christians, especially in terms of religious freedom as it relates to our ability to proselytize, could be HUGE.


* By Randy Sly
* 7/16/2010
* Catholic Online (www.catholic.org)

Words matter - listen carefully to our current administration

Since the initially strong language on religious freedom used in President Obama's Cairo speech, presidential references to religious freedom have become rare, often replaced, at most, with references to freedom of worship. A purposeful change in language could mean a much narrower view of the right to religious freedom.

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - The change in language was barely noticeable to the average citizen but political observers are raising red flags at the use of a new term "freedom of worship" by President Obama and Secretary Clinton as a replacement for the term freedom of religion. This shift happened between the President's speech in Cairo where he showcased America's freedom of religion and his appearance in November at a memorial for the victims of Fort Hood, where he specifically used the term "freedom of worship." From that point on, it has become the term of choice for the president and Clinton.

In her article for "First Things" magazine, Ashley Samelson, International Programs Director for the Becket Fund for Religious Liberty, stated, "To anyone who closely follows prominent discussion of religious freedom in the diplomatic and political arena, this linguistic shift is troubling: "The reason is simple. Any person of faith knows that religious exercise is about a lot more than freedom of worship. It's about the right to dress according to one's religious dictates, to preach openly, to evangelize, to engage in the public square. Everyone knows that religious Jews keep kosher, religious Quakers don't go to war, and religious Muslim women wear headscarves-yet "freedom of worship" would protect none of these acts of faith."

In the administration's defense, Carl Esbeck, professor of law at the University of Missouri, is quoted by Christianity Today as saying, "The softened message is probably meant for the Muslim world, said. Obama, seeking to repair relations fractured by 9/11, is telling Islamic countries that America is not interfering with their internal matters."

Let's be clear, however; language matters when it comes to defining freedoms and limits. A shift from freedom of religion to freedom of worship moves the dialog from the world stage into the physical confines of a church, temple, synagogue or mosque. Such limitations can unleash an unbridled initiative that we have only experienced in a mild way through actions determined to remove of roadside crosses, wearing of religious t-shirts and pro-life pins as well as any initiatives of evangelization. It also could exclude our right to raise our children in our faith, the right to religious education, literature or media, the right to raise funds or organize charitable activities and the right to express religious beliefs in the normal discourse of life.

Full article here:

Are there dangers in being 'spiritual but not religious'?

My answer to the above question is a resounding "YES!".  There are indeed dangers to having a buffet-style, pick-and-choose, do-it-yourself mindset regarding religion. However, that seems to be the way our world is headed.

Those who have such a mindset are similar to those Paul wrote about in Romans10:2-3

 ²... they have a zeal of God, but not according to knowledge.
 ³For they being ignorant of God's righteousness, and going about to establish their own righteousness, have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God.

... and also in 2 Timothy 4:3:

³For the time will come when men will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear.

It may be "religiously incorrect" to say it nowadays, but there is still just one way to God, and His name is Jesus Christ.

" ...if you do not believe that I am the one I claim to be, you will indeed die in your sins."
(John 8:24)


 ³⁷When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?"
 ³⁸Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. ³⁹The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call."

(Acts 2:37-39)

 ¹⁵He said to them, "Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. ¹⁶Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.
 (Mark 16:15-16)

The gospel that the church received from Jesus in the first century has  . It was the way to God then... and it's still the way to God in 2010.
----

Excerpt from the CNN.com article:
Are there dangers in being 'spiritual but not religious'?

(CNN) -- "I'm spiritual but not religious."

It's a trendy phrase people often use to describe their belief that they don't need organized religion to live a life of faith.

But for Jesuit priest James Martin, the phrase also hints at something else: egotism.

"Being spiritual but not religious can lead to complacency and self-centeredness," says Martin, an editor at America, a national Catholic magazine based in New York City. "If it's just you and God in your room, and a religious community makes no demands on you, why help the poor?"

Religious debates erupt over everything from doctrine to fashion. Martin has jumped into a running debate over the "I'm spiritual but not religious" phrase.

The "I'm spiritual but not religious" community is growing so much that one pastor compared it to a movement. In a 2009 survey by the research firm LifeWay Christian Resources, 72 percent of millennials (18- to 29-year-olds) said they're "more spiritual than religious." The phrase is now so commonplace that it's spawned its own acronym ("I'm SBNR") and Facebook page: SBNR.org.

But what exactly does being "spiritual but not religious" mean, and could there be hidden dangers in living such a life?

