The Front Page Cover
The Events of the Week -- Featuring:
It's not Johnson Amendment
muzzling pastors -- it's cowardice
by Minister Michael Brown
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No, Comey Helped liar-Clinton
The soul searching over the election loss has yet to begin for Democrats and the Left. They're still in that angry "it's everyone else's fault" stage — whether it's the FBI, the Russians or voter ID laws. So, one week before the inauguration, it's apparently time to "firm up" the case against the FBI. Thursday, the Justice Department announced that its inspector general will investigate allegations of misconduct involving FBI Director James Comey and his handling of the liar-Hillary Clinton email probe, among other allegations. This is truly ironic given the fact that, as Mark Alexander wrote before the election, Comey's actions to exonerate liar-Clinton days before the election were designed to aid her. Comey went out of his way to protect liar-Clinton, but since the tactic didn't work it's time to pull out the long knives.
Democrats' biggest problem is the fact that they're unwilling to face the true reasons why they lost the election. They don't want to own the fact that liar-Hillary was a terrible candidate with a compromised record, and who is still under FBI investigation, by the way. But that's not the only reason, or even the main reason Americans rejected liar-Hillary. Her victory would have meant a continuation of the past eight years: a stagnant economy, eroding of individual liberty all in the name of "social progress," skyrocketing health care costs, the continued flow of illegal immigrants across our borders and the unending blaming of America for the world's ills.
Americans wanted change and quite simply liar-Hillary Clinton offered only more of the same. Americans saw in Donald Trump an outsider who clearly believes in and is proud of this country and wants to truly change things up in DC.
So, go ahead, Democrats — blame Comey and back it up with investigative findings. But the reality is self-deception eventually leads only to self-delusion and eventually self-destruction. ~The Patriot Post
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Don't Violate My Liberal Bubble — A Case Study
I have a type-Hollywood friend on the Left Coast, who posted derogatory remarks about AG nominee Jeff Sessions on her social media page. After I challenged her views, and those of her likeminded friends who responded, she removed the post. No doubt she took it down because she did not want her leftist colleagues to know she associated with someone outside their bubble — especially a conservative with constitutionally constructionist views.
Consequently, I sent her a message suggesting she must have missed Barack liar-nObama's farewell remarks. Unfortunately, I had to slog through his self-congratulatory sycophant fest, and one thing he stated emphatically pertained to social media echo chambers: "For too many of us, it's become safer to retreat into our own bubbles ... especially our social media feeds, surrounded by people who look like us and share the same political outlook and never challenge our assumptions. ... And increasingly, we become so secure in our bubbles that we start accepting only information, whether it's true or not, that fits our opinions."
While it is my friend's prerogative to post liberal copy/paste political diatribes, and then remove that post when challenged, this was a case study in how liberals — even intelligent liberals like my friend, protect their social media bubbles from the threat of opposing views. I know, you're thinking that "intelligent liberal" is an oxymoron, but many liberals have plenty of education — it's just that, in the inimitable words of Ronald Reagan, “The trouble with our liberal friends is not that they’re ignorant; it’s just that they know so much that isn’t so.”
At The Patriot Post, we exercise a policy regarding emotive rants: "Don't swap spit with a jackass." But we never miss an opportunity to engage the alternative views of those who articulate them well. By necessity, we cover a very wide range of media and policy sources every day — even the daily policy statements from the American Communist Party. We all have friends who hold a wide range of opinion and perspective, and those whose convictions are more than "feelings," offer great debate opportunities. But my Left Coast friend demonstrated that she, like most liberals, avoids opposing views like the plague, preferring to be "secure in their bubbles." ~The Patriot Post
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Judge Jeanine Rips Libtard Agitators,
Lewis, Waters And O’Donnell
by Rick Wells
{rickwells.us} ~ Judge Jeanine points out that this inauguration is different, that instead of celebrating “this time-honored, sacred and hallowed tradition” of a peaceful transition from one administration to the next... “we are mired down in the politics of division, fake news and hate-fueled resistance to the 45th president.” Of course it is all the work of Hussein liar-nObama and the Democrat Party. She says “shame on us,” but a more accurate attribution would be “shame on them.” Judge Jeanine notes that racist Congressman John Lewis, to whom she assigns overly generous civil rights credentials, likely conflated with what now appears to have been years of misjudged, bare, ugly racism on his part, will not be attending the Trump inauguration. Good riddance – he and his fellow anti-American Democrat comrade Luis Gutierrez (D-IL) can rub each other’s head and tell one another how unfair it is that a pro-American patriot won the election. Judge Jeanine plays a clip of the racist Lewis stating that he doesn’t see Mr. Trump as a legitimate president, following that up by asking, “Not legitimate? She calls out the hypocrisy of both Lewis and his fellow member in the Congressional Black Caucus, the woman rated as the most corrupt representative in politics, Democrat Maxine Waters of California. Pirro asks, “Where’s equal rights and inclusion?”... http://rickwells.us/judge-jeanine-rips-libtard-agitators-lewis-waters-odonnell/
