An Insult To Every Miscarried Baby And Parents
Judie Brown, Life News — Moral theologian William Smith once commented that “all social engineering is preceded by verbal engineering.” In today’s 140-character Twitter world, what this means is that it is not very hard to manipulate language to deceive an unaware public.This is why the culture defines the act of aborting a baby as an “issue”! Talk about robbing the humanity from a person by the word you use!
One of the most effective verbal engineering experts in our midst today is Planned Parenthood, whose sloganeering is designed to deceive and kill. For example, we recently learned that a York, Pennsylvania, Planned Parenthood defined abortion as a “voluntary miscarriage.” My first reaction, penned in a late-July commentary, stated, “The arrogance of such comments is indicative of what happens when a culture loses respect for the Creator of the human person.”
But as someone who has never experienced the deep sadness and loss that an actual miscarriage brings to the parents of that deceased baby, I really missed the point. Planned Parenthood’s latest quip is not only brutally dishonest, but insulting to every miscarried baby and his parents.
One father of a miscarried child wrote, “There were tears, but more so than expected. My wife and I wanted to let our children know just how losing this baby was as hard and painful as if we had lost any of them. It was a terrific opportunity orchestrated by God and our baby in heaven whom we named Gabriel to make an indelible mark on our children’s hearts and in their brains that every life, no matter if it only was a barely recognizable 12-week-old baby, was just as precious as any of them are.”
To this, his wife added, “Through our acknowledgment of our baby’s life and the loss of that life, we touched an unwillingness within some people to admit that the tiny human being I held in my hands, my baby, was a human person. That uncomfortable reality makes it difficult to maintain their unwavering support for the murder of other babies through abortion.”
And finally, we hear the stirring words from a mother who has miscarried more than one child:
Anyone who has ever suffered a miscarriage should be outraged at Planned Parenthood’s comparison. They are now exploiting the pain and suffering of families to push their agenda of abortion on demand. It’s sick!
The problem may be that even many pro-lifers have dismissed miscarriage as just a natural occurrence without honoring the short lives of miscarried babies. We do not walk beside parents in their grief. Many expect moms and dads to just “get over it” and move on with their lives—yet these are the same people fighting for the lives of children who are hours old in the womb, children destined to be killed by abortifacient contraceptives. Can’t we see the disconnect?
If we believe that life begins at creation, then we should be mourning the death of every preborn baby who dies—by chance or by choice. Only then, I believe, will the public at large begin to see the value of tiny preborn babies.
The last time we miscarried, someone asked me what I wanted, what I needed. My reply was, “I just want the world to stop—just long enough for me to catch my breath. People would mourn with me if I lost a child outside the womb. Why can’t they mourn with me when I’ve lost a child still in the womb?” The answer is that most people don’t know how. As a pro-life movement, we should teach them. Funerals and burials of miscarried children should be the rule, not the exception.
Until we recognize the value and dignity inherent in every human life beginning at creation, we will continue to be two steps behind in this battle for the culture of life.
American Life League embraces the work of Elizabeth Ministry International, an organization dedicated to helping parents of miscarried children. I suggest we all support this ministry and educate ourselves and our families. For too long, Planned Parenthood has abused and twisted language to the detriment of babies and their families. We must speak out and expose this deception. If we do not, who will?
What else can you do?
• Please be aware of the words you use.» LifeNews.com
• Be consistent in your respect for the human person.
• Help us tell the truth that, while miscarriage is a great sadness for many families, procured abortion is an evil act that kills on purpose!
About the Author
JUDIE BROWN is the president of American Life League.
SMASHING THE MYTH OF AMERICAN CHURCH SUCCESS
Breaking News. Spiritual Perspective.
There is a myth of church success in America that says, "The bigger the building, the bigger the budget, the bigger the attendance, the more successful you are." (Facebook)
What Constitutes “Success” In God’s Eyes?
