May 2014 • Page 2 of 2 • The Christian Culture Center Blog

The United States-Israeli Position Will Determine the United States’ Future

Posted on May 10, 2014 by Admin Posted in Christ in Culture Leave a comment

The United States-Israeli position is the key factor that will determine the future of the United States of America. There are other factors as well, but the main deciding factor, which is clearly pointed out in Scripture, is how the United States stands for Israel in the next few months and years.

Why do I say that? What do you think about the following scripture:

Genesis 12:1-3

Now the Lord had said to Abram:

“Get out of your country,
From your family
And from your father’s house,
To a land that I will show you.

I will make you a great nation;
I will bless you
And make your name great;
And you shall be a blessing.

I will bless those who bless you,
And I will curse him who curses you;
And in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.”

God told Abraham that he would raise up a ‘great nation’ from his seed that God would bless. God promised to bless those who bless this ‘great nation’ and would curse those who cursed them. That great nation, of course, we know from the Bible to be Israel, “the apple of God’s eye.” People and nations who bless Israel receive God’s favour; those who oppose Israel, God will oppose as well.

Few people understand why the United States of America was blessed for more than two centuries. Are you aware that in Spain, the scattered Israelis were persecuted and deported. The Spanish inquisition was launched the same day that Columbus took sail for America. It’s noteworthy that that same year, a series of 4 blood moons occurred exactly on Israeli holy days. We posted an article earlier this year on the 4 Blood Moons, which seem to indicate significant change to Israel whenever those blood moons fall directly on Israeli holy days.

While God’s ‘old testament’ chosen people were being persecuted and kicked out of Spain, God arranged for a new home where they could thrive. That nation was the United States of America. Ever since the formation of the union, the United States has been supportive of Israel. There was never a doubt that if anyone attacked Israel, they were in effect attacking the United States of America and the U.S. would defend her unconditionally. That is ‘blessing Israel’ in God’s eyes.

It’s quite disturbing that in the past 6 or so years, the United States has been teetering on turning their back to Israel. The current Secretary of State, John Kerry, recently hinted that the United States would not allow Israel to reject a Palestinian state. That is equivalent to saying that they would not defend Israel’s position regarding the holy land. To not defend Israel, in my opinion, is equivalent to ‘cursing’ Israel.

Here’s what CNN reported about Kerry’s statement:

Washington (CNN) – John Kerry wasn’t the first to use the A-word — apartheid — when talking about Israel, and he likely won’t be the last.

Even some Israeli leaders have mentioned the word that basically means “separate” in describing the eventual result if a Jewish state had a Palestinian majority in some areas, such as currently exists in the West Bank.

However, the U.S. secretary of state touched a diplomatic live wire last week when he predicted an apartheid situation if Israel and the Palestinians fail to agree on a two-state solution for their decades-long conflict.

Republican Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas, a tea party favorite and possible presidential candidate, called for Kerry’s resignation, while pro-Israel groups accused America’s top diplomat of inappropriate language and insensitivity.

(Source: http://www.cnn.com/2014/04/29/politics/kerry-apartheid-controversy/)

John Kerry then apologized for his ‘aparteid’ remarks (http://www.theguardian.com/world/2014/apr/29/john-kerry-apologises-israel-apartheid-remarks), claiming he has supported Israel for the past 29 years. But the apology doesn’t change what the U.S. has planned for Israel and the West Bank. The United Nations and the United States are calling for a Palestinian state to coexist with Israel. The United Nations has given until this September, 2014, for a new peace accord to be reached between Israel and the Palestinians. What will happen if Israel does not concede and accept this two-state solution? It’s anyone’s guess at this point, but what God said is clear, “If you bless Israel, I will bless you; if you curse Israel I will curse you.”

I believe that if the United States turns its back on Israel, God will turn his back on the United States.

Your Role in the United States-Israeli Position

Your role as a Christian or non-Christian is to support Israel if you want the United States to continue to receive God’s blessing. It’s the safest decision to make. Uproot Israel and we will be uprooted. Support Israel and the United States will be supported; that’s all there is to it.