Did you choose "Burger King Spirituality"?

Heather Cariou, a New York City-based author who calls herself spiritual instead of religious, doesn't think so. She's adopted a spirituality that blends Buddhism, Judaism and other beliefs.

"I don't need to define myself to any community by putting myself in a box labeled Baptist, or Catholic, or Muslim," she says. "When I die, I believe all my accounting will be done to God, and that when I enter the eternal realm, I will not walk though a door with a label on it."

Full article: here.

Interfaith marriages are rising fast, but they're failing fast too

I've never thought it was a good idea for people of different faiths to marry. If, for example, a person who's Catholic, who supposedly believes Jesus is the messiah, marries someone who's Jewish (who believes Jesus is NOT the messiah), then what do they teach their children?

But even apart from the children issue, what happens when one partner who had been lackadaisical about his/her faith decides to get more serious about their faith? One can only imagine the friction it can cause in the marriage. I certainly didn't need a Washington Post article to convince me interfaith marriages are a bad idea. But this article just reinforces in my mind my long held belief that an interfaith marriage is essentially a disaster waiting to happen.

As the Bibble itself says: How can two walk together unless they be in agreement? (Amos 3:3)

=====================

By Naomi Schaefer Riley

Sunday, June 6, 2010 


When Joseph Reyes and Rebecca Shapiro got married in 2004, they had a Jewish wedding ceremony. He was Catholic but converted to Judaism after they married, and they agreed to raise any children in the Jewish faith. However, after their daughter Ela was born, Reyes began to worry about the fact that she had not been baptized. "If, God forbid, something happened to her, she wouldn't be in heaven," he told me.

Today, two years after the Illinois couple's bitter divorce battle began, the fight over Ela's religious upbringing involves criminal charges.

The fight escalated in November, when Reyes had Ela baptized in a Catholic church and e-mailed his estranged wife a photo. She filed a complaint, and a judge barred Reyes from exposing his daughter to "any other religion other than the Jewish religion." In January, Reyes violated the judge's order and brought Ela to church again, with a camera crew in tow.

The divorce was settled in April. Reyes is once again allowed to take his daughter to church. But he faces up to six months in jail.

The Reyes-Shapiro divorce is about as ugly as the end of a marriage can get. Some of the sparring is an example of the bad ways people act when a union unravels. But the fight over Ela's religion illustrates the particular hardships and poor track record of interfaith marriages: They fail at higher rates than same-faith marriages. But couples don't want to hear that, and no one really wants to tell them.

Full article here.

Jennifer Knapp, Christian music star announces she is gay

Wow. Another one bites the dust. Surely the devil is busy.

Almost two ago, Christian music artist Ray Boltz came out of the closet, revealing that he is a homosexual. Gospel singer Tonex did the same thing last year. Now Jennifer Knapp has joined the parade. How sad. The unfortunate thing is, there are many more in Christian/Gospel music who are gay but are hiding it. It makes one wonder: "How much of the Christian music I listen to is actually made by truly devoted Christians? ... and how much is made by a) backslidden and unrepentant believers who want to cling to their sin while still "praising the Lord" or b) pretenders who are passing as Christians while they make a career in the gospel music industry?"

in an interview with Christianity Today magazine, Ms. Knapp says

The Bible has literally saved my life. I find myself between a rock and a hard place -- between the conservative evangelical who uses what most people refer to as the 'clobber verses' to refer to this loving relationship as an abomination, while they're eating shellfish and wearing clothes of five different fabrics, and various other Scriptures we could argue about.

I'm not capable of getting into the theological argument as to whether or not we should or shouldn't allow homosexuals within our church. There's a spirit that overrides that for me, and (that is) what I've been gravitating to in Christ and why I became a Christian in the first place.

This is where Jennifer Knapp is wrong. There is NOTHING to "argue about" when it comes to this. Scripturally, they don't have a leg to stand on... and the "shellfish" and "different fabrics" pro-Gay arguments dont stand up under close examination.

Time and space dont allow me to get into it here in-depth, but Joe Dallas has written an excellent article that deals with the major pro-Gay Theology arguments: Responding to Pro-Gay Theology. 

See also "Pro-Homosexual Arguments Examined" for more on this.

God's word is crystal clear.  God made man and woman. Any sexual activity outside of the  bonds of male-female marriage is sexual immorality.

