But to me, may it not be to boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

1 And when I came to you, brethren, I did not come with superiority of speech or of wisdom, proclaiming to you the testimony of God. 2 For I determined to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and Him crucified. 3 I was with you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling, 4 and my message and my preaching were not in persuasive words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith would not rest on the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. (1 Corinthians 2:1-5 NASB)

Martin Luther is considered the “Lighting rod of the Protestant Reformation.” It was through his battle with the Roman Catholic Church that the doctrine of salvation through Justification by Grace through Faith alone was recovered and from that, many Christian martyrs went to their deaths refusing to compromise their faith by denying the truth of knowing Jesus Christ and Him crucified based not upon the wisdom of men, but on the power of God. So much of the pressure being brought to bear upon Christians in our time is to not be so precise in our theology, but be more willing to “compromise” along doctrinal grounds for the sake of “unity.” The “mega-church” model is based precisely upon never offending anyone, but being non-threatening and willing to be all things to all people in order to attract everyone, but to what? View article →

Study Shows Those Who Claimed “Climate Debate Over” Were Wrong

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According to David Kreutzer of The Daily Signal:

Last summer, the editor of Science wrote a commentary on climate change where she said, “The time for debate has ended.”

After appealing to policies based on economic knowledge she doesn’t have, she finished with speculation as to which ring of Dante’s Inferno would God designate for climate skeptics.

All in all, it was an awesomely unscientific tour de farce and totally depressing in that it came from one of the world’s two most prestigious science journals.

Of course the time for debate hasn’t ended—especially for the meaningful debate concerning how much impact carbon dioxide has on global warming.

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U.K. Man Takes “Holiday From Being Human” to Live as Goat

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Christian News Network reports:

GoatAmid discussion about transgender accommodations, and following reports of men in the U.K. who live as dogs in their private lives as a means of escapism, another story has emerged—this time about a man in London who took a “holiday from being human” to live as a goat.

Thomas Thwaites, 35, details his research project to live as a goat in the Swiss Alps in his book “GoatMan: How I Took a Holiday from Being Human,” which was released on May 17.

“The dazzling success of The Toaster Project, including TV appearances and an international book tour, leaves Thomas Thwaites in a slump. His friends increasingly behave like adults, while Thwaites still lives at home, ‘stuck in a big, dark hole,’” a description of the book reads. “Luckily, a research grant offers the perfect out: a chance to take a holiday from the complications of being human—by transforming himself into a goat.”

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Hillsong: Houston IS The Problem

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Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen fills us in on what the problem is.  Hint: Brian Houston and the false prosperity gospel coming from Hillsong.  Bud offers many examples of why churches should reconsider using this popular group’s music during worship. Words matter, as you will see:

Brian Houston’s autobiographical fodder entitled Live Love Lead, published in 2015 by Faith Words, an indicia of Hatchette Book Group Inc (It certainly is a “hatchet” job on truth!), is hyped to be “a transformative approach to life” that will “help you navigate a faith path that is all your own.”  By implementing “his own life-tested experiences and the powerful biblical truths he’s learned,” you too may harness techniques that will “enable you to live fully, love completely, and lead boldly – the hallmarks of Jesus’ time on earth.”

Among the many endorsements plastered prior to the book’s preface and emblazoned upon the back cover, there should be one sufficient enough to warn off the discerning.  Rick Warren, the false teacher of the Southern Baptist Convention and wanna-be pope of unbiblical ecumenism, wrote, “This is a remarkable book by a remarkable man.  You will love his transparency and passion!”

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The prayers that are effectual and fervent

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

16 ἐξομολογεῖσθε οὖν ἀλλήλοις τὰς ἁμαρτίας καὶ εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ ἀλλήλων ὅπως ἰαθῆτε. Πολὺ ἰσχύει δέησις δικαίου ἐνεργουμένη. (James 5:16 NA28)

16 Therefore, confess your sins to one another and pray on behalf of one another so that you may be cured. The petition of the righteous, being effective, has great power. (James 5:16 translated from the NA28 Greek text)

My ability to serve God in this ministry is now, and has always been, within a very specific framework. Whether I am working on apologetics or discernment or a Bible Study, or anything else, it must be for God’s glory alone and for the edification of the Body of Christ. I can only do these things if it is God’s will for me to them and as my will to do them is lined up with His in this regard. Out side of this framework, it would be like chasing after the wind. It would be me motivated according to the ways of the world with the flesh in view, would not bring glory to God, and would only cause confusion and who needs that? Therefore, before I write these posts, what must I do? View article →

Tech Giants Vow to Tackle Online Hate Speech Within 24 Hours

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Stephanie Bodoni of Bloomberg has the story:

U.S. Internet giants Facebook Inc., Twitter Inc., Google and Microsoft Corp. pledged to tackle online hate speech in less than 24 hours as part of a joint commitment with the European Union to combat the use of social media by terrorists.