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Trump, Putin To Meet in Reykjavik 2 –
Spicer Denies Early Summit Set
by Rick Wells
{rickwells.us} ~ Have a seat, liar-Hillary, and pour yourself a stiff one, Trump and Putin could be at it again. Democrats and war-mongering RINOs like McCain and Graham are going to really hate hearing this... The Hill and the UK’s Sunday Times are reporting that Mr. Trump’s first foreign trip as president will be a meeting with Vladimir Putin. They report that Mr. Trump and his team informed British officials that his first foreign trip would be a summit in Iceland with President Putin, within weeks of his inauguration. They noted the similarity to President Reagan’s Cold War visit to meet with Mikhail Gorbachev in Reykjavik, Iceland shortly after he was sworn in. The Sunday Times also quoted their sources as having stated that officials at the Russian embassy in London say Moscow is set to agree to a summit between the two leaders... http://rickwells.us/trump-putin-to-meet-in-reykjavik-2-spicer-denies-early-summit-set/
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Laura Ingraham considering challenging
Tim Kaine for his Senate seat'
by Sarah Lee
{theblaze.com} ~ The Washington Examiner reported Sunday morning that conservative talk radio host and political commentator Laura Ingraham is considering running for Senate in Virginia... challenging liar-Hillary Clinton’s pick for vice president Sen. Tim Kaine. According to the Examiner, party insiders have approached the popular radio host and she is said to be seriously considering a run, although she offered no direct comment on the rumor. She is well-known in Virginia and inside the Washington, D.C. beltway, and brings years of media and communication expertise with her. She is a Fox News contributor and a New York Times bestselling author...Run Laura Run! http://www.theblaze.com/news/2017/01/15/report-laura-ingraham-considering-challenging-tim-kaine-for-his-senate-seat/
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‘Buckle up!’ Americans celebrate
Trey Gowdy’s new role in DC
by Tom Tillison
{bizpacreview.com} ~ In what some may see as an encouraging sign of intelligence being ushered in by the incoming Trump administration, U.S. Rep. Trey Gowdy has been named to the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence... The South Carolina Republican, popular with the conservative wing of the GOP, was chair of the Select Committee on Benghazi and will now be tasked with the oversight of the United States intelligence community in his new committee. “Protecting the safety and security of our fellow citizens is the preeminent function of government,” Gowdy said in a statement, according to The Greenville News. “When it comes to our national security, we cannot afford to take risks. “The House Intelligence Committee plays a vital role in protecting Americans both at home and abroad through conducting thorough oversight of our nation’s intelligence agencies.”... http://www.bizpacreview.com/2017/01/15/buckle-americans-celebrate-trey-gowdys-new-role-dc-435697?utm_source=BizPac+Review+Email+Newsletter&utm_campaign=9bfd75828c-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_01_16&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_fbf9323fb3-9bfd75828c-31515453
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Hamas headquarters uncovered
north of Jerusalem
by Uzi Baruch
{israelnationalnews.com} ~ Thirteen Hamas terrorists, including a member of the Palestinian Authority’s Legislative Council, were arrested overnight in a joint operation by the IDF and Shin Bet internal security agency... The operation comes on the heels of the discovery of a regional headquarters of the Hamas terror group in the Ramallah district, north of Jerusalem. The base is believed to have served as the center of operations for dozens of Hamas terrorists in Samaria, and may be part of a broader effort by Hamas to expand its influence in the Ramallah area. Payments to jailed terrorists and their families, outreach efforts to local Palestinian Authority residents, public demonstrations, and the operation of a Hamas student group were all managed from the headquarters...
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It's not Johnson Amendment
muzzling pastors -- it's cowardice
by Minister Michael Brown
{wnd.com} ~ If President Trump succeeds in removing the oppressive Johnson Amendment, which limits freedom of speech from the pulpits, will Christian leaders be more outspoken on controversial moral, cultural and political issues? I have my doubts, since I don’t believe it is the Johnson Amendment that has muzzled preachers across America.
I believe it is the fear of man that has muzzled us, and it is our desire to be affirmed by the world that has silenced us. Until we repent of these sinful, carnal attitudes, our tongues will not be loosed. We have been paralyzed from the inside, not the outside, and the removal of outward hindrances will not set us free within.
Let’s be honest about this. The Johnson Amendment, as wrong as it is, is quite limited in its scope, primarily prohibiting “certain tax-exempt organizations from endorsing and opposing political candidates.”
