home *** CD-ROM | disk | FTP | other *** search
Text File | 1994-06-19 | 31.7 KB | 576 lines | [TEXT/????] |
- March 1993
-
- Dear Friends,
-
- My letter this month will address a great debate going on in churches and
- the pro-family movement itself. It deals with the alarming erosion of
- morality in the culture, some of it related to the changing philosophy of
- government.
-
- On the third day of his new administration, Bill Clinton took pen in hand
- and prescribed far-reaching policies for the nation and the world. On that
- "Black Saturday" following his inauguration, the president issued five
- executive orders, as follows: (1) he permitted the tiny bodies of aborted
- babies to be used in medical research; (2) he lifted the restriction on
- abortion counseling in federally funded clinics; (3) he began the process
- of importing the abortifacient RU 486, which could ultimately result in
- many millions of additional deaths; (4) he removed the prohibition (or
- attempted to) on openly active homosexuals and lesbians in the military;
- (5) he provided federal funding for abortions in military hospitals
- overseas.
-
- It did not escape notice that President Clinton issued these revolutionary
- order on January 23, one day after the 2oth anniversary of the Roe vs. Wade
- Supreme Court decision. Indeed, thousands of pro-life marchers were in
- Washington that very day. Mr. Clinton sent them an unequivocal message,
- and they heard it!
-
- That was just his first week in office. There is more to come - much more.
- The president has expressed enthusiastic support for the "Freedom of Choice
- Act," which will be considered in Congress shortly. It passed, it will
- permit the killing of babies throughout nine months on pregnancy and
- preempt every state law that would regulate abortion. Other dangerous
- legislation is working its way through the system.
-
- Furthermore, each of the five executive orders cited above is now rippling
- through society like the rings in a pond. For example, The Washington Times
- reported on February 10 that a coalition of gay rights groups has prepared
- a broad agenda of new policies to impose on the armed forces if the
- military ban on homosexuality is lifted.{l} This 13-point plan would
- require the Pentagon to conduct "indoctrination" programs for all
- heterosexual military personnel to ensure their acceptance of gays and
- lesbians. It makes no difference that many will have religious or moral
- objections to the instruction. The plan would also establish an advisory
- committee to the secretary of defense to oversee and report on homosexuals
- in the military. In short, vast changes are in store for the armed forces
- if the restriction is ultimately lifted.
-
- Will President Clinton accept these sweeping recommendations? All I can
- say is that he has not denied gay activists anything they've demanded to
- date. In mid-February, he attempted to lift the restriction on immigration
- by people infected with the AIDS virus, despite strong opposition from the
- American Medical Association ,{2} the National Commission on AIDS, {3} and
- the majority of Americans. {4} This time, however, Congress stepped in and
- handed the president his first legislative defeat. Still, he presses
- forward with a revolutionary agenda. We're beginning to understand what Mr.
- Clinton meant on May 18, 1992, when he said to a group of gay activists in
- Los Angeles, "I have a vision, and you're part of it." {5}
-
- Also, in mid-February, the president appointed Roberta Achterberg to a high
- position in the department of Housing and Urban Development. Achterberg is
- a radical lesbian activist who directed the National Center for Lesbian
- Rights. She lives with Mary Morgan, presiding judge of the San Francisco
- Municipal Court. Neither woman reportedly will reveal which is the birth
- mother of their young son. Of particular relevance to this discussion,
- however, is her leading role in expelling the Boy Scouts of America from
- public facilities within the Bay area and from the lists of charitable
- givers. That effort cost the Boy Scouts an estimated $848,000 in 1992. In
- defending her action, she said, "Do we want children learning the values of
- an organization that . . . provides character building exclusively for
- straight, God-fearing male children? {6}
-
- The question is: What is it that drives the president to advance the cause
- of homosexual and lesbian activism? What debt does he seek to repay?
-
- There are other moral concerns that come to light nearly every day. The
- nation will be hearing soon about an aggressive "safe-sex" campaign to be
- spearheaded by HHS Secretary Donna Shalala and Surgeon General appointee
- Joycelyn Elders. {7} It could eventually reach every public school teenager
- in America with immoral propaganda. Dr. Elders, by the way, is quoted as
- saying, We would like for the right-to-life, anti-choice groups to really
- get over their love affair with the fetus and start supporting the
- children." {8} We are, indeed, living in an era of convoluted values.