I guess we can fully expect to see more "Christian music" artists come out and try to make it seem as if their homosexual perversion is compatible with Biblical Christianity. Unfortunately, actions have consequences. One must wonder: how many women and girls have been corrupted in the past by Jennifer Knapp? And how many more will be corrupted now and in the future, since she's decided to try to put the stamp of acceptability on her sexually immoral lifestyle?. The simple fact is, whether or not it's politically correct to say it, homosexuality is not at all compatible with Christianity -- and frankly, any Christian who isn't scripturally convinced of that fact may well be in spiritual danger himself, whether he knows it or not.

"Born Gay" (?)-- Exposing the Urban Legend

It's a true saying that if a lie is repeated often enough, it becomes widely taken as being the truth. We've been consistently fed the propaganda that homosexuality is genetic, and thus is fixed and unchangeable. Traditionalvalues.org has an excellent article showing that such an argument is specious at best. indeed, the argument is not only fallacious, but is one of the most damaging lies being foisted upon society, especially the impressionable youth of America.

-----------------
From the article:

"One of the most persistent and culturally damaging Homosexual Urban Legends is the erroneous claim by homosexual activists that they are "born gay" or that their sexual orientation emerges in early adolescence and is fixed and unchangeable.

One or both of these urban legends has been perpetuated not only by homosexual activist groups but by prestigious organizations like the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association."

----

"...the most credible research to date on homosexuality-and research conducted years ago-demonstrates that no one is "born gay." The homosexual is suffering from a developmental problem, which frequently starts out in childhood as gender confusion, family dysfunction, or molestation.

From a Christian perspective, homosexual behavior is also labeled a sin and a sexual perversion. It is a behavior that must be repented of. The sin is akin to allowing oneself to become addicted to pornography or to drugs. These behaviors can be overcome-but the person must want to change!

The Bible-both the Old and New Testaments-clearly condemn homosexuality as a sin and a sexual perversion. Dr. Robert Gagnon, assistant professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has written a definitive text on how God views homosexuality. In The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics, Gagnon proves beyond doubt that the Bible consistently condemns homosexual behavior but calls the homosexual-and other sinners-to repentance and salvation. Gagnon urges Christians to resist the homosexual agenda but to love the sinner by "befriending the homosexual while withholding approval of homosexual behavior."

Full article here.

UPDATE:

The orginal article is not a the above link any more, so I 'm posting the article here for those who might be still interested in reading it in its entirety:

One of the most persistent and culturally damaging Homosexual Urban Legends is the erroneous claim by homosexual activists that they are "born gay" or that their sexual orientation emerges in early adolescence and is fixed and unchangeable.

One or both of these urban legends has been perpetuated not only by homosexual activist groups but by prestigious organizations like the American Psychological Association and the American Psychiatric Association.

The American Psychological Association, for example, features a Q&A section on its web site that deals with sexual orientation. To the question, "Is Sexual Orientation a Choice?" the APA answers: "No, human beings can not choose to be either gay or straight. Sexual orientation emerges for most people in early adolescence without any prior sexual experience. Although we can choose whether to act on our feelings, psychologists do not consider sexual orientation to be a conscious choice that can be voluntarily changed."

In a follow up question, "Can Therapy Change Sexual Orientation?" the APA answers: "No. � The reality is that homosexuality is not an illness. It does not require treatment and is not changeable."

Current research from professional organizations like the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH) dispute the APA's pro-homosexual position.

Regrettably, however, homosexuals have used this particular urban legend to fight for anti-discrimination laws and for "hate crime" laws that provide special legal protections for homosexuals not accorded to heterosexuals. They have also used this fraudulent claim to push for homosexual recruitment programs in public schools under the guise of providing "safe schools" for "homosexual" teenagers. Homosexuals have also demanded sensitivity training for those who are repelled by homosexual behavior. Currently, transgendered individuals (those who cross-dress or are undergoing sex change operations), are also now claiming to be "born transgender." Transgenders are demanding federal laws to protect them from societal disapproval. (See TVC's Special Report on this: "A Gender Identity Goes Mainstream.")

Great cultural and legal changes have taken place in our society because of this Homosexual Urban Legend-but it is slowly but surely being debunked. This is being done not only by conservative psychologists and psychiatrists, but by the admissions of homosexual researchers themselves.

Dr. Robert Spitzer, a NARTH associate, was one of the main forces behind the American Psychiatric Association's 1973 decision to remove homosexuality as a mental illness from the APA's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM).

Dr. Spitzer is now convinced that men and women who have a homosexual orientation can change through therapy. His most recent findings were published in Archives of Sexual Behavior (Vol. 32, No. 5, October 2003, pp. 403-417).

