by Nathan A. Cherry, 05/17/2012

I think the “hero” status President Obama has enjoyed for most of his presidency is just about gone. In the last 6 months his ratings have plummeted (not that they were great to begin with) and prominent politicians and leaders are creating distance between themselves and the president. It’s almost as if no one wants to be associated with the most pro-abortion, pro-homosexual president in our nation’s history that also has a failed record. Well, okay, so that makes pretty good sense.

But, I have a feeling that the president had no idea at all that his announcement last week would have garnered the kind of backlash he is now experiencing. Since “coming out of the closet” last week in support of legalizing same-sex “marriage” Obama has seen everyone from evangelicals to black voters decry his position and express their doubt over his re-election.

All of the president’s close allies, mainstream media, talking heads, etc. are trying to rally support by downplaying the “revelation” and giving accolades to Obama for his position. Even Newsweek put Obama on the cover of their magazine with the title “The First Gay President,” as if that was something we would all cheer.

And The Blaze.com has covered the massive damage control Obama is now doing to right the ship (pun intended) after the disastrous effects of his announcement. As The Blaze.com notes, even African American’s are beginning to abandon the “hope and change” of Obama with this new revelation that they believe is contrary to their evangelical faith.

What I can’t help but find most disturbing regarding this issue is a number of sources reporting on the percentage of “evangelical Christians” that are “shifting” their views on homosexuality. Articles like this one say that where 85% of “born again” people once opposed same-sex “marriage,” now only 59% oppose it.

The problem, as I see it, is that we have a generation of “Christians” that keep saying “don’t talk about politics or socio-political issues in the church.” And we have a group of pastor’s that are afraid to make anyone angry, so the issues never get addressed. Never mind the fact that pastors are commanded to “preach the whole counsel of God,” and that the Bible has plenty to say about homosexuality, gluttony, divorce, pre-marital sex, pornography, drunkenness, co-habitation, and other issues.

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by Nathan A. Cherry, 05/15/2012

The religious freedoms of American’s are under attack, of that we can be sure. Never before in our nation’s history has our government sought to violate the deeply held religious convictions of churches, Christian businesses and employers, and individuals. If the plan is to take a back seat and just let things happen then we had better prepare for persecution not seen on American soil, ever.

The Speak Up Movement blog asks a very good question that every religious person with deeply held convictions should ponder and answer: “Do timeless religious convictions need to ‘adapt’ to fit these times?”

Well, do they? Do those of us that stand firm on the Bible and hold to the teachings of our faith need to “get with it” and move our beliefs into the 21^st century? Or, is it logically and theologically absurd to ask any religious person to “adapt” their beliefs to the arbitrary prevailing public opinion? I would lean (heavily) toward absurd.

Taking the latest and greatest case of religious persecution by our government, the HHS mandate to provide contraception, birth control, abortifacients, and sterilization coverage in insurance plans, the Speak Up Movement blog shows how government officials don’t regard religious convictions as something worth preserving. Quoting Kathleen Sebelius the article states:

“Nonprofit employers who, based on religious beliefs, do not currently provide contraceptive coverage in their insurance plan, will be provided an additional year, until August 1, 2013, to comply with the new law….  This additional year will allow these organizations more time and flexibility to adapt to this new rule.”

Adapt!? As if centuries of tradition, teaching and religious conviction can be tossed aside because our President doesn’t share or care about our religious beliefs. This proves that the Obama administration has more interest in advancing a radical abortion agenda than they do in preserving the freedoms of Americans.

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By Tom Stark, 05/05/2012

Not too many months ago, a bill was introduced in Congress that would extend workplace protections to people who chose the homosexual lifestyle or were “gender confused” or liked to dress as the opposite sex.  Employers across the country along with religious groups made some serious efforts to stop this continuing madness that has gripped our country in trying to accommodate this small group of people with a perverted lifestyle.