Dr. Michael Brown, In The Line Of Fire, Charisma News —There is a myth of church success in America that says, "The bigger the building, the bigger the budget, the bigger the attendance, the more successful you are."
In the sight of man, this might equal success. But in the sight of God, it may have nothing to do with success. In fact, it might simply be the beautiful facade hiding all kinds of spiritual rot and decay.
To be clear, I have had the privilege of preaching in some of the finest megachurches in America, replete with large buildings, big budgets and multiplied thousands of attendees. And I can personally attest to the fact that some of these churches are healthy in many ways: focused on Jesus, reaching the lost, making disciples, and giving themselves to prayer.
And some of them are doing this at least as well as many smaller churches and house groups.
So, I'm all for "big" as long as that "big" equates to maturity in Jesus, effective outreach to the lost, compassionate giving to the poor, life in the Spirit, and a powerful expression of the Great Commission. It is in that context that Acts records the growing numbers of disciples (see, for example, Acts 2:41; 4:4; 6:7).
All too often, though, outward success has nothing to do with discipleship or spiritual growth, which is why Jesus rebuked the church of Sardis, saying, "You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead" (Rev. 3:1).
His rebuke to Laodicea was even sharper:
“For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.” (Rev. 3:17)
“For you say, I am rich, I have prospered, and I need nothing, not realizing that you are wretched, pitiable, poor, blind and naked.” (Rev. 3:17)
In their case, the outward reflected the opposite of the inward, and the natural wealth only obscured their spiritual poverty.
Yet so many of our American churches and leaders don't get it, as Christian pollster and researcher George Barna has recognized, noting that, "There are five factors that the vast majority of pastors turn to" when asked how they know if their churches are successful.
Those five factors were, "Attendance, giving, number of programs, number of staff and square footage."
What a significant indicator of deep spiritual deception.
Again, all five of these factors might point directly to real spiritual success: When the lost are being saved and believers are being edified, attendance will be up, and as people grow in the Lord, they become more generous. Then, as the church reaches out more and more and seeks to meet the needs of its people, there can be more programs, more staff, and larger facilities.
If this is the result of spiritual increase and is coupled with good stewardship, wonderful. I personally rejoice.
On the other hand, you can be thriving in all five of these areas—attendance, giving, number of programs, number of staff and square footage—and be an ear-tickling, carnally driven, doctrinally apostate congregation. You could even be a cult or a casino and score well in these five areas.
Tragically, many American (and international) leaders think that success is measured by these outward characteristics (many congregants feel the same way), yet none of them necessarily reflect maturity in Jesus, soundness in the Word, Christlike conduct, intimacy with the Lord, solid family life, compassionate outreach, or the presence of the Spirit. In fact, none of them reflect a single goal expressed by Jesus and the apostles.
When did Jesus or Paul or Peter or John ever say, “You can measure the success of your mission by how many people attend your meetings, or by how much they give, or by the size of the buildings you build?”
Again, I wholeheartedly affirm the large vision of the Great Commission, while the vision God has placed in my own heart is large. (Like many of you, I dream very big dreams.)
Yet I understand that what is great in the eyes of man is often detestable in His sight (see Luke 16:15), that quality comes before quantity (see Prov. 15:16; 16:8), that a large, superficial, quick harvest can just as quickly disappear (see Mark 4:16-17), and that crowds can be very fickle, wanting to crown you one day and then crucify you the next.
That’s why Jesus often sifted the big crowds with a radical teaching so He could see who was really serious about following Him. (see Luke 14:25-33 and John 6)
This, then, is the big question we must ask ourselves, especially as leaders: What has Jesus called us to build?
Leonard Ravenhill often pointed out to me that wood, hay and stubble could be found in abundance whereas gold, silver and precious stones were hidden and rare. Yet it is the latter that will endure the fire of testing and the former that will be burned up on that day (see 1 Cor. 3:11-15).
