April 1998

No-Fault Sin
Strange Collation
Special Pre-Publication Offer (From Ken Gentry, jr.)
If It's Not a Problem, why are they sepnding all that money?

The Gospel of Nonjudgmentalism
Or

No-Fault Sin

There has been a lot of flap about the lack of any moral base in the young people. The "media" sounds surprised at what has come about--they should not be. Those considering themselves the source of all wisdom and knowledge, e.g., educators and journalists, have for decades preached the gospel of "Nonjudgmentalism." Therefore, why should they be surprised when people refuse to pass judgment on something?

I find it ironic that the flap started over the recently developed view of the "Holocaust." The elite have spent untold hours and multiplied millions of dollars keeping public sympathy toward the victims of the "Holocaust" and against the perpetrators. Yet that is one of the most affected areas of the gospel of "Nonjudgmentalism." (I am not implying that the "Holocaust" was anything but horrible, but I do find this fact ironic: The ones who sought to keep the "anti-Holocaust spirit" alive, killed it with their own hands.) In other words, "nonjudgmentalism" is required of all peoples, as long as people agree with the "elites'" judgments.

Any Bible believing Christian should be alarmed at the modern attitude of indifference toward wickedness in high places not only in the White House, but in all branches of government. (One does not have to listen hard nor long to learn of both male and female prostitution among those in civil authority, among many other wicked activities.) It seems that the average attitude is that one's personal moral standards and actions are no one's business except those immediately involved. Openly immoral men and women remain generally popular though charges of the worse kinds of evils, even murders, swirl around them like smoke from a smoking gun. It seems that on every side, people generally refuse to make a "moral" judgment of right or wrong--"nonjudgmentalism."

Those of us who believe the word of God readily recognize that we are living in a "post-Christian" culture. The historical Biblical, Christian (not the PC phrase, "traditional") moral foundation that has stood for several centuries has now been destroyed. The humanists have won the battle for the heart and soul of America, and it was primarily accomplished though "public education"--the classroom. (I am certainly not downplaying the importance that the national media and Antinomian pulpits in the battle for the heart and soul of America.) However, the problem is not unique in America, but world-wide. We have been told for years that the heathen's goal was to break the bands and cords of God's word from off themselves and from society. But Christians believed, no doubt, that they would be gone before it would come to pass.

Those who have tried to keep in touch with reality in the midst of the surrounding social chaos have, no doubt, come to this conclusion: The destruction of the historical, Biblical, Christian moral base of this nation has been intentional. The Biblical moral base had to be destroyed, so the moral base could be rebuilt according to man's standards--God said, "Let us make man in our image;" fallen man says, "Let us remake man in our image." According to Scripture, when the heathens obtain their goal of breaking free of the bands and cords of God's law-word, they are then bound by the bands and cords of sin and oppression--death.

The sad thing is that the heathens distinctly revealed their goal, viz, destroy all dogmatic, Biblical (Christian) moral values in this nation. So what they have done was not done in a corner nor under the cover of darkness. Moreover, they told us how they were going to do it, viz, through the education system, a system vagariously supported and defended by the very Christian families they were out to destroy. But Christians completely ignored what they were told, evidently hoping to be "raptured" before the results of their indifference caught up with them.

Society's Conversion

The successful conversion of society from Biblical Christianity to classical Greco/Roman paganism reported by John Leo in a U.S. News & World Report article, "A no-fault Holocaust." Quoted in the article is Prof. Robert Simon complaining about a newly developed social problem, "nonjudgmentalism":

In 20 years of college teaching, Prof. Robert Simon has never met a student who denied that the Holocaust happened. What he sees quite often, though, is worse: students who acknowledge the fact of the Holocaust but can't bring themselves to say that killing millions of people is wrong. Simon reports that 10 to 20 percent of his students think this way. Usually they deplore what the Nazis did, but their disapproval is expressed as a matter of taste or personal preference, not moral judgment. "Of course I dislike the Nazis," one student told Simon, "but who is to say they are morally wrong?"¹

Any intelligent person can readily see that if the perpetrators of the "Holocaust" cannot be "judged" and condemned as evil doers by the converts to the state's religion, they certainly will not condemn a president for an open affaire with another "consenting" adult. Nor will they condemn open sodomy in their leaders nor evil in themselves.

The Roots of the "Nonjudgmentalism" Gospel

Early in the 1900s, the heathen of Psalms 2 did not move to capture the education system under the name "Antichrist," for that would have been too obvious. They did not want anyone to hinder their goal of eradicating Biblical, Christian values from the general population. So they moved under the name of "Humanists," and the gospel they promoted was/is "Humanism," implying a concern for the human race--Humanism has been declared a religion.² Unlike many Christians, religious Humanists (not to be confused with Humanitarians) were/are not afraid to clearly defined themselves and clearly present their goals for Western civilization.