NARTH summarized his findings on its web site. Dr. Spitzer interviewed some 200 men and women who reported changes from homosexual to heterosexual orientation that lasted five years or longer. According to Spitzer, his findings show that "the mental health professionals should stop moving in the direction of banning therapy that has, as a goal, a change in sexual orientation."

One of the most compelling articles to dispel the notion that homosexuality is genetically determined, fixed, and unchangeable is: "The Innate-Immutable Argument Finds No Basis in Science: In Their Own Words: Gay Activists Speak About Science, Morality, Philosophy," by Drs. A. Dean Byrd, Shirley Cox, and Jeffrey W. Robinson. This essay is published on the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality web site.

The authors of this study carefully quote a number of homosexual researchers who have worked for years to locate a "gay gene" or some other genetic basis for homosexuality. They have failed and are now admitting that such evidence may never be found.

Homosexual researcher Dean Hamer, for example, attempted to link male homosexuality to a bit of DNA located at the tip of the X chromosome. He has written: "Homosexuality is not purely genetic�environmental factors play a role. There is not a single master gene that makes people gay. . . . I don't think we will ever be able to predict who will be gay."

Homosexual researcher Simon LeVay, who studied the hypothalamic differences between the brains of homosexual and heterosexual men noted: "It's important to stress what I didn't find. I did not prove that homosexuality is genetic, or find a genetic cause for being gay. I didn't show that gay men are born that way, the most common mistake people make in interpreting my work. Nor did I locate a gay center in the brain."

Homosexual researchers Bailey and Pillard conducted the famous "twins study" quoted by homosexual activist groups to promote the idea that being "gay" is genetic. The study found that among those twins studied, the researchers found a rate of homosexuality of 52% (both twins homosexuals); 22% among non-identical twins; and a 9.2% rate among non-twins.

This was hailed by homosexual activists groups and by the media as supposedly proving that homosexuality is genetic. The study actually proved the opposite. As Byrd, et al, note: "This study actually provides support for environmental factors. If homosexuality were in the genetic code, all of the identical twins would have been homosexual."

In short, the three most famous studies in recent years that homosexual activists use to claim that homosexuality is genetic prove no such thing. In fact, two of the authors of these studies admit their research has not proven a genetic basis to homosexuality.
Catholic Psychiatrists Offer Insights

In June, 2002, Catholic psychiatrists with the Catholic Medical Association in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, sent a letter of concern to the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops and offered to help the Catholic Church deal with its scandals over priests with same-sex attractions. Many of these priests are not pedophiles in the clinical sense or the legal sense of the word. These are pederasts or homosexuals who are attracted to teenage boys or young adults.

The letter of concern notes: "There is no verifiable evidence that same-sex attraction is genetically determined. If same-sex attraction were genetically determined, identical twins would always have the same sexual attraction pattern. Numerous studies of twins have shown that this is not the case. And there are numerous studies documenting change of sexual attraction pattern (see 'Homosexuality and Hope,' available at www.cathmed.org). This entire statement is available on the Catholic Medical Association web site. This association is helping to debunk the notion that individuals are "born gay."
If Not Genes,
Then What Causes Homosexuality?

Regent University's Law Review for Spring, 2002, is entirely devoted to a discussion of various aspects of homosexuality, including the origins and causes of homosexual behaviors. The Law Review includes a study, " Homosexuality: Innate and Immutable?" by Dr. A. Dean Byrd and Stony Olsen.

After discussing the lack of evidence on the genetic origins of homosexuality, Dr. Byrd and his associate detail the various environmental factors that can lead a person into a homosexual lifestyle.

Gender Confusion: Dr. George Rekers, an expert on Gender Identity Disorders, is author of dozens of scholarly research papers on homosexuality and wrote Growing Up Straight: What Every Family Should Know About Homosexuality in 1982. He is also editor of Handbook of Child and Adolescent Sexual Problems, published in 1995. Dr. Rekers stated in 1995, that "Gender nonconformity in childhood may be the single common observable factor associated with homosexuality. Some of the typical childhood factors leading to homosexuality are: feeling of being different from other children; perception of father as being distant, uninvolved and unapproving; perception of mother being too close, too involved; diminished or distorted masculinity or femininity; premature introduction to sexuality; and gender confusion.

Failure To Internalize Maleness: Dr. Joseph Nicolosi, president of the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality has written: "Homosexuality is a developmental problem that is almost always the result of problems in family relationships, particularly between father and son. As a result of failure with father, the boy does not fully internalize male gender identity, and develops homosexuality. This is the most commonly seen clinical model."