The effort, thank the Lord, was successful and the bill was not enacted into law.  But like so many other things like this inWashington, they never truly die.  They simply lie dormant on someone’s desk until a more opportune time and then resurface as a bill amendment tacked onto a “must pass” spending bill or some other vehicle that is likely to carry that amendment successfully through the legislative tunnel and emerge as law at the other end.

In the most ludicrous of cases that are becoming an everyday occurrence with the Obama administration’s gang of progressive panderers, these onerous efforts to appease and “buy votes” are resurrected in the form of bureaucratic “determinations” by a regulatory agency headed by another of the President’s ideologues.

This background information brings us to just such a case in the news over the past week.  Godfather Politics carried an article by Gary DeMar relating the latest instance of regulatory over-reach.  That bill I mentioned at the beginning has been manipulated into an “opinion” that places it among the requirements of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII).   It also has the all the earmarks of being applied through the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).

The agency that has “stepped up” to force this latest effort on employers is the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) which was a product of liberal attempts to compensate for past discrimination against people of color.  It has been relatively quiet in recent years, but occasionally pops up to do what it can to interfere in what should be private decisions between applicants and employers or freely determined decisions about conditions in the workplace.

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by Nathan A. Cherry, 03/19/2012

The faith – or lack thereof – of President Obama has been in question since his 2008 campaign. Many Americans are unsure of the president’s religious affiliation, and many others are convinced he is a Muslim. Events throughout the last three years have given credibility to anti-religious, anti-Christian, and other antagonistic claims against the president. But a recent article by faith and American freedom historian David Barton might just solidify these claims.

Barton has recently published an article detailing no less than 50 anti-Christian and anti-Jewish actions of the president since his inauguration in January 2009. Barton’s findings have led him to proclaim that President Obama is “America’s Most Biblically Hostile U.S. President,” which is also the title of his document.

The full list of grievances is broken down into four categories: Acts of hostility toward people of biblical faith, Acts of hostility from the Obama-led military toward people of Biblical faith, Acts of hostility toward biblical values, and Acts of preferentialism for Islam.

Barton said it would not be accurate to simply call him anti-Catholic. Barton shares his reasons for calling Obama anti-biblical:

“Perhaps the most accurate description of his antipathy toward Catholics, Protestants, religious Jews and the Jewish nation would be to characterize him as ‘anti-biblical,’…And then when his hostility toward biblical people of faith is contrasted with his preferential treatment of Muslims and Muslim nations, it further strengthens the accuracy of the anti-biblical descriptor. In fact, there have been numerous clearly documented times when his pro-Islam positions have been the cause of his anti-biblical actions.”

A partial list of actions Obama has taken against centuries old American religious freedoms include:

• May 2009 – Obama declines to host services for the National Prayer Day (a day established by federal law) at the White House.
• Oct. 19, 2010 – Obama begins deliberately omitting the phrase about “the Creator” when quoting the Declaration of Independence – an omission he has made on no less than seven occasions.
• April 2011 – For the first time in American history, Obama urges passage of a non-discrimination law that does not contain hiring protections for religious groups, forcing religious organizations to hire according to federal mandates without regard to the dictates of their own faith, thus eliminating conscience protection in hiring.
• January 2011 – After a federal law was passed to transfer a WWI Memorial in the Mojave Desert to private ownership, the U. S. Supreme Court ruled that the cross in the memorial could continue to stand, but the Obama administration refused to allow the land to be transferred as required by law and refused to allow the cross to be re-erected as ordered by the Court.
• June 2011 – The Department of Veterans Affairs forbids references to God and Jesus during burial ceremonies at Houston National Cemetery.
• September 2011 – The Army issues guidelines for Walter Reed Medical Center stipulating that “No religious items (i.e. Bibles, reading materials and/or facts) are allowed to be given away or used during a visit.”
• February 2012 – The Air Force removes “God” from the patch of Rapid Capabilities Office (the word on the patch was in Latin: Dei).
• February 2011 – Obama directs the Justice Department to stop defending the federal Defense of Marriage Act.
• May 2009 – While Obama does not host any National Day of Prayer event at the White House, he does host White House Iftar dinners in honor of Ramadan.
• 2010 – While every White House traditionally issues hundreds of official proclamations and statements on numerous occasions, this White House avoids traditional biblical holidays and events but regularly recognizes major Muslim holidays, as evidenced by its 2010 statements on Ramadan, Eid-ul-Fitr, Hajj, and Eid-ul-Adha.