-
- How are Christians reacting to this dramatic shift in governmental policy
- and its impact on the culture? What is happening to the body of believers
- as the ground shakes beneath them? It's a difficult question to answer. I
- do know that hundreds of churches are actively involved in the struggle,
- and I thank God for all of them. Many individuals also seem determined to
- use their influence wherever possible, and millions of Americans are aware
- that their values are under attack, and they are stepping forward to defend
- them.
-
- There are Christian leaders, on the other hand, who do not feel it is the
- role of the church to confront evil in government. They feel we must
- concern ourselves only with spiritual matters, as though the killing of
- unborn babies and the support for public morality are beyond that scope.
-
- The United States and Canada have seen the most rapid deterioration of the
- Christian ethic in memory, and yet these leaders are saying, in good
- conscience, "It's not our calling." Others say, " when we try to use our
- influence in society, we expose ourselves and our faith to ridicule and
- rejection.
-
- How well I know! My colleagues and I are beginning to understand what "the
- offense of the Cross" really means. We have taken more abuse from the press
- and the media in four months than in the past 15 years combined. But we are
- certainly not the only ones who are targeted. It is open season on any
- Christian who has the courage to stick his head out of the foxhole. indeed,
- I believe we are seeing the beginning of an era of serious repression
- against believers.
-
- On February 1 1993, the Washington Post wrote a terrible article about
- Christians who called the Capitol to protest Clinton's lifting of the
- homosexual ban. {9} It referred to them as "poor, uneducated and easy to
- command." Tell me, if you will, what other minority group in the nation
- could they have insulted in this way? Can you imagine the outcry that would
- have gone up if a major newspaper referred to African-Americans,
- Hispanic-Americans, Chinese-Americans or Native Americans as "poor,
- uneducated and easy to command"?
-
- How about the recent political cartoon drawn by Pat Oliphant, depicting
- fundamental Christians as rats dragging the Republican elephant into a
- mission with a "Jesus Saves" sign above the door? {10} Can you think of any
- other minority group that could be characterized as rats?
-
- Consider this quote from good ol' grandfather Hugh Downs, host of ABC's
- "20/20": "During times of social stress, humanity usually regresses into
- the family." Then he explained what he meant. "In the 1920s, the Ku Klux
- Klan urged the nation to adopt family values and to return to old-time
- religion. Similarly, Adolf Hitler launched a family-values regimen.
- Hitler's [methodology] centered on his ideas of motherhood. Fanatics in the
- Ku Klux Klan, the Nazi Party, the Hezbollah, or any other intolerant
- organization refer to themselves as religious warriors. As warriors
- fanatics censor the thoughts of others and love to burn books. In the
- modern United States new proponents of family values continue this
- tradition of fear and intolerance." {11}
-
- So much for diversity and pluralism as American values.
-
- In our case, the attacks have not been focused on anything we have said or
- done - but rather on the fact that we exist. Leading a large conservative
- ministry today is reason enough for ridicule. The only example to which the
- media has pointed is based on outright fraud. A recent Associated Press
- story by Peggy Lowe was carried nationwide implying that I had tried to
- hound homosexual teachers out of schools in Colorado Springs. Three local
- superintendents have signed statements saying there is not a shred of truth
- to the story; yet it has appeared in most of the nation's newspapers.
-
- Linda Fowler, chairperson of the Gay and Lesbian Advisory Committee in
- Denver, repeated this assertion on the Gil Gross national radio talk show.
- When our lawyer asked her to produce supporting evidence, she had none. The
- truth of the matter is that I have not made any hateful comments about
- homosexuals, even though I oppose the radical agenda some of them support.
- Thus, they have mounted a campaign of hate and disinformation against us.
- And it has had an impact locally. Our staff and their families have been
- subjected to mistreatment and wild-eyed rumors in the surrounding
- community, which saddens me.
-
- Fortunately, our people here at Focus on the Family are made of good stuff,
- and they are handling the personal criticism with poise and courtesy. Of
- greater concern to all of us is the condition of our country and where it
- seems to be going. If what I'm sensing is accurate, there is widespread
- confusion in the Christian community about how to respond to the spiritual
- free-fall we are witnessing. Some are flailing about in disarray. Others
- tell us they have been in a state of despair since November 3.
