Marsha West once again tackles our corrupt society’s hyper-sexualization of young girls. In this piece she exposes how lingerie company Victoria’s Secret is targeting middle school and high school girls with their new line of intimate undergarments. Marsha also confronts the popular teen girl magazine, Seventeen, for promoting Disney star Ashley Benson’s movie, “Spring Breakers,” on the magazine’s cover. The film is rated ‘R’ for strong sexual content, language, nudity, drug use and violence and contains graphic sex scenes between two women and a man, yet is being promoted to the young readers of this periodical.
Christian News Network reports:
Pope Francis held his first ecumenical meeting at the Vatican Wednesday, greeting Christian, Muslim and Jewish leaders, as well as those who ascribe to no faith at all.
“For my part, I wish to assure you, following in the path of my predecessors, of my firm will to continue on the path of ecumenical dialogue,” he said, referencing the Second Vatican Council. “I also ask of you the kindness of a special prayer for myself, so that I might be a pastor in harmony with Christ’s heart.”
Baptist Press reports:
Redefining marriage to include same-sex couples would jettison the rationale and logic behind prohibitions on polygamous marriages, according to several friend-of-the court briefs urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold the traditional definition of marriage.
“Ultimately, there is no principled basis for recognizing a legality of same-sex marriage without simultaneously providing a basis for the legality of consensual polygamy or certain adult incestuous relationships,” reads one of the briefs, filed by the Christian legal group Liberty Counsel. “In fact, every argument for same-sex marriage is an argument for them as well.”
Life News reports:
The Financial Times has been doing excellent reporting related to Chinese demographics problems. Of particular interest is China’s aging population which has been brought about in large measure to its zero-growth population policies that have been in place since the 1970s.
The most important aspect of these policies is the “one-child policy” which mandates forced abortions and sterilizations.
Christian Post reports:
A healthy society needs fathers. Men, therefore, need to embrace their manhood and recognize the important role they play as husbands and fathers in a family, Dr. Jennifer Roback Morse advised Friday in a panel on the problem of fatherlessness at the Conservative Political Action Conference in National Harbor, Md.
The important role men play in a family is due to their natural instincts to protect the weak and vulnerable, Morse explained, but liberals and feminists have made men afraid to embrace their unique role.
The Washington Times reports:
To young conservatives, gay marriage is pretty much a dead issue, Wisconsin Republican Gov. Scott Walker said Sunday.
“I’ve had young people ask me. . .why the government is sanctioning it in the first place,” Mr. Walker said, during a televised discussion with NBC host David Gregory. Mr. Walker said that most of the younger conservatives aren’t really focused on fighting same-sex marriage — that they believe it’s a human right much more than older traditional GOP voters do, he said in a Newsmax report.
In two articles appearing this week [March 2013] in the Christian Post (CP), Charles Stanley, pastor of First Baptist Church Atlanta, discusses the mystic concept of waiting in silence and listening for the voice of God, seemingly independent of hearing God speak through His written Word.
In a 5 March 2013 article entitled, “Listening to God,” Stanley discusses prayer by appealing to the Old Testament figure of David. Stanley offers that David approached prayer by reviewing the past, reflecting upon the Lord’s character, recalling God’s promises and finally by making requests of God. This article curiously concludes, however, with Charles Stanley stating the following:
Stop for a minute and think about how you typically interact with God. If prayer time is dominated by your own talking, some adjustments may be in order. Just as the Lord spoke to David, God also has many things to say to you, if you’ll simply let Him speak. Source
Stanley’s language here seems vague, though his instruction appears to allude to the idea of listening for outside guidance from the Almighty, whether via an audible voice or impression or some other subjective means. This mirrors the practice of Eastern meditation and is mystical in its origins and unbiblical in nature.
A complementary article written by Stanley and appearing at CP on 6 March 2013 is entitled, “Meditation: The Key to Listening.” In this short piece, Stanley further reveals his true beliefs regarding this topic. He writes:
In our normal everyday lives, we are surrounded by countless voices in need of our attention. Our children cry for it, our employers demand it, and our loved ones yearn for it. With all of these bidding for our attention, no wonder God’s voice at times seems so muffled or distant.