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by Nathan A. Cherry, 03/13/2012

I’ve been encouraging Christians lately to not only be informed on what is taking place across the landscape of America politically, but to be involved. I get pushback every once in a while from those who don’t believe politics and faith mix and the two should not be intermingled. I don’t agree. For me, my politics is born from my faith; the two are not mutually exclusive or compartmentalized.

It’s a very simple conclusion for me based on our founding fathers’ vision of America and the framework they established for governing this great land. Nearly all the founding fathers were men of faith – despite revisionists attempt to rewrite history and have us believe otherwise. They used the Bible and the principles of their faith to write our founding documents. They then assumed that faith would always be a guiding principle in the governance of America; after all, how can a nation expect to be morally led without a morally absolute document to lead it, such as the Bible.

So our founders sought men of faith to lead, men of faith to judge, and men of faith to govern America. Throughout history on a number of occasion’s men of faith, pastors, and passionate believers served in political office and helped shaped the future of America. This is neither surprising nor hard to imagine considering the role faith has played in the success of America.

But now a new generation of believers has emerged that seek to segregate their faith and their politics. Where our national pulpits once ran with teaching on social issues – no matter how controversial – they now sit silent in fear of offending someone. Where at one time pastors and strong men of faith once called for civil responsibility in voting according to Biblical values there is an eerie silence for fear of “losing our tax exempt status.” (Incidentally, not one church has ever lost its tax exempt status…not one…ever.) At one time our churches were beacons of light on social issues where members of the community knew they could hear truth based on Scripture that would guide them; now the halls and pews ring with a hollow echo.

The detriment of this trend is obvious. The church, once powerful in its ability to educate, guide, and influence the lawmakers of our country on social issues is now anemic in its influence. Don’t’ get me wrong, nothing should take the place of the main purpose of the church; to spread the message of salvation through Jesus Christ. However, the damage stemming from the idea that this mission of the church and politics are mutually exclusive and should never intermingle is obvious.

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by Nathan A. Cherry, 01/27/2012

Martinsburg, WV – As a die-hard New England Patriots fan I am accustomed to being the only one rooting for my team. As with other great dynasties, if you are not a fan you have no trouble rooting against the dominating team. One team I have never been a fan of is the Denver Broncos. It is easy for me to root against them and enjoy watching them lose. Until recently…

I have to admit that I am an unashamed Tim Tebow fan. I love his competitive spirit and never-give-up attitude. But most of all I love how he refuses to separate his faith from his public life as a football player. He is a Christian first and a football player second. He boldly shares his faith whether he wins or loses and does so without apology. Even when the critics bash him – for his faith or his football – he smiles and gives all the glory and credit to his “Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.”

So when the Broncos beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in the first play of overtime during their first playoff game this year I was jumping and screaming like a crazy man. Then it hit me, they were headed to New England for a round two matchup that would be epic. And I was okay with that because either my team would win, or Tim Tebow would continue to write a Cinderella story that God is authoring in the life of this bold Christian.

And while some people would eagerly claim that Tebow has had no effect on the NFL and his lasting legacy would not be one very well remembered, such a claim, for me, came crashing down during the Patriots/Broncos game when I saw a commercial of a bunch of kids reciting John 3:16. I can’t begin to share all the amazing things about this video and the fact that it aired on national television during one of the most watched games of the entire year. (For more coverage on this amazing story please see this article or this one.)

But when cirtics of Tebow and his faith start railing against this young man that simply desires to live out his faith in a real way I get a little hot under the collar. The fact is, this is what we all should be doing, boldly sharing our faith with anyone and everyone that will listen. And just in case you think it doesn’t make a difference take a look at these quotes Focus on the Family received as a result of the commercial:

“Both my sons just saw your commercial and gave their lives to Christ as a result…Thank you. #John316.”

