Volume 14 Issue 9 - September 1999

PILGRIM OR PURITAN?

"I am very much afraid that schools will prove to be the great gates of hell, unless they diligently labor in explaining the Holy Scriptures, engraving them in the hearts of youth. I advise no one to place his child where the Scriptures do not reign paramount. Every institution in which men are not increasingly occupied with the word of God must become corrupt." -The Reformer, Martin Luther-

One just has to make a cursory observation of the war zones that have become our government schools to verify the truth of that profound statement and warning. It appears Hell has enlarged itself and is devouring our children in record numbers. The casualties are absolutely staggering. Since February 2nd, 1997, approximately 34 students were massacred and 73 were seriously injured as they were mercilessly gun downed by home-grown terrorists that our nation has nurtured, lo, these last thirty years or so. Besides the obvious physical dangers that are stalking our young in these humanistic temples, the spiritual, moral, and intellectual danger has exploded off the charts. We seem to have forgotten that a physical enemy is limited to only destroying our bodies, but a spiritual enemy can destroy the soul. Thus the wound of America continues to fester as we foolishly refuse the Balm of Gilead that can heal us.

While we maintain this godless posture, the only advice offered by parents, the church, and our government is to "Make sure you kiss your kids and tell them you love them before you ship them off to the war zone, because you never know if they will come back home to you." Where is the outrage? Where is the demand for change? How come we continue to give our money, our precious children, and prop up a system that has denied God? How can we sit by idle and allow Satan to rob, kill, and destroy this generation with the blessing of the State and the silent consent of the Church? How many more murders is it going to take until we recognize that Martin Luther’s warning has come to pass with a vengeance?

Historically, whenever the true Church has determined a government is tyrannical, the Church apostate, or a system corrupt, they usually divided into two camps in response. They either became Pilgrims and separated themselves to start anew or they became Puritans to try and reform it. Though it is not my intent to tell each individual what camp they should choose, a choice must be made nonetheless. It is certain, we can no longer close our eyes, live in a state of denial, and allow our children to be destroyed. The bottom line is, if we don’t row the boat, then we are just going to go with the flow and right now, it is a flow stained with the blood of our children.

First of all, it is extremely important to remember that our children are described as a "gift" or "heritage" from the Lord (Psalms 127:3). It is required by God that we do not abuse, misuse, or squander His gifts, less we incur His wrath. Secondly, we must recognize that the premise of paganism, statism, and the worship of Molech.

Molech claims the children as property of the state. As Christians, we must awaken to the unpleasant reality that the basic presupposition of government schools is one of ownership. It is just the nature of the beast to claim first the children and then the property of the people. Thus reducing us to serfs who must pay homage to our Feudal masters or else lose them both. One just has to investigate the case loads in court to affirm this clear and present danger.

Now, as disturbing as that may seem, to me, what is more horrific, is many professing Christians have become practicing pagans by accepting that premise and actually support it with their money and children. Many who do, unfortunately believe they are doing God service in the process They never seem to take the time to consider the possibility that they are paying false honor to God. That they are drawing near to Him with their lips, but their hearts, their allegiance, their obedience, and their children are far from Him. They, through either ignorance or disobedience, deny the non-negotiable truth that God has called the parent and not the State to educate the children (Dt. 6). As a result, they never seem to connect the dots. It never seems to dawn upon them that this betrayal against heaven has increased God’s judgment in America.

How in the world can Christians expect God to honor us and bless us when we continue to nurture His enemies at the expense of our kids? How can we believe God is pleased with us when we surrender our children’s souls daily to anti-christ teaching and pagan humanism? How can God’s judgment be averted? It cannot solely be moderated by much crying or bemoaning our failures, but by renewing our hearts in faith and obedience to God’s commands. We must think and act like true believers that understand like Hannah of old that our children are a gift from God and are to be dedicated to the Lord as long as they live. Brethren, we must wrest them back by becoming Pilgrims or Puritans.