Humanism is a philosophical, religious, and moral point of view as old as human civilization itself. It has its roots in classical China, Greece, and Rome; it is expressed in the Renaissance and the Enlightenment, in the scientific revolution, and in the twentieth century.³

Centered in man and man's values (it emphasizes man's self-worth and self-esteem), this religion militates against Christianity. Biblical Christianity centers in God and his values. "Traditional religions," i.e., Biblical Christianity based upon God's dogmatic word, was/is seen as an obstacle to "human progress," so it must be removed. Society had to be converted. The conversion of society required proselytizing individuals--converting them one at a time from the Biblical Christian religion to the Humanist religion; the conversion of society required addressing the individual prospective converts of all ages--the classroom with its compulsory attendance laws; the conversion of society required unlimited funds--property tax; the conversion of society required multiplied thousands of dedicated, "rabid" preachers--the teachers. (Antinomian churches and unlimited media access into the homes of Christians was also important in the conversion.) Though the heathen's rage against the Lord and against his anointed is well represented in the common schools, i.e., the government's education system, there are many godly teachers involved in the teaching calling for their lives. The problem is that the system itself was clearly established by the heathens in their rage to break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us--that is, remove Christian dogmatism from the average American. Thus the system itself cannot be reformed any more than a leopard can be reformed of his spots.⁵

The goal of Humanism was/is to return civilization to the paganism destroyed by Christ and his faithful followers--Christianity. One should note that not only was its goal to return Western society to pagan Greco/Roman thought, but to turn it toward Eastern mysticism, "classical China." The Antichrist crowed of Humanists has marvelously succeeded, but they could not have succeeded without the aid of Antinomian preachers who preach non-involvement in social matters. The non-involvement message really took hold in America just previous to the heathen becoming vocally and publicly active in capturing the educational system. The Humanists had/have their preachers in the education pulpits, both in the common schools, and in the "Christian" churches. Their's was a "bloodless coup d'etat," with no resistance from their victims.⁶

Without the aid of the "Christian" Humanist's pulpits of America, Humanism would have been kept at bay. The Humanists, if they were to succeed in capturing Christian America, had to redefine "values." "Values" were generally defined from a Biblical Christian perspective (Ten Commandments), a fact found utterly repugnant by the Antichrist Humanists in all realms, classrooms, churches and media. Their "values clarification" succeeded in removing from the general population all distinctively Christian, Biblical "values," as seen in the current flap over "nonjudgmentalism." Now that the distinctively Christian based values have been eradicated from the general population the heathen can rebuild society according to their pipe dream of social peace and tranquility with man, not the Christian God, as the center. (Bible believers know, however, that there is death in the pot.) We now hear the call from those who consider themselves the source of all wisdom and knowledge for "character education." We can rest assured of some things: First, God's inspired word will not be used to define "character." Second, the "character education" will be what is politically correct at the time, which is in a continual flux. Third, the new "character" will be very judgmental against all who fail to follow the tempter away from God's word. And fourth, the vast majority of pulpits, and hence Christians, will continue to proclaim their Antinomianism and their gospel of non-involvement, unless there is a great and general revival of the Christian faith.

The early goals of Humanism was to "overcome powerful antihumanist forces that" sought to destroy it. The way to do that was to redefine values--orthodox and dogmatic, i.e., Biblical Christian, values had to be rejected if society was to be converted to their religion.

Each age seeks to define what its distinctive values are, what it seeks to cherish and enhance. Each age has to contend with alienating and restrictive forces that seek to denigrate the individual, undermine humane values, and suppress social justice.
In the twentieth century, humanist awareness has developed at a rapid pace; yet it has to overcome powerful antihumanist forces that seek to destroy it.
In 1933 a group of thirty-four liberal humanists in the United States defined and enunciated the philosophical and religious principles that seemed to them fundamental. They drafted Humanist Manifesto 1, which for its time was a radical document. It was concerned with expressing a general religious and philosophical outlook that rejected orthodox and dogmatic positions and provided meaning and direction, unity and purpose to human life. It was committed to reason, science, and democracy.
Humanist Manifesto 1, important as it was in its time, has since been superseded by events; though significant, it did not go far enough. It did not and could not address itself to future problems and needs. In recognition of the pressing need for a new, more relevant statement, forty years later Humanist Manifesto 11 was drafted. This more extensive and comprehensive document addresses itself not only to the problems of religion and ethics, but to the pressing issues of civil liberties, equality, democracy, the survival of humankind, world economic growth, population and ecological control, war and peace, and the building of a world community. If the starting point of humanism is the preservation and enhancement of all things human, then what more worthwhile goal than the realization of the human potentiality of each individual and of humanity as a whole? What more pressing need than to recognize in this critical age of modern science and technology that, if no deity will save us, we must save ourselves?...⁷