Dr. George Rekers, writing in Growing Up Straight, observes: "Many studies of homosexual patients as well as of nonpatient homosexuals have established a classic pattern of background family relations. The most frequent family pattern reported from the male homosexuals includes a binding, intimate mother in combination with a hostile, detached father."

Sexual Abuse By Same-Sex Predator: In studies conducted by Diana Shrier and Robert Johnson in 1985 and 1988, males who had been sexually abused as children were almost seven times as likely as non-molested boys to become homosexuals.

Dr. Gregory Dickson recently completed a doctoral dissertation on the pattern of relationships between mothers and their male homosexual sons. His paper is entitled: "An Empirical Study of the Mother/Son Dyad in Relation to the Development of Adult Male Homosexuality: An Object Relations Perspective."

Dr. Dickson's study is reviewed on the NARTH web site. His study sheds new light on the relationship between early childhood sexual abuse and a child's later involvement in homosexual behaviors. According to Dickson, an alarming 49% of homosexuals surveyed had been molested compared to less than 2% of heterosexuals.

His study affirms previous findings of Dr. David Finkelhor (1984), which found that boys victimized by older men were four times more likely to be currently involved in homosexual behaviors than were non-victims. As Finkelhor observed: "It may be common for a boy who has been involved in an experience with an older man to label himself as homosexual (1) because he has had a homosexual experience and (2) because he was found to be sexually attractive by a man. Once he labels himself homosexual, the boy may begin to behave consistently with the role and gravitate toward homosexual activity." (Child Sexual Abuse: New Theory and Research, New York: The Free Press, 1984).

Dr. Dickson's study suggests that sexual abuse should be considered in evaluating the factors that contribute to the development of adult homosexual behaviors. Dickson writes: "An experience of sexual abuse could possibly contribute to the sexualizing of the unmet needs for male affection, attention, and connection."

Dr. Dickson continues: "Given the relational deficits [with his mother] experienced by the male child, it is also possible that the molestation, as devastating as it may have been emotionally, simultaneously may be experienced by some of the boys as their first form of adult male affection, as well as something relational that is not shared in common with his mother."

Counselor Dr. Robert Hicks, author of The Masculine Journey, has written: "�In counseling gay men for twenty years, I have not had one yet whom I would say had a normative childhood or normative adolescent development in the sexual arena. More often than not I have found stories of abusive, alcoholic, or absent (physically and emotionally) fathers: stories of incest or first experiences of sex forced upon them by older brothers, neighborhood men, or even friends. I sometimes find these men have had early exposure to pornography�."
Homosexuals Are Made, Not Born

In summary, the most credible research to date on homosexuality-and research conducted years ago-demonstrates that no one is "born gay." The homosexual is suffering from a developmental problem, which frequently starts out in childhood as gender confusion, family dysfunction, or molestation.

From a Christian perspective, homosexual behavior is also labeled a sin and a sexual perversion. It is a behavior that must be repented of. The sin is akin to allowing oneself to become addicted to pornography or to drugs. These behaviors can be overcome-but the person must want to change!

The Bible-both the Old and New Testaments-clearly condemn homosexuality as a sin and a sexual perversion. Dr. Robert Gagnon, assistant professor of New Testament at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary has written a definitive text on how God views homosexuality. In The Bible and Homosexual Practice: Texts and Hermeneutics, Gagnon proves beyond doubt that the Bible consistently condemns homosexual behavior but calls the homosexual-and other sinners-to repentance and salvation. Gagnon urges Christians to resist the homosexual agenda but to love the sinner by "befriending the homosexual while withholding approval of homosexual behavior."

There is hope for homosexuals through developing a relationship with Jesus Christ, through both religious and secular counseling programs, and through support groups that provide accountability for those struggling with same-sex attractions and self-destructive behaviors.

Organizations like Exodus International, Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays, NARTH, Reality Resources, and others can provide the resources that homosexuals need to be set free from these self-destructive sexual behaviors. Freedom is possible for those who wish to be free!

'The King' is dead. Michael Jackson, 1958-2009

They say you’ll always remember where you were when you heard a stunning piece of news (such as the death of JFK, the death of Elvis, the 9/11 attacks, etc). I guess that's true. I know I wont forget the moment I first heard that Michael Jackson had died.

