ShortReport

Did Professor Drive Student to Commit Suicide? Should He be Held Accountable?

What do you think would happen to a college professor who mocked a student for being gay and gave him a book to read that ridiculed homosexuality -- all of which led the student to commit suicide?

Can you picture the same scenario with a Muslim student being mocked and given anti-Islamic literature shortly before he took his own life? Would this professor be fired? Would there be outrage in the media? Would the public rise up against this state-supported school and demand accountability? Would there be organized protests against a professor misusing his position of authority?

Well, something like this did happen, but the student was not a homosexual or Muslim. He was a Christian. And barely a peep has been said about this tragic incident.

Jesse Kilgore, a solid Christian and military veteran,  was taking a biology class at Jefferson Community College in Watertown, NY. As a result of Jesse speaking up in class, his professor challenged him to read The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins (yes, the same Richard Dawkins who looked so foolish in Ben Stein's recent movie, Expelled). As a result of reading the book and his science classes, Kilgore lost his faith and began to doubt the existence of God. This led to such depression and hopelessness that he took his life a few weeks ago.

Again, there has been no accountability on the part of the professor. The school has not issued a statement nor begun an investigation. The mainstream media has been silent.  You can read more about it here .

This is a dramatic example of how professors are attacking and undermining the faith of Christian students who attend our public colleges. And while most students don't kill themselves, many tens of thousands are losing their faith at the hands of atheistic college professors. A suicide is so visible and tragic. Losing your soul and going to hell is not nearly as visible even though it is far more tragic. And this is happening times without number every single day in our nation's institutes of higher learning.

Students: Beware of what you are learning. Guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. You may be right and have the truth on your side, but you could still be easy fodder for a wiley, old, atheistic professor who has spent years forming his arguments against the Christian faith. Evidently, Jesse Kilgore was a solid Christian who didn't know what to do when confronted with information against Christianity that he couldn't answer. Let's not piously judge him as being weak in faith. Let's understand that anyone can be vulnerable and become deceived by the enemy of our souls. Therefore, be careful what you listen to and who you listen to lest you, too, get devoured by the evil one and his deceitful lies.

Parents: Beware of sending your kids to the university. Equip them. Prepare them. Continue to talk with them. Insist that they be involved in Christian fellowship. Consider whether or not they can handle the warfare of today's public university enviornment and, if not, seek out alternate means of preparing them to make a living. Don't sacrifice your kids eternal destiny on the alter of "a good education." 

Everyone: While we don't want to cultivate a "victim mentality," at the same time, we should not be silent when we see our faith wrongly attacked in our universities. Most Christian professors I know are very respectful of other views and are careful not to promote their faith in the classroom. But it seems like a good number of atheistic professors have no hesitation about attacking the Christian faith while teaching in their classroom. This is not right and those of us who see the wrongness of this should speak up whenever the opportunity presents itself.

Note on The Good Delusion: I was given a copy of this book (I wouldn't want topurchase it myself and give Dawkins my money) and, to be honest, I was a bit disappointed in it. I expected better from a man of his stature and education, but found his arguments to be no better than what I am confronted with each day by the undergraduate students on campus. However, I will say that The God Delusion is a vicious book extemely hateful toward Christians. It misses no opportunity to exagerate or misrepresent our position. It highlights the most extreme examples of rare and bizarre Christian behavior. It ridicules us without mercy. Evidently, it has inspired some people to commit hate crimes against Christians and churches.  I felt most of his arguments were disinguinuous and showed no interest in searching for the truth or providing honest criticisms of our faith. On a scale of one to five, I give it one star.

Reason #1 to Oppose Gay Marriage

Who would have ever thought that "Gay Marriage" would become such a huge issue throughout America?

If you are old enough to read this blog, homosexuality was illegal in many states during your lifetime.
Before 1973, it was considered a mental illness to be treated by psychiatrists.
And within the last ten years, gay activists have seriously debated whether trying to legalize gay marriage was a poor strategy as it would create a backlash by trying to do too much too fast (a prediction that is proving to be accurate).