In a 1983 article, "A Religion for a New Age," John Dumphy asked "whether an atheist society could produce humane, compassionate citizens who would respect the dignity of their fellow human beings." Then using his Romanist background, he argues that Christianity has produced not a humane society, but a bloody society. He concludes his article:

I think the most pithy remark regarding Roman Catholicism was made by Mary McCarthy in her autobiography when she maintained that it was a religion which brought out some of the worst traits in human nature and lent them a sort of sanctification. As one who was raised in that faith, I can unhesitatingly state that I have never found sufficient grounds to doubt the validity of that assertion.
If the previous paragraphs prove anything, it is that the Bible is not merely another book, an outmoded and archaic book, or even an extremely influential book; it has been and remains an incredibly dangerous book. It and the various Christian churches which are parasitic upon it have been directly responsible for most of the wars, persecutions, and outrages which humankind has perpetrated upon itself over the past two thousand years. But what of the question raised by Voltaire and Camus through the character Tarrou? Would we plunge into a new, global holocaust without God--a dreadful reign of terror infinitely more devastating than we can imagine?⁸

The answer may be contained within the pages of a work even more remarkable than The Plague: Fyodor Dostoyevski's fascinating novel, The Brothers Karamazov. Ivan Karamazov, the cynical intellectual, formulates the hypothesis, "If God does not exist, then everything is permitted," and weaves the outrageous tale "The Grand Inquisitor,'' in which a small group of priests, recognizing the absurdity of life without God, rules over the rest of humanity. But I believe Ivan's hypothesis to be in error. If God does not exist, it does not logically follow that everything is permitted but, rather, that "all are responsible for all" in the words of the saintly elder, Father Zossima. If God has failed in his role as cosmic policeman and if Christianity has failed to uphold the dignity of humankind and to protect the inalienable rights of all--and who can argue with either hypothesis--then a viable alternative to both must be sought. That alternative is humanism.
I am convinced that the battle for humankind's future must be waged and won in the public school classroom by teachers who correctly perceive their role as the proselytizers of a new faith: a religion of humanity that recognizes and respects the spark of what theologians call divinity in every human being. These teachers must embody the same selfless dedication as the most rabid fundamentalist preachers, for they will be ministers of another sort, utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanist values in whatever subject they taught, regardless of the educational level--preschool day care or large state university. The classroom must and will become an arena of conflict between the old and the new--the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism, resplendent in its promise of a world in which the never realized Christian ideal of "love thy neighbor'' will finally be achieved.
Then, perhaps, we will be able to say with Tom Paine that "the world is my country, all {hu}mankind are my brethren, and to do good is my religion.'' It will undoubtedly be a long, arduous, painful struggle replete with much sorrow and many tears, but humanism will emerge triumphant. It must if the family of humankind is to survive.⁹

According to this religious faith, the only hope for society was/is to remove from it the "rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its" dogmatic values. The proselytizers have succeeded in converting a social order, and their converts are committed to "nonjudgmentalism"--at taxpayers' expense. Through the tireless efforts of the multiplied thousands of proselytizers, America has at last been freed from the bands and cords of God's word. It is now in bondage to the raging heathen who imagine a vain thing. It is in bondage to the bands and cords of sin.

Nothing restrained

And the LORD came down to see the city and the tower, which the children of men builded. And the LORD said, Behold, the people is one, and they have all one language; and this they begin to do: and now nothing will be restrained from them, which they have imagined to do (Gen. 11:5, 6).

On the other hand, though Christians have faith that the Humanists can convert society to Humanism, they generally do not have faith that they can convert society to Christ. Operating on that faith, they do not even attempt such a conversion as the ungodly have done, nor do they attempt to stand against and counter the Humanist agenda. (Obviously, such thinking openly denies that the power of God's Spirit is greater than the united power of fallen men and devils against God.)