Ed McMahon died yesterday. I wasn’t shocked really. He was 86, so I guess I felt he had lived a full life and it was just his time to go. Then I saw today that Farrah Fawcett died today. She was 62. This was not exactly a shock either, since she’d been battling cancer for a while. But I didn’t see this one coming at all.

Today, things started as just another weekday afternoon. I was driving home when my wife, a journalist with a national news outlet, called. She said she might be home later than usual. The reason: Michael Jackson had had a heart attack and was in the hospital, and if, God forbid, he should die, she’d have to work late to cover what would be a huge story. When I hung up the phone, I was hoping for the best, not sure what to expect. But when my cell phone rang again 11 minutes later, I had a bad feeling as I answered the call.

“I’ll be working late tonight. We just got the news Michael Jackson died”

“Are you sure?”

‘Yeah pretty sure.”

“Are they carrying it on the network yet?

“No. Not yet, but we have some pretty solid information on this. We just need to verify it fully before we run the story, but we have every reason to believe it’s true. Don’t tell anybody yet, because it’s not yet official... but right now, it looks like it's true.”

I continued driving, making two stops on the way home, listening to the radio all the way there. “Michael Jackson is dead,” I thought to myself. ‘Wow. This is crazy.”

I listened as the radio host was covering the story, speaking of how Michael Jackson had had a heart attack and was in grave condition. Listeners were calling in , with the callers and the radio host hoping for the best, but gradually sounding increasingly pessimistic. It was kind of odd to me, knowing already that Michael was dead, even though the radio host kept saying he was in grave condition, and that they were waiting for word on how bad the situation actually was.

By the time the radio station finally announced, maybe 90 minutes later, that it was confirmed that Jackson had died, it started to dawn on me just how big a story this was. Jackson was probably the biggest thing since Elvis, and here he was, dying suddenly at a relatively young age (50) much like Elvis did (at 42). I listened to the radio guy rattle off some impressive statistics: 13 Grammy awards, 750 million records sold, etc. And the more I listened, the more it hit me that this was just not another death, as much as I wanted to kind of tell myself that it was just one of many thousands that will take place today and every day. This was the death of a musical and cultural icon – in some ways, the end of an era.

As I sit here typing this, the news networks are still giving this wall-to-wall coverage. I was a kid when Elvis died in 1976, and barely even noticed it, if at all, even though it was a huge story worldwide. But here I am, witnessing first-hand the effects of the sudden death of someone who could be considered the Elvis of this generation, and whose music was in many ways the soundtrack of our generation.

A moment like this often will cause us, rightfully so, to become pensive, even philosophical. It makes one think of how suddenly it can all end. It reminds us of how God can call our number at any time, and how important it is for us to be ready to meet him.

Several scripture verses come to mind at a time like this:

Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost. (Acts 2:38)

And with many other words did he testify and exhort, saying, Save yourselves from this untoward generation. (Acts 2:40)

For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. (James 4:14)

All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field: The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass. The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever. (Isaiah 40:6-8)

Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them;

Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it.

Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher; all is vanity. (Ecc 12:1,7-8)

Blessings to all who read this blog.

Thanks for visiting.

Out of Wedlock Births reach 40% in US

The out of wedlock birthrate has long been a key social indicator, since it's been proven that kids born out of wedlock are statistically:

more likely to drop out of high school
more likely to become pregnant as teenagers
more likely to grow up under economic hardship
more likely to become juvenile delinquents
more likely to go to prison
more likely to have kids out of wedlock themselves... etc etc.

On another level, the unwed birth rate is also a spiritual indicator, since it's an indication of how much Americans are now discarding traditional marriage and traditional values in general.

So the word comes from the Centers for Disease control that the America's unwed birth rate has now reached 40%. This is a big deal on many levels. If anyone thinks that's not a shocking number, consider this: in 1998 the rate was 32%, in 1980 it was 18.4%. and in 1960 it was 5.3 percent! (Source: CDC Document )

I only expect the rate to keep going higher, and I believe the social and spiritual impact on our nation is simply incalculable.

Lord Jesus, come quickly.

New Gay Bible Angers Christians

Straight from the bowels of hell...

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A gay version of the Bible, in which God says it is better to be gay than straight, is to be published by an American film producer.

New Mexico-based Revision Studios will publish The Princess Diana Bible – so named because of Diana's "many good works", it says – online at princessdianabible.com in spring 2009. A preview of Genesis is already available, in which instead of creating Adam and Eve, God creates Aida and Eve.

