My response to the Sojourners (Jim Wallis) 'Death of Compassionate Conservatism' Article

Below is my response to this article. Give it a read, it is about 3 paragraphs.

http://go.sojo.net/nd.tcl?r=l1L1aup1GRdV&n=3465022

I, along with Jim Wallis, agree that we have a responsibility to fight social injustice. That is why I love the ministries of www.blackgenocide.org and www.abortionno.org. Both speaking out again the injustice of murdering the unborn.

I am a subscriber to sojourners. I have a couple of Jim Wallis books that I love. They have really stretched me as I come out of the conservative Midwest. Jim Wallis is a great pastor and social leader. The problem is that he is wrong on this particular issue. I think that he does a great injustice to the cause that you and I would fight for by distorting truth. Especially when the point can get across without lying.

When Jim Wallis tells us that 300,000 people are being "kicked out" of the welfare, food stamp, and school lunch program, it just isn't true. You can visit the center for heath and human services website and get the actual facts. The facts are that not a single person that is receiving any of these programs will be removed, in fact room is being made for more people. What has happened is that not enough people need the program. I saw a commercial here in Charlotte advertising food stamps. Currently there is an excess of funds, 54 billion to be exact. What he has done is take 54 billion and divided it by how many people that would help and bam, 300,000. So rather than use the 54 billion unwisely, they cut them from the budget and make room for more environmental or social protections for America and the world. It is actually a worthy thing for them to do that and allow it to go to a different cause if it is not being used rather than just horde it to there own budget.

The welfare programs were never intended for people to be "lifers" on. The idea is that they would improve their lives and move off of it. It is actually a good sign that less people are needing it not a bad one. Jim Wallis knows that so I am not sure why he is distorting that truth.
Once again, I love Jim Wallis. He fights for great things and I agree with him most of the time. Just not when he lies to make his cause. That very well could be the injustice.

What do you think? Am I wrong?

Canadian symposium...

So I am trying to make sense of what happened @ this symposium in Canada. Checking out the blogs and reading the responses. I find this interesting because I had a conversation with a "high ranking" Salvationist ,who knows better than most Americans what is going on in Canada, and he has "serious" concerns for the Territory. As some in Canada may have for my Territory as well.

It makes me wonder about Herb's (I don't know him) response on salvationist.ca:

"Suppose, as a result of your weekend deliberations, you all agree to recommend that The Salvation Army dissolve itself, cease operations, honourably discharge all its soldiery to find other congregations in which to serve, liquidate all its assets and holdings and donate them to government sponsored and private organizations doing similar social work...what would be the impact next Monday morning on Kingdom-building efforts here and around the world?"

I know what I think. How about you?

Back from the Dead

Sorry I have been gone speaking in the Central Territory.  Had a great time!  Check out http://asterisklog.com/ for more info.  This blog belongs to Eric Himes.  Look for his new CD project soon also.  Anointed for sure.  

I also heard while I was there that they may be using our Credo version of Aggressive Christianity as a class at the CFOT.  Cool, eh?  

More about the weekend later.  

Jim Bakker and Franklin Graham

I am currently reading: I Was Wrong by Jim Bakker (founder of PTL and Heritage USA).  

I liked this paragraph about a time when Franklin Graham had come to visit him.  

That night, long after Franklin was gone, I began to realize what a gutsy
thing he had done by identifying himself with me, a disgraced television evangelist as far as the world was concerned, and a convicted felon.  
Of all the people whom I might have expected to allow their names to
be linked with mine, I would never have thought that Franklin would
have risked the Graham name.  He had nothing to gain and everything
to lose by identifying with me, but he did it.  I had been in prison for
over a year now and had not heard a word from many of the people
who were regularly seen on our television programs.  But Franklin
Graham demonstrated risky, genuine Christian love.  

Desmond Smith gave us a challenge in response to an earlier blog to demonstrate risky, genuine Christian love.  Sounds like one we should all take up.  I’d like to suggest that as we do that, we not only demonstrate that love for the homeless and homosexual (2 groups a lot of Christians have a hard time loving) but also with those believe that have screwed up in their lives.  

P.S.  Jim Bakker was sentenced to 45 years in prision for defrauding the PTL partners.  On July 22, 1996, shortly after Jim Bakker had completed the writing the book I am readying, a federal jury ruled that he was not selling securities by offering lifetime partnerships at Heritage USA.  The jury’s ruling thus affirms what Jim Bakker had contended from the first day he was indicted and throughout the writing of his book.  

The Salvation Army Removed from Lotto

Well, opinions still welcome but “The Salvation Army” endorsement on the Georgia Lotto Tickets is now over.  Georgia DHQ or THQ axed it after our blogs.  Watch out Matt Drudge.

More on the Georgia Lottery

Check out the image of the Georgia Lottery Ticket that we spoke of earlier at Kelly Pope's Blog listed below.

Just a fund-raising tool I guess. No Shield...But Clearly The Salvation Army.

You can make your own judgments but here are some questions that we are asking:

Did we have to pay for this?

Did they ask us or did we ask them?

Does this insinuate that we are endorsing the product?

Anybody have a contact at Playboy? Is there a difference?

Has anybody donated because of our number being on a lottery ticket?


Once again, I can be swayed one way or the other on my thoughts. I am pretty opened minded right now but would love to know your thoughts.

See more at http://www.whatspastisprologue.blogspot.com/ She is the one that had to compromise on the covenant to buy the ticket. Hmmm.

BIG STORY COMING...Branding and The Lottery

BIG STORY COMING SHORTLY…DOING THE MOST GOOD?????????

Through some investigative information and research by Joy Mikles and Kelly Pope along with myself, we have uncovered some interesting info about Doing The Most Good.  

I just got off the phone with the Georgia State Lottery Commission who verbally verified that we are placing the “Doing the Most Good” branding on Georgia Lottery Tickets.  

Hmmm. Scans of the tickets and more verified info coming soon.