Similarly, another woman said:

“Thanks for running the John 3:16 ad during the Broncos/Patriots game. My husband is not a believer, but he was so taken by those precious kids that he became emotional watching it. Thanks for reaching out in such a warm, compassionate way.”

The religious freedom we enjoy today is a direct result of bold Christians that fought for the right to express their faith in every facet of their life, public and private. Tim Tebow is merely a visual reminder of how every Christian should be living out their faith. That visual reminder is threatening to those that oppose religious liberty and the religious convictions that many Americans hold dearly.

In a world where liberals and atheists are seeking to remove all mention of God from the public sector – like schools, sports leagues, clubs and the work place – Tim Tebow is a threat. His boldness is inspiring millions to exercise their faith and that just won’t do for religious suppressors.

Watch the video below and be inspired by one of the most famous verses in the Bible. But, be reminded of the fact that we as Christians are supposed to be “salt and light” in a dark world. Be reminded that we can’t be either if we suppress our convictions or allow threats to stifle the grace and truth that lives in us. (If the video doesn’t appear please refresh your browser).

As for Tebow’s impact on the NFL, when was the last time you saw the Bible read during primetime television? Enough said.

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by Nathan A. Cherry, 01/19/2012

Would Jesus lead this?

Martinsburg, WV – Perhaps no issue is more polarizing, hotly debated, fiercely fought, or conversed about than that of same-sex “marriage” and homosexual rights. On one side are those advocates that believe sexual orientation is the same as the color of a person’s skin; something no one chooses. Therefore homosexuals should be treated like every other person and given the same rights as every other person; including the right to marry.

The other position, traditionally held by evangelicals and conservatives, is that homosexuality is a lifestyle choice that, if affirmed and legalized (read: marriage) will severely limit the free speech and religious freedoms of other people. To say homosexuality is a sin used to be easy and carry no repercussions. Those days, in the political and public sectors are long gone. To make such a statement, even in one’s personal time, on a blog, Facebook, or any place else that another human being might see or hear it, has serious consequences.

This is becoming very obvious as we run full speed into the 2012 presidential election. Candidates are being asked directly about their view on homosexuality, whether marriage, military service, or otherwise, by likely voters as they encounter people in public across the states.

A recent article by the National Journal illustrates the varied encounters GOP candidates are having along the campaign trail with comments by everyone from Rick Perry to Mitt Romney.

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Correction (1/4/12): After this article was published and then distributed widely across our statewide network of churches and families, it came to our attention that Lifeway has since stopped this ill-fated project.  You can read more about this error here.  Below is the entire statement from Lifeway’s CEO announcing the error:

We made a mistake.

As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month in October, B&H Publishing Group released to several mass market retailers a Cancer Awareness Bible as a way to place God’s Word into the hands of those suffering through breast cancer. As part of the project, B&H agreed to donate $1 from the sale of each Bible to the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation for breast health education, screening and treatment programs.

As this project has developed, we realized it was a mistake.

When our leadership discovered the overwhelming concern that some of Komen’s affiliates were giving funds to Planned Parenthood, we began the arduous process of withdrawing this Bible from the market. Though we have assurances that Komen’s funds are used only for breast cancer screening and awareness, it is not in keeping with LifeWay’s core values to have even an indirect relationship with Planned Parenthood.

B&H’s mission to advance the gospel through distribution of God’s Word is unchanged, so we will continue to seek innovative ways that are in keeping with LifeWay’s core values.

Thom S. Rainer
President and CEO
LifeWay Christian Resources

——————-ORIGINAL STORY——————-

by Nathan A. Cherry, 01/02/2012

Martinsburg, WV – It probably seems odd to you that a faith based organization such as the Family Policy Council of West Virginia is asking you not to buy a Bible. It might seem even stranger knowing that I am a pastor with many Bibles on my shelves. But let me assure you that there is good reason for me asking you not to buy this very brightly colored pink Bible.