I have signed a pledge to support Israel and I invite you to also. Here’s the pledge:

We believe that the Jewish people have a right to live in their ancient land of Israel, and that the modern State of Israel is the fulfillment of this historic right.

We maintain that there is no excuse for acts of terrorism against Israel and that Israel has the same right as every other nation to defend her citizens from such violent attacks.

We pledge to stand with our brothers and sisters in Israel and to speak out on their behalf whenever and wherever necessary until the attacks stop and they are finally living in peace and security with their neighbors.

Please take a moment and sign the pledge — the future of your nation could be affected by it.

Make your pledge here: http://www.cufi.org/site/PageServer?gclid=CODRr62For4CFWYV7Aod6ScAgw

Thank you for supporting Israel.

A Study in Cultural Engagement By Michael Craven

Posted on May 9, 2014 by Admin Posted in Christ in Culture Leave a comment

Cultural engagement is all about getting involved in local activities that affect the local culture for Christ. We here present an article by Michael Craven that explores this concept in great detail. S. Michael Craven is the President of Battle For Truth and the author of Uncompromised Faith: Overcoming Our Culturalized Christianity (Navpress, 2009). Battle For Truth is dedicated to equipping Christians with a serious theological understanding of life and reality. For more information on Battle for Truth and the teaching ministry of S. Michael Craven, visit:www.battlefortruth.org

Changing from the culture of death to a culture of life. This is really an audacious statement when you think about it and yet we talk of changing the culture all the time, as if this is an easy thing to do. Of course, as Christians, we do desire to see the culture reflect values and beliefs that represent the kingdom and honor Christ. However, when we speak this way we are speaking in terms that reflect an inadequate understanding of culture‚ what it is and how it is formed. Furthermore, such declarations assume that culture is a rather simple state of affairs—the mere rearrangement of which will yield a different culture. The fact is, culture is a far more complex phenomenon‚ especially our culture today with its extraordinary contest and synthesis of ideas, values, and worldviews. As to the means of achieving this “rearrangement,” the prevailing view seems to be, “If you can change the hearts and minds of enough people, the culture will necessarily follow.” Over the course of the next several weeks, I will challenge this assumption and offer what I think—and what history seems to prove—is a far more effective approach to cultural engagement, especially if the goal is real change in the society’s values and beliefs. In light of the “hearts and minds” approach, there have‚ over the years‚ arisen a multitude of well-intended—mostly conservative—organizations built upon this premise. However, I would argue that this approach tends to only garner a constituency of like-minded folks; those who already share the same hearts and minds. What they generally fail to achieve in any measure are conversions‚ meaning the persuasion from one side of an issue to the other. This reality ultimately leads to a shift—intended or otherwise—in strategy. What often begins as an earnest effort at public persuasion—the affirmation of a higher ideal—inevitably gives way to political advocacy on behalf of the organization’s constituents. The already converted don’t need to be persuaded; what they want is to see their view of the world advanced over and against all other competitors. They want a “champion” who will insure their view triumphs. This change in approach to cultural engagement is largely the result of politicization. What do I mean by politicization? Several weeks ago, In James Davidson Hunter’s recent book, To Change the World: The Irony, Tragedy, and Possibility of Christianity in the Late Modern World (Oxford University Press, 2010), he argues that “in response to a thinning consensus of substantive beliefs and dispositions in the larger culture, there has been a turn toward politics as a foundation and structure for social solidarity.” Hunter is saying is that due to the disintegration of common values, worldviews, and the like that now animate our pluralistic culture, our society is increasingly polarized as competing interests seek to establish their respective views as the right view. As a consequence, persuasion is thought to be an inadequate way of competing, so in order to defend (or advance) our view, we resort to worldly forms of power—namely political power. In light of this quest to triumph rather than persuade, organizations—including, in some ways, the American church—inevitably alter their mission. We are no longer content to say, “Help us persuade others to see a better way‚” or “Help us help others be faithful.” When the issues become politicized, concerns necessarily shift from the good of all to primarily the interests of the group and their advance. Fear replaces the affirmation of higher ideals as the means of motivation, and opponents become the enemy. And in the case of the church, we simply make ourselves one more “special interest group.” Of course, everyone justifies this approach‚ both on the left and the right‚ convincing themselves that the advance of their agenda is in the best interest of all. However, politicization forces the abandonment of the “us for them” approach for an “us against them” tactic and constituents simply become the financiers of the campaign. Success is only measureable by “winning”; merely being faithful—a somewhat ambiguous quality—is no longer tolerable. Thus these efforts, which began with the goal of commending their view of the world, eventually descend into political coercion as the means of cultural change. That is not to say that political activism is unimportant; it isn’t! Nor am I saying we should avoid politics. I’m not! What I am saying is this: our expectations of politics are often way too high, far beyond their real power. For one, politics has never been the means of actually changing the culture and, two, it is certainly not the means by which the Christian church—the most powerful social and cultural transforming force in history—has or should fulfill its mission and purpose. Over the course of the next several weeks, I will give three examples of cultural engagement. The first is the Prohibition movement, which sought to accomplish moral reform through coercive political means and ultimately failed, eventually doing harm in the process. Next we will examine the abortion-on-demand movement, which as I will show, employed a more sophisticated approach to cultural engagement and thereby achieved a significant measure of success. And finally, we will look at the early Christian church and its true triumph over pagan Rome. (Adapted from a lecture given at the Troutt Lecture Series on behalf of the Council for Life in Dallas, Texas on October 7, 2010.) © 2010 by S. Michael Craven Permission granted for non-commercial use.

