“We think he could be mad.  He is not a normal person.”  That’s what the Afghani prosecutor told the Associated Press about Abdul Rahman. 

            Rahman’s case has become an international incident, as well it should be.  Rahman is a native of Afghanistan who converted to Christianity 14 years ago.  As in any Islamic regime, the penalty for rejecting Islam is death.

            Rahman would already have been executed if his case had not become international news.  To save face and try to placate the United States, calling Rahman crazy seems to be the way out.  Rahman was released at the request of the President of Afghanistan.  His story had a happy ending but this incident should serve to shine the spotlight on a dark international secret.

            Christians are being killed for their faith in huge numbers around the world.  Most of their stories are not picked up by the world press.  Precious few of them come to the attention of the President of the United States as Mr. Rahman’s case did.

            Since the inception of Christianity two millennia ago, 70 million believers have been killed because they were Christians.  But here’s the staggering part, 45.5 million of those Christians were killed in the 20^th century according to Antonio Socci’s recent book “The New Persecuted.”

            The 20^th century was, by far, the bloodiest century in the history of the world.  Many millions of people died in wars and conflicts.  They are not included in that figure.  Those 45.5 million people were killed specifically because they were Christians.

            The two primary perpetrators were Communism and radical Islam.  One sad example is the Catholic Church in the Ukraine.  Before the communists came to power, the Ukrainian Catholic Church had over 4000 churches, and nearly 3000 priests.  By the time Stalin was finished, it had been reduced to zero; completely wiped out.

            Many similar stories occurred in Red China, Cambodia and Laos.  Today, the most dangerous place to believe in Jesus Christ is Sudan.  Muslims have been systematically killing Christians in Sudan for years.  It’s so bad there, that the U.S. House of Representatives has labeled it “genocide.”  One of every five Christians in southern Sudan has been murdered.

            There’s an interesting picture in the Book of Revelation of a great prostitute who has written on her forehead the name Mystery Babylon the Great.  The scripture describes her as being “drunk with the blood of the saints,” (Revelation 17).

            It seems likely that this prophetic picture seen by the Apostle John two thousand years ago was warning us what modern day Babylonian religion would do to the followers of Christ.

            There are some hopeful signs that the 21^st century will be better for Christians.  The Soviet Union is gone and Christianity is re-emerging in that ancient land.  Red China is slowly moderating it’s stance toward Christians and the inevitable march of modern technology is making repression of faith a much more difficult endeavor for the Chinese Communist government.

            But the future of Christianity and Islam does not appear very bright for the coming century.  The current War on Terror has religious overtones that cannot be escaped. 

Debra Lafave says she is “a strong Christian woman.”  At least that’s what she told the news media and the world this week in an interview after child molestation charges against her were dropped.           

Mrs. Lafave was a junior high school teacher who had sex with a 14 year old student on multiple occasions, once in the back seat of a car while they were being driven around by a 15 year old boy.

Mrs. Lafave’s husband divorced her when the facts of her child molestation became public.  She now has a new fiancé and plans to be married again soon.

This story is disgusting on so many levels I hardly know where to begin. 

First, we live in a society that has become sex crazy.  The Bible teaches us that sex was created by God to be enjoyed within the bonds of covenant marriage.  Our society now treats sex as if it were just another sport like baseball. 

There are now over 4 million pornographic web sites on the internet and one-fourth of all search engine requests are for pornography.  After President Clinton’s well publicized “I did not have sex with that woman,” debacle, an entire generation of young people has grown up in America truly believing that oral sex is not sex at all.

Anytime someone stands up for Biblical morality in our culture they are immediately branded as a prude and a religious bigot trying to shove their morality down other people’s throats.  That will probably happen as a result of this article.  So be it.

Second, we are suffering from a severe breakdown of professional ethics at all levels in America.  The Enron and Andersen Consulting scandals are only the most recent examples pointing out an across the board degeneration of morality in our culture. 

A friend of mine who works for the FBI recently shared with me that federal law enforcement agencies have had to lower their entrance requirements in recent years because they could no longer find young applicants who had never used drugs.

These should serve as wake-up calls to the religious, political and educational leaders of our country.  But sadly, stories like Mrs. Lafave’s have become common place and most of us probably didn’t even notice.

Finally, the most disturbing part of this story to me is the watering down of Christianity to the point that an adulteress and child molester can look us in the eye and truly believe she is a “strong Christian woman.” 