The "radical" document clearly presented the basic theological beliefs of its religion:

Fifth: Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human value. Obviously humanism does not deny the possibility of realities as yet undiscovered, but it does insist that the way to determine the existence and value of any and all realities is by means of intelligent inquiry and by the assessment of their relation to human needs. Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in the light of the scientific spirit and method.¹⁰
Third: We affirm that moral values derive their source from human experience. Ethics is autonomous and situational, needing no theological or ideological sanction. Ethics stems from human need and interest. To deny this distorts the whole basis of life. Human life has meaning because we create and develop our futures. Happiness and the creative realization of human needs and desires, individually and in shared enjoyment, are continuous themes of humanism. We strive for the good life, here and now. The goal is to pursue life's enrichment despite debasing forces of vulgarization, commercialization, bureaucratization, and dehumanization.¹¹

Humanism is clearly man-centered, as opposed to Christ-centered. Whereas Humanism seeks a god to please men, God seeks men to please him. We must, accordingly, generally lump churches built on the appeal to men, "Patriots" and the conservative/liberal political groups together in Humanism--all are working for what they feel is best for mankind and for what will appeal to men. They all have God's hand against them, for their goal is not to pleases God according to his word, but to please men:

Fifth: The preciousness and dignity of the individual person is a central humanist value. Individuals should be encouraged to realize their own creative talents and desires. We reject all religious, ideological, or moral codes that denigrate the individual, suppress freedom, dull intellect, dehumanize personality. We believe in maximum individual autonomy consonant with social responsibility. Although science can account for the cause of behavior, the possibilities of individual freedom of choice exist in human life and should be increased.¹¹

Sixth: In the area of sexuality, we believe that intolerant attitudes, often cultivated by orthodox religions and puritanical cultures, unduly repress sexual conduct. The right to birth control, abortion, and divorce should be recognized. While we do not approve of exploitive, denigrating forms of sexual expression, neither do we wish to prohibit, by law or social sanction, sexual behavior between consenting adults. The many varieties of sexual exploration should not in themselves be considered "evil." Without countenancing mindless permissiveness or unbridled promiscuity, a civilized society should be a tolerant one. Short of harming others or compelling them to do likewise, individuals should be permitted to express their sexual proclivities and pursue their life-styles as they desire. We wish to cultivate the development of a responsible attitude toward sexuality, in which humans are not exploited as sexual objects, and in which intimacy, sensitivity, respect, and honesty in interpersonal relations are encouraged. Moral education for children and adults is an important way of developing awareness and sexual maturity.¹¹

There was a "battle for humankind's future waged" and won in the state's school classrooms "by teachers who correctly perceive[d] their role as the proselytizers of a new faith." They embodied "the same selfless dedication as the most rabid fundamentalist preachers, for they [were] ministers of another sort, utilizing a classroom instead of a pulpit to convey humanist values in whatever subject they [taught], regardless of the educational level--preschool day care or large state university." Either unbeknown to or with indifference to the situation by Christians, the classroom was "an arena of conflict between the old and the new--the rotting corpse of Christianity, together with all its adjacent evils and misery, and the new faith of humanism" won the hearts and minds of the present generation.

The battle was forfeited by Christian pastors who did not have the dedication and /or fortitude to instill the Christian faith into every subject covered by every thought and action; they were unable or unwilling to convey God's values into whatever subject was at hand--that is, the social issues of the day. Extremely few Christian pastors today are willing to leave the principles of the doctrine of Christ--that is, the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith toward God, Of the doctrine of baptisms, and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead, and of eternal judgment (Heb. 6:1ff.). They either cannot or will not take their people on to perfection--that is, a more perfect knowledge of God's word and its application into all areas of life and thought. A good understanding of the basic principles of the gospel is certainly required in the Christian faith, but these basic precepts will not win the "battle for humankind's future," a fact well understood by the enemy. The enemy understands that the basic precepts of his faith must be worked into every subject of life, and he did it while Christians stood around and wrung their hands over the removal of Christian prayer from the pagan temples of worship and indoctrination. What do Christians expect from a system designed to remove the Christian faith from society? (Out of the many Christian publications I receive, very few cover anything except the basic principles of the Christian faith; when you have read one, you have read them all, for their's is the same basic message--repentance, faith, baptism, etc.)

What has happened?

Overdosing on nonjudgmentalism is a growing problem in the schools. Two disturbing articles in the Chronicle of Higher Education say that some students are unwilling to oppose large moral horrors, including human sacrifice, ethnic cleansing, and slavery, because they think that no one has the right to criticize the moral views of another group or culture.¹²

Seventh: To enhance freedom and dignity the individual must experience a full range of civil liberties in all societies. This includes freedom of speech and the press, political democracy, the legal right of opposition to governmental policies, fair judicial process, religious liberty, freedom of association, and artistic, scientific, and cultural freedom. It also includes a recognition of an individual's right to die with dignity, euthanasia, and the right to suicide. We oppose the increasing invasion of privacy, by whatever means, in both totalitarian and democratic societies. We would safeguard, extend, and implement the principles of human freedom evolved from the Magna Carta to the Bill of Rights, the Rights of Man, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.¹³

And thus the total indifference to, and even acceptance of, abortion (see point 6 above). Continuing with U.S.N.'s article:

One of the articles is by Simon, who teaches philosophy at Hamilton College in Clinton, N.Y. The other is by Kay Haugaard, a freelance writer who teaches creative writing at Pasadena City College in California. Haugaard writes that her current students have a lot of trouble expressing any moral reservations or objections about human sacrifice. The subject came up when she taught her class Shirley Jackson's The Lottery, a short story about a small American farm town where one person is killed each year to make the crops grow. In the tale, a woman is ritually stoned to death by her husband, her 12-year-old daughter, and her 4-year-old son.
Haugaard has been teaching since 1970. Until recently, she says, "Jackson's message about blind conformity always spoke to my students' sense of right and wrong." No longer, apparently. A class discussion of human sacrifice yielded no moral comments, even under Haugaard's persistent questioning. One male said the ritual killing in The Lottery "almost seems a need." Asked if she believed in human sacrifice, a woman said, "I really don't know. If it was a religion of long standing...." Haugaard writes: "I was stunned. This was the woman who wrote so passionately of saving the whales, of concern for the rain forests, of her rescue and tender care of a stray dog." (Of course, the question rises: Why is the education system teaching human sacrifice? Ed.)

Second: Promises of immortal salvation or fear of eternal damnation are both illusory and harmful. They distract humans from present concerns, from self-actualization, and from rectifying social injustices. Modern science discredits such historic concepts as the "ghost in the machine" and the "separable soul" Rather, science affirms that the human species is an emergence from natural evolutionary forces. As far as we know, the total personality is a function of the biological organism transacting in a social and cultural context. There is no credible evidence that life survives the death of the body. We continue to exist in our progeny and in the way that our lives have influenced others in our culture.
Traditional religions are surely not the only obstacles to human progress. Other ideologies also impede human advance. Some forms of political doctrine, for instance, function religiously, reflecting the worst features of orthodoxy and authoritarianism, especially when they sacrifice individuals on the altar of Utopian promises. Purely economic and political viewpoints, whether capitalist or communist, often function as religious and ideological dogma. Although humans undoubtedly need economic and political goals, they also need creative values by which to live.¹⁵

The Aztecs did it. Both writers believe multiculturalism has played a role in spreading the vapors of nonjudgmentalism. Haugaard quotes a woman in her class, a "50-something redheaded nurse," who says, "I teach a course for our hospital personnel in multicultural understanding, and if it is part of a person's culture, we are taught not to judge...." (Unless it is part of a Christian culture! Ed.) Simon says we should "welcome diversity rather than fear it" but says his students often think they are so locked into their own group perspectives of ethnicity, race, and gender that moral judgment is impossible, even in the face of great evils.
In the new multicultural canon, human sacrifice is hard to condemn, because the Aztecs practiced it. In fact, however, this nonjudgmental stance is not held consistently. Japanese whaling and the genital cutting of girls in Africa are criticized all the time by white multiculturalists. Christina Hoff Sommers, author and professor of philosophy at Clark University in Massachusetts, says that students who can't bring themselves to condemn the Holocaust will often say flatly that treating humans as superior to dogs and rodents is immoral. Moral shrugging may be on the rise, but old-fashioned and rigorous moral criticism is alive and well on certain selected issues: smoking, environmentalism, women's rights, animal rights.

Fifth: Humanism asserts that the nature of the universe depicted by modern science makes unacceptable any supernatural or cosmic guarantees of human values. Obviously humanism does not deny the possibility of realities as yet undiscovered, but it does insist that the way to determine the existence and value of any and all realities is by means of intelligent inquiry and by the assessment of their relation to human needs. Religion must formulate its hopes and plans in the light of the scientific spirit and method.¹⁶

Sommers points beyond multiculturalism to a general problem of so many students coming to college "dogmatically committed to a moral relativism that offers them no grounds to think" about cheating, stealing, and other moral issues. Simon calls this "absolutophobia"-- the unwillingness to say that some behavior is just plain wrong. Many trends feed this fashionable phobia. Postmodern theory on campuses denies the existence of any objective truth: All we can have are clashing perspectives, not true moral knowledge. The pop-therapeutic culture has pushed nonjudgmentalism very hard. Intellectual laziness and the simple fear of unpleasantness are also factors. By saying that one opinion or moral stance is as good as another, we can draw attention to our own tolerance, avoid antagonizing others, and get on with our careers.