Source:: http://www.crosswalk.com/blogs/michael-craven/changing-culture-a-study-in-cultural-engagement-11639668.html Engaging our culture for Christ is what the Christian Culture Center is all about. We need volunteers to help us carry out our mission in your local area. Visit our Advisory Board page and commit to 10 or 15 minutes a month to provide direction to the Christian Culture Center. Click here for more information about our Advisory Board.

Christian Music: Does it Have a Future in the UK?

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Admin Posted in Christ in Culture Leave a comment

Christian Music was much more predominant in the UK a couple of decades ago, but what’s the outlook now? Is there a future for Christian music in the UK? According to one industry expert, more dance, pop and electronic fueled music is in the near future for Christian worship and devotion. This article,, excerpted from My Christian Daily, explores this question and will give you a sense of what’s to come.

Ten years ago Christian bands such as Delirious?, The Tribe, thebandwithnoname, YFriday and Steve were busy touring the UK.

Both Christian and non Christian teenagers flocked to festivals such as Grassrootz in the South, The Ultimate Event in the Midlands and Frenzy Festival in Scotland to hear Christian music.

But today none of the aforementioned bands or events exist. While Rend Collective and The Big Church Day Out have helped fill the gap, there are noticeably fewer artists and events being promoted in the UK. Why is this?

Sound engineer Trevor Michael worked on many EPs by new artists who were backed by Christian labels such as Kingsway and ICC in the 1990s and early 2000s. “It was low budget but it was fun and you felt like you were helping someone start off,” he says.

Trevor says opportunities for young artists to get their music out “dried up” around the same time Kingsway’s Emerge (Vicky Beeching, Ben Cantelon) label shut down and ICC’s Elevation (Quench, Supervision) rebranded to cater for more worship-focused releases.

“[The record labels] don’t have the money they had years ago and because of that they’re not willing to take the risk they might have done…They still do take risks obviously, but if you go back five years, definitely 10 years there was a lot more risks being taken.”

Having noticed these changes, Trevor decided to start his own record company to give new artists a helping hand. In 2012 “the home of Alternative Independent Christian Music” – 7Core Music was born.