The Pilgrim strategy as seen in the homeschool movement is exploding and is what I would personally recommend as God’s first priority for your family. In fact, a recent mailing was sent out by Paul Lindstrom, a pioneer of the Christian homeschool movement, to 30,000 pastors with a call to encourage their congregations to remove their children from public schools. Dr. Lindstrom stated, "Our nation’s schools are in a crisis of almost unimaginable dimensions. Since 1992 there have been 251 school-related deaths, of which 195 involved firearms." He went on to say, "There are no reasons to assume that the situation of moral decline and violence in public schools will be remedied. The problem is not so much with the product of the public school system, as with the institution itself. It is time for Americans to leave the system, and leave it NOW!"

For some of you, homeschooling may be an impossible task for you to commit to right now. There are other options available that would ensure you fulfill your parental responsibility before God such as placing your child in a private Biblically based Christian school. I would suggest investigating that option, but make sure the "Christian" school has a Biblical worldview. There are many so-called "Christian" schools that have chapel and quote a few Bible verses, but their curriculum is the same humanistic slop that is being fed to children in our public schools. They simply dress that slop up with a little Christian seasoning, but the meal is just the same as well as the product it produces. The issue is not whether they have the word "Christian" on the school building, but whether or not the curriculum teaches an explicitly Christian worldview.

Perhaps, you are in a position where you do not have the time to homeschool or the finances to place your child in a private Christian school. What is a parent to do then? This is where you must make a quality decision to become a Puritan. You must train yourself and your children to reform this corrupt system in Jesus’ name. You must work to get the government out of education and return it to local, private, and parental authority. You must challenge your children to bring their Bibles to school, pray openly, and be a powerful witness to their peers. You must train your children to go on the offensive. They must be challenged to abandon their defensive posture which has made them easy pickings for the Spirit of the Age. Your children must become the ones who exert righteous peer pressure and become the dominant influence in our schools. Otherwise, you can rest assured the condition of our schools will only continue to deteriorate and increase the vulnerability of our children to become a prey to the dominant evils of our culture.

Enclosed in this month’s newsletter on page 6 is our announcement of Scriptures In School. This is a Puritan strategy of reformation. If there is no way to protect your child from the forces of evil by removing them from these humanistic temples, you must be sure to equip them with the whole armor of God to withstand the fiery darts of indoctrination. To do nothing is to endanger our children, increase God’s judgment in the land, and to enable this corrupt system to defy God.

"IF I WERE THE DEVIL..."
By Paul Harvey

If I were the Prince of Darkness, I would want to engulf the whole world in darkness. And I would have one-third of the real estate and four-fifths of the population , but I wouldn't be happy until I had the ripest apple on the tree. So I'd set about, however necessary, to take over the United States.

I'd subvert the churches first; I'd begin with a campaign of whispers. With the wisdom of a serpent I would whisper to you as I whispered to Eve: "Do as you please."

To the youth I would whisper, "The Bible is a myth."

I would convince them that man made God instead of the other way around.

I would confide that what's bad is good and what's good is "square."

In the ears of the young married I would whisper that work is debasing, that cocktail parties are good for you.

And to the old I would teach to pray after me: "Our Father, who art in Washington..."

And then I'd get organized; I'd educate authors in how to make lurid literature exciting, so that everything else would appear dull and uninteresting.

I'd threaten television with dirtier movies and vice versa.

I'd peddle narcotics to whom I could; I'd sell alcohol to ladies and gentlemen of distinction; I'd tranquilize the rest with pills.

If I were the Devil I'd soon have families at war with themselves, churches at war with themselves, and nations at war with themselves; until each in its turn was consumed. And with promises of higher ratings I'd have mesmerizing media fanning the flames.

If I were the Devil I'd encourage schools to refine young intellects but neglect to discipline emotions: let those run wild. Before you know it, you'd have to have drug-sniffing dogs and metal detectors at every school house door. Within a decade I'd have prisons overflowing.

With flattery and promises of power I would get the courts to do what I construe as against God and in favor of pornography.

I'd designate an atheist to front for me before the highest courts and I'd get the preachers to say, "She's right." Thus, I could evict God from the courthouse, then from the schoolhouse, and then from the Houses of Congress.