The "values clarification" programs in the schools surely should come in for some lumps, too. Based on the principle that teachers should not indoctrinate other people's children, they leave the creation of values up to each student. Values emerge as personal preferences, equally as unsuited for criticism or argument as personal decisions on pop music or clothes.
But the wheel is turning now, and "values clarification" is giving way to "character education," and the paralyzing fear of indoctrinating children is gradually fading. The search is on for a teachable consensus rooted in simple decency and respect. As a spur to shaping it, we might discuss a culture so morally confused that students are showing up at colleges reluctant to say anything negative about mass slaughter.

The Biblical foundation of America has been destroyed, so now we hear the call to rebuild the foundation. Only the foundation will be rebuilt in the image of fallen man, not in the image God intended through his word.

Conclusion

We must mention here that the faith that says fallen man can decide on his own to "chose" God and Christ (salvation) essentially says that every person has a spark of divinity in him. And with proper knowledge and direction, that spark of divinity can be fanned into a fire that will chose God and Christ. The "values clarification" programs were based upon the same false premise--man is basically good, and with proper knowledge and direction, that spark of divinity in him can be fanned into a fire that will chose what is best for himself and for society; he will chose to avoid what is destructive to himself and to society. The current loss of direction by this generation shows beyond any doubt that man is basically a sinner, incapable on his own to make the proper choice for his good. (Rom. 3:10-18.) The London Baptist Confession says it this way:

4 From this original corruption, whereby we are utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite to all good, and wholly inclined to all evil, (Rom. viii. 7, Col. I. 21) do proceed all actual transgressions. (James I. 14,15, Matt. xv. 19.)¹⁷
1 God hath indued the will of man with that natural liberty and power of acting upon choice, that it is neither forced, nor by any necessity of nature determined to do good or evil. (Matt. xvii. 12, James I. 14, Deut. xxx. 19.)¹⁸
2 Man, in his state of innocency, had freedom and power to will and to do that which was good and wellpleasing to God, (Eccles. vii. 29) but yet was unstable, so that he might fall from it. (Gen. iii. 6.)
3 Man, by his fall into a state of sin, hath wholly lost all ability of will to any spiritual good accompanying salvation; (Rom. v. 6; viii. 7) so as a natural man, being altogether averse from that good, and dead in sin, (Eph. ii. 1, 5. ) is not able by his own strength to convert himself, or to prepare himself thereunto. (Tit. iii. 3-5, John vi. 44.)¹⁹
4 When God converts a sinner, and translates him into the state of grace, he freeth him from his natural bondage under sin, (Col. I. 13, John viii. 36) and by his grace alone enables him freely to will and to do that which is spiritually good; (Phil. ii. 13) yet so as that by reason of his remaining corruptions, he cloth not perfectly, nor only will, that which is good, but cloth also will that which is evil. (Rom. vii. 15, 18,19, 21, 23.)
5 This will of man is made perfectly and immutably free to good alone in the state of glory only. (Eph. iv. 13.)

The public indifference to a president who can not keep his pants on shows that the once Biblical foundations of our social order have been destroyed. The public indifference to open sodomites and adulterers in public office shows that the foundations have been destroyed. The public indifference to a tyrannical government out of control shows that the foundations have been destroyed. The public indifference to pulpits that do not preach the whole counsel of God shows that the foundations have been destroyed.

But the Christian foundations have not been completely destroyed:

If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do? (Ps. 11:3.)
Ver. 3. If. It is the only word of comfort in the text, that what is said is not positive, but suppositive; not thetical, but hypothetical. And yet this comfort which is but a spark (at which we would willingly kindle our hopes), is quickly saddened with a double consideration. First, impossible suppositions produce impossible consequences, "As is the mother, so is the daughter." Therefore, surely God's Holy Spirit would not suppose such a thing but what was feasible and possible, but what either had, did, or might come to pass. Secondly, the Hebrew word is not the conditional im, si, si forte, but chi, quia, quoniam, because, and (although here it be favourably rendered if), seemeth to import, more therein, that the sad case had already happened in David's days. I see, therefore, that this if, our only hope in the text, is likely to prove with Job's friends, but a miserable comforter. Well, it is good to know the worst of things, that we may provide ourselves accordingly; and therefore let us behold this doleful case, not as doubtful, but as done; not as feared, but felt; not as suspected, but at this time really come to pass. Thomas Fuller.
Ver. 3. If the foundations be destroyed, etc. The civil foundation of a nation or people, is their laws and constitutions. The order and power that's among them, that's the foundation of a people; and when once this foundation is destroyed, What can the righteous do? What can the best, the wisest in the world, do in such a case? What can any man do, if there be not a foundation of government left among men? There is no help nor answer in such a case but that which follows in the fourth verse of the Psalm, "The Lord is in his holy temple, the Lord's throne is in heaven: his eyes behold, his eyelids try, the children of men;" as if he had said, in the midst of these confusions, when as it is said (#Ps 82:5), "All the foundations of the earth are out of course;" yet God keeps his course still, he is where he was and as he was, without variableness or shadow of turning. Joseph Caryl.²⁰

Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain. (Ps. 76:10.)