Much of the blame rests with the pastors and leaders of the church in America.  We have preached a salvation without repentance.  We have offered grace without holiness.  We have promised heaven without change.  Televangelists are perhaps the most culpable but they are not alone.

This greasy grace has been absorbed by religious consumers who neatly pull it out when they are caught in their sin.  They simply mumble a prayer and act as if nothing has happened.

That is not Christianity.  The Christianity of the Bible requires turning our back on sin.  Grace must be proved by holiness or Christ is blasphemed.  We pastors must never be guilty of watering down the gospel for the sake of the offering plate or the attendance roster. 

I am not at all saying that Mrs. Lafave cannot be forgiven or restored.  But the road back from the sin of King David requires many years of holiness and faithfulness before she can ever think of calling herself “a strong Christian woman.”

A local high school teacher greeted his incoming students with a tantalizing story of deception, code breaking, and historical intrigue.  Jesus did not die on the cross as the Bible teaches, nor did He rise from the dead, the teacher told his class.  Instead, the true story is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, had children, and fathered a sacred bloodline.             The story continued as the teacher told of the Catholic Church’s two millennium cover-up that includes murdering anyone who gets close to discovering the truth. 

            It’s a fascinating story and this teacher certainly had his student’s attention.  Obviously he had spent part of his summer break reading “The Da Vinci Code.”  The sad part is that Dan Brown’s novel was taken as fact by a supposedly educated person when the novel is nothing more than a historically-based fairy tale.

            Mr. Brown is an accomplished writer and the book reflects his considerable skills as a story teller.  The movie version will be released in May.  It stars Tom Hanks and is directed by Ron Howard.  Both are the best in the business so expect the movie to be very entertaining and extremely well done.

            This is not the first time Hollywood has mixed history and fiction to make money.  Two of the most notable examples in recent years are Oliver Stone’s movie “JFK” and the totally discredited “Reagan” that could barely even find a network to air it last year.

            Since we live in a society that gets most of its information from media, the media therefore wields a mighty sword.  Two years ago Mel Gibson showed Hollywood and the world that huge sums of money could be made by portraying Christianity with accuracy and excellence.  Ron Howard now hopes to show that huge sums of money can be made by portraying Christianity inaccurately with excellence.

            Christianity is the only faith in the world that is based solely upon a miraculous event; the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead.  Most other world religions contain miraculous stories, but at their core, they are mostly a system of moral codes.  Christianity stands alone as a faith based upon the deity of Christ, His sinless life, His payment for our sins through suffering and death, with His bodily resurrection serving as the crowing proof of His authenticity.

            It is noteworthy that the early apostles had only one sermon; the resurrection of Christ.  At the time in history when the resurrection could have been easily disproved by simply producing the dead body of Jesus, Christ’s followers boldly preached His resurrection in public within days of its occurrence.

            Anyone interested in a scholarly refutation of the ridiculous claims of The Da Vinci Code will find them in Darrell Bock’s book “Breaking the Da Vinci Code” or another by Erwin Lutzer entitled “The Da Vinci Deception.” 

            As Christians, it’s important that our response to the movie be informed and thoughtful.  Picketing and angry rhetoric will serve no useful purpose.  We need to remember that this is simply the latest in hundreds of previous attempts to discredit Christianity and refute the claims of Christ.

            It has never worked in the past and it certainly will not work now.  I am concerned for the few ill informed who will be misled by the movie and pray that those of us who know Christ as Savior will be given the opportunity to engage them with integrity and truth

When I was growing up in east Tulsa there was a man in our church named Rufus Young.  Today we might call Rufus a redneck or a good old boy.  As a child I remember him being likable and approachable.           
In the early 1980’s Rufus decided to run for county commissioner in Wagoner County.  He was elected and found himself unsuspectingly thrust into a world of bribes and corruption.  Some may remember the county commissioner scandals of the early 80’s but few know that Rufus Young was one of the primary informants.