And in His own churches I would substitute psychology for religion and deify science. I would lure priests and pastors into misusing boys, girls, and church money.

If I were the Devil I would make the symbol of Easter an egg and the symbol of Christmas a bottle.

If I were the Devil I'd take from those who have and give it to those who want it, until I had killed the incentive of the ambitious.

What'll you bet that I couldn't get whole States to promote gambling as the way to get rich?

I would caution against extremes: in hard work, in patriotism, and in moral conduct.

I would convince the youth that marriage is old-fashioned, but swinging is more fun; that what you see on television is the way to be; and thus I could undress you in public and I could lure you into bed where there are diseases for which there is no cure.

Then I would separate families, putting children in uniform, women in coal mines and objectors in slave-labor camps.

In other words, if I were the Devil, I'd just keep doing what he's doing!

DAYTON POLICE OFFICERS MAKE A COURAGEOUS STAND

THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA vs.OPERATION RESCUE NATIONAL et. al.

In an unprecedented move to thoroughly squash the Christian witness at abortion mills in America, the United States Department of Justice has taken upon itself to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars to pursue and sue the one force the abortion industry fears most - Operation Rescue!

Using the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) statute, the Justice Department is bringing to its Federal Court in Dayton, Ohio several named and unnamed defendants to prevent them from ever going to an abortion mill again. The case begins August 23, 1999 with Judge Walter Rice presiding over the trial. He is the judge who, by fiat, overruled the state of Ohio's law banning partial birth abortions. .

Why does the abortion industry fear Operation Rescue? Because Operation Rescue represents the Church of Jesus Christ fighting God's battle in God's way. Simple Christians living out their faith, day after day, at places where children die. The gates of hell cannot prevail against God's Church. The steady decline in the number of abortions, abortionists, and abortion mills attest to this fact.

"Unfortunately our own government, sworn to protect life, has become its greatest enemy. It has become a willing dupe in the hands of the abortion industry." Said Rev. Flip Benham, National Director of Operation Rescue. "The United States of America has declared Christians enemies of our own country. Never has more been spent, more malevolent legislation passed, more absurd court rulings levied, than this present effort to silence the speech of gentle Christians at abortion mills."

Miami Valley Law enforcement officers will join Christians from all over Miami Valley Sunday afternoon at 2:00 p.m. at the Federal Court House, 200 West Second Street, in Dayton, Ohio to reaffirm their allegiance to Almighty God and their sworn oath to protect innocent life. "As law enforcement officers we do not appreciate, nor condone being utilized as tools to further protect the morally wrong slaughter of unborn children by way of the partial birth abortion procedure."

WORDS FROM DAVID MEHAFFIE

"It is clear from the wording of this lawsuit, that this action is not limited to the named defendants." Said David Mehaffie, the only native of Dayton named in the lawsuit. "If you or your church can be described as attempting to or encouraging others to, in any way hinder a woman offering her child to be murdered, you too can be "named" among the defendants. Janet Reno and the Department of Justice refer to this 'law' as Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE). In this case they seek $60,000.00 PER DEFENDANT and $40,000 per defendant would go directly to the abortionist. There is also the threat of 2 to 5 years in a Federal Penitentiary."

Dave goes on to say,

"I in no way wish to be "rescued" from the wrath of this court. On the contrary, there is no place else I would choose to be. For if we stand idly by while judges pass decrees that support murder, truly we forfeit our own souls. Better to hold on to my soul in prison than to lie in bed with my wife and my children nearby, having betrayed all that I have told them I stand for. The enemy wages this battle, not only for the lives of the innocent and the souls of women who give them up, but also for the very soul of the church in Dayton."

A Public Proclamation from a Coalition of Miami Valley Law Enforcement Officers

The following Proclamation, along with personal statements, will be given by dozens of law enforcement officers at a prayer vigil to be attended by hundreds of people from all over Miami Valley. This is an opportunity to clearly state to our local community, our state, and to our nation that we oppose the killing of innocent children. As police officers we have sworn to and desire to protect innocent life

PROCLAMATION

Gathered here today are law enforcement officer from across the Miami Valley. We are here to prayerfully support the four men and two women who are on civil trial for allegedly violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act.