While Trevor admits the internet has provided other ways for young artists to publicise their music, in his view record labels still have a vital role to play in the future of Christian music – especially when it comes to seeking out and promoting fresh talent. He warns that going it alone without a label to back you can be tough work.

“Having 1,000 Twitter followers or whatever means nothing. Two of those people might buy your CD so don’t be fooled into thinking having thousands of followers means you’re going to sell thousands of records.”

Four-piece rock band Superhero may have survived nearly 15 years in what has been termed the “Christian music industry” (a term that is controversial among some Christians), but frontman Tim Cheshire has strong words for record labels.

“I’ve always been fairly creative in our dealings with record labels because I think all the deals suck so bad to the point where it’s immoral. That’s just what I think and I’m happy to talk to anyone about that and go through the details of how that works because they are horrendous. As a Christian community we should be setting up deals for Christian artists who are slogging their guts out trying to do something much fairer. That’s just not happening.”

The singer is currently embarking on new project Music For Mission which he hopes will revolutionsie the way people buy Christian music (read more here).

Responding to claims that labels are today more reluctant to take risks on young artists, A&R Manager for Integrity Music Chris Lawson Jones argues there are misconceptions about the role of record labels.

“One misconception of what a record company and a publisher does is there is a magic wand that is waved across an artist or piece of music that it suddenly transforms something into something spectacular and global that everyone has suddenly heard of.

“In many cases I wish that were the case and such a thing existed but really our purpose and our role is to really come alongside what people are already doing themselves and doing independently in this day and age.”

Chris argues young artists need to “make it difficult for us not to come alongside and support you” by releasing quality music while also remembering that first attempts will rarely be viewed as an artist’s definitive work.

“I don’t think necessarily musicians, writers and bands when they’re starting out are ready for partnership with a larger organisation or label. It may take up to 4 EPs until they’re at that point where people like us can partner with them and put an infrastructure and community around them. What I do as an A&R person is to all along offer advice and support…even if it might not be right for us to sign them at that time.”

Aren’t large churches more likely to have their music supported by record labels simply because of their size? The more people there are, the more CDs will be sold. The more CDs are sold, the more likely a label will get a return on their investment. Is this a consideration when Integrity look to sign new artists?

“That’s not a direct consideration. A consideration is…I want to word this constructively…That’s not really how we would operate.”

But surely large churches provide a platform for up and coming worship leaders in a way smaller churches cannot?

“I agree with that. In the same way that if you’re a striker at Manchester United there might be an equally good striker in a team in a different league but because of where you’re playing and how many people you’re playing in front of every week you’re more likely to get called up to England.

“That’s a fact of life, but my job is to look for those players in those other teams and say ‘how can I be part of this?’. If I recognise God is doing something among people or churches my job is to assess how and if I can partner with them…I’d like to see it as a bit more active and having an imagination about where something could go rather than just being involved in it because it’s already somewhere.”

Chris’s top tip for musicians and writers is to be yourself. “We’re not looking for replicas of what is already out there. We’re looking for what is happening next. Number one thing is be yourself and write and record music that you truly feel passionate about.

Finish this article here: http://christian-music-have-a-future-in-the-uk

Christian Music does have a future in the UK, as it does in the United States, but the landscape has changed, the generations have changed and so have tastes in music. Look for new, more electronic and more varieties of Christian music to come. The important thing is that Christians are still glorifying God in music and changing culture as they do.

Christian Music Magazine Tries Crowd Funding

Posted on May 7, 2014 by Admin Posted in Christ in Culture Leave a comment

A Christian music magazine, Contemporary Christian Music, is trying crowd funding to raise $35,000 for it’s publication. Reaching out to the community for support, the magazine hopes to establish a new way of funding Christian publications. If this succeeds, many more will follow suit. Crowd funding is an excellent way to test whether your idea is wanted by enough people, but the crowd funding site you use must have enough of the type of people that will support your project in order to be successful. Traditionally, Kickstarter has been used for non-Christian, secular projects so it will be interesting to see how Contemporary Christian Magazine’s campaign will be..