Beyond national laws that criminalize hate speech, there is a need to ensure such activity by Internet users is “expeditiously reviewed by online intermediaries and social media platforms, upon receipt of a valid notification, in an appropriate time-frame,” the companies and the European Commission said in a joint statement on Tuesday.

The code of conduct arrives as Europe comes to terms with the bloody attacks in Paris and Brussels by Islamic State, which has used the Web and social media to spread its message of hate against its enemies. The companies said it remains a “challenge” to strike the right balance between freedom of expression and hate speech in the self-generated content on online platforms.

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Trinity Broadcasting Network Co-Founder Jan Crouch Dies at 78 After Suffering Massive Stroke

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“Christian” Post reports that Jan Crouch has died.  No one would know by reading this piece that Jan and her late husband Paul heavily promoted the false Word of Faith/Prosperity gospel on TBN, which is the largest “Christian” owned cable station. Both Jan and Paul Crouch were false teachers.

Jan CrouchTrinity Broadcasting Network co-founder Jan Crouch, who had been in the hospital after suffering a massive stroke last week, has died at the age of 78, the family announced early Tuesday.

“Laurie and I have just watched the transition of our precious Mother from this world to the next; watched her step into the presence of Jesus and into her heavenly reward,” Jan Crouch’s son Mat and other family members announced early Tuesday. “Jan Crouch, known around the world as Momma Jan, has gone home.”

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Bruce Jenner’s “I Am Cait” Show Banned Across All Of Africa Following Nigerian Complaints

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Christian News Network reports:

Bruce Jenner’s reality TV show “I Am Cait” has been dropped across the entire African Continent, reports the BBC.

“I Am Cait” depicts Jenner’s transition into a woman, and this subject matter did not sit well with some viewers.

Multichoice decided they would drop “I Am Cait” after the Nigerian Broadcasting Commission (NBC) made an official request. According to the Nigerian publication The Whistler, Nigerian parents complained that they did not think that Jenner’s show was good for their children to watch.

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Discernment, obedience and terror

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching

12 “For the eyes of the Lord are toward the righteous, And His ears attend to their prayer, But the face of the Lord is against those who do evil.” 13 Who is there to harm you if you prove zealous for what is good? 14 But even if you should suffer for the sake of righteousness, you are blessed. And do not fear their intimidation, and do not be troubled, 15 but sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you, yet with gentleness and reverence; 16 and keep a good conscience so that in the thing in which you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ will be put to shame. 17 For it is better, if God should will it so, that you suffer for doing what is right rather than for doing what is wrong. (1 Peter 3:12-17 NASB)

I remember when I first began this ministry at Possessing the Treasure that there would be times when the ugliness of the attacks from those who opposed God’s Truth that we presented here would cause me a level of anguish that seemed to be about to overwhelm me. The very fact that a group of people was bound and determined to shut this blog down and silence me would nearly paralyze me. However, as God taught me, over time, how to work through these things in total dependence on Him, I was able to see that the anguish or fear or whatever it was, was really part of the attack coming from our enemy. When I would tell the truth then endure the attacks the fear would always be part of that. However, when I went through them while being led by the Spirit in total dependence on my Lord for His wisdom and discernment in the midst of the fiery trial, I was able to then look back on those events after the fact and wonder at why I was so fearful. It was then that God gave me the wisdom to see that everything was being blown out of proportion the more I was focused on me and what the outcome would be for me and this ministry, but when I was focused on His Truth and the fact that what I was doing was for His glory alone the attacks became meaningless to me. I was willing to endure anything for my Lord’s glory and was able to bear it all in the power of the Holy Spirit. View article →

Remembering Those Who Never Came Home

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Memorial DayThe Daily Signal has a piece by Peter Brookes commemorating our brave men and women who serve in the armed forces.  He reminds us that,

Whether you’re spiritual or not, it’s right for this country to take this day to remember those who have fallen, those who have returned, those who are hurting and suffering wounds both visible and invisible, and those who are serving today.

