There has been an increase in violence against Christians in Middle Eastern and African countries Like Egypt and Iraq in the last few weeks. It’s interesting that there is very little government concern in those predominately Muslim nations about the “rising tide of Christian-phobia” sweeping the region! In fact authorities in these countries are very hesitant to act in protection of their Christian minorities because they fear popular reaction and that of the religious leaders and clerics.
What we in the west fail to grasp is that in the Islamic world, the separation of church and state simply doesn’t exist. Iraq for example is a theocratic state. To choose another faith, especially Christianity, is not only a religious statement but a statement of political dissent. To attack a Christian, in many Muslim societies, is an attack on the western society. Americans are constantly citing the separation of church and state (usually incorrectly I might add) but to many in countries like Iraq and Iran this distinction simply does not exist. We are all from Christian cultures, therefore we are all Christians.
Western governments have been slow to bring political pressure as well. Strange, given that when a nutty and generally misguided pastor of a tiny Florida church threatened to burn the Koran, all political hell broke loose. Calls came in from far and wide urging the man to release his leather bound hostages and restore world peace. Look I don’t like book burning in any form but how does the empty threat to burn a few texts compare to blowing up a crowd of human beings leaving a church after mass? The loudest protests to this point have come from Italy (Rome) of course, who plans to work to reduce aid to offending nations from the EU and the UN. Pope Benedict has also called on eastern governments to protect their Christian citizens.
Now I will of course offer the standard disclaimer that I’m not talking about all Muslims. Ironically I doubt that as a Christian I would receive the same courtesy in the Muslim world. The fact is, outside the context of Europe and North America, where political correctness reigns, there is an actual religious cleansing going on. But it’s not likely to become a cause celeb given the fact that the victims are Christians. Christianity is of course the only religion / culture that modern political correctness allows us mock, ridicule and generally persecute.
With a rough couple of weeks behind us the political wrangling of government is back underway. The House is picking up its bill to repeal the Obama health care law this week. There seems to be a push on the part of more moderate Republicans and Democrats, (with the help of the twenty four hour news networks), to guide both the House and the American people to accepting portions of the law and only dismantling the “unpopular” portions. This just seems to me to be more incrementalism, at least in the sense of gaining the American people’s acceptance. While I agree that the cost of health care is way out of control, this law has got to go! We simply cannot afford the monstrous government take over that Pelosi’s House rammed down our throats two falls ago! I for one favor scrapping it altogether and starting over with more cost effective measures that don’t empower the national bureaucracy.
The Executive branch is also taking a hard line as the Environment Protection Agency (EPA) is currently going ahead with plans to revoke the permit for a large coal mine in West Virginia. So yet another form of energy found to be harmful to mother earth is being restricted. So how exactly are we supposed to keep ourselves warm and alive in the winter months? Does the EPA’s even care? The move is even drawing the ire of West VA’s Democratic senators, who correctly foresee job losses and an economic hit coming to their state. This is a telling moment for the nation and the president who is supposedly moderating his tone in the same manner that President Clinton did following his mid- term defeat. I think the EPA’s continued tyranny points to the fact that President Obama has no intention of softening his far left agenda at all.
The fact is stopping this closure should be a sure win for the president. He could combat the notion that he’s anti business and perhaps point to new “jobs saved” or even job growth figures. Which by the way would possibly help his numbers in the polls. But the president believes too strongly in his ultra liberal vision for the country. It seems to me that he cares not a whit about the effects his radical agenda is having on the average American, except in so far as it affects his political prospects, and maybe not even then.
What a difference a week makes! The news has been surreal of late. We had one nut case finally losing it and opening fire on a crowd of defenseless people killing six, including a federal judge and a nine year old girl. A handful more are wounded, including a sitting U. S. Congresswoman. Following the tragedy, we have certain members of the national press and local officials, including a strangely unprofessional law enforcement officer, attempting to blame the political opposition for inciting the mad man’s actions. Next we have a memorial service for the lost in which the crowd behaves like a bunch of football fans at the Super bowl. And finally, the government of the State of Arizona is forced to move in order to block the protests of another group of crazies from protesting at the funerals of the victims. What is going on in our country?