Today, ground zero in the battle for our culture is no longer abortion or even whether or not homosexuality is moral, but whether or not homosexuals should be allowed to marry. My how the dialogue has changed in such a short time. The mere fact that we have moved from discussing the morality of homosexuality to whether they can marry indicates that we are losing the battle for a decent, moral, God-honoring society.

That being said, I plan to begin a 10-part series of blogs on why we should oppose "gay marriage." I hope these messages will strengthen your convictions (or, perhaps challenge your convictions) and equip you to discuss this with others. Comments are welcome and I do expect to receive a fair amount of hateful comments regarding this subject. If you agree with what I write, you can balance the hate stuff by passing on these messages to others. This issue is not going to go away any time soon and those of us who love God better figure out where we stand on this issue and not simply wait for political campaigns to do the thinking for us. That being said...

The #1 reason to oppose "gay marriage"...
GOD defines marriage as a union between a MAN and his WIFE.
God leaves no room for a "marriage" between people of the same sex.

Contrary to the claims of atheists and secularists, God created marriage. Marriage is not the creation of man nor the creation of "society." As such, God is the One who is to define it and who sets the rules concerning marriage.

Thus, the number one question we should be asking in this regard is "What does GOD think about 'gay marriage'?" Have you ever asked yourself that question?

Scripture speaks of the very first marriage between Adam and Eve and then defines marriage this way:

"For this reason a man shall leave his father and his mother, and be joined to his wife; and they shall become one flesh." (Genesis 2:24)

This is not simply a relationship between two lovers, but between a "man" and his "wife."

In the New Testament, Jesus was asked when it is permissible to divorce. He answered by clearly defining what a marriage is:

 Some Pharisees came to Jesus, testing Him and asking, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any reason at all?"
And He answered and said, "Have you not read that He who created them from the beginning MADE THEM MALE AND FEMALE, and said, 'FOR THIS REASON A MAN SHALL LEAVE HIS FATHER AND MOTHER AND BE JOINED TO HIS WIFE, AND THE TWO SHALL BECOME ONE FLESH'?
 "So they are no longer two, but one flesh. What therefore God has joined together, let no man separate."  (Matthew 19:3-6. Caps indicate Jesus was quoting directly from the Old Testament.)

Here, Jesus refers back to Genesis in order to define marriage, but goes one step further in referring to marriage in terms of "male and female."

Male / female, man / wife. This is the only standard set for marriage in the Bible. There is no example of a "marriage" between two males or two females in the mind of God.

Of course, secularists will argue that, in America, we separate church and state and, therefore, God should not be the One to define marriage in our country. However, just because someone says this does not mean we need to fall for it. Nothing in our Constitution or in our history tells us we are not allow our understanding of God and His truth to inform and guide us in how we view the world or the laws that will govern us. Citizens of America are free to allow any number of influences to guide their voting decisions (education, media, discussions with friends, past experiences, etc). All of these influence us believers as well, but the greatest influence in how we see the world and discern what is right and wrong should be our faith and allegiance to God and His word -- a faith our Founding Fathers had and one we should never be ashamed of.

My Thoughts on our Recent Election

Ten days out and I'm ready to post my thoughts on the recent election.

1. Congratulations to Barrack Obama. He ran an excellent campaign in defeating both Hillary Clinton and John McCain. He has demonstrated himself to be a capable leader who is able to inspire with his vision and to organize in such a way to achieve that vision.

2. Although race was rarely mentioned before the election, its about all the media could talk about after the election. I can only imagine the pride most African-American's felt as they saw Obama elected to the highest office in the land. Obviously, this is a wonderful thing for our country. For many young black men, they now have a role model of a man who is faithful to his wife and children, who valued his education and who worked hard to get where he is today. This is quite a contrast to the destructive role models most young blacks have seen in rap stars and professional athletes. And it contrasts nicely with former black leaders who fomented anger, bitterness and a victim mentality in their followers -- destructive attitudes that appeal to our lower nature. Let's hope that Obama's election helps inspire a whole new generation of black men to rise up and achieve their potential.