The promotion of "No-Fault Sin," or "The Gospel of Nonjudgmentalism," has forced Godly parents to recognize that they must take the responsibility for their children, and instill in them the Godly principles by which they want them to live--the home school movement, along with the Christian school movement, is growing by great leaps and bounds. The home schooled and Christian schooled generation is starting to come "on line." If those young people live true to their calling in Christ and their training in the word of God, the public indifference to wickedness in high places will change despite the best efforts of the kings and rulers who have counseled together against the Lord, and against his anointed--the Antichrist state, the NEA and Antinomian pulpits.

Our hope is in the Lord, that he will continue to place the desire to please himself in the hearts of his people, starting in the home.

Endnotes:

¹ U.S. News & World Report, July 21, 1997.
² Humanism is a religion: "The Court has taken notice of the fact that recognized 'religions' exist that 'do not teach what would generally be considered a belief in the existence of God.' Torcaso v. Watkins, 367 U.S. 488, 495 n. 11, 81 S.Ct. 1680, 1684, 6 L.Ed. 2d 982, e.g. 'Buddhism, Taoism, Ethical Culture, Secular Humanism and others.'..." Welsh v. United States, Cite as 90 S.Ct. 1792 (1970). Though it has been proclaimed a religion, no one has challenged the state for establishing Humanism as its official religion, and for building and supporting its churches, the tax-supported government education establishments.
³ Humanist Manifestos I and II, Promotheus Books, 923 Kensington Avenue, Buffalo, New York 14215. 1973. The first Manifesto was presented in 1933 by men such as John Dewy. The second Manifesto was presented in 1973. Humanism defines the period of history when the gospel light was very dim as the Enlightenment; Scripture defines that period as the real Dark Ages.
⁴ Merriam Webster Online Dictionary. http://www.m-w.com/cgi-bin/dictionary
⁵ This fact can only be denied by those who reject the truth. See Rousas John Rushdoony, The Messianic Character of American Education, The Craig Press. 1979. Available from Ross House Books, Vallecito, CA.
⁶ See Ovid Need, The Death of Victory, soon to be published by Ross House Books.
⁷ Manifesto, Preface.
⁸ John Dumphy, The Humanist, January/February 1983. He was a twenty-nine, summa cum laud graduate of the University of Illinois, holding a B.A. in history and political science. This is also the group who published The Humanist Manifestos.
⁹ Ibid.
¹⁰ Manifesto, I.
¹¹ Ibid, II.
¹² U.S.N.
¹³ Manifestos, II.
¹⁴ This is from an excellent freeware program, "WordWeb Thesaurus/Dictionary" that is downloadable from http://www.pcworld.com/software_lib/data/articles/business/4726.html
¹⁵ Manifestos, II.
¹⁶ Manifestos, I. Note this is not 5 from II, which is previously listed.
¹⁷ Chapter 6, Of the Fall of Man, of Sin, and of the Punishment thereof. London Baptist Confession of Faith of 1689. Copies available from Linden Baptist Church.
¹⁸ Chapter 9, Of Free Will. Ibid.
¹⁹ Ibid.
²⁰ Spurgeon, Treasury of David, Online Bible, ver. 7.05b. Available from The Biblical Examiner.
 

Strange Collation

A spokesman for the Arborist Insurgent Militia of Montana, who goes by the nom-de-guerre of Lee Harvey Appleseed, at a news conference today said "These politicians have gotten so dumb that ordinary trees can take 'em out! We call upon all Patriots to plant as many trees as possible. Do it for America!" AIMM claims to have "over 14 members" and a heavily fortified greenhouse "compound" with at least 30 trees known to be inside.

EarthFirst staged a small demonstration outside the Butte courthouse, with 3 members clad in plaid flannel shirts chanting "Live Free, Plant A Tree". One, who asked not to be named, said that the group had already started "plant and run" tree plantings on ski slopes and golf courses, using burr oak, black walnut, and Sitka spruce seedlings.

In Washington, liberal Democrat and fierce tree-control advocate Rep. Charles Schumer said "Trees are a danger to all Americans, especially the children. I am introducing legislation today that will ban all trees, and severely restrict access to shrubs over 3 feet high.

We need a tree-free America, where everyone can ski safely without dangerous obstacles. I want to cut down all the trees, for the children!"