It does not prohibit pastors from speaking out against political corruption.
It does not prohibit pastors from speaking out against LGBT activism.
It does not prohibit pastors from speaking out against abortion.
It does not prohibit pastors from speaking out against a host of other moral and cultural issues, yet it is here that we have seriously failed our people – I say “we” because I, too, am a ministry leader, although not a pastor – since these are the very issues so many of us studiously avoid.
Who needs the controversy? Who wants to be vilified? Why stick your hand into a hornet’s nest? Why ask for trouble?
You might say, “Maybe some pastors think like this, but that’s not the real issue for them. The issue is that they don’t want to distract from the gospel. They just want to tell people about Jesus.”
Unfortunately, this line of reasoning doesn’t hold water, since Jesus Himself was tremendously controversial – if memory serves me right, He was actually put to death by His generation – and He said that if we followed Him faithfully, we would be hated just as He was hated (see John 15:18; Matthew 10:24).
Why is it, then, that the same world that hated Him so much loves us so much? Why is it that He offended so many – by being a perfect, shining light, full of grace and truth – yet we offend so few? Sad to say, when we do offend people, it is often due to us being offensive and obnoxious or hypocritical and self-righteous rather than shining so brightly that people hate our light.
It is true that Jesus was a friend of sinners – especially the societal outcasts – and we do well to follow His example. But is equally true that He was a threat to all that was wrong in His society – including the religious establishment – while we frequently find ourselves completely at home in this world. How can this be?
In 2014, George Barna discussed the results of his latest poll during an interview on American Family Radio. He explained that, “What we’re finding is that when we ask pastors about all the key issues of the day, 90 percent of them are telling us, ‘Yes, the Bible speaks to every one of these issues.’ Then we ask them: ‘Well, are you teaching your people what the Bible says about those issues?’ and the numbers drop … to less than 10 percent of pastors who say they will speak to it.”
And what, exactly, holds them back from addressing controversial issues from the pulpit, including, “societal, moral and political issues”? According to Barna, “There are five factors that the vast majority of pastors turn to. Attendance, giving, number of programs, number of staff, and square footage.”
He continued: “What I’m suggesting is those pastors won’t probably get involved in politics because it’s very controversial. Controversy keeps people from being in the seats; controversy keeps people from giving money, from attending programs.”
Yes, at all costs, we must avoid the controversy that will stop us leaders from fulfilling the Christian version of the American dream: Great success and popularity and a happy, financially prosperous congregation, all made possible by preaching a watered-down gospel.
This mindset has nothing whatsoever to do with the New Testament faith.
Fired up by the results of the Barna poll, pastor and radio host Chuck Baldwin wrote:
Please understand this: America’s malaise is directly due to the deliberate disobedience of America’s pastors – and the willingness of the Christians in the pews to tolerate the disobedience of their pastor. Nothing more! Nothing less! When Paul wrote his own epitaph, it read, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.” (2 Timothy 4:7) He didn’t say, “I had a large congregation, we had big offerings, we had a lot of programs, I had a large staff, and we had large facilities.”
Are his accusations too harsh? In many cases, yes, since there are sincere shepherds who simply feel ill-equipped to address the hot-button issues of the day, instead finding their gifting in the systematic teaching of the Scriptures and caring for their flocks. It is not fear that holds them back as much as a sense of calling to minister in a different way.
But in all too many cases, Baldwin’s accusations are right on target: We have compromised for the sake of comfort and convenience. We have found a way to bypass the cross and its shame. We have created a no-cost, pop-gospel, forgetting that a gospel that costs nothing saves no one and is not a gospel at all.
The irony of all this is that Barna’s survey also indicated that the vast majority of Christians surveyed – around 90 percent – wanted their pastors to address these difficult moral and cultural issues, since this is the world they live in, and these are the problems they confront, right down to their kids in nursery school.
They are expecting their pastors and leaders to help them sort these things out based on scripture, and they are frustrated and grieved when the men and women they look to are not there when they need them. Shouldn’t the shepherds care more about the well-being of their flocks than their own popularity? Shouldn’t the pastors care more about the health of their congregation than the wealth of their congregation?
To be clear, I have preached in wealthy, large mega-churches that are not afraid to tackle the controversies, and I have preached in poor, small churches that are afraid to tackle these issues. The fear of man comes in many shapes and sizes, but the expression of it will always be the same: You will not do what you know is right because you fear the negative consequences.
That is a fear that must be broken, and it is only the Lord – not Donald Trump – who can help us break it.
Will we rise to the occasion, when society needs us the most, or we will cower behind our cheap excuses?
It’s time for the lion to roar.
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