"And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Aida, and she slept: and he took one of her ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib, which the Lord God had taken from woman, made he another woman, and brought her unto the first. And Aida said, 'This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of me. Therefore shall a woman leave her mother, and shall cleave unto her wife: and they shall be one flesh.' And they were both naked, the woman and her wife, and were not ashamed."

The film studio said it would also adapt and direct the revised Bible as a two-part mini-series, The Gay Old Testament and The Gay New Testament, once it is completed.

"There are many different versions of the Bible; I don't see why we can't have one," said Max Mitchell...

Full Article here: http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008...iana-gay-bible

13-Year-Old Rape Victim Stoned To Death In Somalia For Adultery

Sad story coming out of Somalia. This story speaks for itself...but my one question is this: If Islam is supposed to be a "religion of peace", why havent we heard an uproar in the Islamic world over crimes like this, which happen frequently in islamic countries worldwide?

Thank God for brave women like Ayaan Hirsi Ali (top picture) also of Somalian descent, who are brave enough to speak about the the widespread barbarism, especially barbarism against women, coming out of the Islamic world. 

November 1, 2008 11:34 AM EST | 


MOGADISHU, Somalia — A 13-year-old girl who said she had been raped was stoned to death in Somalia after being accused of adultery by Islamic militants, a human rights group said.

Dozens of men stoned Aisha Ibrahim Duhulow to death Oct. 27 in a stadium packed with 1,000 spectators in the southern port city of Kismayo, Amnesty International and Somali media reported, citing witnesses. The Islamic militia in charge of Kismayo had accused her of adultery after she reported that three men had raped her, the rights group said.

Initial local media reports said Duhulow was 23, but her father told Amnesty International she was 13. Some of the Somali journalists who first reported the killing later told Amnesty International that they had reported she was 23 based upon her physical appearance.

Calls to Somali government officials and the local administration in Kismayo rang unanswered Saturday.

"This child suffered a horrendous death at the behest of the armed opposition groups who currently control Kismayo," David Copeman, Amnesty International's Somalia campaigner, said in a statement Friday.

Somalia is among the world's most violent and impoverished countries. The nation of some 8 million people has not had a functioning government since warlords overthrew a dictator in 1991 then turned on each other.

A quarter of Somali children die before age 5; nearly every public institution has collapsed. Fighting is a daily occurrence, with violent deaths reported nearly every day.

Islamic militants with ties to al-Qaida have been battling the government and its Ethiopian allies since their combined forces pushed the Islamists from the capital in December 2006. Within weeks of being driven out, the Islamists launched an insurgency that has killed thousands of civilians.

In recent months, the militants appear to be gaining strength. The group has taken over the port of Kismayo, Somalia's third-largest city, and dismantled pro-government roadblocks. They also effectively closed the Mogadishu airport by threatening to attack any plane using it.

The Seven Year Anniversary 9/11/01 - 9/11/08

It's been seven years... but for a lot of, the memory is still fresh.

Worst Article of the Year

I know the year isn't over yet, but this article by Fatima Ali of the Philadelphia Inquirer is soooo bad, it's the clear front-runner for the "Worst Article of the Year" Award. Some of you might be thinking: "I didn't know you HAD a "Worst Article of the Year" award. In fact, I didn't. But this article is so bad, I decided to create one!

Among the droppings found in the article, Fatimah Ali: We need Obama, not 4 more years of George Bush:

"The policies of the current White House have brutalized our economy, yet the wealthiest think that everything is fine."

"...Critics of the GOP believe that a four-year extension of the Bush administration will be disastrous. People are struggling, and the privileged are so out of touch they pretend it's OK that children go hungry.
"
"...If McCain wins, look for a full-fledged race and class war, fueled by a deflated and depressed country, soaring crime, homelessness - and hopelessness!"

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/opinion/20080902_Fatimah_Ali__We_need_Obama__not_4_more_years_of_George_Bush.html
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So if Obama loses, we should expect a race war? Puh-leeze.

Then again, no surprise here. It's just the typical alarmist tripe we've come to expect from the left -- painting the bleakest picture possible, talking down our economy, and making it seem like we're living in some Third World country. Yawn.

'Gay' Man Sues Bible Publishers

A homosexual man is suing a Bible publisher because the Bible refers to homosexuality as a sin. Three words come to mind when I read this story: STOP THE MADNESS!

Seriously, how far away are we from homosexuals suing churches for preaching what the Bible teaches... and winning!?