Effective meditation requires seclusion. Unless we make an effort to escape our daily demands for at least a few moments, our ability to hear God’s voice will be weakened.
To be sure, the Christian should pursue a time and place free of distractions to commune with God through the study of Scripture and through prayer. Silence should not be sought, however, in order that one may audibly hear from God. Yet, such a practice seems to be precisely what Charles Stanley is advocating as he concludes:
At some point today, turn off the TV, cell phone, and computer, and simply listen for God’s voice. Your schedule won’t surrender easily, so make a decision to claim a block of time for the Lord. Then quiet your extraneous thoughts, and focus on Him. Source
The words of Charles Stanley seem to prescribe a so-called Christianized form of contemplative prayer, one of the most esteemed spiritual disciplines taught in spiritual formation.
In both practice and purpose, contemplative prayer stands in contrast with what Scripture teaches about prayer. Practitioners believe that one must clear the mind of outside concerns so that God’s voice may more easily be heard. Advocates of contemplative prayer believe and teach that it is a necessary practice if one desires to become more like Christ. This latter point is especially interesting considering Charles Stanley’s appeal to Matthew 6:6 in his most recent article:
Our Lord was well aware of this need for isolation. In teaching about prayer, Jesus told the disciples to go into their rooms and close the door behind them. He knew it was vital to take a break from the pressures of life in order to truly commune with the Father. Source
In the passage to which Stanley alludes, the Lord is condemning the hypocritical, self-centered prayers of those who deliberately sought to be noticed by men while praying in public. When Jesus urges his followers to “go into your inner room, close your door and pray to your Father who is in secret” (Matt. 6:6, NASB), He is teaching His followers that the attitude of their heart in prayer should be to be heard by God, not men.
When Jesus was asked by His followers to teach them to pray, He instructed them in what is known as the Lord’s Prayer, as found in Matthew 6:9–13 and Luke 11:2–4. Noticeably absent from these passages is Jesus instructing believers to sit in silence and solitude listening for the audible voice of God or waiting for an impression that might be divinely sent.
When the Christian prays, he speaks to God. When the Christian desires to hear from God, he opens his Bible and reads. True, biblical prayer is talking to God the Father (Phil. 4:6) through Jesus Christ the Son (John 16:23) in the power of the Holy Spirit, understanding that what God has revealed in His Word is sufficient and that new revelation is unnecessary (2 Tim. 3:16–17).
The ground being tread by Charles Stanley is perilous, as those who seek and desire mystical experiences open themselves up to potentially dangerous deception. This is not the first time that Stanley’s thoughts on the matter have been exposed, however. As previously reported, in a November 2012 interview with Mark Galli of Christianity Today (CT), Stanley is referred to as a “mystic Baptist,” and, when directly asked about his claims that God speaks to him, Stanley responded by saying,
For me, I get this strong sense of feeling that’s so clear, so direct to me. Like this week, something happened and I thought, Well, I could do thus and such, and God said, “Don’t do that.” I don’t hear a voice, but it’s so crystal sharp and clear to me, I know not to disobey that.
I think that comes from early in life as you learn to listen. You make mistakes; after a while, you realize as you obey him, it turns out right, and whatever your reason was for not obeying him, it doesn’t turn out right.
Stanley also stated in this CT interview that he wanted “the Holy Spirit to interpret the truth” for him. Surely this is the desire of every Christian. How, then, can one know that he is being guided by the Holy Spirit into the truth of God? Should one rely upon subjective feelings and impressions, or upon the clear, unambiguous and objective Word of God? How can one know what is true? It seems prudent to turn to the words of the Lord on the matter:
Sanctify them in the truth; Your word is truth. (John 17:17, NASB)
To engage in mystic meditation as taught and encouraged by Charles Stanley in these articles is to wander down dangerous and deceptive paths outside the boundaries of God’s perfect and holy Word. One of the battle cries of the Reformation was that of sola scriptura, Scripture alone, and truly it is sufficient for the Christian’s needs (2 Tim. 3:16–17), especially as one seeks to know God and to grow in faith. Scripture itself, as inspired by the Holy Spirit and as penned by David, attests to its own sufficiency:
The law of the LORD is perfect, reviving the soul; the testimony of the LORD is sure, making wise the simple; the precepts of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart; the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes; the fear of the LORD is clean, enduring forever; the rules of the LORD are true, and righteous altogether. Ps. 19:7–9, ESV
May the Christian be satisfied with the true and perfect Word of God as found in Scripture.