1.We support their faith in God.

2.We support their moral belief that partial birth abortion is wrong

3.We support their willingness to act on their faith

4.We support their call for continued political solutions to this moral injustice.

American history is filled with examples of law-abiding citizens, who having exhausted political solutions to correct moral wrongs, have resorted to peaceful acts of civil disobedience. Some examples from our history are as follows: combating religious persecution, the abolition of slavery, securing a woman's right to vote, and the civil rights movement. Civic, political, and religious leaders have advocated and engaged in non-violent civil disobedience to bring about morally right changes in American society. The wholesale slaughter of innocent unborn children by the partial birth abortion procedure is no less a moral injustice and tragedy, than the injustices leaders have battled against in the past.

As law enforcement officers we do not appreciate, nor condone being utilized as tools to further protect the morally wrong slaughter of unborn children by way of the partial birth abortion procedure. We are gathered here today to publicly express our own faith in God and it is our prayer that true justice for the unborn will prevail.

One of the chief joys of serving with Flip Benham and Operation Save America is the unprecedented opportunity we have in ministering the Gospel message to our men and women in law enforcement. It is thrilling to watch the Holy Ghost fall upon skeptical, cynical, and hard-hearted police officers who have witnessed every perverse sin and its consequence. In every city we go in to, literally hundreds of local, state, and federal officers become our congregation to minister God’s word and warning. A warning that not only holds their individual souls accountable to God, but our nation as well. We have seen incredible miracles through the years. Some have broken and cried openly under the anointing, some have asked to be dismissed because they couldn’t arrest us, some have even joined in with us risking their careers, and others have come to faith in Christ by asking, "who is your God and what must we do to be saved."

Brethren, God has demonstrated yet another miracle as these courageous police officers have come forward to stand publicly for Christ and rebuke this corrupt system for abandoning their Sacred Trust to protect and to serve. Out of all that we have endured through this trial, this one act has made it all worthwhile. May it spread, till righteous reform prevails.

SAMMY

A VOICE CALLING TO THIS GENERATION...

Come and witness a powerful drama that will move you from laughter to tears. Come and experience the hard-hitting reality of the war zones that have now become America’s public schools. SAMMY chronicles the courage of one young man’s journey from the school-house to the courthouse as he confronts the lies, violence, and injustice that has corrupted his generation.

Join SAMMY’S mission as he shines the light of truth in the darkness that has made his peers a prey to evil. SAMMY is a call to this generation. Will you respond?

PERFORMANCE LOCATIONS, DATES, AND TIMES FOR SAMMY

SCRIPTURES IN SCHOOL

A NATIONAL PLAN TO RETURN THE BIBLE TO AMERICA’S SCHOOLS

Scriptures In School is a plan whose time has come. Beginning this school year, Christian teachers, faculty, staff, and especially the students will be bringing their Bibles back to school where it belongs. By God’s grace, America’s schools will be flooded with the truth that has been banned for over thirty years. The challenge is simple. Christians bring their Bibles every day to school and read them at lunch period, break times, and even use Biblical references to frame class and home work assignments.

Bob Pawson, S.I.S. Project Coordinator, says, "Perhaps America’s next "Great Revival" shall be started by children and teenagers in the most unlikely of places-her government schools."

Be sure and implement S.I.S. in your city or town and join the "Gentle Revolution." You do not need to seek permission from school officials. You just raise up a few dozen young people and challenge them to join with millions of kids across America in unleashing the Sword of the Spirit against an Enemy that is killing, stealing, and destroying their generation. May God Save America In Jesus’ Name!

Even as I write, I am preparing to speak at a "See You At The Pole" youth rally tonight in Waco. There is expected to be 500-1000 Christian public school students ready to be challenged. And challenge them I will with the message of Sammy and to implement Scriptures In School right here in Waco. May the "Gentle Revolution" continue in Jesus’ name!

IN KING JESUS’ SERVICE,

Rusty Lee Thomas