In the 1980s I grew up listening to Christian music and learned about the bands by reading CCM (Contemporary Christian Music) and other magazines.

With the rise of the internet many Christian print publications have seen their numbers of subscribers decrease. CCM adapted by switching to digital subscriptions.

CCM’s publisher Salem Communications has launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $40,000 for a print version of its 35th anniversary issue.

If this Kickstarter project is successful, other Christian publications might try crowd funding.

The crowd funding model often includes special promotional items for donors. Donors to this project will receive free songs and a retro T-shirt.

The Kickstarter campaign is being promoted with hashtag #BringBackCCM.

Finish this article here: http://blogs.christianpost.com/musical-notes/christian-music-magazine

Contemporary Christian Music magazine is trying Kickstarter for crowdfunding. This is the same concept behind the Christian Culture Center’s Community Funding Initiative which we hope to establish this year.

The Key to Sharing Your Faith in a Post-Christian Culture

Posted on May 6, 2014 by Admin Posted in Christ in Culture Leave a comment

Many people are espousing that we live in a post-Christian culture. That may be true to a large extent, but the Christian Culture Center is here to help guard against that and to restore Christian culture wherever we can, to whatever degree we can. Western culture is becoming more and more secular, and many Christians are finding it harder to share their faith because of it. I’d like to share an excerpt from this excellent article on “The Key to Sharing Your Faith in a Post-Christian Culture” in an effort to help overcome the obstacles the world presents in a modern secular culture.

Excerpted from “Mud and the Masterpiece: Seeing Yourself and Others Through the Eyes of Jesus” (Baker Books, 2013)”

It is not enough for one Christian to befriend and share her faith with another person. That worked in a culture that was mostly Christian, where most people grew up with a background knowledge of and respect for the Bible, mainly needing the central theme of grace clarified to decide whether to follow Christ. However, in today’s post-Christian context, people often need the intersection of three elements in order to find faith and become the church:

1. A friendship with someone who truly acts like Jesus—listening, caring, serving, and talking openly about faith in a non-pressuring way. (We talked about this in part 1.)

2. Relationship with a “tribe” of four to five other Christians whom they enjoy hanging out with and who make them feel like they truly belong (the focus of this chapter).

3. A “come as you are” learning environment where they can learn, usually for six to eighteen months, about the Way of Jesus. (We will discuss this in chapter 13.)

When all three of these elements intersect the lives of those far from God, it’s amazing how many people find the love and grace of God and bring their network of friends and family along with them. You will begin to see more and more people, once far from God, now following Christ and leading others to do the same. But first we must build relational momentum.

Europe, Canada, Australia, South Africa, and much of the United States and even South America face post-Christian barriers to people finding faith. It requires relationship and learning to overcome these barriers. In a post-Christian context, most people do not really know much about the Bible or the life-giving Way of Jesus, but there still exists an awareness of Christianity (usually this awareness comes only from negative media or bias about Christians). Honestly, it would be easier in some respects to reach a culture with zero awareness of Christianity than have to overcome negative stereotypes left in the wake of dying churches, but post-Christian is where much of the world lives.

In order for people of post-Christian cultures to become followers of Jesus, they must get to know multiple Christians willing to be open about their own struggles while also demonstrating the hope and fruit of the Spirit-filled life. When non-Christians encounter Christians who act like they never struggle, have all the answers, and suggest quick fixes for every problem, they quickly see through the pharisaical pretense and want nothing to do with that kind of faith.

But seeing people who try to love but struggle, who face real setbacks and need encouragement, who get tempted but ask for prayer and support, and who are learning to stay connected to God’s Spirit alongside a loving spiritual community—that’s what the whole world longs for, and that relational momentum draws people to Jesus. But how does a fledgling core group of Christians build relational momentum?