-
- I must admit that I am among those who have been discouraged in days past.
- To be candid, nothing in my adult life has shaken me quite like the
- devastation we are seeing. Most of what we have fought for is on the line
- today. The implications of a possible moral collapse in this beloved nation
- has been more painful than I felt I could bear. In fact, I went through a
- period of soul-searching after the election, struggling to regain my
- equilibrium. Perhaps you sensed that heaviness of heart during some of our
- recent radio broadcasts.
-
- All of these sources of oppression were weighing on me as 1992 came to a
- close. Then a dramatic thin happened just before Christmas. My spirit was
- so burdened one morning that Shirley and I got in the car and drove to a
- beautiful place near the base of the mountains. We just sat there for a
- couple of hours, listening to inspirational tapes and reading the Bible.
- Then we prayed earnestly and asked the Lord to lift the heavy burden that
- we carried.
-
- Two days later I received an anonymous 13-page letter that addressed
- everything I had been struggling with in the previous months. Fifty-eight
- Scriptures were tucked within the text, most being first-person quotations
- from the Lord. The words are too personal to share in detail, but I'll
- quote this brief excerpt:
-
- This letter is being written as an encouragement to you. We serve the
- LIVING, risen Jesus, {12} you and I. I believe this message is from our
- Father's heart for you. I can only tell you that as I have been praying
- for you, I began to weep and groan within my spirit. {13} Over this past
- year there has been such an acceleration of events nationally and
- spiritually. I find myself saying, "Lord strengthen him, undergird him,
- comfort him." It's almost as if I can hear, and feel, the aching lump in
- your throat as you talk about the situation this nation and our families
- are in.
-
- I believe that [in regard to] the burden you carry for the Church, the
- Bride of Christ, that God is desirous to make you know {14} He is causing
- others in the body to hold up your arms {15} in this battle for our
- faith, our families and our nation.
-
- Therefore, be strong and of good courage, {16} because the work belongs
- to the Lord {17} our God! Serve Him with a perfect heart {18} and a
- willing mind, for He has chosen you {19} to STAND in the midst of this
- perverse {20} generation and say to His people, "Let us do this thing
- together." {21} We must not be separated and alone, everyone looking out
- only for the things of his own household, but we must be of one mind and
- one heart to STAND when the enemy comes in like a flood. {22} Our God is
- with us for good and He will strengthen our hands {23} for this work. We
- will not be discouraged or dismayed, for we know that our God is with us.
- {24} He will not fail us, {25} nor forsake us 'til we have accomplished
- all the work to which He has called us. We will humble ourselves {26}
- before Him and ask Him a right way for us to go, and for our little ones,
- and for all our substance. We will ask Him to forgive us and save us,
- heal us, and deliver us, for we are in danger on all sides. Yes, Lord,
- You are our only hope. {27}
-
- The letter continued with some instructions specifically for me and
- numerous promises for the future. Repeatedly, it told me to "stand firm" -
- and believe me, that is what I fully intend to do. There has been
- considerable pressure on me from friends and advisers to retreat from the
- battle - to take this ministry into safer pastures where we will not
- encounter the social reformers. Well, that issue is resolved and laid to
- rest. I am beyond the pain of criticism now. There is a job to be done,
- and if God can use me, I am available for His purposes. The battle is not
- over, and I am through complaining about the circumstances in which we find
- ourselves.
-
- Let me return to the advice of some religious leaders I referred to earlier
- that Christians should withdraw from the public arena and yield the
- decision-making process to those who represent a secular-humanistic point
- of view. I believe their perspective is wrong, although it is obviously
- well-intended.
-
- Perhaps they have not thought through the position they have taken.
- Consider this: Even if our inclination is to hide in coming days, it will
- be impossible to do so. We will not be permitted to exercise our beliefs in
- private. The Church will not be allowed to protect its precepts. Consider,
- for example, a recent development in Maine. The legislature there passed a
- law in 1992 that required every hospital in the state, including Catholic
- institutions, to perform abortions. Of course, Catholics have led the fight
- against abortion, based on their deep moral convictions. No matter. The law
- has spoken and they must comply.