How much of what we are building will withstand persecution and testing for the Word in this world? How much will withstand the fire of divine testing in the world to come?
What if I sent you into a new city to establish a chain of health-food stores, since I was deeply committed to healthy eating and was willing to invest large amounts of money to see that vision succeed? Every year, you sent me glowing success reports, but when I came to the city several years later to observe firsthand, I was shocked to see that you had opened a chain of highly successful ice cream parlors, famous for serving the most decadent desserts in the city. Would that be "success"?
That's a question we who are pastors and leaders need to ask ourselves in the sight of God: What constitutes "success" in His eyes? What has He called us to build?
» Full Article» Charisma News
Dr. Michael Brown - Biography
MICHAEL L. BROWN is the founder and president of FIRE School of Ministry in Concord, North Carolina, Director of the Coalition of Conscience, and host of the daily, nationally, syndicated talk radio show, the Line of Fire, as well as the host of the Jewish-outreach, documentary TV series, Think It Thru, which airs internationally on the INI network. He became a believer in Jesus 1971 as a sixteen year-old, heroin-shooting, LSD-using Jewish rock drummer. Since then, he has preached throughout America and around the world, bringing a message of repentance, revival, reformation, and cultural revolution.
He holds a Ph.D. in Near Eastern Languages and Literatures from New York University and has served as a visiting or adjunct professor at Southern Evangelical Seminary, Gordon Conwell Theological Seminary (Charlotte), Trinity Evangelical Divinity School, Fuller Theological Seminary, Denver Theological Seminary, the King’s Seminary, and Regent University School of Divinity, and he has contributed numerous articles to scholarly publications, including the Oxford Dictionary of Jewish Religion and the Theological Dictionary of the Old Testament.
Connect with Dr. Michael Brown» Dr. Michael Brown | ‘In The Line Of Fire’ Article Archive
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“Enter ye in at the strait gate: for wide is the gate, and broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go in thereat”REMEMBERING NON-REVISED HISTORY: 8/30/2014
George Washington
First President of the United States (1789-1797)
Father of the United States of America,
President of the Constitutional Convention
General of the Revolutionary Army
President of the Constitutional Convention
General of the Revolutionary Army
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Biography
GEORGE WASHINGTON (February 22, 1732 – December 14, 1799) was one of the Founding Fathers of the United States, serving as the commander-in-chief of the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War. He also presided over the convention that drafted the Constitution, which replaced the Articles of Confederation. The Constitution established the position of President of the United States, which Washington was the first to hold. » Full BioThe Ultimate History Quiz
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NEWS BRIEFS: AUGUST 30, 2014
Current Events And Commentaries
WND
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Alarms Sound Over ‘Imminent’ Attacks On U.S.
Feds, Law Enforcement Scrambling To Stop ISIS Carnage On Border
Garth Kant, WND — WASHINGTON – The U.S. government is warning a terrorist attack is imminent on the border between Texas and Mexico, according to the government watchdog group Judicial Watch.
The group said its sources say the Mideast terrorist army ISIS is now operating in the Mexican city of Juarez, the narcotics-trafficking center just across the border from El Paso, Texas. ISIS, the sources say, is planning to attack the U.S. with car bombs or improvised explosive devices carried by vehicles.
Judicial Watch said high-level federal law enforcement, intelligence and other sources have confirmed that a warning bulletin for an imminent terrorist attack on the border was issued. The organization said agents for the Departments of Defense, Justice and Homeland Security have been put on alert and told to aggressively work all sources and potential leads.
One source told Judicial Watch intelligence officials “picked up radio talk and chatter” pointing to an attack on the border.
The source said both ISIS and al-Qaida were planning plots and told Judicial Watch an attack “is coming very soon.”
Another source told the group the attack is so imminent the commanding general at the U.S. Army’s Fort Bliss in El Paso is being briefed.A Texas law enforcement bulletin sent out this week reportedly shows ISIS is keenly aware of the porous border in the area, and social media chatter shows it has expressed “an increased interest” in crossing the border to conduct an attack.