Build Relationships Where You Live

Jesus’ Great Commission tells us to “make disciples” (learners and followers of Jesus) by first helping them identify with the Father, Son, and Spirit through faith and baptism, then helping them “observe” (not just know) all Jesus commanded (Matthew 28:19–20 NLT). But the context is “as you go.” God has you where you are for a reason. Maybe you hate your job, or struggle with the city you’re in, but maybe that would change if you started to ask, “Who are you drawing to faith around me, and how can I love and serve them as I go?”

Most of us have at least four, some as many as ten, people we interact with regularly who are either not following Christ or are disconnected from his church. Start noticing as you go. As a co-missioned core group, make a list of the people God has already put in your life, and simply begin to pray for them. Steve said, “Joanne and I live with an ‘adopt our block’ mindset. Our goal is to actually get to know our neighbors, pray for them, care for them, live life with them, and then when the opportunity comes up, share Jesus with them.”

Finish this article here: http://www.outreachmagazine.com/features/5189-the-key-to-sharing-your-faith-in-a-post-christian-culture.html

The key to sharing your faith in a post-Christian culture is to build relationships with people and share your own experiences of how God works in your life. People love practical examples and favor them over dogma, doctrine and divisive arguments. Share what God has done for you and you’ll get more mileage in your witnessing.

US Supreme Court Allows Christian Prayer at Town Meeting

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Admin Posted in Christ in Culture Leave a comment

The US Supreme Court has made a very important and significant decision regarding Christian prayer in public places, namely at a town meeting. The United States constitution guarantees our free exercise of religion as well as free speech so any court’s decision that inhibits those things should never have been handed down in the first place. We applaud the decision and pray it sets precedence for any further actions in the future.

Linda Stephens, an atheist, sued the town of Greece, New York, after complaining the prayers at council meetings made her uncomfortable

The US Supreme Court has ruled that even overtly Christian opening prayers at town council meetings do not violate the US constitution.

The court ruled 5-4 that the town of Greece, New York, had made a good-faith effort at religious inclusion.

They rejected arguments the council was violating the separation of church and state and should require prayers to be “inclusive and ecumenical”.

A dissenting opinion found the prayers were inappropriately sectarian.

Risk of censorship

Since 1999, the town of Greece, New York, has opened council meetings with prayers led by volunteer ministers from within the community.

In 2007, two residents, Susan Galloway and Linda Stephens, complained the prayers violated their religious and philosophical views, and soon after, the council invited a Jewish layman and a Wiccan priestess to give opening invocations.

Nevertheless, the two sued. A federal district court ruled against them, but an appeals court ruled the practice violated the US constitution.

In the Supreme Court opinion overturning the appeals court decision, Justice Anthony Kennedy noted most of the town’s residents were Christian, while writing that non-Christians were in no way penalised or coerced into joining the prayers.

“To hold that invocations must be non-sectarian would force the legislatures sponsoring prayers and the courts deciding these cases to act as supervisors and censors of religious speech, thus involving government in religious matters to a far greater degree than is the case under the town’s current practice,” he wrote.

“The inclusion of a brief, ceremonial prayer as part of a larger exercise in civic recognition suggests that its purpose and effect are to acknowledge religious leaders and the institutions they represent, rather than to exclude or coerce nonbelievers.”

Finish this article here: http://www.bbc.com/news/world-us-canada-27284941

The US Supreme Court made a good decision on this case. It is troubling that some people would want to stop the free expression of faith in a public place when our nation was founded on the very principles of God’s Word. The free exercise of religion in public places is our constitutional right, let alone our God-given right. Let no man obstruct or hinder it in any way. Christians rejoice over this very significant

Christian Woman, Stay at Home Mom, Overcomes Fear and Makes An Impact

Posted on May 5, 2014 by Admin Posted in Christ in Culture Leave a comment

A Christian woman who was a stay-at-home mom, overcame fear and boldly made an impact at one of the world’s largest food suppliers. What do you do when you know something illegal is going on and nobody is doing anything about it? Usually, people just talk about it and don’t do anything. Not so with this Christian woman. Read the account here.