-
- So it will be in other settings. Our Christian enclaves will be invaded.
- Your home, in fact, will be the next battleground as Hillary Rodham Clinton
- cranks her "children's rights" agenda into action. Thus, most of us will be
- faced eventually with one of two choices: We'll either speak up or submit
- in silence. Why not use our voices now, while the memory of the
- Judeo-Christian ethic still lingers like rare perfume within the popular
- culture?
-
- Furthermore, to those who suggest we retreat to our Christian enclaves, I
- would ask a few extremely important questions:
-
- 1. At what point WILL you rise to defend what you believe? Is there
- ANYTHING worth putting your reputation or life in jeopardy? Will you
- object if your children are routinely indoctrinated in homosexual ideology
- in the public schools? Will you object if imperfect babies are killed in
- our hospitals? Will you object if involuntary euthanasia becomes
- widespread in nursing homes? Will you object if the State tells your
- pastor or priest what he can say from the pulpit? (In Sweden, an
- evangelical pastor who preached a sermon on Sodom and Gomorrah was
- convicted of "verbal violence" against homosexuals and sentenced to a
- four-week prison term) {28} Will you object if the church loses its
- non-profit status and is heavily taxed? Will you object if the State
- assumes "ownership" of children and tells parents how they must raise them
- under penalty of losing custody? Will you object if boys and girls are
- given a wide range of rights that override the wishes of their mothers and
- fathers? Will you object if every teenager in America is given immoral
- advice and a supply of condoms to implement it? Will you object if each
- family is permitted only one baby, as is the official policy today in
- China?
-
- Will you object if Christian business people are required to satisfy a
- quota of homosexual and lesbian employees ? Will you object if churches are
- not exempt from that quota obligation? Will you object if universities
- refuse to grant degrees to outspoken Christian students? Will you object if
- daughters or sisters or wives are drafted into the military and required to
- fight in combat? Will you object if obscenity laws are repealed and child
- pornography is ignored by the government? Will you object if the schools
- teach "death education" classes to students beginning in elementary school?
- Will you rise to speak if every tenet of your faith is legislated against
- in Congress and in your home state?
-
- Are these changes coming to Western nations? I don't know. Some of them are
- already well-entrenched. Others appear to be right around the corner.
- Anything can happen to the losers of a civil war. To rephrase my question
- to those who oppose Christian political involvement, just where will YOU
- draw the line? Is there any freedom of principle you would defend with
- your life?
-
- 2. Let me ask another series of questions to the church leaders who believe
- we should stay out of the political fray. What would have been your
- teachings about slavery and abolition if you had led a congregation in 1855
- ? The bloodiest war in American history was rapidly approaching. Especially
- as a minister in the South, would you have avoided the divisive slavery
- issue? Would you have even addressed its evil?
-
- What would you have done if you had lived and worked in Germany during the
- late 1930s and early 1940s? How well would your philosophy of
- non-involvement have held up against the terrors of the Nazi regime? If you
- had known Hitler was exterminating people in concentration camps, would you
- have focused only on your local responsibilities? Would it have been
- appropriate to take an apolitical posture?
-
- That is precisely what the mainline church did in Germany as World War II
- approached. It chose not to confront the evils of the Third Reich. History
- tells us, sadly, that in 1933 the Lutheran Church in Germany actually
- passed a resolution condemning Jews and excluding them from their worship
- services. They looked the other way for more than a decade, while millions
- of Jews, Gypsies, Poles, homosexuals, the mentally impaired and the
- physically handicapped were systematically murdered. Let me cite the
- historical record as expressed in the publication Christian History:
-
- During this period, many Christians within Germany had adopted Hitler's
- National Socialism as part of their creed. Known as "German Christians,"
- their spokesman, Herman Gruner, made it clear what they stood for:
-
- "The time is fulfilled for the German people in Hitler. It is because of
- Hitler that Christ, God the helper and redeemer, has become effective
- among us. Therefore National Socialism is positive Christianity in
- action. . . . Hitler is the way of the Spirit and the will of God for
- the German people to enter the Church of Christ."