The Bible is a life changing book containing the words of God Almighty. The pages of Scripture have the ability to speak hope into the circumstances of life that each of us are facing. I can think of no better place to find grace, truth, love, and life than in the words of this sacred text. So the idea of buying a Bible and helping support abortion is so appalling to me that I am now asking you not to buy this Bible.

This new Bible comes from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure foundation for breast cancer research in conjunction with Lifeway Christian Stores and B&H Publishing (the publisher known for the Holman Christian Standard Bible (HCSB). You might be thinking that all that sounds well and good considering that Lifeway is the Christian stores of the Southern Baptist Convention and the HCSB Bible is a well-respected modern translation; and you would be right.

The problem here is that the link between Komen and Planned Parenthood has been well established. Komen, in 2010 alone gave more than half a million dollars to Planned Parenthood for “breast cancer screenings and women’s health.” But the truth is that very few (if any) Planned Parenthood clinics actually do mammograms or any other form of breast health examinations. So the money Komen funnels into Planned Parenthood is actually serving to fund abortion.

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by Nathan A. Cherry, 12/20/2011

Martinsburg, WV – There seems to be a concerted effort to paint America’s founders as anything but Christian. Efforts to present them as agnostic, humanist, atheist, and anything else are becoming stronger as people seek to destroy the rich heritage of faith, God, and the Bible that ultimately set the foundation of our nation.

However, in this very informative video presented by the Family Research Council, Dr. Daniel Dreisbach, a very respected professor of law at American University shows that the Founding Fathers used the Bible constantly in their creation and establishment of the United States. Dr. Dreisbach’s new article, “The Bible in the Political Rhetoric of the American Founding,” is prominently featured in the current edition of Politics and Religion Journal.

Dr. Dreisbach points out that both the founders and ordinary people used the Bible and it’s principles to guide both their private and public lives:

“The Bible and biblical precepts penetrated the core beliefs of many founders and the ubiquitous manifestations of those beliefs in public and private utterances… Both influential and ordinary citizens drew on biblical language, ideas, and themes in thinking and talking about the political challenges that confronted them.”

I would highly encourage you to take a few minutes to watch this lecture. The information shared by Dr. Dreisbach is not only historically accurate it is useful for us today. What our founding fathers did was unprecedented, there is no doubt that faith played an integral role in their personal lives, and their public politics. This lesson is urgently needed today.

To listen to Dr. Dreisbach’s lecture on the Christian roots of America’s founding, click here.

If the video doesn’t appear please refresh your browser.

By Nathan A. Cherry, 09/16/2010

Holy books of all faiths should be respected.

 Martinsburg, WV –  Maybe this is more of a rant than anything else, but, once in a while a good rant is needed just for a little perspective.

The Volokh Conspiracy website carries a story from the New York Daily News about a man that was fired from his job for burning a copy of the Koran in his off-duty time.

New Jersey Transit employee Derek Fenton was “dismissed” for violating “his trust as a state employee,” because of actions the state deemed “violated New Jersey Transit’s code of ethics.” But as Chris Dunn of the New York Civil Liberties Union commented, “If Fenton was fired for burning the Koran while off-duty; his First Amendment rights probably were violated.”

Eugene Volokh rightly noted:

“The relevant First Amendment test for when the government may fire an employee for off-duty expression on a matter of public concern…is unfortunately quite vague: The government may restrict such speech, but only if the restriction is ‘necessary for their employers to operate efficiently and effectively’… It’s hard for me to see much of an argument that Fenton’s expression interferes with the employer’s effectiveness by undermining public confidence in the employer; Fenton isn’t a spokesman for the employer, or in a position where the public must be able to count on his fairness in exercising discretion with regard to members of the public.”

So here is where religious freedom, freedom of speech and just plain old freedom all collide in this modern day society of murky rights. Does Mr. Fenton have the right to burn the Koran, absolutely. Does someone have the right to burn any book he or she desires, absolutely. Would someone be fired from employment for burning the Bible, probably not.  

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