Bradley LaShawn Fowler of Canton, Mich., is seeking $60 million from Zondervan Publishing and another $10 million from Thomas Nelson Publishing for violating his constitutional rights and causing him emotional pain, because the Bible versions they publish refer to homosexuality as a sin. The lawsuits were filed in U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Michigan, The Grand Rapids Press reported.
Fowler, 39, claims that the Bible has made him an outcast from his family and contributed to physical discomfort and periods of "demoralization, chaos and bewilderment."

Full story here: http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=69147

Marriage rates in England plunge to lowest rate since records began.

The number of Britons tying the knot has collapsed to a record low, it has emerged.

The proportion of men and women getting married is below any level found since figures were first kept nearly 150 years ago.

And the number of weddings held in 2006 was the smallest since 1895, when the population was little more than half its present level.

The evidence that marriage is withering away at an increasing pace was met with a furious response from critics of Labour's benefits system, which disregards the status of husbands and wives and pays parents extra to stay single.

Shadow Home Secretary David Davis claimed the Government had "fuelled family breakdown" and researcher Patricia Morgan, who coined the phrase "marriage lite" to describe cohabitation, said Labour had succeeded in "eradicating" marriage.

"This is what they have tried to achieve and they should be congratulating themselves," she added.

"But it is a disaster for children, families and society."

The figures, from the Office for National Statistics, said that in 2006, fewer than ten in every 1,000 single adults in England and Wales were married.

Among men the rate was 22.8 in every 1,000, among women 20.5. When marriage-rates were first calculated in 1862 the level was 58.7 for men and 50 for women.

Full story here.

Nascar's Race Problem

Nascar is one of America's most popular sports enterprises. But does Nascar have a serious race problem? Many of us have suspected for years that it does. This article from Portfolio.com sheds some more light on the issue:

Nascar's Race Problem

"With growth stalled, a multibillion-dollar sports business looks to diversity for a jump start. But some Fortune 500 would-be sponsors fear that supporting minority drivers could set off a rebel yell.

Marc Davis was doing what Nascar drivers do all the time—getting even.

With 10 laps to go in a tight 200-lap race at Hickory Motor Speedway, Davis, then 16 years old, was fighting hard for the win when a rival tapped his rear bumper and sped around him as he tried to recover. On the next lap, Davis repaid the favor by thumping his competitor and causing him to spin out. Both ended up at the back of the pack. For the drivers, this was no big deal. Retaliation is part of the sideshow that gives Nascar its edge. But this episode had an extra element: Davis is black, and his rival, also a teenager, was white.

And Hickory, 50 miles northwest of Charlotte, North Carolina, is Nascar bedrock, America’s oldest continuously operating motor speedway and the hallowed minor-league track where such legends as Dale Earnhardt and Richard Petty cut their teeth. It attracts a hardcore following, an overwhelmingly white crowd that was perfectly happy when Nascar was just a backwater redneck sport. So though Davis had already proved his Nascar mettle by winning six races at Hickory that year, his tangling with a white driver caused an uproar among about a hundred fans, who stormed a fence surrounding the track, some of them chanting, “Go home, nigger!” Several were ejected from the stands..."

Full article here.

Bad News In The Motor City?

I've known of and read of Detroit's decline over the years, but these numbers I came across really stunned me:

"Detroit had nearly 1.6 million in 1930. It had just below 1 million in 1920. The estimated population as of 2005 was 887,000 (so it's roughly where it was during WWI) and dropping at roughly 13,000+ per year. Some social theorists estimated it will bottom out at around 300,000 or so within the next 20 years (although at the current rate of decline, it will take 40 years."

Kwame Kilpatrick, the young, self-described "hip hop mayor" has been a disappointment to say the least, embroiled in scandal after scandal. The decline of the auto industry has hit the city hard. The crime rate remains high. People have been leaving in droves. A great American city is falling apart right before our eyes. Very sad. I don't see any reason to believe that things will turn around there any time soon.

And on a political note (yes, I had to inject my political view into this)... why does it seem that all of the worst run American cities are ALL run by Democratic administrations? And I mean ALL of them. Detroit, Washington DC, New Orleans, Newark... right down the list. Not to say that Republicans would necessarily have all the answers, but I cant help but think that a Republican small government, fiscal conservative style might help turn some of these cities around. Fact is though, the demographics of most of these cities is so solidly Democratic that it would be extremely tough for a Republican to ever get a chance to try to turn things around.

Well, as someone once said, "The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over an over and expecting a different result". So the madness continues...

By the way, I'm curious... if Marion Jones will do 6 months in jail for lying under oath, should the Mayor of Detroit be any different?