-
- By September 1933, the conflict was out in the open. In the "Brown
- Synod" that month (so called because many of the clergy wore brown Nazi
- uniforms and gave the Nazi salute), the church adopted the "Aryan
- Clause," which denied the pulpit to ordained ministers of Jewish
- blood... {29}
-
- Thank God for Dietrich Bonhoeffer, who refused to go along with this
- wickedness. He protested loudly, to his own peril. Let me quote again
- from Christian History:
-
- Finally [Bonhoeffer] declared that the church should "jam the spokes of
- the wheel" of state should the persecution of Jews continue. [Sounds
- like Operation Rescue, doesn't it?] Many of the gathered clergy left in
- a huff, convinced they had heard sedition. [Bonhoeffer and friends]
- pledged to fight for repeal of the Aryan Clause, and by late September,
- they had obtained 2,000 signatures. But to Bonhoeffer's disappointment,
- the church's bishops again remained silent. {30}
-
- Their silence will echo throughout eternity! So will the words and deeds of
- Dietrich Bonhoeffer. He was rejected as a pastor, ridiculed and hounded by
- the Nazis. He was arrested April 5, 1943, and charged with "subversion of
- the Armed Forces." On April 9, 1945, he was hanged with six other resisters
- at Flossenburg concentration camp. What a man of consummate courage !
-
- Now admittedly, there are many differences between the oppression of the
- Nazi regime and the policies of today's Western governments. I would not
- weaken the point by overstating it. But there are striking similarities,
- too. Hitler murdered 6 million Jews; we in the United States have killed
- nearly 30 million unborn babies. And what have many denominations done in
- response? They have passed resolutions defending and even encouraging the
- killings, thereby granting religious sanction to the horror. They have
- assigned "study groups" to produce sophisticated reports that whitewash
- perverted sexual behavior the Bible calls "an abomination." {3l} And
- millions of believers have sat passively in their pews and uttered no
- protest. God help us!
-
- More than 450 years ago, Martin Luther wrote: "If I profess with the
- loudest voice and the clearest exposition every portion of the truth of
- God, except precisely that little point which the world and the devil are
- at that moment attacking, I am not confessing Christ, however boldly I may
- be professing Christ. Where the battle rages, there the loyalty of the
- soldier is proved, and to be steady on all the battle field besides is mere
- flight and disgrace if he flinches at that point." {32}
-
- So what are we to do as the Christian ethic comes under greater attack?
- Where do we go from here?
-
- Well, first and foremost, we must fortify ourselves with prayer. That is
- the foundation. That's why Focus on the Family has called for 100 days of
- prayer (which began January 20), during which we are suggesting that people
- ask for wisdom and for God's blessing on our nation. Pray specifically for
- our president and for our leaders in Washington. We must do nothing in a
- spirit that would dishonor the cause of Christ. We are His ambassadors,
- whether in our neighborhoods or in the halls of Congress.
-
- Let me leave no doubt that President Clinton is not the enemy in this
- struggle. Liberal congressman are not the problem. The biased media is not
- the source. Homosexual activists are not our enemies. "Our struggle is not
- against flesh and blood, but against the powers of this dark world and
- against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms." {33} Sin in
- all its wretchedness is the sickness that infects humanity and all the
- political action in the world will not cleanse one hideous stain from our
- beleaguered nation. Only the blood of Jesus Christ can do that marvelous
- work. Nevertheless, we must use our influence in the world around us. We
- are blessed to live in a representative form of government, and we are
- responsible to be salt and light within it. These are not contradictory
- concepts. They fully complement one another.
-
- My good friend Chuck Colson is calling for this dual responsibility -
- national and local - in this time of crisis. He wrote in an article in
- Christianity Today, "What we DO must flow from who we ARE. We can not
- export something we don't have. Before we can bring a holy influence in
- society, we must first BE a holy people."
-
- But Colson also wrote, "Don't get me wrong, I am not suggesting political
- disengagement. By my theology, Christians must contend for biblically
- informed morality and justice in the halls of power." {35}
-
- THAT is the balance that keeps our ethics and our activism in proper
- perspective.