Amen.

Brookes begins his piece:

During the mid-2000s, I attended my son’s graduation from the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia, in a ceremony where the commencement address was given by then-Secretary of Defense Bob Gates.

Like many who attend graduations, I have no recall of what Gates said to the collective students, faculty, and families that day. I do recall that it came at a very difficult time overseas for U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The other thing I remember: More than 50 percent of that Virginia Military Institute class stood up to be commissioned into the armed forces of the United States.

As they stood, I could feel myself start to well up. I turned away from my wife so she wouldn’t see, but she knew—and felt the same surge of patriotism I did.

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Portland Public School Board Bans Climate-change Denying Material

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According to Portland Tribune, environmental extremists have succeeded in stifling the voices of anyone who does not share their view on so-called climate change:

Polar bearIn a move spearheaded by environmentalists, the Portland Public Schools board unanimously approved a resolution aimed at eliminating doubt of climate change and its causes in schools.

“It is unacceptable that we have textbooks in our schools that spread doubt about the human causes and urgency of the crisis,” said Lincoln High School student Gaby Lemieux in board testimony. “Climate education is not a niche or a specialization, it is the minimum requirement for my generation to be successful in our changing world.”

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Oregon Woman Concerned After Man Who Identifies as Woman Admitted at Women’s Shelter

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Christian News Network reports:

In the midst of discussion about transgender restroom issues, an Oregon woman is speaking out to tell her story after a man who identifies as a woman was permitted to share sleeping and restroom space with women at an all-women’s shelter.

Malka Davis, a formerly homeless woman, recently penned an op-ed for the Oregonian, in which she explained why she believes it was wrong for the shelter to allow the man to live at the facility among dozens of females.

The incident occurred in 2014 as Davis was seeking to put her life back together. She recounted that a few weeks into her stay that some of the other women seemed to be in distress, and came to find out that it was because a man who “self-identified” as a woman was in their midst. One woman even left altogether.

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Are we supposed to pray for the wolves?

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In answer to this question, some Christians say yes while others say no and they’ll offer all sorts of reasons for the view they hold.  So, what does the Bible teach?   According to Pilgrim over at Defending. Contending,” I found nowhere in Scripture that we are directly or expressly commanded to pray for those who seek to shipwreck our faith and damn our souls to Hell for eternity. The argument in favor of praying for the wolves is commonly couched in our command to love and pray for our enemies, but are false teachers what Jesus was referring to when He said this? Do they fit in the context of His use of the word “enemies” in that text?”

Pilgrim answers these question in the blog post:

Wolf - Little Red Riding HoodImagine if you will, the following scenario:

A shepherd guarding his sheep observes a wolf among the flock cloaked in sheepskin. He stands up and yells “Wolf! Wolf! Run! Run!” And immediately the sheep begin to scatter, but not all. A small group turn to the sheep dog and, with an arrogant smirk plastered across their faces, respond, “But did you pray for the wolf?”

Bewildered as to why these sheep were ignoring his warning, the shepherd reiterates the danger of the wolf’s presence with an even more impassioned plea for the sheep to escape the impending doom that’s about to befall them. However, they stand firm and go back to their grazing on the plush green grass beneath their feet.

Mumblings of,”Who is he to judge?” and, “As for me I’ll be praying for the wolf” can be heard among them as they reassure themselves of their peace and safety while the wolf takes them out one by one until there are none left.

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43 Republicans Join Democrats to Support Obama’s Transgender Agenda

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The Daily Signal reports:

On Wednesday night, 43 Republican members of Congress joined the Democrats to vote for President Barack Obama’s transgender agenda.

Whereas last week Congress voted to reject this proposal—known as the Maloney amendment—last night they voted to ratify Obama’s 2014 executive order barring federal contractors from what it describes as “discrimination” on the basis of “sexual orientation and gender identity” in their private employment policies.

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Concerns Raised as Hillsong’s Carl Lentz Praises Oprah Winfrey After Appearance on Super Soul Sunday

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Christian News Network reports:

Hipster Hillsong NYC leader Carl Lentz has drawn concerns over the past week after he posted a photograph on social media announcing his upcoming appearance on Oprah Winfrey’s “Super Soul Sunday” television broadcast.