Late at night, Mark Whitacre watched an FBI agent leave his home and walk toward the car, gone at last and completely oblivious to the corporate crime at work.

It was over.

But then his wife, Ginger, made it clear that she, at least, was not going to let one of the world’s largest food ingredient companies Archer Daniels Midland get away with stealing billions. She started to walk toward the FBI agent. In that moment, Mark must have remembered her earlier ultimatum: “Either you turn yourself into the FBI, or I will do it for you.”

He had to confess.

That was the moment Mark Whitacre solidified his fate to turn in ADM and become the highest-ranking executive whistleblower in U.S. history.

It’s a story told in The Informant book by NY Times bestselling author Kurt Eichenwald, and again when Hollywood took it to the big screen in The Informant 2009 movie, starring Matt Damon as Mark Whitacre. It’s a story that made headlines when the Archer Daniels Midland price fixing scandal news broke in 1995. And it’s a story that Mark and Ginger Whitacre share when they speak about the case and their Christian testimony all over the country – including the speech Faith Driven Business recently attended at the St. Louis Prayer Breakfast with CBMC.

“It was Ginger who was the true whistleblower of the ADM case,” Mark says when he shares his testimony. “If it was not for a 34-year-old stay-at-home mom of three young children, the largest price-fixing scheme in U.S. history may never have been exposed.”

But Mark knew that what ADM was doing was wrong. So what held him back?

Fear.

Fear almost stopped Mark Whitacre from reporting a corrupt Fortune 500 company and becoming an FBI informant.

The fear of losing his highly respected job as the youngest divisional president at ADM.

The fear of losing his comfortable lifestyle, mansion, and seven-figure salary.

The fear of being prosecuted for his own criminal involvement in the price fixing scandal.

At the time, Mark went to church and considered himself a Christian, but his faith didn’t influence his actions. Ginger was the Christian who told him she’d rather be homeless than live in a mansion paid for by his company’s theft, as Mark later recalled in his testimony speech.

“I wish I could say it was me,” Mark said in a January 2010 interview with PBS. “I wish I had the right moral compass back then. … But it was really my wife.”

Finish this article here: http://www.crosswalk.com/family/career/how-one-stay-at-home-mom-overcame-fear-and-made-history.html

This Christian women did the right thing. She had to overcome her fear to do so. How do we do that? The Bible tells us it’s an internal thing that God does within us — we just have to have confidence in what he has already done within us.

II Timothy 1:7 For God has not given us the spirit of fear; but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind.

The Greek word for ‘fear’ here means ‘cowardice.’ God has given us a spirit of power, love and a sound mind. Act on what you know is right and let God be your strength. Walk by the spirit of God and you will have the wisdom and the words to do what he would have you to do.

Setting the Foundation for Cultural Revolution

Posted on May 1, 2014 by Admin Posted in Christ in Culture Leave a comment

Cultural revolution is the only thing that will shift our secular anti-Christian culture back toward godliness. I say ‘cultural revolution’ and not ‘evolution.’ No small changes are going to have any great effect unless those small changes are by millions and spread across the board — throughout politics, education, health and human services, law enforcement, you name it. We have drifted so far from the Christian heritage our country was founded upon that nothing short of cultural revolution will due to correct the issues that have been introduced.

I was reading an article today that impressed upon me the need for drastic change and where to start. I quote it below.

Until we stabilize the foundation, no number of programs, government grants, or elections will be able to repair the cracks in our cultural walls. There is no place where the foundation of America needs to be stabilized more than in the home. The breakdown of the family is the single greatest contributor to the deterioration of our country. Strong families hold the key to a strong society, while weak families lead to a weak society. This is true because every other institution in society depends on strong families. You can’t have strong families without God as their foundation.

“No man can lay a foundation other than the one which is laid, which is Jesus Christ” (1 Corinthians 3:11).

Source: http://www.christianity.com/alternative-view

What Does Cultural Revolution Look Like?