By Erin Benziger of Do Not Be Surprised
Dr. Albert Mohler brings to light a study at the University of Texas that suggests that “regular exposure to diverse and graphic sex acts” may change a man’s moral worldview. According to the study “exposure to pornography may well influence views on the legalization of same-sex marriage. He suggested that viewing pornography leads men, in particular, to shift to more positive attitudes toward same-sex marriage. Regnerus cited the New Family Structures Survey and then reported that a majority of men who view pornographic material “every day or almost every day” agreed that same-sex marriage should be legal.”
CNS News reports:
The Obama Justice Department is arguing in the United States Supreme Court that children do not need mothers.
The Justice Department’s argument on the superfluity of motherhood is presented in a brief the Obama administration filed in the case of Hollingsworth v. Perry, which challenges the constitutionality of Proposition 8, the California ballot initiative that amended California’s Constitution to say that marriage involves only one man and one woman.
Christian News Network reports:
A number of recognized Republicans have signed their name to a Supreme Court brief expressing their support for same-sex marriage.
The Proposition 8 amicus brief, which will be filed this week before the February 28th deadline, is said to be backed by several former Bush advisers, former governors, U.S. Congressmen and other prominent Republican entities.
Rob Bell is set to release a teen version of his controversial book, Love Wins: A Book About Heaven, Hell, and the Fate of Every Person Who Ever Lived. Reporting on the upcoming release of Love Wins: For Teens and its accompanying promotional video, Christian News Network notes that “Bell explains that the book is designed to teach youth that God is the life of the party, rather than the one that spoils everyone’s fun.”
Christian News Network reports:
ABC News recently aired a segment about a woman involved in what is called a polyamorous relationship — living with multiple boyfriends or girlfriends under one roof.
The woman, identified as Jaiya, began by living with her boyfriend Jon. However, because Jaiya wanted to have children and Jon didn’t, he suggested that she bring someone else into the picture that would conceive with her.
LifeNews (LN) reports that scientific evidence shows that unborn babies feel pain during abortion. Sadly, this fact makes no difference to many pro-aborts. “The way people respond to the scientific evidence that the unborn child feels pain speaks volumes,” says LN. “Some of us have taken what science shows and reacted by supporting laws protecting innocent unborn life. Others with exposure to the very same evidence have generated technology and an industry that literally destroys innocent human life–the abortion industry.
Baptist Press reports:
Pornography is the “pink elephant in the pew” — the embarrassing, big subject no one wants to talk about — and that silence is feeding a “bubonic plague” harming churches, pastor Jay Dennis told state Baptist convention executive directors and editors gathered in Oklahoma City.
Baptist Press (BP) informs us that:
Even before U.S. Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announced that the military was lifting its ban on women in combat, professor and theologian Owen Strachan was speaking out against such a possibility, saying it not only went against Scripture but also defied common sense.
During an interview, one of several questions BP posed was: What are the biblical and theological reasons you oppose placing women in combat?
From LifeSite News:
An item came to my attention today in my daily inspection of the internet, asking a very pertinent question. And though I’m sure it was meant rhetorically, I thought I’d have a go at answering it. A short piece, clearly published in answer to the hundreds of thousands gathered this week on the Washington Mall demanding an end to the slaughter of children, asks, “So what if abortion ends life?”
Christian Research Network correspondent Marsha West reminds us that 40 years ago today, Roe v. Wade became the law of the land and legal abortion became a way of life in America. “On a cold soggy January day in 1973,” she writes, “people gathered throughout America to celebrate women’s newfound freedom to abort their babies. No longer would the government have the right to intrude in ‘private family matters.’ On that same day others mourned as they contemplated the Court’s shocking decision to legalize infanticide.”