“I really enjoyed my time with @oprah filming for her Super Soul Sunday show,” he wrote on May 18. “She is truly a special woman and a culture changer. To come from absolute poverty in Mississippi and reach the point where she became the first African American multi-billionaire takes a passion and drive that is exceptional and tireless.”

He continued to praise the talk show host, and said that others should emulate Oprah’s practice of thanking Jesus with each new day.

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A Good Man

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Acts 11:22-24

The gospel had broken through the Jewish barriers that had held it in and was now reaching out to the Gentiles. The result of this first preaching was that many Gentile converts came to Christ. This news was a bit disconcerting to the disciples at Jerusalem. They did not know what to do about this movement of the Holy Spirit. Since they were themselves Jews, raised in the tradition that they were God’s chosen people, you can imagine what happened. They never thought that God would move to reach the Gentile world and so they hardly knew what to make of it. When word came to them that Gentiles were becoming converts of Jesus Christ, they were utterly astounded. Were these real Christians?

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TBN’s Jan Crouch Suffers Massive Stroke, Family Praying for a Miracle

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According to Charisma News, Jan Crouch, co-founder of the haven of heretics known as Trinity Broadcasting Network, has had a stroke.  Jennifer Leclaire reports:

Jan Crouch

TBN co-founder Jan Crouch has been hospitalized after a massive stroke. The TBN family is asking for miracle healing prayers for the 78-year-old Christian media pioneer.

Crouch and her husband, the late Paul Crouch, founded the Trinity Broadcasting Network in 1973. She produced multiple television programs including Praise The Lord, The Glory of America and Say Yes. Paul Crouch passed away in 2013.

Crouch appeared to be in good health. Earlier this month, she was seen on the back of a motorcycle with pastor Phil Aguilar at a Kenneth Copeland motorcycle rally.

 

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Hillsong’s Dance With the World

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Berean Research wrote a follow-up to a piece over at Churchwatch Central entitled Family Friendly Hillsong Includes the Dancing Naked Cowboy? If you missed it, Hillsong Church has gone off the rails, as you will see in this blog post which includes a video of Hillsong’s partially clad youth pastor, a.k.a the “naked cowboy,” parading around on stage singing Frank Sinatra’s hit song New York, New York…..while throwing kisses to the audience.  This is not satire, brethren. Here’s the story:

I usually don’t expect to see a near-naked cowboy gyrating from the stage of a Christian women’s conference. Nor would I see and hear thousands of Christian females applauding and squealing in delight, and spurring on the performance.  Indeed if I were of the world, I’d expect these sights and sounds to come from a giant bachelorette party at a strip club.

I am not of the world. I like my women’s conferences to be edifying to me and glorifying to God. What I’m about to share from Hillsong New York’s women’s conference is neither of those things:

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Heavenly Tourism

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HeavensAsleep No More has a piece on supposed visitations to heaven that includes a short must watch video.  A ton of money has been made off heavenly tourism by those who’ve returned to tell the tall tale; likewise by “Christian” publishers, book sellers and of course Hollywood.  Needless to say, spiritual discernment among Christians is sorely lacking.

Once upon a time Mike Bickle, the founder of IHOP and self appointed Apostle in the NAR, went to Heaven and spoke with God, and Jesus, and Paul. I’m just wondering if he bumped into Rick Joyner who also claims to have conferred face to face with my Lord and Savior. Todd Bentley goes one better – he visited heaven with Bob Jones, but he also tells us that God visits him. Maybe it’s getting too crowded up there for God, what with all those visitors, so He has to come down here to meet a few self appointed apostles

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Worshipping Religious Liberty: SBC Joins Mosque Building Effort

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Should Christians stand and fight for religious liberty?  Bud Ahlheim of Pulpit & Pen says yes, but “We should be cautious about how we align with this god of religious liberty because it is nothing less than the current ‘spirit of the world,’ the one beckoning for tolerance and co-existence.”  He writes:

Southern Baptists, through their Ethics And Religious Liberty Commission and their International Mission Board, have joined hands with Muslims and others to help build a mosque.

But they have to.  It’s inevitable when you hold closely to the tenets of American Christianity.