3. Obama has promised to "change Washington" and to bring our country together. Of course, this is exactly what George W. Bush promised to do eight years ago and we see how well that worked out. Obama is not going to be any more successful. Our country is deeply divided in ways that are not superficial nor easily glossed over. There really is a deeper battle for our culture and what happens in our elections is a result of that war -- it is not the cause of it. Obama is our duly elected president and, as such, he deserves our respect. But he should not expect us to abandon our principles nor to be silent when he proposes policies that violate those principles.

4. I am NOT optimistic about our short-term future. I'm not sure what Obama will do on the "big issues" like the economy, but I expect that within days of taking office, significant changes will be made concerning abortion (e.g. funding them with tax-payer money, striking down all restrictions on abortion, etc) and gay rights (e.g. hate-crime legislation that will make it illegal to speak against homosexuality). Within six to nine months, basic freedoms that we have taken for granted may well be at risk (freedom to say certain things, certain economic freedoms, etc.). And as far as that "big issue," the economy, I think it is going to go from bad to worse no matter what Obama does, but it will be even worse if Obama passes his agenda.

5. The Republicans broke trust with their base constituency and, once again, paid a heavy price for doing so. Conservative Republicans never have trusted John McCain and, thus, a vote for McCain was really a vote against Obama. I knew a lot of people who voted for McCain, but very few who were excited about him and its hard to win an election if you don't have your base constituency out there excited about you. Republicans must learn that they win elections when they unashamedly articulate conservative principles and lose when they appeal to the "moderates" who have no convictions.

6. For evangelical Christians, Sarah Palin was the bright spot of this campaign. She was loved by conservatives for the exact same reason she was hated by the mainstream media. She had enough backbone to stand for her principles and she didn't feel a need to apologize to those who disagreed with her. She exuded confidence in her positions and abilities. She was not afraid to expose her opponents. Thus, she drew crowds of thousands and nearly matched Obama in "star power." I can't remember the last time I saw a candidate so unfairly vilified by the press and, to me, the reason is simple: this successful lady gave birth in a very public way to a baby that elitist feminists believe should have been aborted, thus demonstrating that these "women's groups" aren't really"pro-choice," they are simply advocates for abortion. Because Sarah Palin didn't abort her Down Syndrome baby, she needed to be destroyed. We who believe every life is a gift from God should honor her for this very reason.

7. While the election of Barrack Obama and an overwhelmingly Democrat Congress and Senate is obviously bad news for conservative evangelicals, the nation once again strongly rejected the concept of "gay marriage." Even in liberal California where almost all of the state's leading government and business leaders came out in favor of gay marriage, the churches (evangelical, Catholic and Mormon) joined together and led the people to make an overwhelming statement that marriage is to be between a man and a woman. This is a huge issue that merits significant comment, therefore, I'll end it here and make Gay Marriage the topic of my next blog.

Who Am I Voting for and Why?

Actually, I am deeply disappointed in our choices for President this year.
If McCain is elected, I hold out no illusions that we will be happy with his presidency.
He will do some things that are good, but he will also disappoint in many ways.

On the other hand, I believe Obama will be disastrous for this nation.

Therefore, I am voting AGAINST Obama and for McCain.

(Note: I realize a strong case can be made that

neither candidate deserves our support and we should vote for a third party candidate instead. However, in light of the damage I fear Obama will do, I conclude I must do all I can to help elect someone else and, in this case, there is only one other viable candidate.)

Why I am FOR McCain
1. I strongly support his selection of Sarah Palin as his running mate. Although this woman has been vilified by the liberal media, she appears to be a woman of deep core convictions that line up with my Biblical worldview. She also has the backbone to stand up and say what she believes.

2. I believe he will appoint judges that will INTERPRET the Constitution rather than make up new laws because they see it as a "living document" (especially concerning abortion, gay marriage and other social issues).

3. I believe he will help us win in Iraq and come home with honor.

4. I believe he will work to limit our out-of-control government spending.

5. I believe he understands the threat of terrorism and will continue our war against Islamic extremism.

6. I believe he will be a pro-life President.

7. He has demonstrated his love for our nation by heroically suffering in a POW camp and refusing personal release because it would dishonor those captured before him.

8. I think Cindy McCain is a marvelous example of voluntarily serving the less fortunate and she will be a wonderful First Lady.