The three-page bulletin, obtained by Fox News, was titled “ISIS Interest on the US Southwest Border” and distributed to law enforcement Thursday.
The bulletin coincides with WND’s report three days ago that the FBI and Department of Homeland Security were so worried airstrikes in Iraq could cause ISIS to retaliate in American, the agencies sent warnings to local law enforcement officials.
Friday’s reported threat from ISIS comes a day after WND reported President Obama acknowledged he has no strategy to deal with the terrorist army.
Obama was blasted for the admission.
Rep. Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the strategy should be simply “to finish them off.”
“Not to contain them … but to fundamentally finish them off. And I don’t think the president sees this moment for what it is,” he said.
Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., tweeted: “#ISIS is largest, richest terrorist group in history & 192,000 dead in #Syria.”
Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, Rep. Mike Rogers, R-Mich., lamented, “I’m not sure the severity of the problem has really sunk in to the administration just yet.”
However, Rogers said Obama had plenty of warning, because, “Even the president said he was talking about this to Iraqi officials over a year ago.”
He maintained the administration could have attacked ISIS targets long before it gained momentum.
“When a terrorist organization acts like an army, they present military targets the way any other army would do,” Rogers said.
Friday’s threat also comes as Britain has raised its terror-threat level to “severe” ahead of the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks.A White House spokesman said Friday the U.S. has no plans to raise the threat level.
However, U.S. intelligence sources told WND just last week ISIS was training jihadis to attack targets in the U.S.
Also last week, Sen. Jim Inhofe, R-Okla., warned ISIS is “rapidly developing a method of blowing up a major U.S. city.” The ranking Republican on the Armed Services Committee in the U.S. Senate said the U.S. now is in “the most dangerous position we’ve ever been in.”
And, as WND also reported last week, Republican Gov. Rick Perry of Texas warned terrorists from the Islamic State could be sneaking into Texas across the Southwest border at any time, due to the Obama administration’s failures in Iraq and in securing the border.
Pentagon press secretary Navy Rear Adm. John Kirby immediately denied any evidence of Perry’s claims.
“I’ve seen no indication that they are coming across the border with Mexico. We have no information that leads us to believe that. That said, we do know they have aspirations to hit Western targets and that we’ve got to take that seriously and have to try to be ready for it,” Kirby told CNN.
Mexican officials also quickly rejected the governor’s warnings.
“Mexican authorities have no record of the presence of Islamist extremist groups or individuals in Mexico,” said Ariel Moutsatsos, minister for public affairs at the embassy in Washington. “We take all possible measures to impede any terrorist activity in our territory.”
But Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, backed-up Perry’s warning of terror threats from the largely unsecured U.S.-Mexico border.
“The FBI director previously said … that there were people from terrorist countries who were assuming Hispanic names, and learning a few words of Spanish, and coming in,” Gohmert said. “The FBI director himself testified to that before Congress. So we know that this kind of thing has been going on. Gov. Perry isn’t saying anything that’s new, it just takes a little while for the mainstream to catch up.”
The congressman added that more recently, Marine Gen. John Kelly, the commander of South Command, testified before the House and Senate this year “that the penetration of our Southern border by criminal cartels, as well as terrorist organizations, poses, in his words, an ‘existential threat the United States.’”
Just two days ago, an terrorism expert who advises the Iraqi intelligence services said there are 100,000 ISIS recruits, much higher than the 20,000-to-30,000 estimated by most foreign observers.Hisham al-Hashimi also said the number of recruits is growing rapidly, because ISIS “is an extension of groups that existed before – historically and ideologically.”
He said recruitment has never been easier, because the organization’s leader, Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi, “carries now the flag of the jihadi against the crusader.”
Another intelligence officer, Ibrahim al-Sumaidei, gave another reason for the rise of ISIS, saying its “members have multiplied in a very dangerous way.”