The SBC’s ERLC and IMB have joined in with the likes of the Center for Islam and Religious Freedom, the Interfaith Coalition on Mosques, the International Society of Krishna Consciousness, the Sikh Coalition, and other unlikely allies to support building a mosque.  According to The Becket Fund For Religious Liberty (An organization in which Russell Moore is on the Board of Directors) over 20 “interfaith” groups have united to push forward the agenda of the god of religious liberty in support of the mosque.

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Yes, Bethel Redding and Bill Johnson are part of the New Apostolic Reformation

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Holly Pivec of Spirit of Error addresses Arch Heretic Bill Johnson’s denial that he’s a part of the New Apostolic Reformation, which he clearly is as Holly reveals in her blog post:

PinocchioFollowing Christianity Today’s recent cover story on Bethel Church in Redding, California, I’ve been contacted by people wondering about Bill Johnson’s statements made in that article distancing himself from the New Apostolic Reformation (NAR). The two specific statements he made are that his church does not have any official ties to theNAR and that he’s “not completely clear on what it is.”

Despite Johnson’s distancing himself from the NAR, he very clearly is part of it. Let’s look at his two claims.

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Forgiven!

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Devotion/Teaching ∙

All the prophets testify about him that everyone who believes in him receives forgiveness of sins through his name. Acts 10:43

Peter says, You may not appreciate this fully, but everything that Jesus did was predicted by the prophets. Long before he ever came, what he would be like and what he would do was written down. Every prophet bore witness to this one fact: The only way you could ever find forgiveness of sins is by believing in him. That is the great, final, glorious thrust of the gospel. The good news is that men have been given a way to be forgiven of their sins.

That is the basic need of every human heart. Each of us suffers from the terrible consciousness of guilt. We are guilty people; and we know it. That is what makes us so restless. That is why often we cannot stand to be alone with ourselves, because we are afraid of that sense of guilt which oppresses us. So the prime need of our lives is to be forgiven, to have nothing in the past to worry about, to have nothing that makes us uncertain of the future and, especially, nothing which makes us unwilling to appear before God. Through Jesus Christ sins are forgiven.

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Tim Keller’s Redeemer Presbyterian Ministry Director Regular Donor to Bernie Sanders Campaign

Posted by ∙ ∙ In Opinion ∙ , ,

Presidential hopeful Bernie Sanders, a Democrat, supports same-sex “marriage,” says he believes that abortion should be legal until birth, and self-identifies as a socialist. So it is disappointing to learn that RPC’s ministry director at the West Side campus donated a total of $666 to this man’s campaign.  Heather Clark of Christian News Network has the story:

In the midst of a famine in the visible American church for biblical instruction on selecting leaders in civil government, public records show that a ministry leader at Redeemer Presbyterian Church, led by popular megachurch pastor and author Tim Keller, has been a consistent donor to the Bernie Sanders campaign.

The Federal Elections Commission website, which records the political donations of Americans under the names of their employers, shows that Tiffany Koch, the ministry director at the West Side campus of Redeemer Presbyterian Church made 76 donations to Sanders since October.

 

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Professor Says “Madness” Of Fighting Global Warming Will Impoverish Everyone

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The professor wrote in a press statement, “Humanity is owed a serious investigation of how we have gone so far with the decarbonization project without a serious challenge in terms of engineering reality.”  Andrew Follett of Daily Caller has the story:

Cambridge University electrical engineering professor Dr. M.J. Kelly concluded in a peer-reviewed journal article that attempts to fight global warming with green energy will impoverish the world.

The Monday article found reducing carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions enough to actually slow global warming in a measurable way simply isn’t possible without significantly reducing standards of living by plunging most of the world into poverty, destitution and starvation.

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How the Elephant Became the Newest Celebrity Cause

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Elephants

Saving the elephant has become the latest fad in Hollywood.  According to a piece in the New York Times:

The Actress Elizabeth Hurley traveled to Nairobi from London a few weeks ago to witness the Kenyan government burn 105 tons of poached ivory, saying “she felt sick to watch the great preys.”

Moreover,

Susan Sarandon raised thousands for an elephant benefit in London last year.  “The crisis facing elephants is particularly tragic,” she said recently.

That elephants are being killed by poachers is indeed a tragedy. But an even greater tragedy is that the lives of over 57 million womb babies have been legally snuffed out at the hands of an abortionist since Roe vs. Wade in 1973.  Yet Hollywood’s elite has shown no interest in saving innocent human beings.

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