Why I am voting AGAINST Obama

1. I honestly don't think he has been properly vetted by the media and, therefore, I don't think we really know who he is and what he will do. I say this relating to the following issues:

    a. What influence did his pastor, Jeremiah Wright, have on him? This has not really been explored by the media. Jeremiah Wright preaches a false gospel -- a gospel not of personal salvation and redemption through Jesus Christ, but a "gospel" of political and economic "liberation" for the poor and oppressed. Black Liberation Theology interprets the ministry of Jesus in Marxist terms. All of this is very obvious from the church website, and yet this has barely been explored by our media. NOTE: Since I a Christian who believes in the gospel of Jesus Christ, this one area of false theology and its implications is enough to make me vote against Obama.

    b. Obama has a whole slew of other relationships with radicals that really have not been adequately explored and explained. A person is known by the company he keeps and Obama has kept company with people whose values are so anti-American that I believe we are owed an explanation by him. He has provided none. How people can give him a pass on this is totally beyond my comprehension. If McCain or Palin even attended an event with someone on the radical right (say a KKK leader), they would be forced from the race. Obama has not only met with people on the radical left, he has worked with them on boards, projects, the distrubtion of funds, etc.

2. Obama would be the most radically pro-choice (i.e. in favor of abortion) President we have ever elected.

3. Obama would be the most radically pro-homosexual President we have ever elected.

4. I do not believe Obama understands the threat of Islamic extremism and would not be an effective leader in combating this threat.

5. I shudder to think of the leftist judges he would appoint to the Supreme Court -- judges who would help shape the policies of our country for years to come.

6. I believe his economic policy of "spreading the wealth around" is socialism. I've never seen socialism work. I believe socialism punishes success and, rather than eliminate poverty, it tends to impoverish an entire country.

7. I believe his foreign policy is tilted too much towards getting along with other nations rather than focusing first and foremost on the interests of the country he seeks to lead.

8. I fear what an Obama Presidency along with Nancy Pelosi (Leading the House of Representatives) and Harry Reid (Leading what may be a super majority of Democrats in the Senate) will do to our country. In addition to all the things I've mentioned above, I've seen how people on the radical left think of conservative Christians. I face their hate and intolerance nearly every day. Mark my word, if these people have unbridled power in our nation, they will take dead aim at people like me and other leading Christian evangelists and spokesmen -- and perhaps at people like you! (Note: An example of how intolerant and hateful these people are can be seen in the "lynching" of Sarah Palin at a home in Hollywood. Can you imagine anyone doing this with Obama? See this web site Sarah Palin Lynched

What do I Think will Happen?

    Personally, I think Obama and his team have run a superb campaign both in beating Hillary Clinton and now having a consistent lead over John McCain. On the other hand, McCain has been weak in communicating his message and has not zeroed in on Obama's greatest weaknesses. Obama has energized his base supporters and McCain has failed to energize his base (although Sarah Palin sure has!). For these reasons alone, Obama deserves to win this election and probably will.
  
    A wise friend of mine asked me if Obama's election is a judgement on America?

    It just might be. Only time will tell.

    However, this election is not over yet. Make sure YOU get out to vote and speak to your friends about this election. Do your part. And PRAY for our country at this crucial time!

   
   
   

Colorado Church Shootings

Our hearts go out to the victims of the senseless shooting deaths this past Sunday at a Youth with a Mission training center and at the New Life Church in Colorado -- two separate locations where a lone gunman killed four of our brothers and sisters in Christ.

There are so many things I'd like to comment on concerning this story, so hang in there with me.

1.) This shooter seems to be from a wonderful, godly family. They seem to be genuinely heartbroken at the actions of their estranged son. Pray for them as well as the victims of these shootings -- the families and church families of those  who were killed.

2.) Parents and all Christians everywhere: we must redouble our efforts to win our own children to Christ. Satan is diabolical and ruthless in pursuing the children of believers. Perhaps there is nothing more these parents could have done and perhaps nothing more the Christian community they were a part of could have done. Kids grow up and exercise their free will. But, oh, let's make sure we do all we can because Satan is after our kids.