-
- Second, and i say this with the strongest emphasis, I urge you to hold
- tightly to your courage and your moral convictions during the stressful
- days ahead. This is no time to wimp out! Discouragement and despair are not
- of the Father. He has not given us a spirit of fear. We are serving the One
- about whom it is written, "...If God is for us, who can be against us?"
- {36}
-
- What is occurring in our country today is the moral equivalent to war. We
- are, as Gary Bauer and I wrote in our book, Children at Risk, engaged in a
- civil war of ideas that will be won or lost in the next few years. If the
- Church does not use its vast influence in the public square, the night will
- be much longer! We must not lose our nerve now.
-
- If Winston Churchill had cowered before Hitler's hegemony in 1939, the
- British might well be living under tyranny today. Instead of saying, "Never
- give up! Never! Never! Never give up!" what if he had told his countrymen,
- "Germany defeated France in less than 100 days. There is no way we can
- stand alone against the blitzkrieg. Perhaps there is a less dangerous
- approach to this threat." That is precisely what Neville Chamberlain
- concluded, and his appeasement of "Herr Hitler" nearly ended Britain's long
- and glorious sovereignty. The fear of defeat can paralyze good men and
- women in times of crisis.
-
- One thing is absolutely certain: The withering wave of secular humanism we
- are now seeing will eventually collapse of its own weight. It always does.
- Why? Because it violates the basic laws of God. A nation cannot be blessed
- while killing its babies, destroying its families, "demoralizing" its
- teenagers, and promoting perversion. Since we cannot immediately change the
- policies that distress us, our task for the moment is to engage actively in
- this great democratic system and then hold onto our convictions and our
- resolve until the turnaround occurs. That day WILL come - unless we are
- entering the final events of human history. Even in that eventuality, we
- are commanded "to occupy until I come." {37}
-
- Will we be ridiculed and wounded in the meantime? Yes, no doubt some of us
- will. The heroes of the faith, described in Hebrews 11, suffered and died
- for their beliefs. We must be prepared for sacrifice too. It is the
- specter of ridicule, however, that may motivate some Christian leaders to
- suggest we remain quiet and unobtrusive. Because we are outnumbered,
- outgunned and often humiliated by the press, they say we should give them
- nothing to criticize.
-
- That is a familiar posture during times of national emergency. General
- Washington fought the Revolutionary War wit support from only about 15
- percent of his countrymen. Lincoln's entire Cabinet opposed the Civil War
- and would have permitted the Confederate States to secede. In September
- 1941, the United States Congress buckled in terror at the Nazi threat.
- Unbelievably, when our friends in England and Europe were being ravaged,
- our representatives came within one vote of ending the draft, closing
- numerous army bases and virtually emasculating the military.
-
- Senator Jennings Randolph, then a congressman, cast the winning vote in the
- House that prevented passage of the bill. We were, mind you, three months
- from Pearl Harbor as those discussions took place. There have always been
- those in times of national peril who wanted to settle the differences with
- appeasement. And most of them have expressed the concern we're hearing
- today, "We can't win in that arena." That is irrelevant! It is not our duty
- to win. It is our duty to be faithful!
-
- Apart from the spiritual dimension of this conflict, there is a
- constitutional matter to be considered. The political system does not
- belong exclusively to those with whom we disagree, and I will not yield
- them a single victory without using what little influence I have. I have
- been granted the right to be heard, and I will exercise it. If I get
- mauled, I get mauled. If I am ridiculed, I will be ridiculed. If I lose,
- I will lose. But I will die defending what I believe, and I will go down
- knowing I did the best I could to represent righteousness and family
- integrity. How can I do less? What's at stake at this stage in our
- history is profoundly more significant than the whims of politics. Hanging
- in the balance is the essence of the Christian faith - purity, reverence
- for life, family stability, love for God and receptivity to the gospel
- itself. We are the custodians - the stewards - of this precious heritage.
- We can't afford to tremble now!
-
- What is needed are millions of believers who will remain true to their
- convictions and ask God to help them prevail (or persevere) against
- overwhelming odds. Will you join that army of committed soldiers? If for no
- other reason, let's do it for our children and grandchildren. If we lose
- them, there will be no family on which to focus. I sure wish you'd write
- and let me hear your reaction to this appeal. I'll tell you one thing: It
- comes from the depths of my being!