Well the strange news stories continue. It turns out that Tucson shooting victim has himself been arrested and hospitalized after publicly threatening the life of Tucson Tea Party founder Trent Humphries, over the weekend. Now it sounds like James Eric Fuller may himself be a little unbalanced. He’s definitely had a rough couple of weeks. I hope he gets the help he needs; (it seems like I’ve heard myself saying that a lot lately). But I cannot begin to imagine how this story would have been treated by the press had he been a conservative. Mr. Fuller has recently appeared on numerous leftward leaning programs and websites, including the radical “Media Matters” where he blamed among others, Sarah Palin for the actions of lunatic shooter Jared Lee Loughner. Now I am not suggesting that his actions are typical of those of his political stripe, but I am suggesting that there is an obvious double standard between how the left is depicted in the media versus anyone else. The evidence is mounting that Lougher is merely insane with no political persuasion at all. Yet he was immediately (and unsuccessfully) labeled as a Tea Party member and talk radio listener. What’s more no one comes anywhere near blaming the media for firing up Fuller’s rage against prominent conservatives even though he had been directly impacted by the Tucson tragedy and was certainly very vulnerable to anti- conservative rhetoric.
Ok look I’m not honestly blaming the left for Mr. Fuller’s disorderly behavior. We all have our own issues and hang ups in life. But those are our individual issues. The sooner we all take responsibility for our own actions, insist others do the same and stop pointing the finger at those with no culpability, the better off we will be.
This year is the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior day to celebrate one of the greatest orators in American history. Martin Luther King Jr. was a peaceful activist for the African American civil rights movement. King used non-violent methods as practiced by Gandhi which launched him to iconic status as being a leader for civil rights not only in America but all around the world.
Civil rights are a class of rights that protect individuals’ freedom from unwarranted infringement by governments and private organizations, and ensure one’s ability to participate in the civil life of the state without discrimination or repression.
Tyler’s history for Martin Luther King day has been a slow progression from a day celebrated by African Americans in local black churches throughout the city to a day that is supported and celebrated by not only blacks but whites and other races as well. I will say however there is still way more black people at the MLK day march than white people so by no means is this day something celebrated by all but it is getting better.
The city of Tyler TX now actively assists and supports MLK day as the city voted several years back to make it a city recognized holiday. Kevin Eltife mentioned in his speech that the city of Tyler ha not accepted MLK day as a holiday as late as 1996 when he was mayor of Tyler Texas.
Martin Luther King day was soon after adopted as a city holiday and has continued until present. One of the leading contributors to making Martin Luther King day and march such a prominent part of the city of Tyler is the Greater New Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and Rev. Jerome Milton.
The largest organized MLK day march and celebration has been put on every year by Greater New Pleasant Hill Baptist Church and is a leading reason why MLK day is now an official city holiday and part of this cities history.
We thank Rev. Jerome Milton and the Greater New Pleasant Hill Baptist Church as well as those in the city who made this day an official city holiday and may it always remind us of the civil rights of every citizen no matter what race political view or religion they may hold to.
This day we not only mourn the assassination of a great black leader but we celebrate all that Martin Luther King Jr. did during his life and all that his legacy continues to do even after his death.
Our society has become more and more transient. Fewer people today actually live or stay in the town in which they were born or grew up. In my parent’s generation, men worked for a single company their entire lives in the hopes of retiring and “getting the gold watch.” Today no one seems to work for the same company for much more than five to ten years before deciding it’s time to advance their career elsewhere. The internet, smart phones, lap top computers, ipads and innumerable other technologies have added to our increased mobility. We are a society more on the go than ever before. This mobility (which is both good and bad I think) has even impacted our religious life. It used to be that parishioners were generally life- long members of a particular church. Members were baptized, married and had their children baptized in the same communities. Historically church records have recorded the stories of families for generations. Unfortunately this too is changing. Today people change churches like they do jobs. The effect is often that newer younger churches offer a watered down message in favor of increased music or greater media content. Unfortunately, age old traditions, and important doctrines are often lost to younger Christians. Overall the church (meaning the church universal encompassing all denominations) has done a poor job teaching younger Christians the faith.