In fighting for our kids, parents, there is one thing we must do: LOVE our children. Yes, we must teach them, protect them, discipline them, etc. but above all, we must love them. Our rules, our discipline, our restrictions must be done in love -- and not just saying we love them or believing we love them, but they must know we love them. Otherwise, our best efforts to raise godly kids can (and will) backfire into rebellion.

3.) Evidently, the shooter allowed a root of bitterness toward Christians to grow until it took bloody revenge. Bitterness and holding grudges is such a wicked sin. It violates the very heart of our gospel message. Never, never allow bitterness into your heart. It may not lead you to become a mass murderer like this fellow did, but it will rot your soul.

4.) This fellow may well have been demon-possessed. (See story at www.rockymountainnews.com/news/2007/dec/11/roommate-recalls-bizarre-times-said-he-knew-it-was/)
Demon possession was common in Jesus' day and it is common in other parts of the world. America seems to have been protected from this scourge, but personally, I think we are seeing more demon possession and will see even more in the future. The covering of protection God has graciously granted our country is being removed. There is more violence of such a nature that one has to wonder if it is inspired from the pits of hell. We must be learning Satan's schemes and how to battle him or we will become his victims.

5.) Speaking of all the violence: do you wonder why this story is not getting top head-lines in media outside of Colorado? Mall shootings, school shootings all seem to be major stories. Church shootings seem to be lesser issues. Can you imagine the coverage this would be getting if someone had gone in and shot-up a mosque?! Or if someone shot-up a gay rights parade? (Side note: I find ALL violence of this nature to be wicked and sickening and, in the Name of Christ, I would condemn this type of violence as well.)

6.) This shooter wanted to "kill as many Christians" as he could. He was obviously filled with hate for Christians. He blamed Christians for all the evil in the world. This was, indeed, a true "hate crime."  Do you think we are going to hear an outcry against websites and books that "foster hatred" toward believers? Will anyone condemn Christopher Hitchen's book, God is Not Great: How Religion Poisons Everything  or Sam Harris', Letter to a Christian Nation ? Will either of these gentlemen hold a news conference condemning violence against Christians and assuring the public their books were not intended to inspire hatred? Will Congress call hearings to investigate hate crimes towards Christians? Don't hold your breath waiting for such to happen.

When Matthew Shepherd (gay man in Wyoming) was picked up in a gay bar, robbed and cruelly murdered, homosexual groups were quick to blame Christian leaders and Christian organizations for creating "an environment of hate"  that would inspire such crimes. But there was no evidence that these murderous thugs attended church on Sunday and listened to James Dobson on the radio. The main stream media picked up on these accusations and even stopped running a series of adds by Focus on the Family about people who had left the gay lifestyle. And, of course, Matt Shepherd is memorialized each year on campuses as a martyr for gay rights.

We know this shooter visited anti-Christian hate sites on the web. Will there be public pressure to hold these web sites accountable? I sense a huge double-standard here.

7.) Churches that are high-profile or that have active ministries with troubled youth may want to consider their security measures. Personally, I'm thankful that New Life had armed security on hand and I consider the security guard who shot this murderer to be a hero. She saved dozens -- perhaps hundreds of lives (there were 7,000 people at the church at the time of the shooting and he had over 1,000 rounds of ammunition on him). Believers have a right -- and a duty -- to protect one another from murderous, law-breaking thugs. Your church may or may not want armed security, but you should think through beforehand  security issues if, God forbid, something like this were to happen in your church. (Note: this is not the first church in our country to have a mass shooting and it won't be the last.)

Huckabee Hit Job

    Now that Mike Huckabee is making a serious run for the Republican nomination, the hit jobs are coming out against him. This weekend had a shocking report of how Huckabee said homosexuality was "abirent, unnatural and sinful behavior" way back in 1992. And today, the Drudge Report is running a huge headline of how Huckabee, back in 1998, said the problem with America was the breakdown of the family and how the church needed to fix things more the the government. He ends with a call to Baptist preachers to "take this nation back for Christ."
       The obvious hit jobs are obviously the work of some opposition candidate who thinks this will hurt Huckabee. Personally, I think this stuff will win him the nomination! Sounds like my type of guy! Go Huck!