-
- Your prayers for this ministry will be appreciated. God bless you all! God
- bless our country.
-
- Sincerely,
-
- [signed]
- James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
- President, Focus on the Family
-
-
- P S. One more thought: May I caution you not to believe anything the media
- says about Colorado Springs and the granting of special rights for
- homosexuals. Not since the struggle to control obscenity in 1986 has the
- press shown such bias and deception on a public policy issue. For example,
- Newsweek March 1, 1993, attributed the "hate campaign" to organizations
- like Focus on the Family. To illustrate their point, they cited a study
- conducted by this ministry that revealed the unhealthy behavior of homo-
- sexuals. It was vintage Newsweek baloney. Focus on the Family has never
- conducted any research on homosexuality. After a search of our past
- publications and on-air comments, we found a three-year old publication
- written by a staff member which referenced scientific findings from the New
- England Journal of Medicine and other medical journals. That, according to
- Newsweek, illustrated our hate and intolerance. The Newsweek article
- concluded with this bit of self righteous tongue-clucking directed at the
- citizens of Colorado Springs, "If this beautiful city wants to be the
- evangelical capital of America, then Christians have to get back to first
- principles: remembering to love their neighbors as themselves." Thanks
- Newsweek, for showing the way.
-
-
- Endnotes:
-
- 1. Rowan Scarborough, "Gay Rights Groups Wish List to Follow Lifting of
- Military Ban," The Washington Times (Feb. 10, 1993).
- 2. Joyce Price, "Hill Republicans Oppose Change in HIV Policy," The
- Washington Times (Feb. 12, 1993).
- 3. lbid.
- 4. Christine Gorman, "Opening the Border to AIDS," Time, (Feb. 22,
- 1993).
- 5. "Let Us Rise to the Challenge," (Speech by Gov. Bill Clinton, Palace
- Theater, Los Angeles, Calif., May 18, 1992).
- 6. Teresa Moore, "United Way OKs Boy Scout Policy on Gays; More Liberal
- Subsidiary Will Expand Nationwide," The San Francisco Chronicle, (Dec. 17,
- 1993).
- 7. "Today Show," NBC-TV, Dec. 30, 1992, interview with Bryan Gumbel.
- 8. Christopher Scanlan, "Elders: I'm Willing to Be Lightning Rod; Surgeon
- General Candidate an Activist," The Houston Chronicle, (Dec. 17, 1992).
- 9. "Energized by Pulpit or Passion, the Public Is Calling; gospel
- Grapevine' Displays Strength in Controversy Over Military Gay Ban," The
- Washington Post, (Feb. l, 1993).
- 10. Copyright 1992, Universal Press Syndicate.
- 11. "Hugh Fumes: '20/20' Host Slashes at GOP," Mediawatch, (Jan. 20,
- 1993).
- 12. Matt.16: 16
- 13. Rom. 8:23
- 14. Ex. 33:14, 19
- 15. Isa. 42:6-7
- 16. Deut. 31:6
- 17. Hag. 2:4; Ps. 64:9
- 18. 1 Chron. 28:9
- 19. Isa. 41:9
- 20. Matt. 17:17; Acts 2:40
- 21. Jer. 50:5
- 22. Isa. 59:19
- 23. Ezra 6:22; Isa. 35:3
- 24. Isa. 8:10
- 25. Deut. 31:6
- 26. 2 Chron. 7:14
- 27. 1 Tim. 1:1
- 28. "Hate Literature Laws Sweep the U.S. and Other Western Democracies,"
- Christian World Report, (April 1989, p. 1).
- 29. Geffrey B. Kelly, "The Life and Death of a Modern Martyr," Christian
- History, Issue 32 (Vol. X, No. 4), p. 11
- 30. Ibid.
- 31. Lev. 18:22; 20:13
- 32. Chuck & Donna McIlhenny with Frank York, When the Wicked Seize a
- City, Huntington House Publishers, 1993, p. 85.
- 33. Eph. 6: 12
- 34. 1 John 1:7
- 35. Charles Colson, "Don't Wait for the Next Reagan Era," Christianity
- Today, (Feb. 8, 1993, p.112).
- 36. Rom. 8:31 NIV
- 37. Luke 19:13
-
-