He went to the OSBI and carried a tape recorder with him for many months.  He recorded numerous conversations that were later used as evidence against those giving and those receiving bribes.            
In those days I was working as a news reporter and I interviewed Rufus about what he had done.  I asked him if he felt like a traitor to his friends or fellow elected officials whom he had exposed.  Rufus took a deep breath, contemplated the question a moment, and then replied, “I did what I would have expected my elected official to do.”
It’s been over 20 years since that incident, but the memory comes back to me when I see scandals such as the Abramoff Affair that’s playing out in Washington D.C. right now.  The Grove Sun Daily opined upon this subject last week as it relates to lobbyists and money in Oklahoma City.  The paper called for an end to all gifts to lawmakers, and I agree. 
Most of us understand that human nature has a dark side.  We also understand that politics and government carry inherent temptations.  There is too much money and too many people’s futures at stake for it to be any other way. 
That’s why God sets a standard of conduct for government leaders.  When King Jehoshaphat appointed judges this was his charge to them; “Now let the fear of the LORD be upon you.  Judge carefully, for with the LORD our God there is no injustice or partiality or bribes (2 Chronicles 19:7).”  The Bible also tells us that bribery corrupts (Ecclesiastes 7:7), blinds (Exodus 23:8), and that “a fire will consume the tents of those who love bribes (Job 15:34).”
The county commissioners in the 80’s saw their tents consumed by God’s fire of justice.  Jack Abramoff is experiencing the same thing today. 
The Founding Fathers of America understood these things.  That’s why most of the original 13 colonies required a person to believe in God as a qualification to hold public office.  It wasn’t religious discrimination, it was realistic moral understanding.  Their reasoning was that not everyone who accepts a bribe or commits an immoral act gets caught.  But if we place people in authority who believe that God sees everything and all sin will be punished eventually, those people are statistically less likely to commit such acts.
We need men and women in public office who meet God’s qualifications which are to fear God, be just and impartial, and be impervious to bribery.  If that describes you, perhaps God is calling you to run for public office this year.  We will be voting on several local and state offices this year.  You can get a list by calling the county election board.
“When the righteous increase, the people rejoice, but when a wicked man rules, people groan (Proverbs 29:2).

What’s happening to my church? It’s a question on the minds of many Christians these days. Two generations ago, there was a great deal of conformity in American churches. Almost all of them began by singing hymns from a book. The singing was accompanied by a piano and sometimes an organ. Larger churches had beautiful choirs who sang exquisitely written musical arrangements. There was an offering plate passed, followed by a sermon from the pastor. Sermon topics were usually drawn from the major themes of the faith; repentance, salvation, holiness, faith and love. The style of church services varied a little from one denomination to the next. The doctrinal emphasis and some of the lingo also varied, there was still a great deal of continuity. Then came the 1960’s: everything in America changed. John Lennon sang that everyone wanted a revolution and everyone wanted to change the world. At that time, very few wanted to change the church but change has come. It began with the Jesus Movement as the hippies came to church and brought their long hair and musical tastes with them. Those were strange days as dour grandmothers in cotton dresses sat next to smelly, barefooted young men who were desperately searching for truth. At the same time, the Civil Rights Movement was challenging many of our long-held, and erroneous, beliefs about race and culture. The sexual revolution rocked the thinking of conservative Christians. In many ways, we still have not adjusted to the new moral climate we live in. But the church has changed. The music has changed. The dress code has changed. The decorations and furniture have changed. Sermons today routinely deal with topics rarely, if ever, mentioned from the pulpit a few decades ago. Topics such as sex, marital relationships, avoiding credit abuse, dealing with childhood trauma and embracing our culture are commonplace in today’s 21st century church. Talk of change among churchgoers, and especially church leaders is everywhere. Books are being published at a frenzied pace with titles like Revolution, The Barbarian Way, and Mega Shift. Most of us understand that the changes are mandated because our society has transformed in that same forty year period. We now live in a world of cell phones, internet pornography, abortion, co-habitation instead of marriage, iPods and child neglect. That list doesn’t make sense and neither does much of the world in which we live. So what’s the church to do? One of the books mentioned above suggests that half the people currently attending church in America will quit within the next 20 years because the church is behind the curve of change and no longer meets their needs. While I agree that the church may be a little behind, I do not believe there will be a mass exodus of congregants. The history of Christianity shows an amazing ability to adapt to culture and society. A Christian congregation in the jungles of Africa will look, sound, and act very differently from a congregation that meets in downtown Dallas. And a South American church will appear very different from an underground Chinese church. But if you observe closely, you will hear the same eternal message of faith and salvation adapted to fit the culture. Is the American church changing at an unprecedented rate? Yes. Is that change sometimes disconcerting, especially to our older members? Certainly. Will the church in America survive and prosper? Absolutely.