We can take a look at past non-Christian cultural revolutions to see what a cultural revolution looks like. One such revolution is China’s Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution. I quote form Wikipedia:

The Great Proletarian Cultural Revolution, commonly known as the Cultural Revolution, was a social-political movement that took place in the People’s Republic of China from 1966. Set into motion by Mao Zedong, then Chairman of the Communist Party of China, its stated goal was to enforce communism in the country by removing capitalist,traditional and cultural elements from Chinese society, and to impose Maoist orthodoxy within the Party. The Revolution marked the return of Mao Zedong to a position of power after the failed Great Leap Forward. The movement paralyzed China politically and significantly affected the country economically and socially.

Various schools of thought have emerged surrounding the nature of the Cultural Revolution. The movement’s complexities contain many contradictions: led by an all-powerful omnipresent leader, it was mainly driven to fruition by a series of grassroots-led popular uprisings against the Communist establishment. While Mao’s leadership was pivotal at the start of the movement, Jin Qiu contends that as events progressed it deviated significantly from Mao’s utopian vision.^[124] In this sense, the Cultural Revolution was actually a much more decentralized and varied movement that gradually lost cohesion, spawning a large number of ‘local revolutions’ which differed in their nature and goals

How Cultural Revolution Happens

The cultural revolution in China was stimulated by a popular charismatic leader who stirred up the youth of the nation to act. Mass rallies were held and in June 1966 middle schools and universities throughout the country closed down as students devoted all their time to Red Guard activities. Millions of these young students were encouraged to attack ”counterrevolutionaries” and criticize those in the party who appeared to have deviated from Maoist thought.

How Christian Cultural Revolution Can Happen

We need a different pattern for Christian cultural revolution to occur. Christians can’t attack anything physically, we are called to peacefully go about our work at changing culture. For example, bombing abortion clinics is not acceptable. We have to use peaceful means to effect cultural revolution. We have to abide by God’s Word in everything we do.

There are several things we can do, on a regular basis, and in large numbers to effect social change. The first is peaceful protest. Protesting is our God-given right. It’s looked down upon by many people because they don’t want to appear to ’cause waves,’ but isn’t that exactly what is needed? We need to make waves! Nothing will change without a large enough number of people demanding it. Peaceful protest is an easy way to take a stand on an issue publicly so that change can happen. When a large enough number of people indicate what they want, there’s a better chance of getting it.

Another thing we can do is to be more wise when it comes to voting for public officials. Don’t vote for someone just because they are charismatic, or because they stand on one issue the same way you do. What about the bigger picture? What about the other major issues? I know someone who voted for a president because they were ‘for’ something they wanted, an entitlement, while many other things the politician stood for were more important and against Christian principles. The ‘entitlement-inspired’ vote is seldom one that is best for a nation.

The next thing we can do is to write to our elected officials about current issues and bills they propose. It’s easy to do this today because you can use email to write your representatives. A quick Google search will reveal how to contact your state representative. The more and more people do this, the more our politicians take notice.

What Can You Do to Effect Cultural Revolution?

You know that Christians need a bigger voice in the affairs of our country. What are you doing to stimulate change? If you’re just sitting around complaining about our loss of freedom, about homosexuality being imposed upon our society, about the infiltration of Islam in Europe and America, about abortion or about any other social issues then don’t expect any significant changes away from those things to occur. Do something. Don’t complain silently. Don’t complain just to those you know and in your own household. Complain publicly — write your representatives — vote for someone who values Christian values and is willing to vote on issues that enforce them in our culture. Join a peaceful protest about something significant in your area or at the national level.

Parting Thoughts

Cultural revolution is the only thing that will change the direction we are going in this world. The shift toward corruption is global, it is massive and it is happening at an alarming speed. The Christian Culture Center is looking for people who want to effect change in our culture in order to make it more godly for all. Join with us in our effort to effect cultural revolution in peaceful-only ways.

Join our Advisory Board today.

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