Rep Sonny Bono began his career as a pop singer before turning to politics. Michael Kennedy was campaign manager for his uncle Sen. Edward Kennedy's last election. No charges have been made in relation to either death, although FBI Director Louis Freeh said "We haven't ruled out the possibility of homicide. A tree can be considered a stationary blunt instrument. We have forensic forestry specialists testing the DNA of the trees involved in these incidents, to see if there is any possible relationship or link between them."

Vice President Al Gore was reportedly troubled by the recent activities regarding trees. Because he is known as a "tree-hugger", Gore's aides said he is planning on distancing himself from the pro-tree advocates, and will ask Former EPA director William Ruckelshaus to assist the Clinton Administration in developing a new tree policy. Ruckelshaus is the CEO of Browning Ferris Industries, the nation's second-largest waste management company, and is the former CEO of Weyerhauser, a major pulp and paper company which has been criticized by pro-tree environment activists in the past.

AIMM's Appleseed said that his organization is planning a large recruiting drive for Arbor Day, including a parade in Butte. Tree-control advocates are planning a counterdemonstration. Butte police chief Tex Pumpaloaf said he is planning on having the Montana State Police on hand to help keep the groups apart. "We will do everything necessary to maintain a peaceful and orderly Arbor Day in Butte" said Chief Pumpaloaf.

Special Pre-publication Offers

from Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Th.D.

(Please notice address below)

NOW AVAILABLE: Four Views on the Book of Revelation Retail: $16.99 Contributors: Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., C. Marvin Pate, Robert L. Thomas, and Sam Hamstra. (Zondervan.)

A Zondervan CounterPoints book presenting four views of the Book of Revelation: The preterist, idealist, progressive dispensationalist, and classical dispensationalist views. Each author presents his overview of the meaning and flow of Revelation. Highlights and explains numerous significant passages, while interacting with the other views.

Send $16.00 and receive: 1) A copy of Four Views on the Book of Revelation autographed by Kenneth Gentry. 2) Free shipping (except for foreign orders: add $4.00).

Perilous Times: A Study in Eschatological Evil Retail: $25.95 (Christian Universities Press. Hardback.) Foreword: R. C. Sproul. Publication Date: Winter, 1998.

Gentry presents thorough exegetical studies of five leading judgment themes of Scripture, demonstrating they are fulfilled in the first century: Daniel's Seventy Weeks (Dan. 9); The Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24); The Man of Sin (2 Thess. 2); The Beast of Revelation (Rev. 13); and the Great Harlot (Rev. 17).

Send $25.00 prior to June 1, 1998 and receive upon publication:

1) An autographed copy of Perilous Times. 2) A cassette lecture: "The Great Tribulation Is Past" (#011:4) 3) Free shipping (except for foreign orders: add $4.00).

Three Views on the Millennium and Beyond Retail: $16.99

Contributors: Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr., Craig Blaising, Robert Strimple, and Richard Gaffin. (Zondervan.) Publication date: July, 1998.

A Zondervan CounterPoints book presenting three views on the millennial question: the premillennialist, amillennialist and postmillennialist viewpoints. Each author provides a positive presentation of his case, then responds to both of the other presentations.

If you send in $16.00 before June 1, 1998, you will receive upon publication:

1) A copy of Three Views autographed by Kenneth Gentry. 2) A cassette lecture by Kenneth Gentry: "Postmillennialism: Wishful Thinking or Certain Hope?" 3) Free shipping (except for foreign orders: add $4.00).

May check payable to and order from:

Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. P.O. Box 388, Placentia, CA 92871 (Please notice new address, if you are previous customer)

IF IT'S NOT A PROBLEM, WHY ARE THEY SPENDING ALL THAT MONEY?

Hard as it seems to believe, I still run across people who deny the Y2K computer problem really is a problem. The Wall Street Journal reported March 21, 1998 the following estimated spending for several corporations and banks:

General Motors Corp., F$360 - F$500 million

Citicorp, F$600 million

Chase Manhattan Corp., F$250 million

J. P. Morgan & Co., F$250 million

Bankers Trust New York Corp., F$ 180 - F$230 million

BankAmerica Corp., F$380 million.

GM disclosed its Y2K spending in a filing with the Securities & Exchange Commission (SEC), which is requiring corporations to report Y2K liabilities in their periodic statements. On March 18,k 1998 the Journal reported that the Y2K price tag for the nations 35 largest regional banks is expected to reach F$1.8 billion for the three years ending in 1999. 

Now ask yourself: If Y2K were no problem at all, why would these six companies alone be spending F$2.21 trillion to fix it?

The Moneychanger, 4/1997. The Moneychanger, PO Box 341753, Memphis, Tennessee 38184-1753. A monthly newsletter "to help Christian people prosper with their principles intact in an age of moral and monetary chaos." $95 a year, but $69 to readers of this report if you mention this report when you order.