January 8, 2006 was designated by Oklahoma Governor Brad Henry as a day of prayer.  His official proclamation read: “Our hearts go out to those whose lives have been affected by the wildfires,” Gov. Henry said. “Oklahomans are strong and resilient, but as people of deep faith in God who have always found solace and comfort in prayer, we understand our limits. “As Oklahomans, we are doing everything in our power to control these blazes, protect lives and property and help those who have suffered, but our faith tells us we must also turn to God to see us through trying times like these. I ask all Oklahomans to join me in prayer for victims and their loved ones, for exhausted firefighters and first responders, and for rain.”
Our nation has a long and illustrious history when it comes to proclaiming days of prayer.  During the deliberations of the Continental Congress, four separate times, the delegates called for days of fasting and prayer as they tried to determine God’s Will in the matter of separating from Great Britain.  John Adams wrote, “Millions will be upon their knees at once before the great Creator, imploring His forgiveness and blessing.”
After the Revolutionary War was won, President George Washington issued three proclamations for days of fasting and prayer.  He called on all Americans to “unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of the Nations, and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions.”
During the darkest days of the Civil War, President Lincoln called Americans to prayer and fasting.  His proclamation reads like a sermon.  Here is an excerpt; “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in Holy Scriptures and proven by all history; that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”
Our church prayed on January 8.  We joined our prayers with thousands of other believers across the state asking God to send rain.  Within 48 hours it was snowing.  A week later it rained a little.  It was an answer, but certainly not what we need.
In reviewing the governor’s call for prayer, it does not include repentance.  Adams, Washington, and Lincoln made repentance a central part of their prayer to God.   When we prayed in our church that day, we repented before God for the sins of our state.  I suspect many other Christians across the state did the same. Our nation has a long and illustrious history when it comes to proclaiming days of prayer.  During the deliberations of the Continental Congress, four separate times, the delegates called for days of fasting and prayer as they tried to determine God’s Will in the matter of separating from Great Britain.  John Adams wrote, “Millions will be upon their knees at once before the great Creator, imploring His forgiveness and blessing.”After the Revolutionary War was won, President George Washington issued three proclamations for days of fasting and prayer.  He called on all Americans to “unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of the Nations, and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions.”During the darkest days of the Civil War, President Lincoln called Americans to prayer and fasting.  His proclamation reads like a sermon.  Here is an excerpt; “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in Holy Scriptures and proven by all history; that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”Our church prayed on January 8.  We joined our prayers with thousands of other believers across the state asking God to send rain.  Within 48 hours it was snowing.  A week later it rained a little.  It was an answer, but certainly not what we need.In reviewing the governor’s call for prayer, it does not include repentance.  Adams, Washington, and Lincoln made repentance a central part of their prayer to God.   When we prayed in our church that day, we repented before God for the sins of our state.  I suspect many other Christians across the state did the same.            
The wildfires are still burning and our state desperately needs the spring rains to avert catastrophe.  Perhaps the governor should issue another call for prayer WITH REPENTANCE.

Our nation has a long and illustrious history when it comes to proclaiming days of prayer.  During the deliberations of the Continental Congress, four separate times, the delegates called for days of fasting and prayer as they tried to determine God’s Will in the matter of separating from Great Britain.  John Adams wrote, “Millions will be upon their knees at once before the great Creator, imploring His forgiveness and blessing.”After the Revolutionary War was won, President George Washington issued three proclamations for days of fasting and prayer.  He called on all Americans to “unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplications to the great Lord and Ruler of the Nations, and beseech him to pardon our national and other transgressions.”During the darkest days of the Civil War, President Lincoln called Americans to prayer and fasting.  His proclamation reads like a sermon.  Here is an excerpt; “It is the duty of nations as well as of men to own their dependence upon the overruling power of God, to confess their sins and transgressions in humble sorrow yet with assured hope that genuine repentance will lead to mercy and pardon, and to recognize the sublime truth, announced in Holy Scriptures and proven by all history; that those nations only are blessed whose God is the Lord.”Our church prayed on January 8.  We joined our prayers with thousands of other believers across the state asking God to send rain.  Within 48 hours it was snowing.  A week later it rained a little.  It was an answer, but certainly not what we need.In reviewing the governor’s call for prayer, it does not include repentance.  Adams, Washington, and Lincoln made repentance a central part of their prayer to God.   When we prayed in our church that day, we repented before God for the sins of our state.  I suspect many other Christians across the state did the same.            The wildfires are still burning and our state desperately needs the spring rains to avert catastrophe.  Perhaps the governor should issue another call for prayer WITH REPENTANCE.