As a means of retaining younger members and attracting new ones, many main line traditional churches these days are offering what is called contemporary services. While the normal weekly service might be the accepted method of worship for members who have grown up in those churches, they can be significantly different for perspective attendees from different denominations. Starting January thirtieth, Christ Episcopal Church in Tyler will be rolling out its new contemporary service. But this is not simply mass with a band instead of a choir. The purpose of this new service is to offer young adults and perspective members a ground floor entry to the Episcopal Church. The service will have a simplified liturgy, a slightly longer homily or sermon (about twenty minutes), and of course more contemporary music. The hope is that this new format will help young people and non Episcopalians to connect with the Eucharist (which will remain a weekly practice) in perhaps a new and deeper way. The point is not to discontinue the church’s traditional practices, but to attract people buy better explaining them.
For more information on Christ Church visit their webpage at http://www.christchurchtyler.org/welcome.htm or call the church office at (903) 597-9854.
This year is the 25th anniversary of Martin Luther King Junior day to celebrate one of the greatest orators in American history. Martin Luther King Jr. was a peaceful activist for the African American civil rights movement. King used non-violent methods as practiced by Gandhi which launched him to iconic status as being a leader for civil rights not only in America but all around the world.
Our society has become more and more transient. Fewer people today actually live or stay in the town in which they were born or grew up. In my parent’s generation, men worked for a single company their entire lives in the hopes of retiring and “getting the gold watch.” Today no one seems to work for the same company for much more than five to ten years before deciding it’s time to advance their career elsewhere. The internet, smart phones, lap top computers, ipads and innumerable other technologies have added to our increased mobility. We are a society more on the go than ever before. This mobility (which is both good and bad I think) has even impacted our religious life. It used to be that parishioners were generally life- long members of a particular church. Members were baptized, married and had their children baptized in the same communities. Historically church records have recorded the stories of families for generations. Unfortunately this too is changing. Today people change churches like they do jobs. The effect is often that newer younger churches offer a watered down message in favor of increased music or greater media content. Unfortunately, age old traditions, and important doctrines are often lost to younger Christians. Overall the church (meaning the church universal encompassing all denominations) has done a poor job teaching younger Christians the faith.
Persecution of Christians is on the Rise Again
January 18th, 2011There has been an increase in violence against Christians in Middle Eastern and African countries Like Egypt and Iraq in the last few weeks. It’s interesting that there is very little government concern in those predominately Muslim nations about the “rising tide of Christian-phobia” sweeping the region! In fact authorities in these countries are very hesitant to act in protection of their Christian minorities because they fear popular reaction and that of the religious leaders and clerics.
What we in the west fail to grasp is that in the Islamic world, the separation of church and state simply doesn’t exist. Iraq for example is a theocratic state. To choose another faith, especially Christianity, is not only a religious statement but a statement of political dissent. To attack a Christian, in many Muslim societies, is an attack on the western society. Americans are constantly citing the separation of church and state (usually incorrectly I might add) but to many in countries like Iraq and Iran this distinction simply does not exist. We are all from Christian cultures, therefore we are all Christians.
Western governments have been slow to bring political pressure as well. Strange, given that when a nutty and generally misguided pastor of a tiny Florida church threatened to burn the Koran, all political hell broke loose. Calls came in from far and wide urging the man to release his leather bound hostages and restore world peace. Look I don’t like book burning in any form but how does the empty threat to burn a few texts compare to blowing up a crowd of human beings leaving a church after mass? The loudest protests to this point have come from Italy (Rome) of course, who plans to work to reduce aid to offending nations from the EU and the UN. Pope Benedict has also called on eastern governments to protect their Christian citizens.
Now I will of course offer the standard disclaimer that I’m not talking about all Muslims. Ironically I doubt that as a Christian I would receive the same courtesy in the Muslim world. The fact is, outside the context of Europe and North America, where political correctness reigns, there is an actual religious cleansing going on. But it’s not likely to become a cause celeb given the fact that the victims are Christians. Christianity is of course the only religion / culture that modern political correctness allows us mock, ridicule and generally persecute.
Tags: Christian Citizens, Christian Cultures, Christian Minorities, Empty Threat, Florida Church, Government Concern, Islamic World, Italy Rome, Muslim Nations, Muslim Societies, Persecution Of Christians, Political Dissent, Pope Benedict, Religious Statement, Rising Tide, Separation Of Church And State, Theocratic State, Tyler Texas, Violence Against Christians, Western Governments, World Peace
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