“Having plenty of arms and funding has made the Islamic State swallow the fighters of the other Sunni insurgent groups.”
And ISIS’ firepower is growing.
On Monday, the Washington Post reported ISIS fighters had stormed a Syrian airbase over the weekend and captured a stockpile of shoulder-fired, surface-to-air missiles.
The missiles, known as MANPADS, or Man Portable Air Defense Systems, are highly advanced and can hit aircraft flying at up to 20,000 feet.
About the Author
GARTH KANT is a WND staff writer. Previously, he spent five years writing, copy-editing and producing at "CNN Headline News," three years writing, copy-editing and training writers at MSNBC, and also served several local TV newsrooms as producer, executive producer and assistant news director. He is the author of the McGraw-Hill textbook, "How to Write Television News."
» Garth Kant | Article Archive
» WND
Jimmy Carter Refuses To Cancel Speech For Hamas Front
WND Exclusive — Terror-Tied Group Featuring Former President At Fundraiser
A spokeswoman for Jimmy Carter says that, despite national outcry, the former president is going ahead with plans Saturday to deliver the keynote speech at a fundraiser of a Muslim organization that federal prosecutors and a federal judge say is a front group for the terrorist group Hamas. In what it’s calling a “major” get, the terror-tied Islamic Society of North America has booked...Terrifying: What Was Just Found On This ISIS Laptop Shows
They Are Plotting To Kill Millions
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‘It Feel Like World Is Falling Apart’
By Sarah Fisher, Ben Shapiro’s Truth Revolt —‘It Feel Like World Is Falling Apart’
CBS White House correspondent Mark Knoller tweeted out that President Obama told donors that if you watch the news, it feels like the world is falling apart: “If you watch the nightly news, it feels like the world is falling apart,” Pres Obama told Dem donors, citing ISIL, Russia and Ukraine. Obama also said that the world's always been "messy," but we are only noticing it...Obama Signals Delay In Executive Action On Illegals
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President Barack Obama may delay executive action on immigration until after the November midterm elections as Democrats fight to maintain control of the Senate. The Wall Street Journal and The New York Times, citing sources, reported that Obama is considering stepping back largely to avoid endangering the re-election hopes of some foundering Democrats...ISIS Confirmed In Mexico And Ready
To Cross Border Into United States
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Islamic terrorist groups are operating in the Mexican border city of Ciudad Juarez and planning to attack the United States with car bombs or other vehicle born improvised explosive devices (VBIED). High-level federal law enforcement, intelligence and other sources have confirmed to Judicial Watch that a warning bulletin for an imminent terrorist attack on the border has...Was Jesus Christ Really God?
John 1:1-18
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The divinity of Jesus Christ is one of the most controversial issues facing every human being. It is also the most critical. Our faith hangs in the balance on this question. There are many who say they believe in Jesus and in God, but do not think that Jesus is God. They believe many good things about Him, however. They accept Him as a teacher. They marvel at Him as a healer. They revere...White House Issues Tepid Response To 134,000 Signatures Demanding Marine’s Release
By Don Noel, BIZPAC Review —
A U.S. Marine held in Mexico for five months has been getting a lot of support from fellow Americans, who are insisting the president do something about his incarceration. More than 134,000 people have signed a petition asking the Obama administration to “demand” the release of Sgt. Andrew Tahmooressi, NBCMiami.com reported Friday. The 26-year-old was jailed in May when...Britain Raises Terror Alert, Cites British Terrorists
By Al Pessin, Voice of America —
Britain has raised its terrorism alert level in response to the rise of Islamic extremist groups in Iraq and Syria, and the belief that British citizens fighting with such groups could bring terror home. The new British terror threat level is called “severe,” which means an attack is “highly likely,” but there is no information about a specific terrorist plan. This is the first time in three years...Major Church Leader Calls For Armed Response Against ISIS
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The Empire Strikes Back (And Obama Runs)
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